At Disneyland and Disney World, there are magical shops called Bippity-Boppity Boutiques (BBB). These are enchanted places where parents can spend several hundreds of dollars for a Fairy-Godmother-In-Training (FGMIT) to transform their little girls into Disney princesses. The service includes wardrobe, hair, make-up, accessories, and photo shoots.
You can see the results all over the various Disney parks. You can tell when a little girl has been bippity-boppetied. She has the costume, of course. However, many little girls roam the parks in princess regalia purchased from Walmart so you can’t know for sure that a costumed child has visited the BBB. Sometimes the newly-fashioned princess has a pink sash draped across her torso, proudly proclaiming her patronage of the boutique. You don’t need the sash to identify the bippity-boppees, though. It is the hair that usually tells the tale. A fresh bippity-boppety hairdo usually involves an improbably intricate contraption of the child’s hair, wiglets, tiaras, barrettes, and hairspray. Oh, and glitter…lots and lots of glitter.
The glitter doesn’t stop with the hair. Usually the bippity-boppee has glittery pink or purple eye shadow and may have cheeks that glisten with pixie dust.
I always swore that, if I had a daughter or granddaughter, she would be bippiy-boppetied whether she liked it or not. I mean, how could I not? I even checked one time to see if I could book my own session with a FGMIT, but the age limit for such enchantment is twelve. Since I was several multiples past twelve by that time, I was out of luck.
Not anymore. Several spas located in Disney resorts are now offering “character couture” sessions. These sessions are very much like Bippity-Boppity Boutiques for adults.
Oh, there are a few differences. For one thing, the character couture sessions do not include costumes. That isn’t a problem for me, since I have a Disney wardrobe that is the envy of four-year-old girls everywhere. Also, the character couture sessions are a little less expensive than BBB, but don’t include photo shoots. The FGMITs in BBB are not licensed cosmetologists. Their magic involves rocking a costume, wielding a wand, and being good with children. In the character couture experience, the stylists are real cosmetologists. They are hair and make-up experts who are there to customize a unique hair and make-up design for each client. The character inspiration can be any of Disney’s creations- princess or pirate, Minnie or Daisy, Ariel or Ursula, pixie or Pooh- whatever sparkles the client’s fantasy fireworks. The idea is to create a look “inspired” by the client’s favorite character, but to complement the client’s own natural beauty.
When I read about this service, my immediate thought was, “I have to do this!” Then, I started wondering if I really wanted to spend about $100 for a Tinker Bell makeover. After all, I am a grown-up and it does seem a bit extravagant for a few hours fun. I know the service is actually intended for adults, but I’m thinking that, at nearly 59 years old, I am even pushing the boundaries of “adult.” I also can’t imagine even my most Disney-obsessed friends joining me in the transformation and I’m not sure how much fun it would be by myself. Still, I can’t get the idea out of my head.
There is NO WAY I would schedule a character couture until the weather cools down. I don’t expect the makeover to last forever, but I would like to give my transformation a fighting chance of staying pixie-lated beyond the front door of the salon. With the current weather, make-up will melt immediately upon contact with the great outdoors. Pixie-dusted hair and humidity are also kind of mutually exclusive. While the weather is so not “happily ever after,” I have some time to contemplate whether or not I should really do this.
I started polling my friends to get their opinions. Most of my friends were puzzled that I would even ask since they figured an opportunity to channel the Pixie Princess has me written all over it. As I kind of suspected, they were all gung ho for me to do it, but none of them wanted to get in on a makeover of their own. They apparently want me to be the entertainment on a girl’s trip to Disney World. They all want to watch me get Tinkified and then go over to Magic Kingdom to visit the “real” Tinker Bell in Pixie Hollow.
I guess they want me to be the designated doofus to play dress up. I can live with that. What are friends for?
What do you think? Bop or not? Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com.
Have a glitterific day!
Terri/Dorry 🙂
REMEMBER: You can order your copy of Changing My Mind: Reinventing Myself In Retirement by visiting: https://secure.mybookorders.com/orderpage/2076
Note the Tinker Bell green! All it takes is faith, trust, and pixie dust!
You will be so sad if you take the opportunity to do this. And there better be photos to celebrate being Tinkified !!!!!
Opps, if you DONT take the opportunity !!!!
I think you are probably right, Bonnie. I think about how I would feel if I woke up tomorrow and found out Disney was no longer doing the character couture.
I am 100% with you on this. I know I would have taken Elizabeth to do this, as it’s right up her alley. She would have loved this, and being that Tinkerbell was also her favorite character, we would have had two pixie princesses!! So, although I’ve decided not to join you in being “coutured”, I look forward to cheering you on and supporting the fulfillment of your dream! That’s what Disney friends are for!!
Of course, Elizabeth was much younger than I am, but I get your point. Life is uncertain so it makes sense to do what makes you happy as long as you aren’t hurting anyone else!
Interesting concept to role play. You might enjoy being in the play but then again maybe it will be something you need to do. Have fun.
“Need” might be a bit strong, but I’m sure it would be fun. Mom called me Tinker Bell from the time I was born. I know she would have loved to come watch me do this.
Go for it! If this is something you would like to do.
But I want to see pictures.
Jean
Of course there will be pictures! Have to prove I actually have the nerve to go through with it!!!