The Backside of Vinyls - Red Car Trolley

For this month's installment of The Backside of Vinyls, I'm looking at the Red Car Trolley from the Disney's California Adventure series. I've only been to DCA once (and that was over 10 years ago) but I love the nostalgic, old Hollywood feel of this vinyl even though I've never experienced the Red Car Trolley. 

The most obvious feature on the back of this Vinylmation is Walt Disney's signature in the back of the right ear. I think this is a really cute use of the space even though (to my knowledge) it's not directly related to the attraction. On the back of the head we can see silhouettes of some of the features of Disney's California Adventure. To the far left are palm trees next to a silhouette of the Carthay Circle restaurant. 

Carthay Circle

(Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog)

Carthay Circle is one of the more memorable eateries over at DCA and features recognizable architecture that looks great as a silhouette on the back of this vinyl. The next silhouette is California Adventure's Tower of Terror attraction, which is now Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.

Tower of Terror

(Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog)

Adding a silhouette of the DCA landscape to this Vinylmation perfectly compliments the figure and adds well designed and relevant artwork to otherwise wasted space. Great job artist Maria Clapsis!

The Backside of Vinyls - Catastrophe Canyon

In today's The Backside of Vinyls, I'm looking at the Catastrophe Canyon figure from the Park #13 series, designed by artist Maria Clapsis. A lot of collectors didn't care for this figure, but I think it's expertly designed and a wonderful tribute now that the Backlot Tour is extinct.

(Photo Credit: The Mouse for Less)

On the back of the head we can see the canyon walls complete with their lines and cracks. Moving down to the body, the canyon walls continue in the background while we see the pumpjack in the foreground surrounded by fire. The fire continues in to the backs of the figure's arms in the same way that fire surrounds our ride vehicle during the scene at Catastrophe Canyon. On the back of the feet, we can see the water that cascades down toward the end of the scene.

Finally, in the back of the right ear we see more fire, which begins above the canyon wall in the same way that the fire is pictured at the top of the figure above the canyon. Then in the back of the right ear, we have detail from the ride vehicle itself (pictured above) which makes a great use of the space and is a really neat touch.

I think the backside of this Vinylmation is very well detailed, a job well done by Maria Clapsis and a great piece in my collection.

The Backside of Vinyls - Haunted Mansion Tightrope Portrait

With Halloween just around the corner, I decided a Haunted Mansion Vinylmation would be appropriate for October's The Backside of Vinyls. This is the ballerina from the tightrope portrait in the Haunted Mansion.

Naturally, the back of this vinyl is largely the back of the ballerina herself. Her collared dress, her hair, and her white gloves. In the back of her left ear is the parasol she holds while standing on the tightrope, and some of the foliage from the painting can be seen in the back of her right ear.

The best part of the back side of this figure is the crocodile at her feet, which extends around to the left and right side of the vinyl. The detail by Ron Cohee is very impressive, with no space wasted. I love how you can turn this figure around to see the extension of the portraits, in the same way that the portrait itself appears one way in the Haunted Mansion, before transforming to give a very different image as the room stretches. You can see the guests in their "corruptible mortal state" by looking only at the front of the vinyl, and see the complete portrait by looking at the backs of the figures. Perfect!

The Backside of Vinyls - Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Today on the Backside of Vinyls, I'm looking at Mr. Toad's Wild Ride from the Walt Disney World Annual Passholder series. This attraction closed in 1998 so newer Disney fans might not recall or may never have experienced Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. But the back of this vinyl includes a couple of neat nods to this extinct attraction.

The back of this figure is of course the back of Mr. Toad for the most part. But in the back of the ears we have the wheels from the ride vehicle:

(Photo Credit: Inside the Magic)

Then on the back of Mr. Toad's head, we see a devil holding a pitchfork from the memorable Hell scene at the very end of the attraction:

(Photo Credit: Jim Hill Media)

These small touches make this Vinylmation so much more than just Mr. Toad, these details really make this figure reflective of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at the Magic Kingdom, and a reminder for big fans of the former attraction.

Backside of Vinyls - August

For this month's edition of The Backside of Vinyls, I'm taking a look at the back of the August Vinylmation from the 2013 Poster Art Series. The front and back of this figure is absolutely jammed packed with detail! It's an extremely impressive piece of artwork from artists Maria Clapsis and Jonathan Bishop.

This Vinylmation mixes details from both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, with the back of the figure primarily covering Disneyland. On the back of the Sorcerer's Hat, we can see the X-2 Deep Space Shuttle from Mission Space at Epcot taking off, right next to hang gliders flying through the sky from Epcot and California Adventure's Soarin'

On the back of the vinyl's head, we can see Sleeping Beauty's Castle from Disneyland on the left, next to Rocket to the Moon (a former Disneyland attraction) in the middle, with Disneyland's Matterhorn on the right:

Finally, on the back of the body, we can see Disneyland's monorail:

This is one of those prime examples where you miss so much of the figure by keeping it in the box. I love how not a fraction of an inch is wasted on this figure, it's just bursting with intricate design. Join me next time for another look at the backside of Vinylmation!

The Backside of Vinyls - Trader Sam

For today's installment of The Backside of Vinyls, I'm taking a look at Trader Sam from Park #13. Of course for the most part, Trader Sam is the same on the back as he is on the front. We can see the back of his skirt, his arm and leg decorations, and the umbrella in his ear. But a small little detail on the back of this figure is what I want to bring your attention to today. I've had to remove Sam's hat in order to show you this detail better, but don't worry, I haven't lost this important accessory!

If you take a look in the back of Sam's left ear, you can see a sign that reads, "Sale 2 for 1!" Now while that's not an actual sign next to Trader Sam on the Jungle Cruise, this is a reference to the Jungle Cruise Skipper's joke that Trader Sam has a great deal going on right now, "Two of his heads, for one of yours". This small detail is a great use of what would otherwise be blank space in the ear, and a detail that big fans of the Jungle Cruise will get a kick out of. Until next time!

The Backside of Vinyls - Bruce

In honor of Finding Dory being released on Friday, I pushed June's Backside of Vinyls post back a week and chose a Finding Nemo theme!

Bruce is of course the shark from Finding Nemo who tries very hard to stick to the motto "fish are friends, not food". The back of this Vinylmation is just a continuation of the front. We have the back of Bruce's body and his tail on the back of the vinyl's head, then on the arms of the figure are both of Bruce's fins, and the backs of the ears show waves from the sea.

On the back of the figure's body, we can see black of the deep sea Bruce swims in, along with bubbles. The neat touch about the backside of this vinyl is that on the right side of the back of the body, one of the bubbles is a hidden Mickey. That little detail is really what makes the back of this figure all the more interesting.

The Backside of Vinyls - Pardon Our Pixie Dust

For today's Backside of Vinyls post, I'm taking a look at the back of the Pardon Our Pixie Dust Vinylmation from Park #13. The back of this vinyl continues on from the front, with the construction tape across the arms, and cranes and ladders on the back of the ears. 

The body of the figure continues the Pardon Our Pixie Dust sign, with the wooden plank design. There's also a silhouette of Sorcerer Mickey, waving a wand that spreads pixie dust up on the back of the Vinylmation's head.

Of course I love that Caley Hicks didn't just design the back to be blank slats of wood, but I also love the symbolism of Mickey on the back of the figure. It's as if Mickey is working behind the scenes, spreading pixie dust to make magic happen at future attractions. You'll only see it if you turn the Vinylmation around! Another wonderful backside of vinyls!

The Backside of Vinyls - 3D Design

(Photo Credit: Destination Vinylmation)

For today's Backside of Vinyls, I am taking a look at the back of the 3D Design Vinylmation from the Imagineering series. What's neat about the back of this figure is that it holds a hidden and hilarious joke, that's even more funny because it's Disney Imagineers poking fun at other Disney Imagineers.

A little background: the Imagineering series was designed by Imagineer artists (not the usual Disney Design Group artists) for the D23 Expo. The series has 8 figures, each depicting a different aspect of the Imagineering process. The front of this particular figure, shows the Yeti from Expedition Everest under construction.

On the back we can see the construction of the Yeti and the sculpting taking place. There's also a note on the back of the vinyl's head that reads: "Note, rework arm position". As you can see, the Yeti's right arm is clear, showing how it has yet to be completed. This is a reference to how the Expedition Everest icon broke very early into its existence, and is now unable to be repaired. In the attraction, the Yeti's right arm used to move forward as if to grab guests, as the Yeti simultaneously plunged forward. Many fans are aware that this is no longer the case, and the Yeti's arm now has limited movement, while his body remains stationary.

The back of this figure shows a small, but significant touch from its very humorous designers. It's these little details that bring so much more to Vinylmation.

The Backside of Vinyls - General Knowledge

I've been in a real Cranium Command mood recently, reminiscing about this incredibly intelligent and hilarious attraction, formerly in existence at Epcot. So that's the figure I'll be looking at in today's installment of The Backside of Vinyls.

This figure is an example of a Vinylmation that has a really neat, subtle touch on the back. It's not so much amazing, intricate detail like some vinyls have, but more of a neat surprise for collectors who choose to remove their figures from their boxes and display them.

The only extra detail on the back of General Knowledge is a chicken in his right ear. I think this is an incredible addition that really makes big fans like me thrilled! It's only a small detail, but it not only prevents space on the figure from being left blank, but it also has deeper meaning to Walt Disney World veterans.

The chicken comes from the Cranium Command pre-show, where General Knowledge says to the new recruits, "if you meatballs can't fly right, you'll wind up piloting one of these!" as he points to the above picture of a chicken. It's a great nod to an extinct Future World attraction, and it really shows how artist Maria Clapsis did her homework and made the vinyl reflect Cranium Command in more ways than one.

The Backside of Vinyls - Anubis

I delayed my first Backside of Vinyls post of 2016 due to the 3rd Annual Vinylmation Isle Awards, but here it is! This week I'm looking at Anubis from Park #5. The whole figure is based on the Anubis statue from the end of the Indiana Jones scene in The Great Movie Ride over at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Therefore, much of the back of the figure is pretty similar to the front, as a continuation of the Anubis statue. However, the back of the head draws from the ark that Indy and Sallah are carrying:

But, the design on the back of this vinyl has a twist: while at first glance it looks like the same hieroglyphics from the ark, it actually has a Disney flair, showing Mickey dressed as a Pharaoh with Donald bowing before him, dressed like our tour guide in to the movies from the Anubis scene:

It's one of those neat little touches that doesn't directly represent something from the ride, and some may never notice about the vinyl, but it gives the figure that little something extra, a nice surprise for collectors that shows the thought and time the artist (Maria Clapsis) put in to the figure. That to me is part of the reason why Vinylmation is a collectible like no other.

The Backside of Vinyls - Haunted Mansion Constance Portrait

(Unfortunately she has some paint transfer on her head from my new Vinylmation shelf)

Welcome to another episode of The Backside of Vinyls! As Halloween is fast approaching, this installment will be Halloween themed. Today I'm looking at the back side of the Constance Portrait Vinylmation from the Park #12 Stretching Room Portraits set.

I think the back of this figure is absolutely fantastic! Just like the stretching portraits themselves, you can see the the "mortal" portraits by looking only at the front of the figure, but turn it around and as if the portrait is stretching, and you can see the end of the portrait on the back.

In the backs of the ears we can see the foliage surrounding Constance, along with the rose she holds in the painting. On the back of the figure's body is the tombstone from the portrait. While it doesn't have all of the inscription, the beginning is abbreviated as RIP. You can see the bust on the back of the vinyl in pretty accurate detail, with the axe in his head also of course.

I love that all of the necessary elements of the stretching room portrait have been included in this figure, and I think it works fantastically having the second half of the painting being portrayed on the back.

The Backside of Vinyls - Clapboard

On today's edition of The Backside of Vinyls, I'm looking at the back of the Clapboard Vinylmation from Park #6. While this isn't exactly a direct representation of a Hollywood Studios attraction, I wanted to spotlight the backside of this vinyl for two reasons.

Firstly, it hasn't been left plain black, it's more creative than that. Secondly, what is more perfect for the design of the back of a clapboard than "Lights, camera, and action!"

Something else that I think it neat about this phrase, is that it features around Hollywood Studios. Naturally, being that this is a park based on Hollywood and the movies. As you can see in the picture above, here's one example where the phrase is written across clapboards outside the former Backlot Tour attraction.

The Backside of Vinyls - Primeval Whirl

Today on The Backside of Vinyls, I'm taking a look at the back side of Primeval Whirl from Park #6. This figure, designed by Thomas Scott, truly impresses me with all the little details it includes from the Animal Kingdom attraction.

Let's begin with the back of the Vinylmation's head. It depicts a meteor crashing down toward a dinosaur near the start of the attraction. (Pictured below). I love how the meteor starts in the vinyl's ear and makes its way down the back of the head.

There is no space wasted on this figure, even the arms include aspects from the ride. From the back, you can see an atom that stretches over the vinyl's right arm. The atom can be seen during your ascent at the beginning of the attraction:

(The blue star is pictured under the "e" in the phrase "Back in Time" and

above the "e" in the phrase "WAY back in Time")

Notice at the top of the right arm, on the back of the Vinylmation is a blue star, taken from the same segment of the ride. (You can see it above the "e" in "Time" in the picture below). Finally, let's move on to the back of the Vinylmation. The firey looking arches you move under at the start of the ride feature diagonally across the vinyl's back. In the middle is a blue alarm clock taken from one of the arches:

There are so many details in this ride that I think have been captured perfectly on this figure. I love the bright colors and the attention to detail by artist Thomas Scott. I love looking at this figure in my collection and being taken right back to Dinoland USA.

The Backside of Vinyls - Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights

For today's installment of The Backside of Vinyls, I've gone with a Christmas theme as I take a look at the back of The Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights Vinylmation.

The back of this figure really gives a well-rounded representation of the Holiday show over at Disney's Hollywood Studios. With so many bright light displays that make up the Osborne spectacle, I'm glad to see a good selection of them across this Vinylmation, not just repetition of the front design on the back.

On the back of the vinyl's ears are two reindeer from the electrical display of Santa in his sleigh. Reindeer are a great Christmas icon to have picked and they work perfectly in the ears. On the back of the head are holiday bells, taken from a row of lights that hangs between two of the Streets of America. The bells correspond with the wreath that can be seen in the same row of lights and on the front of the figure.

Moving down to the back of the vinyl's body are the glowing Christmas trees, one of the central features of the Osborne Lights. The whole body, front and back, running down the arms and feet of the Vinylmation, also has other white scattered lights across to replicate the incredible number of lights in the display

I love every angle of this Vinylmation! It's fantastic! A wonderful representation of a classic Walt Disney World Holiday attraction and a great Christmas addition to any Vinylmation collection.

The Backside of Vinyls - The Main Street Electrical Parade Train

Today I'm looking at the back of the 9" Main Street Electrical Parade Train Vinylmation from Park #2. I love the way the detail of this vinyl continues on to the back. It's one of those "back sides" that's so epic, you could look at only the back of the figure forever and still love it.

This Vinylmation is designed after the train featured in the Main Street Electrical Parade at both Disneyland and The Magic Kingdom:

On the back of the vinyl's ears, head, arms, body and feet are the red and yellow lights that cover the train. When you look closely at the train in the picture above you can see that some lights flash brighter than others. I love how that has been portrayed on the vinyl bu bright stars! Every inch of detail has been included by Lin Shih.

On the back of the Vinylmation's head we can see lights in the shape of a Mickey head, taken from the side of the train in the first picture, and from the flag on the back of the train, which can be seen more clearly in the second picture. On the sides of head are the flags of lights that sit on the top of the train.This design creeps around on to the back of the figure's head.

Finally on the back of the body we can also see the carriage of the train, the circular Main Street Electrical Parade logo. This is absolutely beautiful Vinylmation with an accurate and fantastic design. The whole 9" figure has been used effectively, without any space wasted. Another amazing back side of a vinyl!

The Backside of Vinyls - Lightning McQueen

In today's Backside of Vinyls post, I'm looking at Lightning McQueen from Park #5. Lightning McQueen is featured at Disney's Hollywood Studios, in both a Meet and Greet area with his pal Mater, and also in a cameo appearance during the Lights, Motors, Action! show.

Monty Maldovan did a great job with this Vinylmation. I love not only all the details he's included, but also the way in which he's incorporated those details into the figure. I actually like the back of this vinyl better than the front.

Starting on the back of the ears, we can see Lightning's tires, a design that starts on the front and continues on to the back. I think that makes sense considering he has 4 wheels. Monty has re-created the wheels perfectly - with the same red rims in the center and the brand "Lightyear" running around the outside. (Nice Pixar in-joke there).

On the back of the figure's head, there's a 95 taken from the side of Lightning McQueen. The coloring is spot on here.

Moving down to the back of the vinyl's body, Lightning McQueen's name is written in white at the top of his back. Underneath is the "Rust-eze" logo, taken from Lightning's hood, which has been created with an impressive level of detail. Despite being a 3" figure, the logo looks exactly the same and even has the brand's slogans.

Lightning McQueen was a great choice for a Park figure, even more so now that Disney's California Adventure has Cars Land. I love how fantastically designed this figure is! It really does justice so such a fun and lovable character.

The Backside of Vinyls - The Little Mermaid

In honor of The Little Mermaid's 25th birthday yesterday, today I'm looking at the back of The Little Mermaid figure from Park #2. From the front, this Vinylmation looks very cute, but fairly simple. I love the surprise when you turn it around! A beautifully drawn Ariel on the back.

I love The Little Mermaid, Ariel has always been my favorite princess because she has red hair like me. There are a few things this figure could represent at the Disney Parks, but I'm going to go with it representing The Voyage of The Little Mermaid at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Michelle St. Laurent-Shrieve has done a fantastic job with this design. I love that Ariel starts right at the top of the figure's back, in the left ear. The design then moves all the way down, using all of the back of the head, the back of the body, and even moving over into the left shoulder and arm. Michelle has utilized all of the space on the 3" Mickey canvas effectively and she's drawn a spot on Ariel that looks just perfect!

Such a well done and fun figure all around!

The Backside of Vinyls - Lights, Motors, Action!

Today I'm looking at the back of the Lights, Motors, Action! figure from Park #10. I love the use of clear on this figure! This is another example of a figure where the back side is a continuation of the front of the figure, and for that reason is extremely similar. This figure is technically based on the Disneyland Paris original version, but the show is identical at Walt Disney World. What I love about the back of this figure is the nod it gives to the attraction's origins.

(Photo credit: Marc Lorenzo)

This vinyl depicts the finale from the Lights, Motors, Action! show pictured above. The red car flies out from a Provençale building, over flames, as fireworks go off either side of it. We can see the flames on the back of the vinyl's body and feet, underneath the car that we can see represented on the back of the vinyl's head. The fireworks are featured in each ear of the Mickey figure, which positions them perfectly either side of the car, just like in the show.

What you may not know, is that in 2005 "The Happiest Celebration on Earth" was launched at Disney Resorts worldwide, to celebrate 50 years of Disney Theme Parks. As part of the celebration, attractions were imported from one Disney location to another. At that time, the Disney-MGM Studios received Lights, Motors, Action! from the Disneyland Resort Paris. The license plate on the back of the car on this figure reads "DLP-92", in recognition of the attraction's genesis at Disneyland Paris, which opened in 1992.

I've said it before but I'm going to say it again - it's the inclusion of little details that blow me away sometimes with Vinylmation!