Disney Parks Blog Haunted Mansion Portrait Preview

The Disney Parks Blog released a picture today of the upcoming Park #13 Haunted Mansion Portraits Series hanging out at the Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom.

You can check out full 360 pictures of this series over at Disney's Official Vinylmation page. The series is due to release on December 20.

Nightmare Before Christmas #2 Release

The Nightmare Before Christmas Series #2 has been released today at D-Streets and the Disney Store online, just in time for Halloween! This is an 8 figure series designed completely by Casey Jones. Each blind box has a retail price of $12.95

Trick Or Treat!

Vinylmation Review - Vampire Stitch

I am a fan of Halloween Vinylmation. Halloween is a fun holiday and a great time to be at Walt Disney World with all the decorations and events. Halloween themed vinyls are fun, in my opinion creative (each one has a different spin despite being based around the same theme of pumpkins) and a great way to remember your Halloween Disney trip.

For today's Vinylmation Review, I'm going to be giving my 2 cents on the most recently released Halloween Vinylmation figure - Vampire Stitch.

Released: September 20, 2013

Artist: Caley Hicks

When I first saw this figure, I loved it immediately! Stitch is one of my favorite Disney characters (up there with Crush and Figment) and Lilo & Stitch is one of my all-time favorite Disney movies. That doesn't mean I loved this figure instantly just because it's Stitch. I am not a fan of Park #5 Stitch (sorry Dan Howard) because it really doesn't capture his true likeness. I loved this figure because I knew exactly where Caley Hicks' inspiration was drawn from - the final scene at the end of Lilo & Stitch.

This scene is a montage of life after the aliens leave Stitch with the Pelekai family. One part of the scene shows Lilo and Stitch all dressed up for Halloween and carving pumpkins. Lilo is dressed as a witch and Stitch is dressed as a vampire. I love this figure because it's not plucked out of thin air, "oh let's use Stitch this year and dress him up", no not at all! This figure was chosen straight from the movie, which I admire because it gives the character more meaning.

The final scene in Lilo & Stitch

On top of that, this figure looks just like Stitch from this scene in the movie.This figure has Stitch's vampire cape, with a high collar around the neck, Stitch's ears have been extended upward into the Mickey ears just like Stitch's ears are pointing up in the movie scene, the figure's eyes are squinted to match Stitch's and the gnarled teeth expression Stitch has in the movie is reflected on the vinyl also. This might seem like a random figure to some, but I can see the huge amount of attention to detail and effort Caley Hicks has put into this vinyl. Great job!

So there you have it. I absolutely love this figure, I can't say a single bad word about it and despite being a collector of Park series vinyls 99% of the time, I knew from the moment I saw it that this was going in my collection! I plan to pick it up later this month on my Disney World trip. If you'd like this figure but you're not headed to Disney World any time soon, you can also purchase Stitch at the Disney Store online.

Wedding Day!!

Today is my wedding day at Walt Disney World! (Vinylmation will be featured!)

Urban Redux #2 Release

Urban Redux #2 has been released today at D-Streets and the Disney Store online. Following the first series of Urban Redux, this is also an 8 figure blind box series. Each box retails at $12.95 and combo packs are also available from today for $24.95

Throwback Thursday - Jack Skellington

Series: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Artist: Casey Jones

Released: September 2010

Coming Soon to Vinylmation Isle... The Trade-Cation Adventure

If you've been here a while, you'll know that I have a trip coming up real soon to Walt Disney World. Trading has changed a lot at the World since February, so I've decided to start my own adventure that I'm naming - Trade-Cation. It's a vacation centered on Vinylmation trading at Walt Disney World and I wanted to use this post to explain what I'll be doing.

I have main aims for Trade-Cation:

1. With the recent trading changes around the parks, I'm going to be scouting out where trading takes place these days. We're aware of 5 main trading locations around the resort that I've posted about before. However, I've also heard reports that trade boxes can be found at other locations. I'll take a look around and report back
2. It doesn't necessarily follow that were you can buy Vinylmation, you can trade Vinylmation and vice versa. I aim to take notes and pictures of every Vinylmation trade and sale location I come across on property
3. I want to see if I can meet other traders and get some spontaneous trades going. I've already posted about my Vinylmation bag and pin that I'm taking with me. I hope it will get the message across that I'm up for trades! I won't have many traders on my person around the parks, but I love to trade just for the fun of it. I'll be missing out on the big Disney Trade Night by just 2 days (which I'm super upset about) so I hope there will still be some folks around looking for trades
4. I also want to see what the quality of park trading boxes are like. I've had that despite the changes, the trade boxes are still full of buy one get ones and other outlet figures. I've even heard that some of the figures can get pretty banged up and are lacking accessories, despite Disney's rules about the figure's condition. I'm going to keep a written and video log to see the best and worst vinyl I can pull

I'm only at Disney for a week, so I hope I can accomplish all that I'm setting out to. I'll be posting and possibly sharing videos from my Trade-Cation experience when I'm back, so I hope you'll follow along on my adventure with me!

2013 Holiday Ornament Vinylmation Release

Today a 2013 Holiday Ornament in Vinylmation form has been released at the Disney Store Online. This beautiful Christmas figure was designed by Disney Store artist Gerald Mendez and retails at $12.95. It includes a satin ribbon to hang it on your tree.

Here are pictures of the front and back of this figure:

I had no idea this figure would be released until I saw it online (I've posted before how Disney will give you advance notice of some releases and remain completely silent on others) but it's really tempting me! I just love all the detail and the vibrant, Christmassy colors!

Jingle Smells #3 Release

Jingle Smells Series #3 has been released today at Disney Stores and the Disney Store Online. This is a 4 figure series with a theme of Disney characters as Nutcrackers, accompanied of course by holiday scents. Disney Store artist Enrique Pita designed all the figures in this series and each one retails for $12.95. Here are the figures out of their boxes with an explanation of their smells.

Mickey - Chocolate Cookie

Minnie - Strawberry Cupcake

Goofy - Peppermint

Donald - Sugar Cookie

The Collector's Space - Vinylmation Trading Pin

Over the last couple months, I've heard numerous reports that trading is becoming difficult, or less appealing shall we say, over at D-Street Orlando. I don't want to talk about what's been happening over there because they're not my experiences and I do like D-Street, so I don't want to bring them into disrepute. My point is, that I am looking for ways other than being at D-Street to get trades going with other collectors while at Walt Disney World.

I plan on trading for fun the next time I'm at Walt Disney World this Fall, so if I make a collector's day, or trade just for fun and don't get something that I want - I'm happy with that! They're traders for a reason. So I decided to buy a Vinylmation bag and a Vinylmation Mystery Pin to hopefully get the message across that I'm a Vinylmation fan and collector, and I am willing to trade.

I will report back after my trip on how well this went and in the meantime, if you happen to be at Walt Disney World from October 24-31 and you see me, please say hi and let me know if you want to trade! I will only have a small handful of traders with me each day, but I would love to meet you and trade :)

If you'd like to schedule a meet for a trade, or you'd like to share another idea on how to get spontaneous trades going at the parks, please leave a comment!

Throwback Thursday - Zero

Series: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Artist: Casey Jones

Released: September 2010

Vinylmation Review - The Nightmare Before Christmas #1

Release Date: September 10, 2010

Open Window Series

I wanted to do a Vinylmation Review of The Nightmare Before Christmas Series #1 because this year marks the 20th anniversary of the movie (can you believe it?), in my opinion it's a Halloween classic and there's only 25 days left til Halloween! Plus The Nightmare Before Christmas #2 is scheduled to release at the end of this month.

I don't currently own any vinyls from this series, but I do remember seeing it in my local Disney Store after its release, and thinking that they were pretty cool. I didn't really "get" Vinylmation back then and it didn't register to me that that's what they were. I thought they were just cool Halloween themed toys. However, they made an impression on me back then as a well produced set and I still really like this series. It's appealing to Disney fans and movie-goers, and is easily recognizable.

Unlike movie series that can be fleeting in appeal if you happened to see the movie at the time of its release (such as John Carter) The Nightmare Before Christmas is a theme that won't date. It's stood the test of time and is popular across generations. This set also uses the old mold, which I think works really well here.

Reasons to love this series:

• There's a good selection of characters here, from the well-known main characters Jack and Sally to the less obvious (but still memorable) characters like Lock, Shock and Barrel. Fans of the movie will definitely appreciate the inclusion of the latter
• I love the precision and accuracy of each figure's appearance. Every figure looks spot on and I can't fault how any of them look. A special mention goes to the expression of Dr. Finkelstein, the face of Sandy Claws, the Mayor's faces and also how menacing the Pumpkin King looks. Casey Jones did a great job!
• I also love the level of detail used on the characters. The spider around the Mayor's neck along with his Mayor ribbon, the patchwork look of Sally and the stitching on Oogie Boogie
• The ears in my opinion have been used well all around, especially for the extension of the character's features on Zero, Oogie Boogie, Lock, Shock, Sandy Claws and the Pumpkin King. Where the ears are left as a solid color, this also works well
• The Mayor's hat accessory has got to be one of my favorites of all time! It looks exactly like it does in the movie and I'm glad this essential accessory was added, not missed out (as happened with Fozzie Bear from Muppets #1)

Things that aren't so great:

• I don't really have anything to say for criticisms of this series! At a push I would say that Lock, Shock, Barrel and the Corpse Kid will be the least popular, on the basis that they're the least recognizable characters in the series. Those unfamiliar with the movie probably won't know who they are, but that's the case with any series based on movies and even the parks. It's unavoidable. But that's somewhat been redeemed by the open window format

I am certainly tempted to go back and get some of these figures to add to my Halloween home decor! Thanks for joining me for another Vinylmation Review!

Villains #4 Release

The fourth Villains Vinylmation series has been released today at Disney Stores and the Disney Store online. This is a 12 figure, blind box series that retails for $12.95.

Marvel #1 Series Release

The highly anticipated Marvel Series has been released today at D-Streets. This is a blind box series of 12 figures, retailing at $12.95 per blind box. A Hawkeye combo topper is also available for purchase at D-Streets from today for $24.95. This series is currently only available for purchase at the Disney Parks, but Disney's Official Vinylmation website states that these figures will be available for purchase at the Disney Store online later this year.

Throwback Thursday - Halloweentown Mayor

Series: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Artist: Casey Jones

Released: September 2010

Vinylmation Beginner's Guide - Don't Be Fooled by eBay

For today's Vinylmation Beginner's Guide post, I want to talk about how eBay can be misleading, especially to the new collector, and how you can safeguard against being fooled online.

There are many eBay listings that advertise a vinyl as "Limited Edition", "Rare", "Hard to Find", and/or "Parks Only". There most certainly are limited edition Vinylmation and some sets and series are only available at the parks (for example the 2013 Poster Art Series). I would take more caution when a listing says "rare" or "hard to find", as these terms are much more subjective. Coveted and retired figures like Creepy Wallpaper from Park #1 are not as common as a new release figures, but I still wouldn't call it "rare" or "hard to find", since you can pretty much find at least 1 listing for this figure on eBay at any given time. It's my personal opinion that sellers include these words to attract more attention, not to give you bona fide information.

However, when a Vinylmation is listed as a limited edition or parks only figure, this is not always true. Sometimes the seller makes a genuine mistake, some figures start out as park only but then make it to the Disney Store online and/or to Disney Stores and outlets. But other times this is intentional to get more bids or a quicker sale.

So how can you find out if a vinyl you want really is parks only, limited edition or retired? I would suggest the following:

1. Start by visiting Chasing Vinylmation and searching for your figure. Let's say you want the Orange Bird from Park Starz #2. When you search for your figure, you'll see that it's not a limited edition and also that it's still active, meaning it's still in production and being sold. If you wanted Oswald from the 2013 Poster Series for example, you would see that the rarity of that figure is 1:2013 meaning it has a limited edition of 2,013
2. So now you know if the figure is active, retired, common or a limited edition and if so, the size. Your next step (if it's not a retired figure) is to check out the Vinylmation section of the Disney Store online. If your figure is listed here (like Park Starz #2 is) then you know it's not a Park Exclusive. But if you don't see it (like Oswald) it's likely to be exclusive to the parks
3. You could also do a good, old-fashioned Google search to find info on your figure. What's the going rate on the secondary market? Has it been retired? When? Are they still being sold online/in store/at the parks? Is it a Park Exclusive? Limited Edition?
4. If a series/figure has been retired, it's likely to be more difficult to get a hold of than an active figure you could pick up or buy online. But this isn't a general rule. A search of eBay's completed listings (both sold and unsold) will give you an idea of how often that figure is sold and for how much
5. You can also see a good, extensive list of Limited Edition and Exclusive figures and sets over at Vinylmation World

I hope this helps with buying vinyls on the secondary market. Until next time... happy collecting!

Vinylmation Review - Meet and Greet Mickey #1

For today's Vinylmation Review, I will be taking a look at the first release of Meet and Greet Mickey.

If you're not familiar with the genesis of Meet and Greet Mickey, you might want to read my post explaining his debut. This particular Meet and Greet Mickey was released at the 13 Reflections of Evil event this year. He's mostly a silver color, with some hints of green and stands at 6" tall.


What I Like:

• I like that this figure does look like Mickey in the 70s, which was the aim. The face, the pose, the outfit, everything is spot on there

What I Dislike:

• To me this figure looks unfinished. There is so little color on this figure that it looks like the green was either a mistake, or he hasn't finished being painted
• He has a crazy retail price! Considering there is way more detail in a 3" figure (albeit a different shape) for $12.95, I don't understand why a figure double the size but with a tenth of the detail should cost $49.95
• This particular Meet and Greet Mickey has absolutely no meaning to me. I collect vinyls mostly for the meaning behind them, such as a favorite ride, a memory in vinyl form, etc. This figure has no meaning for me, which hasn't left me with a desire to own it. Perhaps if I had attended 13 Reflections of Evil, I'd feel differently

So in conclusion, I don't hate this figure, but I don't love it either. Meet and Greet Mickey will not be joining my collection

The Collector's Space - Collection Update

I last updated the number of Vinylmation in my collection back in April of this year and after another 6 months of collecting, that number has grown. Whilst it's probably not the most rapidly increasing collection, I am more than happy with my progress over the past 6 months and decided therefore that I would post a quick update on my more recent numbers.

My collection, as of today, currently contains:
3" - 85
9" - 1
Jr. - 3

For a total of 89 Vinylmation (excluding traders). I predict that I might reach 100 by the end of the year. 

Until my next collection update... collect what you love! 

October Poster Series Release

The 11th figure from the 2013 Poster Art Series has been released today at D-Streets. The October Poster figure was designed by Eric Caszatt and has a limited edition size of 2,013. The retail price is $14.95

Throwback Thursday - Oogie Boogie

October will feature a Halloween theme for Throwback Thursday, I hope you enjoy!

Series: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Artist: Casey Jones

Released: September 2010