San Diego (CNN) -- The breathtakingly incompetent way that Disney handled the introduction of what was thought to be the Magic Kingdom's first Hispanic princess has me wondering: What kind of Mickey Mouse operation is this? Given that Hispanics spending power is worth $1.2 trillion, it's not surprising the media and entertainment behemoth wants a slice of it. But Disney's attempt has turned into a case study of how not to market a product to any group, let alone Hispanics. Talk about magic. Apparently, Disney has the power to take Hispanics and "de-Hispanicize" them. You start off chocolate, or cafe con leche. Then, suddenly, abracadabra, you're vanilla!
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Ruben Navarrette: Disney's newest princess, Sofia, may or may not be Hispanic
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Navarrette: Executive producer said Sofia is Hispanic, but Disney said she's just a princess
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He says a lot of Hispanics -- 52 million Americans -- don't like being played with
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Navarrette: Disney wants to dip into the Hispanic market but botched it with this attempt
@placeholder is the latest addition to a very exclusive club that also happens to be one of the most lucrative franchises in the Magic Kingdom.
Whereas my mother's generation, and my wife's had to put up with being ignored and overlooked by the worlds of media and entertainment, Disney has taught my girls that there is something worse -- when being designated "@placeholder" is treated as a mistake that has to be corrected.