Disney Consumer Products, Inc. (DCP) is the retail and licensing subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Part of the Disney Entertainment business segment, it manages the commercialization of Disney-owned brands and intellectual property. DCP operated as a standalone business segment until 2016, when it became part of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, before being incorporated into Disney's parks and experiences organization in 2018.
The Walt Disney Company has consistently ranked as the world's largest licensor by retail sales since License Global began its annual ranking in 1998. In 2025, Disney-branded consumer products generated an estimated $63 billion in global retail sales.
Among its principal brands and franchises are Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Other brands and properties represented through Disney Consumer Products include Disney Parks, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios.
History DCP's origins trace back to 1929, when Walt Disney licensed the image of Mickey Mouse for use on children's books. sources:*The Disney Touch, by Ron Grover, 1991.*The Musical World of Walt Disney, by David Tietyen, 1990. Page 19.Walt Disney - An American Original, by Bob Thomas, 1994. Page 106.*Disney Discourse - Producing the Magic Kingdom, by Eric Smoodin, 1994. Page 205.*Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse - His Life and Times, by Richard Holliss, 1986. Page 72.*Building a Company - Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire, by Bob Thomas, 1998. Page 67. On December 16 of that year, Walt Disney Productions formed the Walt Disney Enterprises (WDE) division to handle merchandising. sources:*Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse - His Life and Times, by Richard Holliss, 1986. Page 72.*Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 31.
The Mickey Mouse doll production by Charlotte Clark started shortly after in January 1930. sources: The Disney Studio Story, by Richard Holliss and Brian Sibley, 1988. Disney Discourse - Producing the Magic Kingdom, by Eric Smoodin, 1994. Page 205. The WDE division also hired George Borgfeldt & Company of New York as a licensing agent to make Mickey and Minnie Mouse toys. Sources:*Walt Disney - An American Original, by Bob Thomas, 1994. Page 106.Disney Discourse - Producing the Magic Kingdom, by Eric Smoodin, 1994. Page. 73.*Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 39.*Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse - His Life and Times, by Richard Holliss, 1986. Page 73.Building a Company - Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire, by Bob Thomas, 1998. Page 68. Borgfeldt & Company in turn set to work developing other products, granting the first license to Walkburger, Tanner and Company of St. Gall, Switzerland, for Mickey and Minnie Mouse handkerchiefs. sources:*Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse - His Life and Times, by Richard Holliss, 1986. Page 73.*Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 39. That summer of 1930, Disney expanded WDE to England, granting a general license to William Banks Levy for Mickey and Minnie Mouse merchandise. source: Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 81.
In 1932 Disney closed a merchandising contract with Herman "Kay" Kamen for sole representation. sources:*Walt Disney - An American Original, by Bob Thomas, 1994. Page 107.*Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 108.*Building a Company - Roy O. Disney and the Creation of Green tape, by Bobbi Thomas, 1998. Page 70.*Walt Disney - The Triumph of the American Imagination, by Neal Gabler, 2006. Page 197. Early on WDE began to show results. The company's merchandising made the Silly Symphony film Three Little Pigs (1933) its first profit-making animated film. sources:*Walt Disney's World of Fantasy, by Adrian Bailey, 1987.*Microsoft Cinemania '95, 1994.*Of Mice and Magic, by Leonard Maltin, 1980.*Walt Disney - Hollywood's Dark Prince, by Marc Eliot, 1993. Page 76.*Disney's World, by Leonard Mosley, 1985. Page 139.*The Disney Studio Story, by Richard Holliss and Brian Sibley, 2010.*The Hollywood Studios, by Roy Pickard, 1978. Page 240.*Walt Disney - When Dreams Come True, by JoAnn DiFranco, 1985. Page 29.*Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters, by John Grant, 1987. Page 55.*Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 109.*Disney A to Z - The Updated Official Encyclopedia, by Dave Smith, 1998. Page 553.*Walt Disney - The Triumph of the American Imagination, by Neal Gabler, 2006. Page 185.
In 1934, Disney's licensing expanded to hand-crank toy projectors, source: Disney Magazine, Spring 2001. Page 80. diamond-studded Mickey Mouse pins, Mickey Mouse toffee in England source: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse - His Life and Times, by Richard Holliss, 1986. Page 76. and a Lionel wind-up train toy, sources:*Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse - His Life and Times, by Richard Holliss, 1986. Page 76.*Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 127. Walt Disney's Railroad Story, by Michael Broggie, 1997. Page 41. while a patent is received for Ingersoll-Waterbury Clock Company's Mickey Mouse watch. sources: Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 116.
More companies licensed the Mickey Mouse image. General Foods did so for one year and made $1.5 million on the Post Toasties cereal box. Mickey was the first licensed character on such a product. Source: Disney Magazine, Summer 1997. Page 46. Clashes with other companies weren't unavoidable, though. Disney filed suit on July 31 against the United Biscuit Company of America, Sawyer Biscuit Company, and the Chicago Carton Company for unauthorized use of Disney characters for animal crackers which lasted for four months and ended in Disney's favor. source: Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 273.
Disney signed with Courvoisier Galleries on July 19, 1938, making the latter company Disney's original art marketing representative. In December, Walt Disney Enterprises was renamed Walt Disney Productions. source: Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. page 186.
In October 1948, Disney and Kay Kamen extended the merchandising contract, but only for the Americas. source: Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 237. In 1949, the Character Merchandising Division is formed with in Disney. source: Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 250. Also that year on October 28, Kay Kamen, Disney's licensing representative, died in an Air France plane crash over the Azores. source: The Disney Studio Story, by Richard Holliss and Brian Sibley, 1988. Disney's World, by Leonard Mosley, 1985. Page 153.*Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, by Cecil Munsey, 1974. Page 237. *Asiaweek, November 12, 1999, Volume 25, Number 45. Page 48.* Walt Disney - The Triumph of the American Imagination, by Neal Gabler, 2006. Page 473.
With Roy Disney splitting the merchandising division from Walt Disney Productions, Jimmy Johnson became head of the merchandising division's publication department in 1950 and took on managing business affairs for the Walt Disney Music Company.
Disney had a food division with products from bread to soft drinks, which was mostly discontinued due to its contract with ABC to produce TV shows and the need not to be in competition with potential advertisers.
After Disney purchased the rights for Winnie the Pooh to make a 1966 animated short film, the company conceded to a broad licensing agreement with Sears, Roebuck & Co. Stephen Slesinger Inc.'s Pati Slesinger found merchandise that Disney did not pay royalties on. Slesinger then attempted to get the A.A. Milne Trust to abrogate its contract. In 1983, Disney paid Stephen Slesinger Inc. and the Milne estate to end the royalty issue and agreed to a new contract that lowered Slesinger Inc.'s royalty percentage.
In 1979, the Intergovernmental Philatelic Corporation of New York was licensed by Walt Disney Productions to make Disney character stamps for several countries. source: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse - His Life and Times, by Richard Holliss, 1986. Page 89.
DCP history Disney Consumer Products was formed in 1985 under Barton K. "Bo" Boyd and incorporated with the State of California in 1986.
The first Disney Store opened in Glendale, California on March 28, 1987. source:* Prince of the Magic Kingdom, by Joe Flower, 1991.*Work in Progress, by Michael Eisner, 1998. Page 243. On October 12, Disney agreed to a licensing contract with Mattel for a Disney Character infant and preschool toy line. source: The New York Times, October 13, 1987. Page D26. DCP purchased Childcraft Education Corp., makers of children's furniture and equipment and owners of retail stores and catalog sales, from Grolier Inc. in April 1988.
In April 1990, the 50th store was opened in Montclair, California along with the first Mickey's Kitchen fast food restaurant. On November 11, 1991, Mattel and Disney extended the 1987 agreement, adding Pinocchio, Bambi, Dumbo, It's a Small World, and Autopia to the toy line. source: The New York Times, November 12, 1991. Page D4. In March 1992, Disney Stores closed two Mickey's Kitchens as the restaurants were only breaking even while well received by the customers as the company wanted to focus on overseas expansions.
In 1994, DCP ended an exclusive licensing agreement with Sears for Winnie the Pooh. Three distinct product lines were created for Pooh: Disney Pooh, based on the Disney red-shirted tan bear cartoon version; 100 Acre Collection, a more upscale line for department stores and the Classic Pooh line based on the original A.A. Milne books' Ernest H. Shephard illustrations.
DCP licensing peak in 1997 with 749 Disney Stores worldwide, operating income of $893 million and 4,200 licensees for mostly Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse products plus some popular animated movies. Disney's and McDonald's ten-year cross-promotional agreement began on January 1, 1997. In May 1997, the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. filed a copyright infringement suit against Disney over "Pooh-Grams" being similar to its mail-order "Bear-Gram" trademark and logo. Also, Disney Enterprises, Inc. sold DCP operating subsidiary Childcraft Education Corp. to U.S. Office Products Co. In July 1997, Boyd was named chairman of DCP with Canada and US head Anne Osberg was promoted to president, DCP. As president, Osberg also oversaw Disney Stores, Walt Disney Records and Disney Interactive.
In March 1998, Walt Disney Records and Disney Music Publishing were transferred out of DCP to Buena Vista Music Group in the Disney studio division. By 1998, Pooh outsold Mickey Mouse $316 million to $114 million through November of that year in just-licensed-toy sales. By replacing Sears with 100 licensees including Mattel, Hallmark, Timex, Tupperware and Royal Daulton, DCP has since increased Pooh product lines from $390 million to $3.3 billion.
Franchise focus