9" Haunted Mansion Bride Release

A new 9" Haunted Mansion Bride Vinylmation has been released today at WonderGround Gallery in the Marketplace Co-Op, and Disney Pin Traders at the Walt Disney World Resort. It will be released tomorrow (March 4th) at WonderGround Gallery and D-Street at the Disneyland Resort. It is also available at the Disney Store online.

This 9" figure has its own shape, much like Hipster Mickey, instead of the regular 9" Mickey shape and was designed by artist Jasmine Becket-Griffith. This Vinylmation has a retail price of $69.99 and is labelled a "special edition".

9" Olaf Release

A 9" Frozen Olaf has been released today at the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, the Disney Store Online and the Shop Disney Parks App. This figure does not have a limited edition size and retails at $44.95. The artist is Chris Gardner.

Star Wars Wicket 9" Release

A Star Wars 9" Vinylmation figure has been released today at D-Street, Star Wars Galactic Outpost and The Disney Store Online. This new Vinylmation is Wicket from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Wicket was designed by Maria Clapsis and has a Limited Edition size of 1,000 like previous Star Wars 9" figures. Retail price for this figure is $59.95.

Update: Wicket is now available for purchase via the Shop Disney Parks app (6/4/16).

The Collector's Space - Long Live 9" Vinylmation

I've written before about the decline in production for 9" Vinylmation figures and how I want them to still be made but in a more realistic and appropriate manner. I have been extremely happy to see 9" figures accompany the Star Wars Weekend Vinylmation for the past 3 years, especially last year's Death Star 9" combo. This week Disney Parks Merchandise announced that although Star Wars Weekends are gone for good, there will be another Star Wars 9" Vinylmation released this May! 

The upcoming 9" Vinylmation is Wicket from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. We don't know yet which artist created this figure, but I think this vinyl has been designed wonderfully! Wicket looks almost fluffy, with his cute little expression and adorable eyes! What I love the most is the nighttime Endor scene in the ears. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you're probably sick of me griping about artists wasting space in the ears of Vinylmation - not the case here! Absolutely beautiful detail! 

I hope this is a sign 9" Vinlmation will continue to be released. Even one 9" figure a year prevents the platform from becoming extinct, although this will be the second 9" released in 2016 after Hipster Mickey. Plus, one or two figures a year will create a higher demand, and prevent 9" figures from being moved en masse to outlets. Due to the higher price point of 9" vinyls coupled with the bigger size, there's just no way collectors can keep up with numerous releases a year, leading to 9" figures becoming outlet fodder, which is what caused their withdrawal in the first place. It seems as if Disney are moving in the right direction by keeping the 9", but keeping releases very low. 

Retail price of the Wicket 9" is being advertised as $59.95, the same price as last year's Death Star 9". This is a more realistic price to entice collectors to buy. Go too low and you'll find locals stocking up to resell on eBay, go too high (some 9" have been priced as high as $99.95) and you'll still find 9" going to outlet, with sellers refusing to pay no matter how amazing the figure. 

The only downfall I can foresee with this figure, is the Limited Edition size. I assume there will be one, given that the last few Star Wars 9" figures were LE 1000. However, it didn't appear that Hipster Mickey was a Limited Edition so we'll see. If the size is too high to meet demand, there may still be the outlet issue. 

The artwork on Wicket is fantastic and I'm happy to see a 9" figure designed with a purpose. With artwork this good for such a popular brand, I can see this figure being a success. If we only get Star Wars 9" for a while, that's fine with me! It seems as thought, for the moment at least, Star Wars might be what's keeping 9" figures alive, I am all for it!  

The Collector's Space - My 9" Collection

When I started this blog, I said that I didn't collect 9" Vinylmation. At the time it was true. They retailed between $44.95 and $74.95 compared to the 3" figures at $12.95, and there was the issue of space. Where would I keep a collection that big? I couldn't live without the 9" Land figure, so I purchased that one and called it quits on 9" Vinylmation.

Fast forward 4 years and now I have eleven 9" figures in my collection. So what changed my mind? I wrote previously about some of my favorite 9" figures and I was finally able to find many of them at a reasonable price as people started to sell off their collections following the announcement of trading ending at the Disney Parks. And so my 9" collection took off and grew.

I had always wanted the Crossroads and Mine Mine Mine Vinylmation, but I never thought I'd be able to own either of them, since their secondary market price was sky high being some of the first 9" Vinylmation figures produced. The Up house was another coveted piece. There are many 9" figures that I like and can admire, but this small collection features my top favorites. There are a couple more that I want to get my hands on, but I have yet to see them being sold at a good price, or being sold period.

I still haven't figured out the space issue. I am not able to display all 11 figures at the same time. I rotate the figures I have on display periodically and the rest are sadly stored in a closet. But, I am extremely happy with my 9" collection!

Hipster Mickey Available on the Shop Disney Parks App

A while back I posted about the release of a new 9" Vinylmation - Hipster Mickey. This new figure was released exclusively at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, and has yet to be released online. While browsing the Shop Disney Parks App recently, I discovered that this Vinylmation is available for purchase via the app at the same retail price of $69.95. There are often deals on the app for free shipping too when you spend over a certain amount. (As of this posting, there's free shipping on a purchase of any amount until Sunday, April 17, 2016). So before you rush to eBay and spend $100 or more on this vinyl, check out the Shop Disney Parks app.

Mail Day!

I finally have one of my grails!

The Collector's Space - My Favorite 9" Vinylmation

Not too long ago, I posted about the figures that I thought represented the best of 9" Vinylmation. Today I want to talk about my personal favorite 9" Vinylmation. These are Vinylmation that I love for various reasons, which I'll briefly summarize. In approximate chronological order of release, here are my all-time favorite 9" figures:

    

Park #1 Mine Mine Mine / Park #4 Enchanted Tiki Room / Park #4 Sci-Fi Dine-In

I'm a huge Finding Nemo fan, it's one of my absolute favorite movies! I love this figure because I think it captures both the movie and The Seas pavilion perfectly. I love the tropical feeling of the Enchanted Tiki Room and I love getting a Dole Whip. The tropical feeling and the bright colors of the attraction are captured in an amazing level of detail here on this 9". Again with Sci-Fi, everything you would want to be on a vinyl is there with this figure. It's spot on in design and color. I think it's incredible! I feel like I'm there just looking at it.

    

Park #5 Barnstormer / Park #5 Tree of Life / Park #5 Dreamfinder

I love the Barnstormer because I think it is another incredibly detailed figure. Just look at the roof shingles, Goofy's silhouette and the colored fencing on the feet. I love he bright colors too. The Tree of Life is just beautiful! I love staring at all the animals accurately carved in the tree. Dreamfinder goes on the list of figures I love because of how well done he is. His expression is cute, his shoes are shiny and his hot air balloon vehicle can be seen in his ear. Just perfect.

    

Park #6 Up / Florida Project Empress Lilly / Muppets #2 MuppetVision Kermit

Up is another of my favorite Disney movies. I love that this figure captures what's at the heart of the movie - the balloon house. It looks exactly how it does in the movie. I love the pale blue sky, the clouds, and of course the colorful balloons. I love the Empress Lilly because to me it screams classic Disneyana. It's beautifully detailed and I love the bronze color used. MuppetVision Kermit it so fun! I love his t-shirt, how his glasses really look 3D and the adorable touch of his name stitched in his Mickey ears!

  

Park #9 The Land / Star Wars #5 Death Star

I love The Land pavilion at Epcot, I could spend days in there! I love this figure because it represents the pavilion perfectly. The detail is just beautiful and I love the colors and the seasons. I love the Star Wars Death Star because I think it works very well on the new mold. I love the detail, the use of the ears, the stars, the TIE fighters and the X-Wings. 

So those are my favorite 9" Vinylmation and that's why I love them so much! Now I just need to try and own them all...

The Collector's Space - The Best of 9" Vinylmation

I've said before that I've been thinking a lot about 9" Vinylmation recently. I guess I've been more appreciative of them every since their production declined. I've decided in this post to put together my list of honorable mentions from across the Vinylmation 9" spectrum:

  

Park #2 Crossroads / Park #3 Carnotaurus / Park #3 Test Track

I think Crossroads is an awesome idea for a figure! It's also neat that it's a real Walt Disney World fan's vinyl. For those who haven't visited Hollywood Studios, I don't think it means a whole lot, and possibly isn't even recognizable. But Crossroads is the first thing I see when I enter that park, which is why I love this figure. I think the Carnotaurus is a perfect choice for a 9"! He's a huge dinosaur and very aggressive, which is captured wonderfully on this figure with it's bigger size. As for Test Track, I can't imagine a better way to translate that attraction onto a Vinylmation.

     

Park #3 Fantasyland Trash Can / Park #4 World Showcase / Park #4 Peter Pan's Flight

A trash can is a great idea for a Vinylmation and I love the bright colors of the Fantasyland trash can. I think this could have been done on a 3" figure, but the 9" of course brings out the detail. The arms are jut perfect for the trash cans side panels! The World Showcase vinyl is a fantastic EPCOT memory.  I love how all 11 countries of the World Showcase and Future World have been captured together on a 9" Vinylmation! Peter Pan's Flight is another fantastic Vinylmation! I love the sail of the ship on the head and the silhouettes across the moon. The stars on the foot are a perfect touch and you should seriously check out the detail on the back!

    

Park #4 Fantasmic / Park #5 Alien Encounter / Park #5 Animal Kingdom Crate

Fantasmic is yet another wonderful idea for a Vinylmation. The positioning of Mickey so that the fireworks come out of his hands and into the ears is absolutely perfect! (This is another figure where you need to check out the back!) Alien Encounter is awesome, what a great tribute to this extinct attraction! The alien is so incredibly detailed that this definitely deserves to be a 9" figure. The Animal Kingdom crate is a pretty neat idea. The crate looks realistic and I love the note on the front. I think this could have worked as a 3", but is much better to see the detail on a 9".

    

Park #7 Electrical Parade Train / Park #8 25th Anniversary Castle / Park #8 Yeti

The Main Street Electrical Parade is another wonderful vinyl. It's hard to see in this picture but the figure has some "sparkles" across it that really make it look like electrical lights. The detail is great, and while it could have worked on a 3", the 9" platform was the way to go for sure. The 25th Anniversary Castle is a great idea for a vinyl, very memorable to veterans of Walt Disney World. The Yeti is amazing! I love that Vinylmation! It looks almost fluffy, but at the same time menacing. I can feel the chill of Mount Everest when I look at it. Much more appropriate as a 9" figure.

    

Park #9 Toy Story Mania / Park #11 Grizzly Peak / Pin Trading 10th Anniversary

I love the feel of the Toy Story Mania Vinylmation. I feel like I'm looking at the ride car, ready to step inside for a round of plate smashing! So detailed and I love the colors! Grizzly Peak is great too. It's interesting to me to see how they brought back the old Mickey mold for this 9" after it seemingly switched for Park #8 only. Mickey's extended facial features make this figure a perfect reflection of the California Adventure landmark. The Pin Trading 10th Anniversary is neat because it takes the anniversary of one hobby (pins) and combines it with a newer hobby - Vinylmation. It's like Mickey is pin trading with his own lanyard! Neat! And the back has a nice touch too.

    

Nightmare Before Christmas Sandy Claws / Villains #9 Jumba / Crying Alice

Sandy Claws is such an awesome idea for a Nightmare Before Christmas 9". Again, this could have worked on a 3", but with the real Sandy Claws already a 3" figure, that might have been confusing and looked like two of the same. You can really see Jack's face and smile on this bigger figure. Jumba is a great idea for a 9" too, I think a villain deserves to be bigger! The 9" platform really brings out the colors (I love the metallic looking paint used on him!), the galaxy in his ears, and of course his many eyes! You might be asking why Crying Alice is on my list, I'll tell you, it's more about the combo set she comes with. It's so perfect to have 9" Alice, a Jr. Alice figure, plus the East Me cookie and Drink Me cup all together. I think everyone remembers that scene from the movie. 

    

Toy Story Alien / Toy Story Zurg / Pixar #1 Crush

There's not really anything super special about the Toy Story Alien, and it has been done as a 3" figure too, I just think it works great as a 9" and I love the Aliens! (OooooOOOOoooooh!) It's awesome to have that cute face bigger! Again, Zurg is a villain and as such deserves a 9" platform so he can be more villainous. He has also been created as a 3" more recently, but I love him as a 9" too, it really works. Lastly, there's Crush. He is yet another 9" that also exists as a 3", but I love how much more detail is on the bigger figure. The facial expression is perfect, I love the patterns on his shell, and the bubbles and waves in his ears.

And that's my roundup of some of the best 9" Vinylmation figures! I will post another round up of my Top 10 favorite 9" vinyls soon!

My Thoughtful Spot - 9" Vinylmation

I've been thinking a lot recently about 9" Vinylmation. I'm not going to talk in this post about the reduced production of 9" figures, which I know has happened, but instead I'm going to write about how I view them as a collector.

Right now I own one 9" Vinylmation from Park #9 and a Create Your Own Vinylmation that my wedding guests signed in lieu of a guestbook. What I love about 9" Vinylmation is how much more detail can be added to them. Several 3" figures have an incredible amount of detail that shocks me on a much smaller canvas. Sometimes that detail can be overlooked because of their smaller size, other times it's just not possible to do as much on a 3" figure. I think for example the detail on the Sci-Fi Dine-In 9" from Park #4 would be extremely difficult to have done on a 3". So I think 9" figures are a great addition to the hobby and popular with fans. However, the nature of them being bigger and more expensive means they need to be released in a different way to 3" figures in order to keep fans interested.

Which brings me to what I don't like about 9" figures. This is two fold. The first aspect is the price tag. Let's compare some of the more recent 9" prices. The Park #8 Contemporary set that was released in 2012, retailed at $89.95. Yes it came with a 3" figure, but I'm not paying $90. Strangely, Toy Story Mania was another combo set released that same year but for the cheaper price of $74.95. I said I wouldn't pay $90 and I wouldn't pay $75 either. I guess I'm not the only one because this set went to outlet. It's easy to pay $12.95 for a blind box, but it's not easy to spend 6 to 7 times that on a 9" figure, especially regularly.

Crush and Squirt from Pixar #1 was a 9" and 3" combo that was released in 2013. It cost $64.95, which is $25 less than the Contemporary set and $10 less than Toy Story, so getting better in price, but still leaning toward the expensive side in my opinion. I would pay $45-$55 for a 9" and 3" combo, depending on the LE. As for individual figures, The Animation #3 Chernabog 9" retailed for $59.95 upon its release in 2013. Only $5 less than the Pixar #1 combo set.

The most recent Park 9" (released in 2012) retailed for $44.95. In terms of 9" vinyls that's cheap! I think $39.95-$44.95 depending on the LE is a fair price. Of course it's still not cheap when you think back to 3" figures, and it definitely affects my ability to purchase 9" figures on a frequent basis. But no 9" price is as crazy as the Animation #3 Dumbo combo set which retailed for a whopping $99.95 when it was released in 2013. I am not at all surprised it went to outlet. I didn't think it was a very impressive figure to begin with, but there's only one 9" figure in existence right now that would make me part with $100.

The second reason for my small collection of 9" Vinylmation comes from a lack of space, not a lack of love for the bigger figures. There are several that I wish I owned and even more that I admire for their concept and creativity.

There are some 9" figures that I just had to have from the first minute I saw them because the artwork blew me away. Then there are figures that are still fantastically designed, but appeal to me more for the memories they encompass, as opposed to exceptional artwork.

I'm secretly happy that I can count the number of 9" figures that are a must-have for me, because I currently don't have the space to display even that handful of figures! I would have to rotate what I display and that makes me sad. But at the same time, I still really like the 9" line and hope it stays in the hobby.

It's great to have a variety of figures out there. Some people love Jr. Vinylmation because they can put them on their keys, their small size makes it easy to collect more of them, and some people think they're cuter than 3" and 9" figures. Other collectors prefer the 3" because they're arguably the easiest to display, they're big enough to get plenty of identifying artwork on there, without taking up too much room in your home. But there are also staunch fans of the 9", who love them for the incredible amount of detail they can hold.

The 9" vinyls that I love (for the most part) include more intricate detail than a 3" ever could (although the artists are really pushing that boundary right now!) However, 9" figures are undeniably more difficult to house and display than their 3" counterparts, so I have to limit myself personally to 3" figures, unless a 9" comes along that I cannot live without. I'm glad to see that contrary to popular belief, the 9" has indeed gotten much more rare, but is not extinct. We will see the release of another 9" combo set for Star Wars Weekends 2015 and for a much more attractive price than some of the sets I've mentioned in this post.