Credit: DisneyThere’s been (allegedly) an odd attempt to acquire genuine Disney Park goods for resale.
Related: “Notice: Your Life is Over”, Fans Warn “No Morals” Guest Trespassing at Disney Park
The Walt Disney Company has dominated the theme park entertainment industry for many years with its highly refined formula that provides guests with exceptional experiences at theme parks around the globe. This formula includes state-of-the-art technology, including new innovations like new augmented reality features in Haunted Mansion, as well as immersive environments that engage all of the senses, and a range of exciting rides and attractions suitable for all ages. Perhaps some people are a little too obsessed with Disney theme parks, though.
The craze around the Disney Parks globally has been well-documented as — to be entirely honest — somewhat insane. The Disney theme parks, including the Walt Disney World Resort and its Magic Kingdom, as well as international Parks like the Disneyland Paris Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, and the Tokyo Disney Resort have seen an increase in the number of scalpers with the rise of third party sales websites. This has occurred at nearly all the Disney Parks, as merchandise directly from the theme parks, particularly limited items from anniversaries, events and even merch of soon-to-be-closed rides (like Splash Mountain pre-Tiana’s Bayou Adventure makeover), is constantly in demand the world over.
Related: Resellers Decimate Disney Merchandise, Guests Angered After Seeing Wagons of Product Purchased
Reselling at Disney, and the fake baby incident
In recent years, these resellers have gone to greater and greater pains to flout Disney Park rules, which have adapted to counter these resellers. These rules often include putting a restriction on the number of purchasable items per Guest. Cast Members working at the stores on property have also been instructed to watch out for obvious signs of resellers, including solo parties purchasing large numbers of the same goods at once.
It’s no longer just about getting physical, as we’ve documented before. Now, it appears that resellers have taken an even more insane step — by using a realistic, fake baby doll to trick Cast Members into allowing them to buy merchandise freely.
It was exposed on social media recently that the Tokyo Disney Resort has had a somewhat odd “reselling” incident. User @trtsls296558468, a Guest at the Tokyo Disney Resort shared images of a reseller at work, utilizing a fake doll of a child dressed up in many layers of clothes including a large, fluffy beanie, to come across as an innocent Guest with a child, out shopping.
The incident occurred at the Bon Voyage store at the entrance of the Tokyo Disney Resort property, on the pedestrian deck leading into Tokyo Disneyland Park proper and the Ikspiari compound — a sort of Downtown Disney-style area, themed to fit the “travelling around the world” design language of the whole Tokyo Disney Resort and the Tokyo DisneySea Park’s unique Society of Explorers and Adventurers (SEA) theming. This area is technically open to the public, as it is located right outside the JR Maihama Station and does not usually require a Park ticket to enter, barring specific situations requiring advanced online reservations.
It seems that the keen-eyed Guest @trtsls296558468 at Bon Voyage did enough of a double take to ascertain the child’s artificial nature, as they write about their experience, mentioning the large amounts of Tokyo Disneyland Park 40th Anniversary “Dream-Go-Round” merchandise in the other Guest’s shopping basket, as proof of possible reselling — with attached images of the doll in question:
(translated) Someone brought a fake baby to Bon Voyage… The seemed to put a lot of 40th Anniversary goods in the basket, so it’s likely for resale.. #tdr_now
ボンボでフェイク赤ちゃん連れてる人いた、、、
40周年グッズ大量にカゴに入れていたから恐らく転売目的かと、、
#tdr_now pic.twitter.com/3dulXNPwZv— てるてさるさ (@trtsls296558468) April 11, 2023
This act was likely done to avoid suspicion from Cast Members and other Guests, and potentially to allow the reseller to purchase double the amount they would typically be allowed, bypassing any active “per Guest” limits — as user @kujyo51 observes:
(translated) Why should you bring a fake baby? Products that are only sold to people with children? Or to make it so that 2 people can use a “1 person 1 item” limit?
何故フェイク赤ちゃんを連れる必要あるのでしょうか？子供連れにしか販売しない商品？それとも1人1限とかを2名分にするため？
— 九城 (@kujyo51) April 11, 2023
Others condemn the actions of the alleged reseller, as @gpchan0406 does while joking:
(translated) Using fake babies to make money means morals are over, but at least you have a good sense of style right
フェイク赤ちゃん使って金稼ぎとか道徳終わってるけど服のセンスいいよね
— ジプちゃん (@gpchan0406) April 11, 2023
Meanwhile, another user @u_shimly is attempting to shed some light on the situation, alleging that the apparent reseller is in fact someone who just brings a doll around with them regularly:
(translated) I’m not the person in question, so I don’t know the reason why they do this, but I think this person might just always be with a baby doll. At my previous workplace, someone used to bring their “baby” in as a customer. It could be a daily routine even outside of Disney. Of course, it would be a problem if people used fake babies to resell things, but this person seems to have a situation…
ご本人では無いので、真意は不明ですが、いつも赤ちゃんの人形連れてる方だと思います..
私の以前の職場にもお客様として赤ちゃん連れていらしていました..
ディズニー以外でも日常的にの様です。もちろん、フェイク赤ちゃん利用して転売する人は困りますが、こちらの方はご事情がありそうでした..
— KSHIM♡ (@u_shimly) April 12, 2023
Of course, all of this is technically conjecture, as The Walt Disney Company and the Oriental Land Company have yet to publicly address this incident. It’s clear with how viral this post has gotten that Disney fans and Guests, especially those local to the Park in question, find reselling actions reprehensible. Either way, let’s hope that the reselling of Disney merchandise somehow ends, with official Disney avenues hopefully becoming available with the advent (and popularity of) online shopping.
What do you think about this Guest potentially using a fake baby to get away with reselling? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Unlike other entirely Walt Disney Company-owned Parks like the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan exists as the Walt Disney Company’s first-ever international Disney Park and is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company. Located just beside the JR Maihama Station, and connected to Narita Airport and Haneda Airport by convenient transport networks, Tokyo Disney Resort comprises two theme parks – Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, all connected by the Disney Resort Line monorail. Nearby are official hotels, the Disney Ambassador Hotel, Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel and Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel.