Disney Home is launching with rugs, wallpaper, and sculptures, but it has much bigger plans for the future.
A modernist X-wing poster. An ivory throw rug covered in Mickey Mouse doodles. Sky-blue wallpaper featuring the same clouds you see on the Toy Story DVD box. Its name? Andy.
These are some of the inaugural products of Disney Home—the new housewares line featuring elements from Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and, of course, Disney’s own rich history of film and animation. Disney sold $3 billion in general merchandise back in 2018, ranging from its mouse-eared hats to a $4,500 Gucci purse. And it’s not new to the home decor space, either. Pottery Barn, for instance, already features an entire Star Wars home collection.
Representatives from Disney tell us that Disney Home—which launches in Europe this week before a global release to come—will be an “expansive” line that will roll many of its licensed products under a single Disney umbrella brand. Sold at retailers including Amazon, Wayfair, and Ruggable, Disney Home is Disney’s strategic attempt to take a larger bite out of the $682 billion home decor industry. (By comparison, the global box office brought in a mere $21 billion last year, still down to about half of its size before the pandemic.) The company’s home goods strategy is similar to its film strategy: to make something for everyone.
“It brings together what fans might expect—such as kids’ bedding—alongside bespoke design pieces and one-off collaborations,” a Disney spokesperson writes. “The product collections consistently evolve to complement every interior style and budget, but are united in their objective of bringing fun, joy, and escapism into people’s homes.”
While Disney is building both its own affordable housing and immersive “storyliving” communities, the company clarifies that Disney Home is a completely unrelated project. Disney Home will feature the aforementioned rugs, posters, and wallpapers, along with sculptures, shelving, and even larger-scale furniture. From what we can tell, each item will nod to Disney overtly or subtly, so don’t expect to buy a plain white carpet from the company.
Offering a range of products, in different scope and price, and from various retailers, is key to the brand. Case in point: The least expensive products at launch will be the $17 wallpapers on Wayfair; the most expensive will be the $277 gold-eared Mickey Mouse figurines by pop sculptor Leblon Delienne, available at Selfridges. But even that price ceiling won’t last long. When asked if Disney Home might sell a full-size sofa in the future, the company responded, “Absolutely!” And upcoming furniture items—some of which will be “aspirational” to buy—will easily push price tags higher.
Company reps declined to speak about short- or long-term revenue projections for Disney Home. And to be quite honest, it’s still tough to tell whether Disney Home is simply a branding play to roll many of its home-goods products under one name for easier promotion, or whether it’s also going to serve as a more strategic housewares brand unto itself, which studies consumer taste and behavioral trends like Ikea and Target.ADVERTISING
But one thing is for certain: Given the omnipresence of Disney IP across our culture, you’re bound to encounter a Disney Home product—and probably sooner than later.
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This article first appeared in www.fastcompany.com
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