How Walt Disney’s Frozen Head Took Me For $200

Posted on 02 21, 2007 under Brokedad by Noodad | Comments

waltI got robbed in broad daylight last week. The assailant came out of nowhere and in the end, I was out $200. I should have seen it coming. I should have taken more precautions. After all, I am not a kid. I have been around the block a few times. I have been mugged before. My apartment has been robbed. But I let my guard down and I got nailed. The worst part is they went after my daughter first. I say "they" because there were many people involved but I really should be saying "he" because they all answer to one person. That man is Walt Disney. And even with his head frozen in a chamber in California, he was able to pick my pocket for 2 C notes.

The event was Disney's Princesses on Ice. The location of the crime was the TD Banknorth Garden, formerly the Fleet Center, formerly the Boston Garden or "the Gahhdin". Again, I should have seen it coming. Everything associated with Disney Princesses carries a huge premium. But nothing could prepare me for the onslaught of pressure, guilt, and competition that came over me. More on the guilt later. Here is a breakdown of what we purchased during the event:


- Two (2) Tickets LOGE Section (Partially obstructed view): $90 for the pair including taxes, fees, etc.
- Parking (Event Rate): $15
- One (1) Sleeping Beauty Doll: $22
- One (1) Spinning Light: $18
- One (1) Picture with Ariel Statue: $20
- One (1) SnoCone in a Souvenir Cup: $12
- Lunch for 2 outside of venue: $20

Grand Total: $197

{mosnooad}Besides the tickets and parking, these items may seem frivolous. That's where the guilt comes in. You see, when you have a special day planned for just you and your little girl, and she is all dressed up like Sleeping Beauty, and she is so excited to be there that she can't even talk straight,a and THEN she asks you for a Sleeping Beauty doll, you may say to yourself, "Sure. A souvenir is nice. I still have my mini Philadelphia Flyers hockey stick that my Dad bought me at my first hockey game. Yeah, I saw the same doll at the Disney Store for $10 but that's the premium you pay at the venue." So you buy it.

Then, your daughter's friend, whom we are sitting with, decides she wants a spinning light. So then you think to yourself, "Well, I only set out to get her one souvenir but she will feel left out when everyone else is spinning their lights during the show and I want her to feel happy, so why not?" So you buy it.

Then, on your way to the bathroom, your daughter (and her friend) spot the picture taking with Ariel. Mind you, it isn't a real Ariel impersonator (if it was, I would consider a picture), it's a statue. Like the shiny Big Boy or Ronald McDonald statues. But the kids are excited and they wouldn't allow cameras inside so we should document the event. So you buy it.

Then you sit down in your seats and you notice that every kid in the row in front of you are sporting rainbow sno cones in souvenir cups. And when both girls ask in unison if they could have one, you think to yourself, "well, she might be hungry and you don't want any tears before the show even starts." So you buy it.

$72 worth of extra stuff before the show even starts. You may be asking yourself how this all turned out? Well…We lost the tiny itty bitty shoes that came with the Sleeping Beauty doll almost immediately and that started a whine fest. The light was a hit until they saw someone else had a bigger one. The sno cone dripped syrup all over her dress, my leg, and the floor and then after 10 bites or so, it was declared that she didn't want anymore.

Am I a sucker? You bet. But this isn't a cautionary tale, noodads. This is an education. The lesson is don't fool yourself into thinking you can escape unscathed. Bring ample amounts of cash. Like any good MasterCard commercial, despite all the cost, the memory was priceless.

 

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