Pixie Hollow is the latest of Disney Online’s virtual worlds. Pixie Hollow is their way of making the most of the Disney Fairies brand and expanding the franchise in new and creative ways. It is also a very clever way of turning young children on to the idea of online gaming. Once the graduate from Pixie Hollow, they just might be ready for World of Warcraft. After all, World of Warcraft has elves too.
But maybe it isn’t that bad.
I’ve been to Pixie Hollow and I have to admit it was a very sticky place. By sticky, I mean that it was very easy to stay there for far longer than I had ever intended.
First they got me to create my own fairie. (See Persimmon Plumwish to the left.)
Then they got me to decorate her little fairie house.
After that, I changed her outfit a few times. I should mention that I would never be seen in any of these revealing garments.
Then they got me to create stationery which I am seriously considering using for my weekly letters to Grammy.
Then I discovered calling cards! Yes, I checked out what a calling card for Persimmon Plumwish would look like. They’re quite adorable. They’re also viral. No, they aren’t carrying any germs but they are meant to act as viral advertising because the url for Pixie Hollow is on every card. Now what self-respecting little girl, when given one of these cards by a friend, isn’t going to go to Pixie Hollow and do everything I just did?
Come on, if it could hook me, your kids don’t stand a chance!
Here is the kicker. Buzzing around Pixie Hollow and creating cute stationery is free but the tee shirt will cost you. With the click of a mouse, your child can create their very own fairie tee shirt with their personal fairie and customized printing. I knew there had to be a catch. All that pixie dust had me going and then the bill came.
This is just plain brilliant marketing by Disney. Just know what you’re getting into when little Lisa comes home from school with a cute little calling card and says she has to use the family computer to go to Pixie Hollow.
Drawbacks:
1) The faerie physique is not something we want to promote to young girls. It is unachievable. Like Barbie, faeries have the type of body that a human woman can only achieve through extensive plastic surgeries.
2) The type of clothing the faeries wear is not modest and promotes the sort of belly-baring, micro-mini styles that I feel are exploiting our young girls today.
3) There is a great focus on hair and accessories which may be sending a message to our children that their hair must be styled perfectly and they have to have all the best and brightest jewelry. This puts a focus on superficiality that concerns me.
While I focus mainly on all things Disney here, I have to say that this is some extremely effective media meant to work on very young children. When allowing your children to be exposed to internet media, even if it is a Disney product, please review it for yourself first to be sure that it isn’t sending your child a message contrary to the values you are trying to instill.
Related Blogs:
Tinker Bell – There’s Something About Her
Do Disney Princesses Hurt Self-Image in Little Girls?
Tinkerbell Gets a Voice for New Film