The Shanghai Disney Resort reopened on November 3, 2021. Photo: Courtesy of Shanghai Disney Resort

 
An overnight queue at Shanghai Disneyland on Wednesday has sparked a heated discussion on Chinese social media with many netizens calling it "crazy."

The hashtag "More than 5,000 people lined up at Disney at 3 am" topped Chinese Twitter-like social media Sina Weibo on Wednesday with over 12 million views.

Photos and videos circulating on social media showed thousands of visitors waiting outside Shanghai Disneyland early on Wednesday to buy the 2021 Duffy and Friends Christmas Collection. The moment the gates opened people dashed into the resort, mostly adults. In one picture a man was seen kneeling on the ground, possibly worn out by the wait.

Many netizens have called for rational consumption and accused Disney of using hunger marketing strategies.

"I don't understand why this doll is worth standing in line in such cold weather and with the risks of a pandemic," commented a netizen under the name jiangzhizheergen .

"As long as Disney prepares more inventory and does not rely on hungry marketing, it will not be like this," said other netizen.

According to some visitors, there were more than five thousand people at Shanghai Disneyland at 3 am on Wednesday waiting for the opening of the three stores of the park.

On Wednesday morning Shanghai Disneyland issued an emergency notice on its WeChat account saying that it has suspended the lines to enter the three stores of the park for Wednesday as it reached the capacity limit for queues on its venue.

Although Disneyland has issued a notice to prohibit overnight queueing or gathering before  opening hours, many arrived early in the morning to shop as the previous collection was limited to lucky draw winners.

Items in the collection include merchandise of the Duffy and Friends series, including StellaLou, Duffy, ShellieMay and Gelatoni. 

There has been speculation with the price of the collection on secondhand platform.

On secondhand goods trading platform Xianyu, an item with the original price tag of 139 yuan ($21.82) has hiked by 500 yuan. A StellaLou plush toy was priced at around 1,200 yuan($188) and price for a set of six dolls with six key rings has quadrupled to 8,500 yuan ($1,335) on the secondhand market

"We remind all guests to plan their trip properly in the cold weather and to comply with all on-site pandemic control requirements, including always wearing a mask and maintaining good social distancing," Shanghai Disneyland said in a notice.