DISNEYSUCKS.COM
… is — admittedly — a pretty harsh name for a website. Which perhaps explains why the Walt Disney Company decided that it needed to be taken off the market. Which is why the Mouse registered this domain name back on September 25th.
Ah, that’s the great fun of poking around www.dailychanges.com. You know? That website that keeps track of the various domain names that major corporations like the Walt Disney Company register? It gives you all these great insights into stuff that concerns Mickey and/or projects that the Disney Corporation is just about to get underway. Take — for example — these two domain names that were just registered this past weekend:
DISNEYLANDMARTIALARTSFESTIVAL.COM
DISNEYLANDMARTIALARTSQUALIFER.COM
Based on conversations that I had yesterday with several company insiders, the Disneyland Martial Arts Festival will officially be announced sometime in early 2006. Deliberately designed to bring additional guests to the Disneyland Resort during its off-season, Disney execs are hoping that this Martial Arts Festival can eventually become an annual event. Bringing hundreds of young martial arts fans (and their families) to the resort so that they can compete for prizes.
Speaking of looking for new ways to bring people to a Disney resort: Were you wishing that your next workshop and/or corporate meeting could be held in Anaheim and/or Orlando? So that you could maybe sneak in a visit to a theme park inbetween seminars? Well — if so — then maybe you want to make the folks who plan all of your corporate get-togethers aware of these new web addresses:
DISNEYWORKSHOP.COM
DISNEYWORKSHOPS.COM
DISNEYMEETING.COM
DISNEYDELEGATE.COM
I’m told that the Walt Disney Company registered these new domain names as part of their new pursue-every-possible-revenue-stream-at-the-resorts initiative. Which means that the Mouse is going to get much more aggressive now about actively recruit corporations to come on down to Orlando and/or out to Anaheim and hold their meetings. Which (hopefully) will help Mickey put more heads-in-beds at their on-property hotels.
And — when I say that every possible avenue for additional revenue is being pursued — I mean that EVERY possible avenue. Which is why we should all be getting ready for:
DISNEYGIFTCARD.COM
WALTDISNEYWORLDCERTIFICATE.COM
Which — in theory, anyway — will make it that much easier to give someone the gift of Disney magic (I.E. Money that they can put toward a trip on the Disney Cruise Line and/or an overnight stay at one of Disney’s resort hotels, etc.)
Speaking of gifts … If you’re looking for something to get the computer-game-lover in your family this holiday season, then you might want to consider checking out some of the games that Disney has fielded through its new Buena Vista Games division. The Mouse hopes that BVG will eventually make the Walt Disney Company a real player in the highly lucrative field of computer gaming. Buena Vista Games’ efforts to woo gamers to the Magic Kingdom will supposedly be supported by these two new websites:
DISNEYGAMECAFE.COM
DISNEYSGAMECAFE.COM
Which are supposed to go live sometime in the next few months.
Speaking of wooing people … The Walt Disney Company is beefing up its efforts to win over younger fans to ABC’s line-up of soaps. I mean, look at these faux blogs that it’s just created in order to promote a character that’s just returned to “General Hospital”
DRROBINSCORPIO.COM
ROBINSCORPIO.COM
Or — better yet — you want to learn more about the multiple personalities of a certain character that appears on “One Life to Live”? Then go check out:
JESSANDTESS.COM
Speaking of Disney and soaps … The Mouse clearly has big plans for SoapNet, that cable channel that rebroadcasts ABC’s soaps each weeknight and/or on the weekends. I mean, look at all the SoapNet-centric domain names that Disney just registered:
CLUBSOAPNET.COM
SOAPNETBEAUTYBAR.COM
SOAPNETIC.COM
SOAPNETIC.NET
SOAPNETIC.ORG
SOAPNETNEWS.COM
SOAPNETORIGINALS.COM
SOAPNETPLANET.COM
SOAPNETQUEENBEES.COM
Based on all of these titles, I think it’s safe to say that SoapNet will soon be reinventing itself, quickly stepping away from its current identity. Which is a cable network that has limited new programming, one that mostly airs reruns.
Speaking of reruns … Could Disney somehow be getting involved in the revival of one of seminal bands of the 1980s, Devo? To be honest, I’m not quite sure what’s actually in the works. But — that said — I have to admit that I find the following domain names to be particularly intriguing:
DEVO2-0.COM
DEVO20.COM
DEVO2POINT0.COM
Are there any Devo devotees out there who can perhaps shed some light on what the Walt Disney Company is doing, registering domain names for something called “Devo 2.0”?
Mind you, at the exact opposite of the music spectrum, we find that the Walt Disney Company is quite serious about its effort to launch its own corporate-created band which is aimed straight at the tween girl market:
CHEETAHLICIOUSMUSIC.COM
THECHEEETAHGIRLSONLINE.COM
THECHEETAHGIRLSMUSIC.COM
And — speaking of projects that are deliberately designed to separate pre-teen girls from their allowance money — check out these new direct-to-DVD films that DisneyToon Studios supposedly have in the works:
TINKERBELLDVD.COM
FAIRIESDVD.COM
WITCHES-MOVIE.COM
Speaking of Peter Pan’s pixe pal … Do you remember “Peter and the Starcatchers,” that “Peter Pan” prequel that Hyperion Press published back in August of 2004? Well, that Dave Barry & Ridley Pierson book seems to have done so well that the authors have written a sequel. That’s right. A sequel to a prequel, wich will be called:
PETERANDTHESHADOWTHIEVES.COM
In other Disney Publishing-related news, the Mouse is getting ready to roll the publication that’s supposed to replace the now-defunct “Disney” magazine:
WONDERTIMEMAG.COM
Which — I’m told — is supposed to skew toward a much younger audience. With a particular emphasis being placed on mothers who will supposedly be working with their kids, teaching them to read.
And speaking of kids learning to read … What do you make of this program that the Walt Disney Company will reportedly be unveiling shortly?
DISNEYACADEMICACHIEVEARS.COM
DISNEYACADEMICACHIEVEARSCELEBRATION.COM
DISNEYACADEMICACHIEVERS.COM
DISNEYLANDACHIEVEARS.COM
Which (I’m told) will have some sort of on-property component. Allegedly inviting young scholars from all over the U.S. to come down to Anaheim and/or Orlando with their families to compete for prizes.
Hmmmn … Now where have I heard that idea before?
Finally, I always like to close out these columns with one odd item. One domain name that the Walt Disney Company registers that makes you think … Well, what could the Mouse possibly be planning to do with that website? And here are two that really caught my attention:
BIGFOOTSPEAK.COM
BIGFOOTTALK.COM
Any thoughts as to what Mickey might be doing with these two particular domain names?