Thanks for that reminder about Mattel. The merch tie-ins do seem over the top at times (extending even beyond the items you mentioned to foods).

But I wonder if Disney is worse than other companies on that count (and don't know enough about product tie-ins to say). At one point I think there was Pac-Man pasta, because all the video game companies are in on the racket, too. It would be interesting to read a good piece on who's the worst offender now with the tie-ins, or if they're all out of control.