Brand Profile - Disney Pre-School

Welcome to the Clubhouse

Nigel Cook, vice president Brand Commercialisation and Retail, Disney Consumer Products EMEA, tells Toy World how fresh new content and innovative licensed toys are keeping Disney icon Mickey Mouse and everyone’s favourite mermaid, Ariel, front of mind with today’s pre-schoolers, years after they first appeared on-screen.

Ariel and Mickey Mouse are both classic characters benefitting from fresh new content on Disney Jr. How do the new shows keep Ariel and Mickey relevant for today’s young audiences?

After 13 years, Mickey’s is still the most watched content on Disney Jr. YouTube. A lot of this popularity is down to the original pre-school Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series.

The format and interactivity were already a winning combination and continue to appeal to our youngest viewers. Similarly, the new Disney Jr.’s Ariel series that premiered in June has been developed with the core audience demographic in mind, including reflecting the popularity of Princess and Mermaid play patterns. Together, they’re exciting additions to our already popular pre-school shows, such as Super Kitties and Spidey and His Amazing Friends. The recent premiere of Spidey season four saw the team gain dinosaur powers, new suits and new looks, another example of how our pre-school roster is constantly evolving to offer newness and engage young fans.

The early pre-school target demographic informs everything, from episode length to the combination of favourite characters and play patterns. Both programmes will add to the volume of Disney Jr. content across platforms, which we’re confident will maximise engagement. Alongside all of this, in 2025 we’re very excited to introduce a new generation of fans to the iconic Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, for even more adventures and songs with Mickey and friends.

What new opportunities do Disney Jr.’s Ariel and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse offer your licensees, when it comes to product development and end consumers?

Our starting point is always based on what we know resonates with the target audience. For example, The Little Mermaid live action theatrical release saw great success last year and Ariel is an incredibly popular Princess with the pre-school age group.

The opportunity within product development is to lean further into the core play patterns and signature themes of each series. The recently announced ranges from Lego and Just Play are great examples of this. Just Play’s Disney Jr. Splash & Glow Ariel Doll incorporates musical elements and the character’s glowing tail, while both Lego and Just Play’s play sets reflect the series’ focus on world-building and storytelling, with multiple characters and components.

How will your Toy & Game licensees be supporting the new content and the show’s core themes, in terms of consumer products?

You can expect to see major innovation and play value throughout. For Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, we are working very closely with our toy master licensee, Just Play, to develop innovative products that connect with the show’s storytelling while feeding consumer demands. Disney Jr.’s Ariel product will continue to support the key early development themes and reflect the show’s musical repertoire.

Are licensees still being sought for Disney Jr.’s Ariel and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?

We have some exciting key partners locked in for both properties and have worked closely with them on careful development of products, to ensure they fully reflect and bring to life the amazing content. Having said that, we’re very excited about the future of both shows and still see plenty of opportunity out there for even more new products and partnerships.