Disney Living channel debuts on YouTube with tween fashion show
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In case Disney weren’t ubiquitous enough, it now is attempting to hit the social media sweet spot with another of its YouTube channels, Disney Living.
The channel, from the Disney Consumer Products division, debuted Thursday with a virtual fashion show video featuring tween lines of back-to-school trends, like boho tunic print tops, peasant blouses, beadings and paisleys from the “Wizards of Waverly Place” collection, inspired by the Disney Channel show.
The fashion line looks remarkably like a more innocent version of designer Anna Sui’s sexy “Gossip Girl” line (see photos here at the Cut), set to debut in Target stores and online Sept. 13 amid much controversy about Target advocating the scandals of the TV series to young girls.
There are also preppy tailored plaids, tweeds, crests and faux ties inspired by ‘Jonas’ (that would be the Disney Channel show featuring the Jonas Brothers -- you may have heard of them).
This is the first video to take Disney-inspired fashions directly to the online tween community. The fashions, accessories and footwear worn by the tween models in the show went on sale this month at retailers like JCPenney, Kmart, Sears, Wal-Mart and Target.
For the more mature audiences Disney hopes to attract, the channel also offers a video of the Mickey Fashion Show from Las Vegas last month, a Disney Couture fashion line dedicated to a twentysomething demographic that likes to wear Mickey Mouse clothing and accessories with trendy fedoras, vests, scarves.
At the end of the Mickey Fashion Show, the young adult models walk the runway clapping (no doubt to the “M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E” song) in animal-print and sequined Mickey Mouse hats.
The YouTube channel is basically all merch, all the time. Another video on the new channel is about the Disney Netpal, a mini laptop netbook, which “makes doing homework . . . a lot more exciting” with fun graphics and games, a bobble-head photo feature and a user-friendly interface designed for kids. I’m not sure how much homework would get done with those, but it also has features like -- surprise, surprise -- an exclusive Radio Disney widget so you can give shout-outs, request songs and hear the Jonas Brothers while rocking their looks.
Just like in the old days, you can always trust a tween to get the word out quickly: Somehow, the tween fashion video has racked up more than 12,700 views.
And who knows, it wouldn’t surprise me if next we saw Twitter updates about Disney food trucks selling Disneyland food fare around L.A.
-- Kelsey Ramos