THERE WERE plenty of princesses on Grafton Street yesterday, but none was waiting for Ireland’s royal visitor.
Instead they were queuing outside the country’s first Disney store to catch a glimpse of American royalty – Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
More than 200 children and adults stood at the top of Grafton Street, some sporting black plastic caps with Mickey Mouse ears, while Disney music played from loud speakers.
Saoirse and Paula Deevycano from South Circular Road Dublin, aged seven and nine respectively, were picked from the crowd to participate in the opening. Dressed as Belle and Rapunzel, they turned a giant key to unlock the store, with the help of Mickey and Minnie in green costumes. Then the lights went on and the crowd poured in.
The new store features a range of Disney merchandise. Plush toys, figurines and games were for sale as well as a baby range which included a nursery fragrance and linen spray.
In the near future, visitors can also expect to smell imagination when a fragrance of the same name begins pumping into the air at the entrance to the store.
Some items for sale had been developed solely for Dublin, including a plush Mickey Mouse in a leprechaun outfit, notebooks, pencils and T-shirts.
The Disney magic theme was carried throughout the store with animated trees, a blue tile “pixie-dust trail” pathway, and a skyline where Tinker Bell and other characters occasionally appear. A theatre area allowed children play film clips on a screen and for those little princesses, the Disney princess room featured all things pink.
But princesses’ parents might want to set a budget before entering the store. It costs up to €53 for a princess dress, €16 for a tiara and bag set, €18 for shoes, €8 for a jewellery set and up to €16 for a wand. Soft toys range in price from €10 to €45.
