Buena Vista Video Shop Tempts Kids

Pooh's House of Happy Haunts, a new display from Buena Vista Home Video, expects to draw kids' attention in a moving way.A highlight of the paperboard floorstand is the illusion of a flickering ghost. When ambient light strikes the surface of the display, a ghost appears in the window of the haunted video shop. A small, floating, disembodied hand, stamped with the word "look," points to the window.The special effect was achieved by printing on translucent vellum and clear vinyl. "We wanted to do it cost effectively without having to use motors or lights, and the ideal was to do that kind of illusion effect," says Andy Siditsky, Buena Vista's executive director of creative services. "It's pretty ingenious because the light reflects onto the acetate and it gives the appearance of little ghosts flying around as it shimmers through the acetate."The haunted video shop concept was inspired, he says, by the magic and special effects of the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disney's theme parks. Located in Burbank, Calif., Buena Vista is a division of Walt Disney Studios. The unit was created by Phoenix West Display and Packaging Corp., Sherman Oaks, Calif."Each year we've come out with a Halloween centerpiece display that's really set a standard for seasonal video sales," explains Siditsky. "Halloween has been a great opportunity for us because we've had themed Disney videos that are perfect for that time of the year. Several years back we developed our first seasonal Halloween display and it did so well that we've been repeating it the last three years with different displays."This year's centerpiece comes in two parts: a base printed to look like a stone castle and a pop-up top with colorful, three-dimensional characters from the videos. The graphics are litho-mounted to 50-point chipboard. The B-flute corrugated base holds five video trays, with a total of 10 product facings. The top segment attaches like a cap or lid. Retailers are required to tab on a few extra characters at the top and bottom for added dimension."Assembly is something we've worked very hard to make easy for our retailers," says Siditsky. By preassembling the header and attaching it to the cap, retailers have less work to do. "It's engineered beautifully," he adds.A tear-off pad offers a mail-in rebate with the purchase of Halloween candy and qualifying videos. Plus, two of the videos come with on-pack bonuses. The unit comes in a 62-piece prepack and a 47-piece version. "We also offer a smaller prepacked display that holds less product for the smaller accounts," Siditsky notes."The seasonal displays have been very successful for us over the years," he adds. "It gets us off the inline and into incremental holiday space. [Retailers] have increased sales an average of 46 percent by just using our display last year."The House of Happy Haunts sets up in supermarkets and mass merchants in September.

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