D23 Expo Vinylmation Preview

The D23 Expo will be taking place July 14-16 at the Anaheim Convention Center and a preview has been given of exclusive Vinylmation that will be available to purchase at the event:

Pirates of the Caribbean Eachez

This Eachez celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and has a Limited Edition size of 2500 pieces with two potential figures inside the blind box. The Redhead is the common figure (pictured left) with 9 in 10 odds for a total of 2,250 Vinylmation, and the Blue Wench (pictured right) is the variant figure with 1 in 10 odds, for a total of 250 Vinylmation. Each blind box will retail at $16.99.

Marvel Eachez

The Marvel Eachez has a Limited Edition size of 2500 pieces and features a Spider-Man common figure (pictured left) with 9 in 10 odds, for a total of 2,250 pieces, and the Masked Peter Parker variant figure (pictured right) with 1 in 10 odds, for a total of 250 pieces. Each blind box will retail at $16.99.

Star Tours Eachez

The Star Tours Eachez celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Star Tours attraction and has a Limited Edition size of 2500. The common figure in this Eachez is a Space Trooper (pictured left) with 9 in 10 odds of being in the box, for a total of 2,250 figures, and the variant figure is Red Rex (pictured right) with 1 in 10 odds of being in the box for a total of 250 figures. Each blind box will retail at $16.99.

Hipster Minnie 9"

There will also be a 9" Hipster Minnie Vinylmation released to accompany the previously released 9" Hipster Mickey figure, designed by Jerrod Maruyama. This 9" piece will retail at $69.99.

Disney Store 30th Anniversary Set Coming Soon!

A preview has been released of the upcoming Disney Store 30th Anniversary Vinylmation set. This is a set of two 3" figures, Mickey and Minnie, in celebratory dress. Mickey is in a suit with a crystal in his bow tie, while Minnie wears a fancy dress with gloves, and a crystal in her hair bow. The two pack is being advertised as a "Limited Release" and will be available at Disney Stores and the Disney Store online on March 28. The pack will retail at $29.95.

Beauty and the Beast Series #2 Preview

Photo have surfaced of what appears to be another Beauty and the Beast Vinylmation series. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Beauty and the Beast this year, an anniversary collection Blu-ray has been released this summer, along with a Tsum Tsum collection, giving reason to believe we will soon see the release of this Vinylmation set. 

Beast, Belle, Chip and Mrs. Potts

Human Lumiere, Wardrobe and Cogsworth

Gaston and a Mystery Chaser

This looks to be another 8 figure set with 7 commons and a chaser. More information on price, artist, chaser, variants and a release date will be posted here as soon as it becomes available.

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!  

Zootopia Vinylmation Coming Soon

A picture has surfaced on a Disney Cast Member's Instagram account of a Zootopia Vinylmation set. Further information on this set is currently unavailable, but it appears from the picture to be an 8 figure blind box set. The movie is slated to release on March 4, 2016 so I would anticipate the series will be released on or close to that date. Stay tuned to Vinylmation Isle for more information on this series as it becomes available

I am pretty excited to see this movie from the hilarious trailer, and I'm even more excited that there will be Vinylmation series! This set is already looking good and I think it's a great item of merchandise to accompany the new film.

UPDATE 1/23/16 - The Zootopia Vinylmation series will be released on January 29, 2016 and each blind box will retail for $12.95

Preview of New Vinylmation Coming in 2016!

We are getting less and less information these days on upcoming Vinylmation releases, so I was pleasantly surprised to see Vinylmation featured in a video posted by Steven Miller of upcoming 2016 Disney Merchandise on the Disney Parks Blog.

Here are some stills of the Vinylmation that were featured:

No prices, release dates or any other information has been given yet, so stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog, the Disney Parks Merchandise page and of course Vinylmation Isle for more information on these releases as it becomes available. I am happy to see more releases on the horizon!

New Food & Wine Festival Eachez

The Disney Parks Blog has previewed a new Eachez that will be released for the 20th Food and Wine Festival, starting September 25, 2015.

The new Eachez features the Swedish Chef from the Muppets. I would presume that the figure pictured left is the common, and the figure pictured right is the variant, however this has not been announced. The price and any Limited Edition size has also not yet been announced.

The Eachez will be available at the Festival Center which will be between Mission: Space and Ellen's Energy Adventure. It will not be available online. I'm just happy to see more evidence that for now at least, Vinylmation are still continuing to be released.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Vinylmation Preview

Yesterday saw the release of the Marvel Red Hulks set and thanks to the back of that twin pack's box, we have a preview of another upcoming Marvel set - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

(Photo credit: Vinylmation World)

There is no release date given, or retail price, but we can see from the box that the set will have two 3" figures: Nick Fury and Agent Coulson, as they look in the Marvel movies and in the TV show of the same name. The set will also have a Limited Edition size of 1,500.

I would anticipate that this set will be released soon, around the same time as the release of the Avengers Vinylmation series and the Age of Ultron movie (May 1). As soon as I hear more I'll share it here at Vinylmation Isle, so please follow for updates!

Star Wars Galactic Gathering Vinylmation Previews

This year, Star Wars Weekends will feature a separately ticketed event called "Galactic Gathering", similar to the Rebel Rendezvous event that look place during Star Wars Weekends 2014. The most exiting thing for me about this event (bearing in mind that I will not be attending) is the fantastic Vinylmation merchandise slated to release!

Here's what the Disney Parks Blog has previewed:

First is Star Wars #5. These three figures are all we know right now, but based on the TIE Fighter Pilot and the binary sunset in the Storm Trooper's ears on the side of the box, I'm thinking this might be another A New Hope inspired series. This set will be another 12 figure set of 11 commons, 1 chaser and "the possibility of a variant". Each blind box retails for $12.95. I'm super excited by these previewed figures alone, and how awesome the Storm Trooper on the side of the box looks!

Next is the Star Wars #5 Eachez. Last year the R2-D2 and R2-MK Eachez was released for Star Wars weekends. This year we have an X-Wing Pilot Eachez with a Limited Edition size of 1,500. The common is Biggs Darklighter (pictured left) with a 9 in 10 chance of being pulled for a total of 1,350 figures. The variant is Jek Porkins (pictured right) with a 1 in 10 chance of being pulled for a total of only 150 figures. Both figures were designed by Casey Jones and each blind box retails for $16.95. I think this is a fantastic idea for a Star Wars Eachez!

Finally, there will also be a two figure combo set, like there was last year with the Rancor and Keeper set. Designed by John Henselmeier, this set has a 9" Death Star figure and a 3" Death Star Trooper. The set has a Limited Edition size of 1,000 and retails for $59.95. I am so excited to see another 9" because I really don't want them to die out. If we only get 1 a year for Star Wars weekends, to me that's something. Oh my goodness this one blows me away! So much love for this figure!

All of the Vinylmation previewed will be available first at the Galactic Gathering event. A Random Selection Process (RSP) will be used to reserve items for guest purchase. Items will then go on sale at Darth's Mall for the remainder of Star Wars Weekends 2015.

The Collector's Space - My Imagination Gala Highlights

Many Vinylmation collectors are aware that last week, September 5-7, the annual Walt Disney World Vinylmation and Pin Event took place at EPCOT - this year titled "The Imagination Gala". Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the event myself, although I tried hard to make it happen. Hopefully one year I'll be able to finally go. Although I wasn't personally there, I was keeping track of all the happenings on Instagram and Vinylmation websites, and from what I've seen online, this year's event looked miles better than last year's Reflections of Evil event. But that's another story.

As always, the event was filled with plenty of news, updates, pictures and previews, so I wanted to share what I consider to be the highlights of the event. The upcoming releases that I am most excited about!

(Photo Credit: Destination Vinylmation)

Maybe it was the Figment theme of the Imagination Gala that made it look so great to me. He is by far my favorite Disney character! The feeling that I got from following the event online made it look professional, well organized and a lot of fun. (Not to mention how jealous I am of everyone who purchased a Vintage Vinylmation Vault blind box! But again I digress...)

Let's start with the first previewed set I saw, a Lilo and Scrump set that will accompany the recently released Animation #5 series:

(Photo Credit: Vinylmation World)

This set is scheduled to release in November for $29.95 and was designed by Ron Cohee. Lilo looks like she jumped right out of the film! She looks exactly like she does in the movie and I have wanted a Scrump Vinylmation for years! So excited for this set.

The next set I saw was the Haunted Mansion Blonde & Medusa set:

(Photo Credit: Vinylmation World)

This set was designed by Casey Jones and has a limited edition size of 1,000. There are so many possibilities for Haunted Mansion Vinylmation and it's an extremely popular attraction. I am so pleased that more merchandise is being released (not just vinyls) and that it's all been tastefully done. I don't think Haunted Mansion vinyls have been exhausted yet because they've all been such fantastic quality.

These two figures come from paintings in the hallway of the Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom. At first you see the painting of the blonde, in what looks like a Roman forum, then when the lightning flashes, she changes into a Medusa. This set is due to release in January 2015 for $29.95. I'm very excited to see such a great idea for a set released!

Another interesting announcement was the upcoming set Pirates of the Caribbean Mickey & Friends:

(Photo Credit: Destination Vinylmation)

Similar to the recently released Haunted Mansion Mickey & Friends, this will be a 5 figure revealed/concealed set featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Stitch. It follows the way in which the Topiaries was released. Mickey will be the one revealed and the other 4 figures will be concealed inside the blind boxes.

It's a great idea for a series, especially considering how popular the Haunted Mansion set was, however I thought Disney had made progress by adding a second revealed figure in the aforementioned set. I'm sad to see that a step backward has been taken with this set, in that there is only one revealed figure again with Pirates of the Caribbean. This series will release in December for $24.95 per blind box.

I'm also excited to see this fantastic Vinylmation be released, a Mickey Waffle Annual Passholder Eachez:

(Photo Credit: Vinylmation World)

This Vinylmation will be released in Walt Disney World and Disneyland in October for $16.95 a blind box. The above picture shows the common figure with the ratio of 9/10. It's a Mickey waffle covered in chocolate syrup on a Disney plate. The below picture shows the variant figures with the ratio of 1/10. The figure on the left is the Disneyland variant - a Mickey waffle with powdered sugar. The figure on the right is the Walt Disney World variant - a Mickey waffle with whipped cream. I just love the detail of the resort plates!

(Photo Credit: Vinylmation World)

I am also excited to finally know more about D-TOUR #2! You may recall that it was first previewed one whole year ago at the Reflections of Evil event. It's still not been released but at least now we know the details.

(Photo Credit: Vinylmation World)

This will be an 8 figure set of 7 commons plus a chaser, with figures on both the Mickey and Minnie platforms. The artists who took part in designing the series are: Maria Clapsis, Caley Hicks, Anne Marie, Sara Hall, Thomas Scott and Eric Caszatt. They will be released in blind boxes this time for $12.95 each in October. I love the Queen Minnie figure so much! She goes perfectly with King Mickey from the first D-TOUR series.

Now let's look at the Holiday 2014 Vinylmation. I love seeing what Disney has in store for Christmas Vinylmation each year! First up is another 2 figure combo set, this year it's Mickey and Minnie:

(Photo Credit: Vinylmation World)

The 2014 Mickey and Minnie Holiday Snowmen will be released in October for $29.95. The set was designed by Rachel Bristol and will have a limited edition size of 2,500. I think this is a really cute holiday set that would go well with Santa Minnie and Mickey released in 2013 and 2012 respectively.

(Photo Credit: Destination Vinylmation)

I absolutely love this Gingerbread Duffy Bear! Nothing says the Holidays like decorated gingerbread and while I've never particularly cared for the Duffy Vinylmation line, this figure is just perfect! So Christmassy, so Disney, so cute! I can't wait to see this released and I will be picking it up. Designed by Caley Hicks, it will be released in October for $16.95.

Finally, while it's not a must-have for me, I really like the idea and the artwork of Holiday 2014 Christmas Tinkerbell Eachez: 

(Photo Credit: Destination Vinylmation)

This red outfit will be the common figure with 9/10 odds and the picture below shows the variant figure wearing a green outfit and winking, with 1/10 odds. I think this is a great idea because Tinkerbell is a popular character, especially for Walt Disney World merchandise, and she hasn't been used to death in the Vinylmation world. The artwork is very well done and Tinkerbell looks great in a Christmas outfit!

(Photo Credit: Destination Vinylmation)

Ron Cohee designed these figures and they will also be released in October, for $14.95 a blind box.

There are other upcoming releases that I am not overly interested in adding to my collection, but I'll quickly mention because I think they have been done very well: Star Wars Luke Skywalker Eachez and Yoda Eachez, the Iron Patriot and War Machine set,, and some of the Villainous Duos sets: Pain & Panic, Flotsam & Jetsam, and Jafar & Iago.

Those are my highlights, the Vinylmation I am most excited about having followed the Imagination Gala online. What Vinylmation releases are you looking forward to?

Ink & Paint Series Preview

Disney Store and Vinylmation artist Enrique Pita posted a preview picture on Instagram this week of Donald, from his upcoming Disney's Ink & Paint Vinylmation series. He also announced that this series will be released in May.

Here's the concept art for this series that Enrique posted on Instagram earlier this year:

Star Wars Eachez Preview

The Rebel Rendezvous Event's Merchandise Catalog has previewed a Star Wars Eachez figure that will be released at Star Wars Weekends. (Available for purchase via Random Selection Process if you attend the Rebel Rendezvous Event). The common figure is R2-MK (pictured right) and there's a 9 in 10 chance of pulling that vinyl. The variant is R2-D2 (pictured left) and there is a 1 in 10 chance of pulling that figure.

Each Star Wars Eachez blind box will retail for $16.95 and these figures have a Limited Edition size of 2,500. Both figures were designed by Thomas Scott.

Star Wars #4 Preview

Steven Miller posted a preview on the Disney Parks Blog last week of the upcoming Star Wars #4 series. The series will release during the Star Wars Weekends event in May this year. The picture he posted shows us 3 of the figures and indicates that the series will be based on The Empire Strikes Back. (The Rebel Rendezvous Event's Merchandise Catalog states that this will be a 12 figure set comprising of 11 commons, 1 chaser and 1 variant).

I am loving the look of the R2-D2 figure on Dagobah that's illustrated on the side of the box! The figures pictured (going left to right) are: a Snowtrooper (or Hoth Stormtrooper), Han Solo on Hoth and Luke Skywalker on Hoth.

Steven Miller also announced (although no pictures were posted on The Disney Parks Blog) that a Limited Edition combo set will also be released during the event. Similar to last year's Jabba and Salacious Crumb set, this year's set will feature a 9" Rancor figure and a 3" figure of his keeper.

(Source: Vinylmation World)

This all sounds like great stuff for Star Wars fans! I Can't wait to see more!

Preview of the Topiaries Series

The Disney Parks Blog posted an article today previewing the upcoming Topiaries series. This series was first previewed at the 13 Reflections of Evil event at Walt Disney World last September, but now we have more information on this series, including actual pictures of the figures.

Topiaries has been dubbed a "revealed/concealed" set, which means every blind box will have the "revealed" Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey figure (pictured on top of the box) as a combo topper and one of the other 4 figures will be a "concealed" mystery figure inside the box. 

This series promotes EPCOT's annual Flower and Garden Festival and will be released on March 28. All 5 figures were designed by Caley Hicks. No retail price has been announced as yet. 

2014 Vinylmation Release Previews

The Disney Parks Blog posted previews this week of a few upcoming Vinylmation releases. Not much information was released, exact release dates and prices have yet to be announced, but I'm already excited about some of these!

First up is a blind box Eachez Oswald release. Similar to the Park #13 Tower of Terror Ghosts set and the Frozen Olaf blind box, there will be a potential variant (pictured right) or common (pictured left) in each Oswald blind box. Easter Oswald will be released in March.

Another blind box release this year will be Duffy. It was unclear in the blog article if this will be an entire series, or another Oswald/Olaf blind box setup. No release date has been mentioned yet.

As part of Park #14's release this year (no date has been announced yet) there will be a Cranium Command 2-pack, which I'm super excited about! I have been wishing on a Buzzy Vinylmation for a long time! The set will include Buzzy (pictured left) and General Knowledge (pictured right) from the now extinct attraction formerly housed in the Wonders of Life Pavilion at EPCOT.

And finally, we were teased about Park Starz #3 and I have to say this set is looking fantastic already! Pictured above from left to right is Trixie from the Country Bear Jamboree, Sonny Eclipse from Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe and the Dreamfinder from the original version of Journey Into Imagination. Park Starz #3 will be released in June.

Preview of Haunted Mansion Mickey and Friends Series

Yesterday the Disney Parks Blog released a sneak preview of an upcoming series called Haunted Mansion Mickey and Friends.

With the recent changes in Vinylmation series, my guess is that this will be an 8 figure series, however the size has not been released. We do know that this series will feature "Mickey and friends playing roles from the Haunted Mansion" and is due to release "late" in summer 2014. It's been announced that Ron Cohee was the sole designer of the series.

I've only seen 2 figures, so I can't decide if any of these will join my collection, but I think this is a great series that will be beautifully done with Ron Cohee as the artist. Based on such a popular attraction and featuring Disney characters, I think this series will be a hit.

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.

Park #13 Sneak Preview

Disney Merchandise Communications Manager Stephen Miller has posted a sneak preview today of one of the figures from the upcoming Park #13 Vinylmation series. This confirms collectors' suspicion that there will be a Park #13 series.

He declined to announce when Park #13 will be available to purchase, stating only that it's coming to Disney Parks "at a future date".  Not much can be seen from the black and white picture, but Stephen confirmed the figure is another Tower of Terror bellhop. In my opinion, this figure looks very similar to the bellhop from the 1997 movie Tower of Terror starring Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst.

First look at Park #13

A scene from the Tower of Terror movie featuring Dewey the bellhop

What are your thoughts? Are you excited for Park #13?