Monday, April 14, 2008

Bad Publicity

I used to write about Disney a lot when I worked at Travelocity. I enjoyed that for the most part, especially since I got to travel to the parks sometimes. I went to Disney World twice, Disneyland once, and Even Disneyland Paris on one surreal occasion.

Because of this relationship, Disney kept me on their mailing list even after I started freelancing. So I’m used to getting press releases, photos, and, every Christmas, a calendar in the mail from them.

None of this prepared me for this afternoon when I opened up a cardboard box about the size of a desk calendar, mailed from Orlando. (In April? Funny.) What was inside, though, wasn’t a calendar. It was a press release about a Toy Story-themed ride that will be opening soon at one of the parks….and a pair of disembodied Mr. Potato Head ears.

This really disturbed me. It looked like something the Mafia would do, or a serial-killer trophy. Why just the ears? Is there a deaf little Mr. Potato Head somewhere being tortured for my benefit? (“And if you don’t pay up, lady, we’ll stick his mouth on upside down!”) It doesn’t make sense and I want it to stop. I don’t want any trouble. I just want Mr. Potato Head to come home safely.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nicole:

Back when I worked as an editor at The Business Journal in Milwaukee, somebody sent me a balloon bouquet with instructions to pop the yellow balloon.

I HATE popping balloons but I popped it anyway. A small piece of paper folded about a hundred times flew out of the balloon, hit the wall and ended up under my credenza. I had to get down on my hands and knees and hunt for it.

After finding it, getting back onto my feet, unfolding it and reading it, guess what I did with it when I discovered it was a press release?

Nicole said...

Ooh, I bet it involved a loud noise. And a recycling bin.