Disney has laid out exactly how its Consumer Products business will be divided. Starting October 4, 2026, DCP’s global licensing and publishing businesses move under Disney Entertainment’s Studios group, led by newly named president Cathleen Taff. Disney Parks merchandise, Disney Store and DisneyStore.com stay with Disney Experiences under Lisa Baldzicki.
The official announcement came from Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum and Disney Entertainment Studios Chairman Alan Bergman. It follows Disney’s August earnings report, when CEO Josh D’Amaro said much of Consumer Products would shift out of Experiences to bring the business closer to the studios that create the characters. Licensed Disney products brought in $63 billion in retail sales in 2025, so this is one of the biggest pieces of the company changing hands. It is also the second group to leave Experiences this year, after Disney Games moved over in March.
Taff’s new title is President, Disney Entertainment Studios and Consumer Products, and she reports to Bergman. She keeps her current responsibilities too, including production services, franchise management and theatrical distribution for Disney, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures. She also still runs Disney Theatrical Group and Disney Music Group. Taff has been with Disney for 32 years, and her distribution team oversaw a record $11 billion worldwide box office year in 2019 plus seven billion-dollar films over the past three years, including “Inside Out 2,” “Lilo & Stitch” and this summer’s “Toy Story 5.”
Baldzicki, who was named president of Disney Consumer Products in March, now keeps the retail side that stays with the parks. That covers global Parks merchandise and every Disney Store location worldwide, plus DisneyStore.com, reporting to Mazloum. She also takes on a new title, Executive Vice President, Global Experience and Innovation, leading a new team built to spot trends early and scale successful ideas across Disney Experiences.
For fans, nothing changes at the register right now. The licensed products we cover all the time, from LEGO and Funko to Disney Lorcana and Disney books, now sit with the same team that plans the movies they come from. That fits with what we saw at the Disney Consumer Products booth at FAN EXPO Canada, where Toy Story 5 product from partners like Mattel and Jay Franco was front and center. The part worth watching is that licensed merchandise and theme park merchandise now answer to two different chairmen. If Disney keeps those teams in sync, fans should see collections that line up better from Target shelves to Disney Springs.
The new structure takes effect October 4, 2026. Keep up with every licensing, collectibles and Disney Store update in our Disney Consumer Products guide at Fantasy Land News.
