For the 100th anniversary: Disney inspires to play together
Under the motto "The Wonder of Play," Disney is calling on families to spend more time playing together in its 100th anniversary year. The campaign focuses on the importance of play for children's development, but also for cohesion within the family, because playing is important - but especially in fast-paced and stressful everyday life, the activity often takes a back seat due to other priorities. With "The Wonder of Play," Disney is bringing together the Institute of Imagination (an established and pioneering children's charity based in London that promotes the education of disadvantaged children), experts, celebrities, influencers, children and arts professionals to inspire adults and children aged two to eight to play more together and to show ways to make it easier to integrate the magic of play back into everyday life.
With a rich heritage of imaginative stories and a host of dynamic characters from all franchises - from Disney Princess, The Ice Queen, Cars and Mickey & his Friends to Star Wars and Marvel - Disney is making it its mission as part of "The Wonder of Play" to shine a spotlight on the relevance of imaginative play and raise public awareness of the issue.
For example, the results of a study* commissioned by Disney, for which 3,500 parents, caregivers and guardians of two- to eight-year-old children from six European countries were surveyed, show how the topic of play is handled in their families. More than a third (40 percent), and in Germany even more than half of the respondents (54 percent), said that they encourage play to stimulate their children's imagination.
Overall, one-third (34 percent) of participants from six countries agreed that tools help with play, with craft materials (52 percent), music (52 percent), sports equipment (50 percent) and stories and characters (43 percent) being the most popular in Germany. On average across countries, parents play with their children for around 30 minutes a day to encourage their development.
Nearly half (44 percent) believe that imaginative play together can play a big role in their child's career choice later in life, and 27 percent actively seek to inspire their children through play for their future and careers. German respondents would most like to see their children in medical (25 percent), technical (20 percent) and scientific professions (18 percent) or as teachers (18 percent).
When asked how they influence their child's future through play, 33 percent of all participants said reading was their main focus, while other popular activities included crafts (24 percent) and storytelling and inventing (23 percent). In this country, however, playing outdoors still tops the list at 65 percent.
As part of "The Wonder of Play" campaign, Disney further strengthened its commitment to children in hospitals, creating a total of 40,000 imaginative play packs specifically for 116 partner hospitals in 21 countries, including Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Romania, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Designed to help bring the wonder of play to families everywhere, the play packs are part of a broader hospital program and were developed in collaboration with Disney's longtime charity partner MediCinema and healthcare professionals to create meaningful moments that bring comfort and joy to seriously ill children while reducing anxiety and isolation.
Product innovations in the toy sector, drawing from Disney's rich trove of unique characters and stories that has grown over 100 years, bring beloved heroines and heroes directly into children's rooms - the basis for providing innovative impetus for creative play. Whether dolls, action figures, costumes or building sets: Families looking for new ideas for hours of play together will find what they are looking for in the extensive range from all product categories.
A steady stream of new content also provides plenty of inspiration for innovative licensed products for children of all ages that are made to spark the imaginations of playful families. With "The Wonder of Play," Disney, as the ultimate source of inspiration for creative play, not only gives the topic current relevance, but also presents toys for fans in a new light.
* The study, conducted by One Poll, is a survey of 3,500 adults in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland with children ages 2 to 8 in February 2023. 500 people from Germany participated in the survey.