Disney Consumer Products (now a part of the Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) division of the Walt Disney Company) is in charge of many different lucrative Disney operations.
First, it is in charge of licensing for anything owned by Disney. This is everything from apples to cell phone cases to Disney Xylophones. Disney touts itself as the world’s largest licensor and the licensing effort serves not only to produce revenue, but the appearance of Disney characters online and in stores and, ultimately, in homes leads to multiple impressions, each of which reminds consumers of Disney and it brands, finally, when a child picks out a Disney lunch box or an adult decides to wear a Mickey Mouse watch, these people are expressing their affiliation with Disney and so Disney Consumer Products helps provide opportunities for people to express their desire to affiliate with Disney and the values it represents all year long, not just when they are at a theme park or in a movie.
Second, Disney Consumer Products also hosts Disney’s publishing operation. The operation is two-tiered with Disney directly publishing books, magazines, e-books and apps, while also licensing similar publishing opportunities. The division is believed to be the largest publisher of children’s books and magazines in the world. It has released many books over the years. My particular favorite has been the popular Kingdom Keepers Series.
Third, the thing that people most often associate with this division is the Disney Store retail chain. Here there is tons of merchandise relating to every corner of The Walt Disney Company. Everything from plush toys, to action figures, to costumes. The Disney Store is truly the crown jewel of this division. Sales in this operation support and help promote all the Disney entertainment initiatives including those of Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm. The stores also sell tickets to Disney theme parks.