An idea for a Disney product ... now what?

[sayhey]

I have an idea for a character product not being sold in Disney parks or stores (although similar products have been sold in the past). As an individual, is there any chance of doing business with Disney (through an existing licensed manufacturer) or persuading Disney to sell my product in its stores?
To be blunt: Is there anything in it for me, even if Disney hasn't thought of this product yet? I have exhibited a prototype around Disney parks and stores, just out of curiousity, and the reaction seems very positive. But what is that worth? It's presumptuous to try to tell Disney what to do, but I can't believe every product sold in its stores was internally generated. Or am I wrong?

[MLM]

Like many large companies, Disney has an unsolicited idea policy. Generally, Disney will not entertain unsolicited ideas. You should go through the proper channels. It is all spelled out here: https://www.disneyconsumerproducts.com/Home/display.jsp?contentId=dcp_home_help_help_become_licensee_en&forPrint=false&language=en&preview=false&region=0

[sayhey]

Thank you for the response. I had reviewed that policy, and yes, it's clear that only big, established companies can be licensed to manufacture Disney-related products. So I'm assuming that my job now is to sell one such company on my idea, have them manufacture it and use their existing marketing channels to get items in stores?

Can I (and should I) get a design patent on my idea, even if the ultimate goal is to use Disney characters (because the target audience is Disney pin traders and collectors, although a whole range of characters could be used)?