It’s not just hedge-fund speculators and drug companies trying to squeeze a buck out of the pandemic. Disney and others are now turning face masks into fashion or an opportunity to do a little brand-marketing.
Disney is now offering masks adorned with its characters in a $20 four-pack, but says it will donate profits to an organization that recovers surplus medical supplies in the U.S. and redistributes them overseas (although that business may be on hold these days).
Early reports are that the first lot of Disney masks sold out as soon as it was announced. One source at a company that works with Disney character licensing speculated the product may not really be new: Disney has extensive character licensing operations in Asia, where face masks were already common.
Among others dipping into the branding pool, Royal Caribbean has trademarked the name ‘SeaFace’ for its brand. And for those who’d like to skip the character idea altogether, here’s advice on making a mask from a T-shirt with just a pair of scissors. Hmmm….what about made from a Grateful Dead or Stones shirt…
