I guess pipe dreams can come true, too. This afternoon, in a balloon-smothered luncheon at New York City's Times Square, Disney announced its big marketing push for 2009, and it has the Mouse doing something it almost never does. It's letting people into its parks for free.

The gist of its new ad campaign (mark your big anniversary or birthday with a "celebration vacation" at Walt Disney World or Disneyland) is nothing spectacular. But the centerpiece of the promotion is noteworthy: During 2009, you can get into its parks for free on your birthday.

And like Disney's previous push, the Year of a Million Dreams, implementing it won't cost the company much in the way of infrastructure. Next month at Disneyland, Disney property Miley Cyrus (pictured, with generous rodent) will have a 16th birthday party to help kick things off (she'll give the best present: the gift of P.R).

Mind you, this is a company that starts charging children the "adult" price at age 10, and at Walt Disney World in Florida, that freebie can mean a $75 savings on a one-day pass (Disneyland in California is $69). For kids under 10, the savings will be $63 in Florida and $59 in Anaheim. Disney's parks always did give a few extra gimmes to guests of all ages on their birthdays, including self-congratulatory buttons, balloons, and oozier-than-usual smiles from "cast members." But Disney's parks are notorious for rarely discounting tickets to the general public, and it almost never gives passes away. This economy, though, is seeing lots of stalwarts cave.

Your kids may not be hankering for oatmeal at their birthday parties, but Quaker has more to offer than just breakfast porridge. You can get a free birthday party kit by sending in UPC symbols from four boxes of treats -- either granola bars or bites. All the birthday party themes available share the theme of doing good -- finding loot at a pirate party and donating it to hospitalized children or a tea party where you make food for the homeless.

The kits contain a how-to guide, a t-shirt for the birthday celebrant and 10 "goodness" bags with wristbands, temporary tattoos and activitiy booklets. Age recommendation: 5 to 12.

Quaker also has a kids club and a moms club, and if you sign up, you can get free products, coupons and other information.

Just when you think there is insurance for everything, Commemorative Life Insurance has come out with, "AfterThoughts Birthday Insurance" which will provide birthday cards and cash to your lovely little grandchildren even after you have left this world. The program is a whole life insurance policy with premiums ranging from $141 to $725 depending on age and tobacco use. While the thought of providing a birthday greeting for the rest of your grandkid's life may be appealing, providing them a gift directly is likely to make more financial sense.

Imagine for a minute that you are a 60-year-old non-smoking female and you want to make sure your grandchild receives a $100 check and a birthday card for the rest of his life beginning when you die. If you live another 20 years and pay in $141.26 each year you will have paid AfterThoughts just shy of $3,000. At a payout rate of $100 per year for his life your grandson the investment wouldn't pay out any profit until his 49th birthday, assuming you bought the insurance the day he was born.