!44: Disney Princess - The Real Scoop on What It Takes to Qualify As an Official Disney Princess

!±8± Disney Princess - The Real Scoop on What It Takes to Qualify As an Official Disney Princess

Unless you've been living in a cave for the last 50 years, most of us aware of the classic Disney Princess stories and characters. If you're a girl, no matter what age you are, you probably saw a movie or had a book about Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. These characters have been around for years and the Disney Company has put out wonderful animated movies telling their stories.

Some may think that any of the Disney character girls, like Tinker Bell or Alice in Wonderland for instance, can be called a Disney Princess. Not so. So what does it take to qualify as an official Disney Princess? A little history will help show the distinction.

In 2000 Andy Mooney was hired by Disney's Consumer Products division to help combat dropping sales. Soon after that Mooney attended his first "Disney on Ice" show. While waiting in line, he noticed how many young girls were dressed as princesses. As he says, "They weren't even Disney products. They were generic princess products." Mooney saw a need and he filled it. Soon after that an official Disney Princess line was introduced.

Mooney picked a mix of old and new heroines to join the official Princess lineup. The following list shows the first movie they starred in:

Snow White (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,1937) Cinderella (Cinderella,1950) Aurora (Sleeping Beauty,1959) Ariel (The Little Mermaid,1989) Belle (Beauty and the Beast,1991) Jasmine (Aladdin,1992) Pocahontas (Pocahontas,1995) Mulan (Mulan,1998) Tiana (The Princess and the Frog, 2009)

Tinker Bell was once considered a part of the Princess lineup but since 2005 is heading up her own department; the Disney Fairies.

Each of the official Disney lineup of Princesses has her own icon, color palette and character cameo, her own song and complete profile unique to only that Princess.

Little girls who want to emulate their favorite Princess can get everything from band-aids to backpacks. And when they are ready to attend a princess function, such as "Disney on Ice", or play dress up at home or go trick or treating for Halloween, there are dozens of Disney costumes for Princesses for every age. There are Princess costumes beginning with baby bunting infant costumes right through adult Princess costumes for mom, grandma, big sisters and aunts.

Infant Princess Costumes focuses on the infant and toddler sizes of Fancy Princess dresses and costumes, the majority of which are official Disney costumes. Almost all of the Disney official Princess line of costumes has a Storybook version, Ballerina version, and Infant version, but that's not all. There are many versions available for the Princesses. For instance there are five child Cinderella costumes and 7 versions of adult Cinderella costumes. In addition to the costumes there are Disney tiaras, wands, slippers and shoes to complete the costumes.

Of course not every Fancy Princess is part of the Disney lineup, although Disney does treat their Princesses very well. Some Princesses are either part of another organization or perhaps a bit more independently minded. There are infant princess and toddlers costumes for Princess Leia, and for Princess Fiona from Shrek for instance. The Pumpkin Princess costume is quite popular and very beautiful. And the Candy Corn Princess is so popular there are costumes for every size from infant, child, teen and adult and even a dog Candy Corn costume. How about that for popularity as a Princess?

So I hope that clears things up a bit. Of course the Disney official Princess lineup is not closed. More Princesses will be added. As a matter of fact Disney has announced a new addition to the lineup. The Disney movie Tangled, scheduled for release in November, stars Rapunzel, who will be added to Disney's official Princess roster.

The moral of this story (Princess stories always have a moral) is that the Disney Princess line was born because little girls love to dress up in Princess clothes. And any parent will love ooohing and aaahing over their little Princess, beginning with Infant Princess Costumes.