When Disney’s theme parks shut down during COVID, the brand took to TikTok to give fans a daily dose of Disney, while also building hype for when the parks would reopen. The account now has 4.7 million followers, with several products going viral and generating sales. 

One of the first products to pop came in December 2020 with a video that showed how chocolatiers made a hot chocolate bomb in the shape of Olaf, the snowman from the movie “Frozen.” The video garnered 7.4 million views, and the $14 Olafs sold out within hours every day. The company had to limit two per guest and create more Olaf molds to deal with demand at The Ganachery at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort.

“We had grandparents coming in saying that their grandkids had seen the Olafs on TikTok and had to have them,” said Jason Recher, VP of communications for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products. 

In January 2022, Disney posted a TikTok ahead of the release of a popcorn bucket in the shape of Figment, the purple dragon that’s the mascot of Epcot. The video, set to the audio, “I know something you don’t,” reached 885,000 views, and the first wave of $25 Figment buckets sold out in four days. The hashtag #FigmentPopcornBucket has more than 22 million views on TikTok. The park had to encourage visitors to use the Disney Park app for mobile ordering to monitor sales and adjust supply.

But even the Mouse House, with its troves of data and insights, can’t tell what will grab the attention of TikTok users. While Figment and Olaf did well, there are plenty of other products highlighted on Disney Parks' TikTok that don’t go as viral, like the Mickey Mouse waffle collection or the A La Menthe collection. “I think anyone that claims they can predict TikTok is not being honest with you,” Recher said.

The Disney Parks TikTok was started in September 2020 and is run by a team of 11 content creators, all of whom are Disney employees—from custodial staff to live entertainment cast members. While they are sometimes given products or attractions to highlight, they typically come up with what to post on their own. The videos lean into several trends that do well on TikTok, such as showing behind-the-scenes content, how things are made, interviews with cast members, and of course, merchandise, leaning into the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend, which has more than 13 billion views. #DisneyMerch itself has 256 million views, and #DisneyMerchandise has more than 35 million views.

Duffy & Friends to droids

TikTok has been a window into what park-goers and Disney fans are interested in. Like other social teams, Disney keeps a close eye on video comments to help inform future videos, but also as a way to see what customers are asking for.

“It’s an emerging conversation,” said Recher when asked if TikTok informed new merchandise development. “If we had an avalanche of comments, we might share those with the proper teams.”

He points to Duffy & Friends, Mickey Mouse’s stuffed animals, whose franchise is typically seen in Asian parks. Fans were commenting on TikTok that they wanted them available in the U.S., so now the characters can now be found in Disney’s Hawaii resort.

On top of sales, Recher believes that TikTok has helped with increased foot traffic in the parks. There are several videos that highlight new attractions, such as the Droid Depot at Disney Hollywood Studios, where visitors can build their own droid (starting at $99). A TikTok from April 2021 showing a droid being made racked up more than 7 million views, and reservations for the next month saw an 83% increase. The droid video had an engagement rate of 29%, with users tagging friends in the comments to make plans to visit, according to Disney.

The app has also allowed Disney to embrace behind-the-scenes moments. One TikTok features an “interview” with the yeti in the Matterhorn Bobsled roller coaster. The interviewer drops the camera, scared by his roar. That TikTok has 1.6 million views. 

“We wouldn’t have posted that five years ago,” Recher said. “But on TikTok, it's ok to show the moments that aren’t as polished.”