Disneybounding

I've been to Disneyland twice. In 1972 and 1985.

Although I would have been more enthralled if I'd been, say, ten years old, I liked it just fine. Flying Dumbo. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. The Mad Tea Party. The Matterhorn. Etc. 

On one of those visits, I bought some Mickey Mouse earrings, which are still around here somewhere.  

And that's about the extent of my Disney costuming.

Just as well, because as it turns out, adult visitors to Disney aren't allowed to wear costumes because it would confuse the kiddos if there were a whole bunch of Snow Whites or Goofys roaming around. Only the paid employee cosplayers get to be Olaf and Elsa.

But real fans can still get into it by getting creative. This is called:

Disneybounding, a practice that allows Disney adults to channel their favorite characters, experiences or objects without running afoul of the company’s no-costume rules for grownups. Outfits are inspired by characters but use everyday clothes...

“It’s a fun way to, as an adult, have a similar interaction to what a kid would have when they’re in their costumes,” said Leslie Kay, who coined the DisneyBound term, runs sites devoted to the practice and wrote a book on the topic that was published by Disney in 2020. (Source: WaPo)

Lest you think Leslie Kay is some sort of weirdo sitting around in a Winnie-the-Pooh sweatshirt, she's a social media and marketing consultant in her 30s, and has over a half a million followers across her platforms. She also has a clothing company, cakeworthy, where she sells themed gear for Disney, as well as for Star Wars, Barbie, Harry Potter et al. For Disneybounders, they can represent their affection for, say, the Little Mermaid without violating the Disney rules. 

Disney, of course, sells its own bounding merch, but they seem happy enough to share the wealth with bounders who come up with their own tribute gear. 

Bounders pay homage in a variety of ways.

A Snow White outfit might include a denim shirt, yellow shorts and apple-shaped purse, while Princess Tiana might wear a green romper with frog jewelry. 

Cakeworthy isn't the only "civilian" game in town. There are several retailers the offer "Disney-inspired merchandise." Not surprisingly, the princess characters account for a lot of the Disneybounding action, but the old standbys  - Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy - are also popular, as are Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. 

“Millennials I find really like the ‘Never grow up’ themes of Alice and Peter,” [Kay] said in an email.

Can't say that I blame hose millennials. Grownup-ness can definitely be overrated.  

While I found a few of the costumes shown in the article to be a bit over-the-top and cringe, there were others that were relatively subtle and fun. Here's Tiara Henderson's shout out to the Sorcerer's Apprentice. I'm partial to this one because, while I'm not a huge Mickey fan, I do love me some Sorcerer's Apprentice. And I also like the fact that Tiara pulled this off without having to actually pay for any Disney-related gear. So she gets to have fun without giving it up to the kabillion dollar empire.  

Henderson, and some of the other bounders have hefty social media followings "and consider themselves Disney content creators."

I don't imagine I'll ever get to Disney again. And I'm not the Disneybounding type.

But I get it.

When I go to a Red Sox game, I'm likely to have on a Red Sox tee-shirt and/or fleece and/or cap and/or earrings. I'm a fan and, while it's plenty corny, it makes me happy to represent, and makes the game somehow a more enjoyable experience. I suspect the bounders feel the same. 

Good for them. 

The world can be so very, very grim. If something brings joy, if it taps creative juices, I say go for it. Bonus points if you make a few bucks that doesn't flow into Disney's already-groaning coffers. 

I don't imagine I'll ever get to Disney again. And I'm not the DisneyBounding type. But if I were, I'm not sure which direction I'd go in. I'm Team Donald vs. Team Mickey, so I'd be wearing blue vs. red. Maybe I'd figure out how to do a Cheshire cat grin. And my favorite dwarf is Dopey, so I guess I could sport a purple cap and call it a bounding day.