DisneyStore Limited Edition 17" Dolls Discussion
POC is a term that refers to "person of color," in internet lingo. I personally find the term mildly offensive but many chose to use it quite vehemently.
I also absolutely hate to say it, but Tiana, Pocahontas, and Mulan do sell poorly compared to other princesses in terms of merchandise over the price point of $20. The classic dolls and animators sell decently in store. But costumes, accessories, and LE dolls (as we saw with the couples) go on clearance. To Disney, I am sure it looks as if these characters are unpopular. In their eyes I would assume they see it as, "if we cannot sell these characters out in a set, how can we hope to sell them in individual release?". To further explain, I mean that the couples are the second wave of a set of ten, which many people attempted to complete. Why did they not sell out? Simply because the customers did not buy them. This is also why they went on clearance. This makes less money for Disney, and Disney is a corporation. They care about money quite a bit, as they need to to stay open. (Of course Disney has a lot of money, but it also costs a lot to run such a massive corporation. They must be cautious and attentive to success at all times!). The ONLY solution to our lack of "POC" merchandise would be for us, the consumer, to buy it when it first comes out. This shows our excitement for their products and that we would be willing to buy a 17" doll of these characters. If they were not for you or you could not afford them, that is your right. But unfortunately Disney sees the numbers.
"Person of Color" is NOT internet lingo. The term was created in the 1960s by a black woman so people would stop calling POC "colored people," which is an incredibly racist and offensive term. "Colored People" or "Colored" was created by white people during segregation to exclude POC from white establishments, water fountains, etc. "People of Color" or "Person of Color" was created by a black woman during the Civil Rights Movement.
The costumes for white princesses also go on sale. Don't kid yourself in thinking they do not. They go on sale online and in the store. The costumes for tinkerbell, Arurora, Ariel, and Belle can always be found on clearance at my store. The costumes for Tiana and Jasmine never are. It is rare to find a dress for Mulan and Pocahontas so they sell out pretty fast. As for the designer couples, Jasmine/Aladdin were the first dolls in the line up to sell out in under 3 days. They were the first popular dolls in the line up. Snow White/Prince and Rapunzel/Flynn hung around online for 2 weeks before finally selling out. In last years designer couple release, Cinderella/Charming were released the same day as the 17" dolls. People were picking them all up together. It was also the diamond edition of Sleeping Beauty, Aurora/Phillip had a lot of hype around them and were the face of the promotional materials. Yes, the other three dolls went on sale but lets not even pretend Disney did anything to promote these dolls. When the original line of designer dolls came out, ALL the dolls sold well and for nearly half the price of the designer couples. A lot of people were not thrilled with the couples. Disney saved the least popular dolls for a non-expo year, that is all on them they didn't sell as well. People outside of avid collectors did not know about these dolls. Also, the 17" dolls sell better than the designer dolls. A Pocahontas and Mulan 17" doll would sell out quickly, especially if they did a lower edition size.