Return Disney Videos minus tape PINOCCHIO!

UPDATE: From the Mouths of Babes, my oldest suggested a perfect statement that says just it all and can be UPS'd or mailed cheaply: Send Disney your copies of PINOCCHIO!

It's a short diary. What can you say when it's a simple idea?

I'm dad to an 8 and 11 year old. I'm looking at this moment at a bookshelf filled with approx 150 Disney videos and DVDs from original Herbie to the latest Kim Possible. They will be leaving soon.

I've asked my kids how they feel about people who lie or tell half the truth? I got the predictable answer, they don't like it. Why, I asked? I got our family rules quoted back at me:

(We posted these around the house a few years back when we were having sibling issues.)

[jump]

I'll get to the point. I explained to them that Disney is supporting "The Path to 9/11" and that they claim it is true and based on the Report. I showed them my copy of the book and told them that I've read it, and others, front to back, and that the movie says things that aren't true or only tell half the story, and blames others for certain mistakes.  

They were surprised. "Can they do that?" Yes, they can and they have.

What should we do? "Tell them it's wrong." Mom and I did that.  What else?

...

This evening, we'll be taking our videos down, pulling the tape out of them, gently scoring our DVDs, then packing the shells and the cases into a box adressed to

The Walt Disney Company
500 S. Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521-9722.

It will contain a simple note the kids want to write about how they feel. I don't know what they will say, it's their thing.

Tomorrow, we will put the bundled tape and DVDs into our recycle bin, and be done with our patronage of Disney Products.

The kids seem to be quite excited by the idea of pulling  tape out of videos, and about telling grown-ups they are acting poorly. We may even pop popcorn.

I hope you'll consider joining us in celebrating a similar civic-educational and responsibly fun activity with your family.
.

•  Good idea and better parenting.

  Going to the shelf now.

  by bloomer 101 on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:07:43 PM PDT

  •  Thanks

    Seems like the thing to do.

    That old saying: It's not a principle unless it costs you something. Letters are one thing. This is the only way Disney shareholders will believe and move.

    by fouro on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:11:21 PM PDT

    •  You'r family does rule!

      My little girl is only three right now, but this is how I try to raise her too--let her take ownership in decisions she can make.  We're a single parent family, and I feel it very important to have her feel she's an equal member here at home.

      She'll not understand why Pooh and Stitch need to be put away, but we have other shows we enjoy watching together--like The Big Comfy Couch.

      Cheers to the Fouro Family! Jeers to Disney!

      Sean

      by whytwolf on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 06:43:10 PM PDT

      •  Yer too kind, they're great kids

        And hey, pass the word, yeah? I'm surprised at how few folks have rec'd/jumped on the idea--especially if it's as simple as sending Pinocchio back ;-)

        by fouro on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 06:46:19 PM PDT

        •  Something similar had occurred to me today

          but I like your idea better.  Thanks for providing the address.

          We'll pull all of our archives of Disney tomorrow and get them in the mail.  I'm heartsick at the lengths corporate America will go to to screw us.

          Muffy

          by MuffledDrum on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 10:01:21 PM PDT

          •  yep, me too.

            We managed to get about 25 or 30 done. That seemed like a good statement along with their note. (Truth be told, I think they picked the one's they never liked that much anyway ;-)

            I'll figure out what to do with the rest tomorrow. It's not like this thing is going away or gonna be dead news on the 12th, so we may need more for a local media event that's being pulled together tomorrow. Hah!

            Hang tough!

            by fouro on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 10:12:31 PM PDT

•  I would send them the pulled tape

  and scratched DVD's as well.

  You have great family values and I admire you all! :)

  by Mary Mike on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:11:37 PM PDT

  •  Works for me

    Also, for thsoe who haven't tried it...

    VHS tapes have a small hole on the underside between the the two (usally) white spools--it's a lock to stop  slippage and jams in transit.  Use a pencil or pen to depress it and pull the tape out to your hearsts content. A simple snippage with scissors rather than pulling the whole tape out will do, put craking the cases and taking the tape out means your box weight and postage cost will be less

    =)

    by fouro on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:20:47 PM PDT

    •  Typo - "..but cracking the cases.." n/t

      by fouro on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:30:24 PM PDT

•  Send the media.

  Boxes mean nothing (frankly the actual media means nothing because you can always dupe).  Sending the DVDs and the tapes indicates you're serious, otherwise you can just buy new boxes at CompUSA.

  by ek hornbeck on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:13:36 PM PDT

  •  Maybe half the dvd, but a VHS shell has no tape

    They know that it's a dead soldier, not reselleable -- off the market! Bad mojo.

    by fouro on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:15:45 PM PDT

    •  Oh...

      You're pulling the tape out.  Cool, the kids will have fun with that.

      As for reselling, they wouldn't anyway, the margins suck (checked out the used bin at Blockbuster recently?).

      by ek hornbeck on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:19:15 PM PDT

    •  Maybe sending the VHS cassttes....

      with all the tape pulled out and bundled into the box would be even better (with the ends still attached to the cassetes).

      It would look even more angry and chaotic.

      by Rex Manning on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:19:57 PM PDT

      •  Yeah, see above - tape weight = Postage cost n/t

        by fouro on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:21:55 PM PDT

•  I agree

  Send them the tapes and dvds... or just the dvds (less shipping cost)  Great job, Great family values.

  by Ordvefa on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:14:16 PM PDT

•  Interesting idea.

  My daughter only gets to watch one movie every Saturday night and we don't have that big of a collection having stayed with the classics mostly.  And some of those clasics have pretty good ethics and morality lessons that we talk about after or during the movie.  Disney has changed.

  We for sure are not taking a trip to Disneyland or Disney World now.  So they aren't getting any more money out of me.  Instead I think we will move up our trip to the Grand Canyon and talk about how the earth was created.  I never really wanted to go to Disney to begin with because their is so much to see of the world and such a short time to fit it in while she is still home with us.  But hubby thought we should.  And now we aren't - my call and I am sure he will agree.

  I don't think I will destroy what I have already paid money for because I don't think they will care now that they already have it.  A lot of really talented people made those movies and I think I will honor them by talking further by talking to my daughter about all the people behind the work.

  by alwaysquestion on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:18:39 PM PDT

  •  ...because THERE is so much to see.... :) n/t

    by alwaysquestion on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:21:56 PM PDT

  •  DisneyWorld

    It's hot.  It's loud.  It's crowded.  It's garish and overpriced.  Oh- and it's in Florida.  Really shouldn't you take your kids to a place where you actually want to be?  I've been to DisneyWorld three times: twice as a kid and once as a nonkid.  As a kid I loved it; my parents hated pretty much every moment of it.  As a teenager I thought it was hokey and hot.   The Grand Canyon is so much freaking better than DisneyWorld.

    by electricgrendel on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:31:15 PM PDT

•  Yes, send the videos back

  Don't recycle them. Magnetic tape and DVDs can't be recycled because they contain metal.

  Recycling facilities get tons of CDs, CD-Rs, DVDs, etc., and they can't use any of them. It's very labor-intensive to remove them from the pile.

  by heisencat on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:21:32 PM PDT

•  I snagged a copy of your family rules

  picture and put it in my archive to dig up and use when my kids get a bit older.

  And, BTW, I think your rules should be emblazoned in the Oval Office and in the halls of Congress.  

  Forget the 10 commandments.  Think of where we'd be if our leaders cared (hah!), shared (double-hah!), tried (HAH!) and told the truth (BAH-HAH-HAH!!).

  It is, to weep.

  by suburi on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:43:51 PM PDT

  •  hah. Too true

    I wrote those up a few years back with my wife.

    Short attention span = simple mnemonics, we figured. It worked for the 11 year old when 8, and we rolled out the photocopies last year for the next 8-year old.

    by fouro on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 04:54:52 PM PDT

    •  Well, if an 8-year-old can get it

      then it is not beyond President Bush.

      by suburi on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 05:23:38 PM PDT

      •  Oh yeah? n/t

        by Red Bean on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 05:34:26 PM PDT

  •  Me too ...

    by besieged by bush on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 08:14:17 PM PDT

•  Great idea

  and I will do so as well. My kids are older now, but we have a ton of Disney movies, things that bring back memories but are now tainted by these actions by Disney.

  I am sending them everything.

  when they get tons of these things back they will get the message.

  by SanJoseLady on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 05:12:15 PM PDT

•  Thinking the same thing today!

  
  I have all the old Disney classic movies and I'm pondering sending them back to Mr. Eisner.

  Two things hold me back: 1.)These videos are gifts from my son, and 2.)The box they would arrive in might be categorized as a problem at destination because of Disney's probable hyper alert status.

  Yup.  Needs to be done but can I do it?would it be effective?

  :

  J.

  by hoolia on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 05:16:20 PM PDT

•  I love how

  you handled this with your kids. You let them use their heads and hearts to come to the right conclusion. (of course there was a lot of groundwork laid long before that!) This is how Democrats tend to differ from Republicans in their parenting. They're lucky to have you.

  by nancelot on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 05:38:49 PM PDT

•  Recommended

  by BentLiberal on Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 11:02:33 PM PDT