This actually does not bother me. I mean, Halloween and candy go together like peaches and cream so I don't see the reason to get upset that Disney is pushing their candy STORE!

oh come on.

They could very well push Hersheys or Nestle... Goofys Candy Company is Disneys candy company.

Would the kids in the wonka factory have to look at how the hershey factory is run?

LAME argument.

They sell that goofy stuff in all the parks. Its no more a promo push then anything else in a parade.

"what! Mickeys on the float!?" "they sell stuffed versions of him in the gift shop!"

A few weeks ago, I was walking near the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at WDW and Captain Jack ran right past me.  That was pretty cool.

And, part of the fun of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is all the candy that gets passed out.  We've barely started eating ours weeks later- 2 bags full.  If the Goofy's Candy Co. part of the parade didn't have any Disney chaaracters, especially Goofy, then I'd be right here agreeing with you, Mr. Lange.  And I see what you're saying, about how they're just trying to get people into their store.  But Pluto and Goofy were in that section of the parade.  I enjoyed seeing them.  I thought the parade was great!  My pictures, on the other hand, didn't come out so great...

Thanks for the pictures!

yeah, I gotta agree with these folks -- if you are going to give away candy anyway... and if you are going to do some disney theming to do it... why not Goofy's Candy Company?

It isn't like they have a candy-themed movie they could theme this float with.

You're kidding, right?

Let me get this straight ... you spent however long writing an article to complain about the fact that a HALLOWEEN PARADE ended with candy being given out???????

I can tell you for certain that if it HADN'T ended that way, my daughter would have been MAD!

What would you have them do?? Push generic white and black bags labeled "Candy" (a la Repo Man) down the street?? Come on ... really ... this may be one of the silliest articles I've ever read ...

Now if you want to complain about the overuse of Pirates, I'm on board with that. When will Disney learn to stop CRAMMING things down the public's throat?? You'd think after Millionaire, Stitch, etc. they'd get the idea that enough sometimes is really enough.

This is nothing compared to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. I mean, there was an AskJeeves balloon one year!

Disney sells Disney. his is there candy and I agree with the others, I dont see a problem with them selling their product, we are all there buying it to begin with.

This complaint comes from someone who records trademarked copyrighted characters in rides and performances on private property, then turns around and sells those recordings for profit ?  Really?   I think I'd stay verrrry positive if I was doing that - want to stay wayyyy under the company radar.

Right svickersart - Disney sells Disney.  I don't much like it because I don't think that pushing cheap candy is something Disney should be doing, but even a dog needs to make a living, right?  

BTW, GCC is an old staple at WDW Downtown Disney.  I remember them being in the same building as Earl of Sandwich a year or two ago and I've seen bags of GCC candy all over the place for long before that.

as far as disney pushing a product too much, i see nothing wrong with it.  it'd be silly to sit there and not do anything with it while the product is most popular.

would millionaire still be on tv at night if they didn't air it so much when it first came out?  i personally don't think so.

i think capt jack does a great job acting/looking like johnny depp's character...he has the same quirky hand motions and the rolly eyes.  i was excited to see him in the park.  

if people want to go see more pirates stuff, than why would disney hold it back from the people that want to see it???

That's called SYNERGY!!

They should've had some kind of a dancing candy corn brigade, like the snowmen or the reindeer in the Christmas parade. Along with that, throw candy and treats out to the crowds ala the Mardi Gras parade. No that would be cool!

I say shut up and eat.

:)

i would have a problem if the logo was new and the parade was just for the store, but the goofy's candy co. logo has been produced looong before they opened the store in Fl's dtd. We have sold Goofy's candy at DL since 2001 at the parks and at Marceline's at Ca's dtd. What kinda halloween parade would NOT have candy? and if it has to have have candy, what kinda candy do you think they should hand out?

Good Heavens! What's going on here at JHM? You guys are now more snarky toward Disney than Al Lutz ever was. And even at his most curmudgeonly, at least he kvetched about things that deserved a good kvetching. Jim et al seem to have their crap detectors stuck in the "on" position. All they see is crap. Using Wall Street's yardstick to measure how good Disney movies are doing, decrying the same-ol, same-ol cross-promotion that's gone on since BEFORE day one ofthe parks, reporting stories without adequate fact-checking. Credibility is nose diving around here. Pull up!

As far as I'm concerned, any time I see an old piece of character art I drew for a WDW logo being prominently displayed in a new Disney parade, that is an occasion to rejoice! We lowly cartoonists ask for so little...   :)

Watch out Jeff.  The DisneyDorks have thrown the gauntlet down.  You are as high on their *** list as Jim now!

Plus, I like the sour balls, just wish I could find the mixed bags instead of the all cherry.

I have to agree with Jeff.

WDW is crossing the line between promoting characters and stories, and directly promoting specific products.  Think of it this way-- seeing Mickey at the conclusion of a parade conjures excitement and nostalgia.  That's what we pay for when we visit a Disney park.  But if Mickey is on a float filled with DVDs that says "Mickey's Movie Factory"?  That conjures entirely different feelings...we feel like we're sitting down for a sales pitch.  Mickey is now like a car salesman.

In this case, I think there's room for Goofy on his train float thing.  Passing out candy is fine too.  But including several floats (including the guy pushing the giant bag!) and placement at the end of the parade is just too much to subject paying customers to.

I'm a huge Goofy fan (obviously) and I think the parade floats for his candy co. look great. I really wish I lived close enough to Disney World to visit more frequently, but I'm a 21 hour drive away so my two week long stays a year will have to do until I move there. The way I see this whole thing is that it is Halloween and Disney should be giving out candy. Should they make a deal with Hershey and pass out their candy? No. Disney has their own candy line. Why not give some of it away to guests there to celebrate Halloween? And since it is Goofy's Candy Co, why shouldn't he be the one to hand it out? And why not have a parade float for his company to have it passed out from? It all makes sense to me. It's not shameless plugging. Nowhere on the float does it mention the candy store in Downtown Disney and guests would be more likely to turn around and buy candy at the confectionary if they wanted more candy rather than making a needless trip to Downtown Disney. And I hope when I'm at the park in December that Jack Sparrow is walking around so I can get a picture with him. That would be so cool!

I don't really have a problem with Goofy's Candy in the parade.

But a pirate retheme to Disneyland's TSI, that's a different story.

They should rework the island for a better TSI.  And at the same time, make it ready for pirate overlays for POTC 3 preimiere, summer & HalloweenTime 2007, and then every HalloweenTime...

How about one of the pre-show Birds from the "Enchanted Tiki Room" is renamed Philip, and he, together with Morris, rides a float themed as a giant carton of smokes?  The theme music could be "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes."  Free samples abound for the crowd.  The tobacco CEOs would stab one another with <i>forks</i> for the chance to sponsor that float.

It could always, always be worse.

I have not gone this year but we went last year and Goofy Candy Company was promoted then.  

I don't mind pushing Goofey and his products but one thing that struck me funny was that they were not giving out Goofy candy but the regular run of the mill Halloween stuff...much cheaper than the candy sold at Goofy's store.

Don't know if it is the same this year but if they are going to push the store how about giving out the real stuff???

You know, I still laugh when remembering that Michael Eisner and other Disney execs said Johnny Depp would ruin the whole movie back in the days before the Black Pearl showed up!

Disney has been selling Goofy's Candy Co. products at WDW for years in every location from DAK to Wilderness Lodge to Blizzard Beach. It's nothing new, and the opening of a store a whole April ago hardly qualifies that float as a promotional tool. Halloween is all about candy. WDW went straight to its mainstay candy supplier: The Goofy Candy Company. End of Story.