The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique doesn’t offer two princesses. And of course they’re the two my daughter wants to be.
Okay, so I have a question. And pleeeeease don’t jump down my throat for asking this because this is not about stirring up some unnecessary drama. This is a genuine question to figure out WTF to do. So here’s the dealio. As many of you know, we’re headed to Disney this summer (because you know, Orlando sounds so comfortable and not humid at all that time of year).
Well, the other day I did something kinda impulsive. When I was planning the trip, I stumbled upon this cool thing, and I offered it to Zoey.
ME: Hey, Zoey, I have a question. So there’s this thing at Disney called the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and it’s pretty expensive but if you wanted to get that instead of having a birthday party this year, we could get it for you.
ZOEY: What is it?
ME: They do your hair all fancy and your nails and they dress you up like a beautiful princess.
The second it left my lips, I was like that is NOT something she would like.
ZOEY: Yeah, I want to do that!
ME: You do?!!
I totally expected her to say no. I mean, duhhh, this is the kid we’re talking about.
She loves superheroes, and her favorite colors are green and blue, and she loves raiding her brother’s closet, and hates getting her hair brushed. Princesses? I mean this is the kid who pretends to barf when I sing Let it Go.
ME: Seriously? Are you sure? It would be instead of doing a big birthday party this year.
I remind her several times so she doesn’t freak out when her birthday rolls around and we don’t have a party.
ZOEY: I want it! I want to be Pocahontas. No wait, maybe Mulan. No, Pocahontas. Or Mulan.
ME: You don’t have to decide right now. Lemme see if it’s even still available.
So that night I went online to check into it a little more, and while I was looking into the details, I read the list of princesses they have to choose from: Anna, Elsa, Ariel, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Cinderella, Tinker Bell, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida.
Ruh-rohhhh. Me no see Mulan or Pocahontas.
And I started to wonder why. I mean they listed pretty much every princess there is except for those two and Moana. Is it a popularity thing? Like do not enough kids want to dress up as those characters? But then I was like noooo, why would that matter? I mean it’s not like Disney can’t stash a few of those costumes in a back closet somewhere.
So then I was like hmmmm, is it because of the whole cultural appropriation thing? I mean Disney is okay selling those costumes (I checked to make sure and they do), but maybe they don’t want kids standing in their boutique taking pictures of themselves dressed up as an indigenous woman or a Chinese girl? What’s the reason?
I don’t know. Like I literally don’t know.
But here’s what I do know. Zoey has seen all the princess movies. She’s watched Sleeping Beauty a thousand times and even though she pretends to gag herself at the mere mention of Elsa, once upon a time a lonnnnng time ago, she LOVED Frozen.
But those aren’t the princesses she wants to be. She wants to be Mulan or Pocahontas. And I’m not surprised. I mean this is the kid who walked into the American Girl Doll store where they literally have a hundreds of dolls so you can choose the one that looks just like you, and guess what she walked out with?
Yup, Kaya.
This is the kid who LOVED learning about Native-American people so much in school that that she literally threw a birthday party at a place that could teach the kids about many indigenous cultures.
Maybe you remember what she wore.
And when she wore it, I got ripped a new one. I honestly thought she was just a kid embracing the people she has a passion for, but LOTS of people jumped down my throat about it and told me how wrong it was. Part of me understood where they were coming from, while another part of me saw a girl with only the best intentions.
Anyways, back to Mulan and Pocahontas.
I’m so proud of Zoey for picking the princesses she loves the most. The ones she truly admires for what they do, and not just the ones that look like her and share the same color of skin.
Which leads me to my question. I can easily book the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and let her pick from one of the princesses they offer. Or I can buy one of these two dresses that are available online through Disney and bring them with.
But is it wrong? Does the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique not offer them because they could be offensive or is it just because they’re not popular? Is it wrong for a girl to dress up like Pocahontas or Mulan if those are her favorites?
Signed,
A mom who can’t believe she’s saying this, but a birthday party would’ve been easier
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You can totally bring your own dress. My daughter has done BBB 6x and we always brought our own dress from the Disney Store. We got the $65 package at BBB (hair makeup and nails). Worth every penny which is why we did it so many times.
BUT, have you looked into Pirates League???? I think Zoey would enjoy that WAY MORE!!!!! She can be a pirate or a mermaid. We’ve done both and they are absolutely adorable and only $35! We brought our own outfits for that too! And then Holden can do it with her. So much fun. My husband and I did it with my daughter. Look into it!
Totally agree with Holly about the Pirate’s League. Fun for boys and girls, and I love when they take the pirate pledge. I have seen tons of kids who keep all the stuff and go as pirates for Halloween when they are home.
Disney should tape your Disney experience and put it on their Disney Parks Moms Panel site! I bet it would be hilarious fun!
Doug
I took my daughters to the Boutique last fall at Disney World! One is 8 (and “over” princesses) and one is 5. She brought along her own Frozen dress to put on afterward (and honestly took it off after an hour to put her comfy clothes back on!) I say if your daughter wants Mulan or Pocahantas, bring a dress along! You will save A LOT of money and I am guessing your daughter won’t want to leave the dress on for long anyway! But good question…. why AREN’T those two options offered at the Boutique?!?!
We did breakfast with the princesses in Epcot and both Mulan and Pochanatos were there. Maybe that is a compromise?? My daughter dressed as Mulan. She changed after breakfast because it was too hot to wear the costume.
My daughter has done the boutique at Disney and truly I think it was a popularity thing. Pocahontas is something my daughter is just not getting into, she does love her some Mulan and Moana though as well. I think they stuck with the more traditional princesses because that is usually what a lot of parents can sometimes push. I know when we did it, my daughter wanted Aurora, but as my youngest is wanting to do it now, she wants to do Pocahontas as well so what we will do is buy her outfit and bring it with us to the boutique because you can do that instead. I don’t know why they haven’t started adding them and it may be something to ask about, but truly I think a lot of princesses can be pushed by parents because maybe they think of the nostalgia of their childhood because I have heard moms try and talk their kids out of Elsa and I truly like that my kid wants to be some badass village saving princess. But back to semi helping, you can bring the costume in and they make just as big of a deal and still take all the pictures in the world. We are annual pass holders and probably spend way to much time at the house of mouse and I think my husband secretly majored in Walt somewhere so we have done it all!
Lots of people bring their own costumes to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. There are couple reasons for this:
Cost. (You can buy the exact same costumes at a Disney store or elsewhere online for a fraction of the pricetag at BBB.)
Comfort. (Would you want to walk around the Magic Kingdom – especially in July! – wearing a full length, scratchy, polyester? I didn’t think so. Find an alternative that is made from cotton and resembles the dress you’re princess wants.)
Choice. (As you found out, the choices at BBB are not exhaustive by any means.)
My two cents: Bring your own costume, save some bucks, help your kid not have heatstroke AND let her portray the image she admires.
P.S. We live in the Chicagoland area and we are annual passholders for at Disney World. I’ve been to Disney over 20x. My 11 year old has been 12x in the past 7 years. Good luck with your Disney planning!! We are going again June 2-11.
Go to http://www.MomApprovedCostumes.com and buy a super light and comfy dress she loves and take it with you. More then half the people who go just get their hair and makeup done without the dresses. Totally cool experience and they are never pushy to buy one of their dresses! My girls
Love their MAC dresses and never complain about wearing them all day at the parks. My youngest will even sleep in it and there isn’t all the glitter associated with Disney dresses.
We have done it twice now and the second time it was not worth it at all in my opinion. We went in Feb and they got rid of some of the hair styles. They basically French braid now and no twist at all. It used to be $60 now it’s up $5 with less options. If you want to do make sure you book in advance as much as possible otherwise you will not get a spot. As far as dresses bring yours and save the money.
I think maybe those two aren’t on the list because they are not the typical princess types. They are more tomboy. Would Pocahontas or Mulan have their nails done? Probably not since they are out in the wilderness doing not so princessy things. You said they do your hair all fancy and nails and dress you up like a beautiful princess. Not that they aren’t worthy, but those two aren’t really dressed up all fancy in the typical princess fashion. Maybe they only listed the Princesses who fit the fancy hair and nails descriptions. Does that make sense? That is the reasoning my brain concluded with the info provided.
Since Moana is also not an option, that reasoning is logical, other than the fact Merida IS an option. I mean, the whole storyline of Brave revolves around the fact Merida doesn’t want to be the total girly girl “perfect” princess her mom wants her to be and her mom can’t accept it.
This was my thought too! From what I’ve read there is a very big moment of the experience that involves glitter and I can’t picture either of those two using glitter.
You should totally bring your own costume and go that route. My daughter picked Tinker Bell and the nice ladies that worked there were SO excited that someone picked something different… apparently no one does Tinker Bell. I think my daughter got a little extra treatment because it was not one of the typical princesses that everyone else was picking!
Call and ask – they have to run over to another store to get a size they were out of for my daughter. I’m sure they just keep the most popular ones in stock. I’m surprised though because the Mulan meet and greet at Epcot is one of the most popular. Lines for the next time will form before she is even finished with the previous group. Line up early if it is a must do!
I would bring the dress along if those are the princesses she chooses. I don’t think it’s a cultural appropriation thing, I mean they offer jasmine. Really it doesn’t matter which one she chooses as far as the hair and makeup since they just let you pick from a few select styles-they don’t match up with specific princesses. For example, my daughter left dresses as jasmine, wigs Cinderella tops knot, with pink hair extensions. Just take extra shampoo to wash out the “jelly fish goo” that they layer in their hair ?
I’m curious why Mulan and Pocahontas aren’t an option but Tiana is. She is the only Disney process of color on the list as well. That’s the word part for me. Like it’s okay to dress ala Tiana, but not ala Mulan?
Jasmine is a Princess of colour too, and she’s on the list.
Pocahontas and Mulan aren’t actually Princesses!
Tinkerbell ins’t a princess, right? She’s an option…
I don’t know if this is the reason but “technically” Pocahontas and Mulan are not princesses. Pocahontas is the daughter of a chief and Mulan is a warrior. Tiana becomes a princess when she marries the prince.
Not a good enough reason in my book not to include them but maybe that’s the requirement?
We just did the BBB with my daughter last week. We bought the $65 package and brought our own dress. A LOT of people bring their own dress and I actually saw a girl at Mulan there. It’s completely fine! I agree, they should offer more diverse selections to purchase there, but you certainly won’t be turned away or feel strange if she brings a different character outfit than what they offer. I hope she enjoys it! My daughter loved it!
Oh… and giving WDW the benefit of the doubt, I would guess they aren’t offered simply because they are not on the top of the popularity chart with kids. But in the case of Pocahontas, it could be because Disney’s story is quite controversial due to it’s lack of historical accuracy.
So we went this past summer, and my daughter wanted to be Elena. She is not listed on the website but when I called they said of course we have Elena! So, maybe call and ask. I also know from friends that you absolutely can bring your own costume. It was a fun experience.
They totally allow you to bring own “costume” by offensive at all and let her do it. She’s zoey, she’s unique and strong and brave. Just like Pocahontas!!
It’s all about the money. That’s why they keep certain princessas on hand. You know your daughter has the best intentions like you said so don’t worry about who’s worried about what she is wearing. From experience though, going to wdw every summer please talk her out of the one with long sleeves and dont let her walk in the costume shoes. Look into cotton hand sewn dresses etsy, Ollie girl. Ollies girls really pricy though. We only dream of those dresses.
From experience as well, Pirates league 100 times more fun
Look into the different packages and choose one that lets her get the experience, it is amazing, and be her favorite. You need to make a reservation anyway so talk to the cast member helping you and they can guide you and may even help you sneak the costume into the dressing room without Zoey knowing they didn’t provide it there. From your posts I feel like she might not like that they don’t provide those options and it may take away some of the magic for her. My daughter is anti pink and anti princess but loved the boutique. Another option is pirates of the caribbean and both of them could dress up as pirates or she could be a mermaid. My son did the pirate option and loved it. Disney is very accomodating so when you make your reservations talk to them and see if something can’t be worked out. Also try the grey stuff…it is delicious. If you go to the castle at lunch you can still get it and sit where you choose. Have fun! We love Disney and can’t wait to go back.
My daughter (almost 5 at the time) HAD to be Minnie Mouse. I just brought a costume with me. They were super cool about it, and she loved it!
My daughter loved BBB, but I brought our own dress (Cinderella) she chose Elsa as her princess. The trip was a surprise so she had no idea what was coming. I would totally bring your own dress (I got hers off eBay) and I would CALL BBB and ask if they can do one of her favorites. Any time I had to call to ask a question I felt they went above and beyond to help. I bet they could adapt one of the packages for her!! It’s worth a try and I’m sure you won’t be the first person to ask! It’s a lot of money so you want her to be happy! BTW, my daughter also took her dress off after about an hour bc it’s hot! So don’t spend a lot on a dress. Just enough for some cute pics!
Mulan and Pocahontas don’t go to the boutique. Those two are out sword fighting and hunting so getting their nails done? Cant’ see how they would find that worth the time. However, they should still be welcome, should they choose to have a girls’ day at the spa…so – I would just call ahead and ask what they can do for your fabulous super Zoey.
Okay so I think they don’t offer those too because there’s not much to do with those ones. Both of them just have plain straight hair, no nails or makeup. All the other princess’ are much not glamous, if I spent $300 on this for my kid they better be pulling out all the stops! I would say get her the princess dress she loves the most and take it with you, or just keep it at home for her to dress up in at home. In my personal opinion if my kid was walking around all day in a costume they would be crying and complaining the whole time “it’s itchy” “I’m hot” “the tag is bothering me” blah blah blah blah. And just lie and tell her there were no appointments for the days you’re going lol.
Check out Pirates League…sounds like it would be much more her speed, is significantly cheaper and her brother can join in the fun. Who wouldn’t prefer a sash and sword over a tiara and septre??
We brought our own dress (Cinderella) just to save on the price and my daughter loved it all the same. I would buy the costume and bring it and I’m sure your daughter will have a blast.
My kids love pirate’s league way more. You can choose to be a pirate or a mermaid. We did BBB once and we aren’t going back. It was cheaper and way more fun.
Bring your own dress! She can be who she wants and you can do the bottom package and save a bunch of money. Just had a friend do that last week. I see a win,win. My daughter who is 3.5 would probably rather do the Star Wars experience instead. Rock on momma!
When my daughter did the BBB, we brought along our own dress, as did many other little girls we saw there that morning. I would buy the costume she wants and bring it.
I think they probably don’t offer Mulan or Pochahontas simply because then there would be nothing to really do to their hair or make-up.
I always bring my own dress and accessories even if it a princess they have-so much cheaper that way!!
Disney is all about making money. And this is coming from a Florida native who loves Disney and celebrated my 35th birthday there. Anyway, my guess is they don’t provide those costumes because this deal has been available for several years and they have yet to update it or there isn’t the demand for it. If they could charge those cute little tomboys an EXTRA $50 to do one of the new movie roles, they totally would. Bring the costume, but I second the pirate adventure deal. There is also a scavenger hunt for Pirates that is really neat, as well. And check out Disney’s crowd calendar, available on-line, to see which days to attend which parks. Keep in mind that 12-4 pm is the busiest time for any park so consider going there early morning, going to hotel or condo for lunch, going back later:)
Look into the Jedi training at Hollywood Studios, she might prefer it over BBB.
I would reach out to Disney about this! They offer all of the other princesses, why not these ones? Perhaps the cultural appropriation aspect is scaring them off but if they sell costumes, etc for these characters, why not offer it at he boutique. I’d they just say no, escalate it to a supervisor.
You can bring your own dresses, but there’s also the pirates league for boys and girls to be pirates and mermaids and I feel like that may be more up her alley!
We did our first trip this year and it was amazing!! Have a magical time!
LOTS of people bring their own dresses. I’d never buy a dress at Disney. You pay for the experience, for them to do your hair, etc. I have a feeling they only put the princesses in the store that are the most popular and neither of those two you mentioned have had a movie out for a long time, so they’re not hot sellers. If it makes you feel better, we were at Disneyland and my 2 yr old niece wanted a Sofia the First doll. They do not exist at Disneyland or in the HUGE Disney Store in Downtown Disney. We were told that they may exist at California Adventure because they have some additional Disney Jr. stuff over there, but they didn’t move off the shelves, so they were taken down. We didn’t pay to get into California Adventure, so I’ll never know.
Bring your own dress!! My daughter wore her own Cinderella dress but had an Elsa braid. But if Mulan and Pocahontas are in Epcot, I can’t imagine anyone be offended
I did not read through all the comments. Neither Pocahontas or Mulan are actually Princesses. ??♀️
That might be why they aren’t offered?
Bring the dress/outfit she wants to wear (so much less expensive!) and still make the BBB appointment for Zoey.
Also bring a Pirate outfit and make the Pirate appt for Holden.
Both are super fun and totally worth the $$.
They have a limited # of hairstyle options to choose from, that can work with most any of the princesses. And the makeup will be done accordingly as well.
My daughter is 11.5 and has done the BBB both at Disneyworld in FL and at Disneyland in CA — and wants to do it again whenever we go back! 😀
As for why they do not offer Mulan or Pochantas, my guess is they are just not nearly as popular choices by the girls who do the BBB. I honestly do not think it is because of possibly being offensive, etc.
I hope you decide to do it and do a blog post afterwards — I am sure all of your readers/faithful followers would love to see photos and hear all about it! 🙂
We had a similar dilemma, my daughter also wanted to b Pochahantas. I bought the costume she wanted gently used on Ebay for WAAAY less than Disney prices and brought it with. We opted for a lesser package at Bippidi Boppidi and she left there feeling amazing! Really that’s what it’s all about! She will be treated like a princess by other cast members no matter what she wears!
The thing is that it is a boutique. Pocahontas, Moana, and Mulan don’t have “hairstyles”. They just have straight hair. You could totally go and wear whatever the hell dress she wants – I mean, I follow you and we all know that’s what was going to happen anyway, which is a major reason WHY I follow you – and still get all fancy in a ‘typical’ up-do and all the sparkles. I’ve really only ever seen 2 styles come out of the BBB anyway. PS – her dressed up as a native american and relishing in their culture and teaching others was adorable. I’m not Indian. But I have many relatives who are. Keeping that spirit alive and not making a mockery of it seems genuine and wonderful. Keep doing you! That’s why we’re all here 🙂
Bring your own dress. They don’t offer those princesses because their hair is worn down traditionally. All of the styles they offer at the BBB are updos which goes against Mulan and Pocahontas. I say rock on Zoey and you do you!! Let her pick her hair style she wants and wear the princess dress she wants.
So not wrong! Disney says it is all about inclusiveness. Let her celebrate her time there and build a memory. I am sure no one at BBB will bat an eye! I am sure it boils down to who they make the most money on for WDW. Little girls want to dress like the princesses they’re going to meet in the park. I believe Mulan is at Epcot and Pocahontas is at Animal Kingdom, but Bibbity Bobbity Boutique is a Magic Kingdom..
I own Mom Approved Costumes (mentioned by one of your readers above and I carry both of those dressups in a comfy, not itchy style. I am a BIG Disney nerd (and WDW Passholder) They just are not as “popular” for the BBB makeovers, but doing atypical “princesses” is totally acceptable!!! I’d love to connect and help you find the right sizes for your girls.
I would love to hear what Zoey (and momma) decide to do! It is wonderful to read about everyone’s suggestions, especially the pirate/mermaid one!
I highly recommend bringing your own pocahontos dress – all the dresses in the park are more expensive and uncomfortable (itchy material and thick) my daughter has issues with material or stitching and she can live/sleep in that one. We live in Florida and it’s one of the few outfits that is not only gorgeous but comfortable in the heat and moving around. The boots are worth the money too flat sole so she can walk all day without hurting her feet but scotch guard them to help prevent rain damage (it’s a soft material). Personally I like bringing our own because then she also feels unique
I think it’s great that you care enough to think this through. There is such a thing as thinking it through too much though. I would not Build It Up too much or give her unrealistic expectations. Just take the costumes of the characters she wants to be and more than likely the staff will accommodate and honor her individuality. It’s really about being pampered and made to feel special….. and it’s more about her special day and her specialness than it is about Disney characters. I hope she has a wonderful time.
So…. I have a close friend who works at the boutique, so I asked her. She said that they used to carry the Mulan and Pocahontas costumes, but they never sold. They just weren’t as popular, so they got rid of them. They do still sell them at the park, so if a child is set on one of the princesses that they don’t have in the boutique, they will pull one from the shop next door for the child. They base the ones they have off popularity – and those just don’t make the cut from past sales numbers.