“There’s a millennial in product marketing”: Customers are laughing at Michaels for selling products with scents from “Genovia”

It’s Mia Thermopolis’ world, and we’re just living in it. TikTok user @whatthebecca is going viral for making a hilarious discovery at Michael’s. The craft store is selling scented wax melts by Ashland called Genovian Pear Garden.

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However, Genovia is the fictional country from The Princess Diaries, and Disney doesn’t officially license the item. Naturally, this is getting a lot of laughs from people online.

@whatthebecca Who’s gonna tell them? 👀 #genovia #princessdiaries #michaelscraftstore ♬ original sound – whatthebecca

The comments section is filled with some hilarious jokes. “Somewhere in Michael’s corporate, there’s a millennial in product marketing who risked it all,” one person wrote.

“I’ve been waiting for Genzillenials to start working for corporations specifically because of little things like this,” someone else added.

“How DARE you! My great-grandparents emigrated to this country from Genovia! My grandfather was a proud Geno-American his whole life,” another poster joked.

One commenter pointed out that Ashland also makes another item called Wisteria Lane, which is where Desperate Housewives is set. That makes me think whoever is naming these products knows Genovia’s origins.

Another person in the comments section did a little digging, and it appears Ashland is free to use the Genovian name. “I just searched the trademark database and neither Genovia nor Genovian are trademarked. I’m a nonattorney spokesperson, so seek actual legal advice. But I’ve been led to believe that this isn’t a trademark violation because they don’t use anything but the term Genovian Pear and don’t try to pass it off as Princess Diary merch,” they wrote.

Is The Princess Diaries 3 happening?

It’s been over 20 years since Anne Hathaway starred in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement alongside Chris Pine. A third “Princess Diaries” film is in development at Disney, but there has been no news on when it’s set to go into production. Fans are hoping Pine will reprise his role as Nicholas Devereaux, but there has been no confirmation that he’ll return.

“I don’t know anything,” Pine told Today with Hoda & Jenna in 2024. “Call Disney. Call [Disney CEO] Bob Iger,” he joked. “The answer is I gotta see. I don’t know anything about it. I think it’s fantastic.”

In the meantime, Hathaway is currently filming a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada.

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