UWC2101F: Writing & Critical Thinking: Aesthetic Transformation

Eugene Liow
UWC 2101F / Group 2
Dr Julia Gardner

No other mouse in the cartoon industry today is as recognizable as Mickey Mouse. Simply drawn, big headed, with tiny limbs in comparison to his oversized feet and gloved hands, exaggerated features, he embodies the notions of what is generally considered "cute". His anatomical deformities seem to contribute to his popularity as the world's favourite mouse. Images of him can be seen on many products such as pencil cases, towels, chocolates and even shoes. The numerous products with his picture on it testify to the fact of his popularity with both the young and old alike. This fact is well known to his parent company, Walt Disney, of which Mickey is the flagship image. That is why the company utilizes Mickey Mouse and his compatriots to market their products. The consumer may not recognize the fact that the company is using the concept of cuteness in order to visually persuade him or her to purchase the products. In addition to using cuteness, the company is also marketing their products via appealing to the consumer's desires. These desires may be nostalgia, innocence, love etc. The cuteness of the cartoon characters, and their ability to appeal to the various kinds of consumer's desires, is what makes them appealing to the masses, and it is through the use of this knowledge that Walt Disney market their products.

The example which I am using is a box of chocolate that was purchased in Tokyo Disneyland. The image on the cover consists of three of Disney's well known characters - Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy. In this image, Mickey and Minnie are both posing in front of the camera, with Goofy as the cameraman (or cameradog). The camera is an antiquated kind, and it is mounted on a tripod. The background to this scene is that of a street, on which both sides are buildings with Victorian-type architecture. In the distance is the picture of the Cinderella castle, which is another of Disney's very recognizable icon. On the top left hand corner of the box is written the word Chocolate. The font used is very cursive, the word written in yellowish-gold on a red banner. The image is bordered by fairly intricate designs as so is the rest of the chocolate box. The image is supposedly an artwork of some kind printed on the box, and the colours used in the image and the box are pastel, with the brightest being a rather dull shade of red. The material of the chocolate box is constructed of tin. I will come back to the significance of this in the later part of the essay.

The inclusion of the three Disney characters is essential in the image in promoting the appeal of this product. Cuteness is utilized in this image to help market this product. Firstly, the three characters are given human qualities, in that they wear clothes, engage in human activities such as taking a picture, and are put in an urban setting. It is one of the reasons as to why they seem cute, aside from their greatly exaggerated anatomical features. To see what are essentially animals with human qualities brings about, according to Daniel Harris, "the narcissism of cuteness" (11) . The Walt Disney Company knows the appeal and popularity of these characters and utilize them to help market a box of chocolate, thereby making the product seem attractive to the Disney fan. Even if the consumer is not a fan, he or she might be drawn in by the cuteness of the product, thus fulfilling the role of cuteness in the company's marketing strategy.

In addition, I feel that the choice of the image is very apt to market a box of chocolate. The reason is because of the theme of love that is involved here. Mickey and Minnie mouse are a couple in love. Minnie is holding a bouquet of flowers in her hand, presumed to have been given by Mickey. The close proximity of the two signifies love and warmth. Bearing in mind that the product here is a box of chocolate from Tokyo Disneyland, and chocolates are known to be a kind of aphrodisiac, the concept of love cannot be more apparent. The concept is especially so to the Japanese, who are very current in following Western trends and the product is supposedly for the Japanese market. Hence, Disney could be putting across the idea that this is more than just a box of chocolate, that it can represent a gift of love as a well. Showing the theme of love through two very cute and lovable characters to promote a box of chocolates again show the role of cuteness as part of the marketing strategy.

The usage of cuteness in the marketing of the chocolate box also has what I would call "support" elements which help to enhance the cuteness, thereby making the appeal of the product seem even stronger. This "support" comes in the from the rest of the image and the packaging of the box. As mentioned earlier, Goofy is utilizing a camera that can be considered quite antiquated, as compared with what we have in the 21st century. The use of such a camera brings about a feeling of the old, giving a nostalgic and classic feel to the image. This invokes a sense of nostalgia to the consumer, increasing the product's appeal. The Victorian-style buildings on both sides of the road again, brings about a feel of the old, of the classic. The word 'Chocolate" is written in yellowish-gold and in cursive form on a red banner-like object that spreads itself on the top of the picture. Again, this makes the image seem old and of a classic design because the font is reminiscent of how people write in the 19th century. The borders of the image, as mentioned earlier are of an intricate design, as the rest of the box is. The colours of both the box and the image are not vibrant. In fact one can say that they seem even dull. The box is of a pinkish-beige hue and has little designs of what seem like flowers on it. However the choice of using dull pastel colours, and of constructing the box out of tin has its purpose, in that they make the chocolate box seem like a thing out of the past. In the 19th and early 20th century, chocolates were expensive and the branded types came in little, chic gift boxes made out of tin, with intricate designs and subdued colours. Subdued colours were considered more sophisticated as compared to bright, vibrant colours. That the picture is probably a painting, again works towards the goal of creating something that is old, invoking a sense of the nostalgia once more.

Thus, the effect that Disney is trying to create here is the classic design of the chocolate box in the early part of the last century. It gives the product a very old feel and it appeals to people's sense of nostalgia. Additionally, the Cinderella castle in the distance brings about a touch of fantasy, though it may seem that the castle is there as a way of branding the product subtly. As a result of these "support" elements, the cuteness of the characters is enhanced and even brought to the level of sophisticated. The latter because the design of the box gives it a classic feel, like that of an antique. It results in the chocolate box being chic and classy, making it sophisticated. Due to these reasons, the product's aesthetic and cuteness appeal increases many times, and this will help the product to be marketed easily.

We see through the example of the Mickey Mouse chocolate box that there is a use for cuteness in the marketing of a product. The Walt Disney Company has utilize the cuteness of its characters in marketing a product because it knows the appeal the characters to the consumer. In addition, the company was appropriate in its choice of an image to help promote the product, this example being the theme of romance and love to promote what is widely regarded as an aphrodisiac. Throwing in the concept of the cute and the nostalgic, and the result is a product that cannot be resisted.

Harris, Daniel. Cute, Quaint, Hungry and Romantic: The Aesthetics Of Consumerism. New York: Basic Books, 2000.