Girls can look their bibbidi bobbidi best

I got an early look at some plans at the World of Disney — and the huge store will soon be opening a kiddie salon.

The 50,000-square-foot outlet of all things Mousy is adding a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique — named for the song that Cinderella’s fairy godmother sings — for girls who want to get their hair, nails and makeup done like a princess.

Based on the popularity of Disney’s princess products, I’ll bet my tiara this thing will be a big hit.

The boutique opens in April at the Downtown Disney store and will include 10 chairs where girls can get fancy up-dos or hair extensions.

Kiddie spa treatments are increasingly popular these days. The younger set has its own money to spend — and even if Little Miss is broke, a growing number of status-conscious parents are happy to indulge her.

Disney’s Grand Floridian and Saratoga Springs already offer kid primping including “my first facial” for $65 and a “my first pedicure” for $30.

At the World of Disney, the highest-end package will include the works — hair, makeup, nails, a princess gown and a glam photo — and will probably be close to $100.

Dara Trujillo, a manager in the merchandise area, told me the boutique was a way to update the World of Disney — the largest store of its kind — for its 10th anniversary this year. Disney will also be adding a new area for more princess merchandise and an “adventure” area for boys with pirate and superhero gear.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . those plans by Ted’s Montana Grill to open in Orlando? Let’s just say any hankering you have for bison meatloaf will have to wait — for now.

When last I left media mogul Ted Turner and George McKerrow Jr., his restaurant partner, they were scouting Orlando in hopes of opening one of their steak-and-buffalo restaurants out I-Drive way.

But McKerrow told me recently that the right location in Central Florida hasn’t been found — though the chain has opened two outlets in Jacksonville and another in Tallahassee.

I imagine that the competition in Orlando — chain-restaurant capital of the world — is probably a little tougher than those other cities, though McKerrow said he’s still on the lookout for something here.

And, there’s been a development that could move things along: McKerrow, who started LongHorn Steakhouse, recently hired Kurt Webster, another LongHorn grad who lives in Orlando, to be a manager for Ted’s.

All in all, I guess Orlando shouldn’t feel too slighted: There’s no Ted’s Montana Grill in Montana, either.

BOTTOM LINE. Former Universal Orlando spokesguy Michael McLane has snagged a new job down south, starting this week at Majestic Properties in Miami. McLane’s the new PR director at the residential and commercial real-estate outfit. Sounds like Majestic is high-end: The “featured” home on its Web site is listed at nearly $3.5 million. . . . If you were at the Capital One Bowl, you probably saw the funky Orlando Utilities Commission ad on the Jumbotron. The robot star of the 30-second, animated spot was produced by students at UCF’s School of Film and Digital Media. The goal was to build brand awareness for OUC and give UCF students a plug, too. . . . Speaking of UCF, that expansion of the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers — or CREOL — will cost something north of $ 5 million. Part of the tab is being picked up by the Feds, thanks to money UCF received from the U.S. Department of Commerce awhile back.

Susan Strother Clarke can be reached at sclarke@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414.


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