by Brian Shapiro

Always remember that this whole thing was started by a mouse.  I’m not quoting Walt Disney describing his company, I’m talking about Vinylmation!  When Vinylmation made its debut a few short years ago, the only platforms available were the three-inch and nine-inch Mickey Mouse shaped molds.  Shortly after, a one and a half inch Junior figure was introduced, but it was still shaped liked Mickey.  The three-inch figure, followed by the nine-inch figure, went through a redesign that simplified the shape to facilitate artists’ designs and improve manufacturing, but the shape was still that of Walt’s iconic mouse.  Today, all that has changed, and Vinylmation no longer refers to an artistic interpretation of a Mickey Mouse shaped vinyl figure.  According to the official Vinylmation Blog, Vinylmation is defined as “A fun and affordable collectible designer toy created by Disney Theme Park Merchandise.  At its core, Vinylmation is about creative expression and the mysterious thrill of the chase.”

The second canvas approach to Vinylmation involves adapting the shape of the figure to the art placed on it.  This started with the very successful Park Starz Series #1.  In this series, no two figures have the same shape, and the canvases are simple, stylized geometric shapes that take a cue from the art.  The same is also true of the recently released Popcorns series.  This series is like an amalgamation of the two approaches to Vinylmation.  The figures in this set have a similar, basic popcorn kernel appearance.  However, the molds have been adapted to fit the design of the character art placed on them, and no two figures have the identical shape.  For example, Kermit’s eyes bulge above his head, Sulley has horns, and Pluto has ears and a lump on the top of his head.

These two different approaches to Vinylmation are not unprecedented or new to designer toys.  Kidrobot has been releasing vinyl figures of different shapes and sizes long before Vinylmation appeared on the scene.  The artists of the Disney Design Group and the Disney Store have made impressive use of all the various canvas molds.  Collectors have so much to choose from that it is unlikely there isn’t something for everyone.  As a custom artist, I would love to see more of the newer Vinylmation shapes released as blanks to design for.  I absolutely loved the blank Vinylmation 95 canvas released this past summer and found a lot of potential in it as illustrated by my custom Genie.  It would be great if Disney released a simple, generic, blank Popcorns shaped figure to work with too.

Whatever happens, Vinylmation is no longer defined by Mickey Mouse.  It is now so much more, and will continue to evolve.  For purists, Mickey will always be there at the heart of it all, but Vinylmation fans and tastes come in all shapes and sizes, so why shouldn’t Vinylmation figures?

Brian Shapiro, a lifelong Disney fan, lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and children. Although he can’t get to the Parks as often as he’d like, he enjoys the magic by showing Disney movies every day in his dental practice and by collecting memorabilia like pins and art. Over the last few years he has become passionate about collecting, trading, and customizing Vinylmation.

Great chocolate art at the Festival Center at Epcot

It’s dark, but nice to see them use more of the pavilion space

Work continues on Test Track as we race towards December 6th

The IBM Runtime game is now closed inside Innoventions, it opened back in 2008

Rumor is that IBM Smarter Planet is getting some updates

I hope so because it wasn’t really working…

The seating area that was formerly Rockin’ Robots is now walled off as well

Some scaffolding inside

Still nothing going on at the former Segway Central

Habit Heroes is still closed…

The Epcot 30th display remains at MouseGear

What remains of the merchandise is on display

A lot of generic Epcot merchandise has filled in some space

Moving to the Magic Kingdom, the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train construction is picking up

An Orioles hat… how cute…

Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

The now completed Storybook Circus

I love these seats…

That is some fancy lighting for an outside tent…

Let’s go to Pete’s Silly Sideshow!

The calliope is from Disneyland PAris’ Main Street U.S.A.

Reference to a classic Disney animated film by the same name

Into Pete’s mouth!

Meeting Minnie and Daisy

The theming is insane… the walls are labeled for easy construction, insinuating that the Circus moves from town to town

Goofy and Donald

A look up at the ceiling

It’s a tent

PANORAMA!

ANOTHER PANORAMA! AMAZING!

Minnie trains trick Poodles…

It looks much better when Adam doesn’t use the world’s brightest flash…

Awwww…

Daisy

Daisy will see you now!

Looks very “Museum of the Weird” like the Madame Leota cart

Exit

Into Big Top Souvenirs

Very fitting that they sell Popcorns Vinylmation here

Everyone loves this carpet!

The “Under the Big Top” series is also available

My favorite display

A close second is the Penguins cage holding the cold drinks

The strange tiny MousekeEars are also available here

A look at the new food carts in the area

I’m in love with a food cart…

Usual cart food though

So much time and energy spent on such little details

I love the striped curtain for when they are closed

Let’s go back in

Those random doors look themed…

THEY ARE!

GOOFY!

He crashed his motorcycle

Donald is a snake charmer

ANOTHER PANORAMA! ASTOUNDING!

Could have been a sign, but it is a material banner

I wonder if someone could go in that booth…

I hate to say this so soon, but I love Storybook Circus. It is simply 2 small rides, meet and greets, and shopping, but it is so well done. Kudos to Disney on delivering with a land that was rushed in as a replacement in the expansion.

If Storybook Circus is that cool, I can’t wait to see this…

Another new cart near the entrance

Not listed, but they have roasted almonds too

Another look at Mine Train

A look at what will be Princess Fairytale Hall

The former Skyway site which will now be restrooms and maybe something more…

They are still working on Village Haus

Another piece of track should be lowered into place shortly

FastPass+ equipment was simply covered after the tests ended, so it might just be permanent now

Cool popcorn bucket, but it must be pretty easy to spill…

Going back to Epcot, we take a look at Test Track through a rainy monorail window

Well, that was neat… I guess…

Adam got to stuff his face at the Disney Dessert Discovery event as part of the Food and Wine Festival

So much to eat and drink

Live entertainment

FLAMING DOUGHNUTS!

IN 3D!

WOOOOOOOAH!

Fruit? We didn’t come to a dessert event for fruit!

We came for flaming doughnuts!

Gross…

Thank you for the flaming doughnuts! Oh, and all these photos Adam…

Work continues on Splitsville at Downtown Disney

Spotted construction workers

Still looks nothing like the concept art…

The Phineas and Ferb topiary from Epcot is now near the Phines and Ferb & You attraction

Guests were waiting for it to open

Blink has been open for a while now, don’t think we have shown it yet…

John Carter Vinylmation is now at D Street

Adam is probably the only person who has bought them

They had better hurry up…

Moving over to Epcot

Some work going on at both ends of the turnstiles

A great Epcot 30th anniversary display is up in the window at Art of Disney

They are pretty much ready for the Food and Wine festival, starting Friday

You can still buy these

The Cool Wash near Test Track is out from behind walls and now features the new “Sim Car”

The area got fixed up nicely

The dummy sports the new logo

A large hole is now in the front of Test Track

Goodbye old entrance

A new chimney installed at the Norway pavilion… we assume Agent P related…

The work on the Norway waterfall is done

Some other roof work is wrapping up

The new American Adventure cast costumes have debuted… these ones are pretty bad. Did somebody say McDonald’s?

The attraction host costumes are actually very nice

The Festival Shop actually has real doors this year…

Chase seems to be a sponsor ready to burn cash

All of the booths are ready to go

The DVC booth near Canada is just about complete

Told ya’ it was a DVC booth!

Work going on next to the Refreshment Port as well

Display at the front of World Showcase

Framing props…

WATERMELON PATCH

Apparently the cranberry bog is coming back

Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Celebrity 5 & 10 is behind tarps

FastPass+ installed at Indiana Jones

We are pleased to announce that Issue 17 of WDWNT: The Magazine is now released.  In this issue, we look back at 5 years of WDWNT.  We also consider diverse topics such as Disney voice actors, Ray Bradbury, the songs of Main Street, Disney and the teen-age experience, a profile of Richard Terpstra, and the newest installment of our Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom fiction series.

It’s all available for free at http://www.wdwntthemagazine.com.

We hope that you will find the articles within both entertaining and educational.  If you have any suggestions or feedback, we are always happy to hear from our readers.  Just send an email to WDWNTthemagazine@wdwnt.com and share your thoughts.

As a reminder, the magazine is available in digital form from our website (http://www.wdwntthemagazine.com) or in printed form from MagCloud (http://www.magcloud.com).  If you like what you read here, please share it with your friends.

Celebration with Vinylmation is the theme of recent releases and previews. Friday, June 15, saw the release of many exciting figures, starting with the Park Starz Mr. Lincoln variant at both D Streets and online. It celebrates Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in Disneyland and The Hall of Presidents in Walt Disney World. Designed by Casey Jones and Thomas Scott of the Disney Design Group, this inspired LE 2500 figure is identical to the original design except it is copper toned, like a penny! Similar to last week’s Bride variant, Abe comes in a specially designed tin. The retail price is $24.95, and the online quantities sold out in about an hour.

If Abe Lincoln doesn’t get you in the patriotic spirit, then perhaps you should consider this LE 600 Holiday Series #3 nine-inch Independence Day Colonist. Released online on June 15, it retails for $44.95. The artwork on this figure is amazing, especially the shadowing. The tricorn hat is the icing on the cake and rivals the coonskin cap on the Davy Crockett figure released last year.

Still not feeling patriotic? Then this 2012 Independence Day commemorative figure by Thomas Scott should do the trick! This 3″ open edition figure was released on June 22 at D Streets and online. It retails for $16.95.

Also released on June 15 were several 3″ and 9″ Vinylmation figures celebrating the reopening of Disney California Adventure in Disneyland. The six 3″ figures come in windowed boxes and celebrate the new Cars Land, Grizzly River Run, and Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. They retail for $12.95 and have lots of great details!

The two 9″ figures honor Buena Vista Street and Radiator Springs Racers and were designed by the talented Maria Clapsis of the Disney Design Group. Both are LE 500, and they each sell for $54.95.

In keeping with the Cars theme, the blank Create-Your-Own Vinylmation 95 figure was released online and at Disneyland. It will be released at Walt Disney World on June 29. The new canvas is open edition and retails for $39.95.

Monday, June 18, saw the much anticipated release of Villains Series #3 at Disney Stores and online. This celebration of some of Disney’s baddest of the bad includes creative interpretations of both infamous and obscure characters. While the characters in the series may be nasty, the price of the figures, $9.99 per blind box, is not!

On Friday, June 22, a large variety of figures were released, starting with the Park Starz Yeti variant by Thomas Scott and Casey Jones. This all gold version of the original design comes in a custom designed tin and has an edition size of 2500. Like the other variants it is priced at $24.95. It sold out within minutes online and was available at D Streets.

Also released online and at D Streets was the Vinylmation Mascots series we alluded to a few weeks ago. This collection of four 3″ figures featuring Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto as edgy, retro style sports mascots comes in open edition windowed boxes. The series includes some innovative accessories like Donald’s hat, Goofy’s foam finger, and Pluto’s pennant (which he holds with his teeth!). The figures retail for $12.95 and are a must for any sports fan.

In Disneyland, the Disneyland Resort Icons 3″ series was released on June 22. Similar to the Walt Disney World 40th Anniversary series released last year, these open edition window boxed figures feature classic designs and logos celebrating the original Disney theme park. There are four unique designs and two variants and they sell for $12.95 each.

For those who “like” Duffy the Disney Bear on Facebook, there was the “Facebook First” release of the two open edition Duffy figures on the official Vinylmation Facebook store. These 3″ figures introduce the new Duffy Vinylmation mold. One figure comes without an outfit and is flocked, and the other comes painted with a sailor suit and dons a sailor hat. They retail for $14.95 and will be available at D Streets on June 29.

Rounding out the releases was the appearance of the Nerds Rock Figment and Stitch at D Streets.

Not only were there a lot of releases over the last two weeks, there were loads of previews too! Last week Disney provided this preview of the gift item for Mickey’s Circus on September 9, 2012. It is a combo set featuring a 3″ Mrs. jumbo and a 1.5″ Dumbo. The set was designed by Thomas Scott.

Disney also released previews of the eight 3″ figures in the Color Block Series. These figures will be coming to D Streets on June 29 and look like 3″ versions of the Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Cheshire Cat, Woody, Buzz, and Nemo figures from Vinylmation Jr Series #2. One design included in the series that was not a part of Vinylmation Jr. Series #2 features colors inspired by Mickey.

The last preview supplied by Disney is of the “Under the Big Top” series coming to Disney Stores and DisneyStore.com on July 23. The Disney Store in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, will have a two day early release artist signing event with artist Gerald Mendez.

It is available only at DisneyStore.com, the North Michigan Avenue Disney Store in Chicago, the Times Square Disney Store in Manhattan, and the Walt Disney Studio. Like Kidada’s other Vinylmation figures and sets, this one features an incredible amount of detail. According to the description, it “showcases the positive and negative sides of temptation.” On the front of the nine-inch figure is a happy Pinocchio surrounded by all kinds of sweet treats at Pleasure Island.

The Vinylmation Jr figure is designed to look like Jiminy Cricket with eyes glancing in the direction of Pinocchio and a disapproving expression on his face. The back of the nine-inch figure depicts an unhappy Pinocchio with donkey ears and tail inside the mouth of Monstro the whale. Above Pinocchio are the words, “Go ahead. Make a fool of yourself, then maybe you’ll listen to your conscience!” The pin is a sculpted metal pin that reads “Official Conscience 18KT” and is a great addition! As usual, the box art for the set is as whimsical as the Vinylmation. The front of the box matches the candy theme of the front of the nine-inch figure, and in a great innovation, the back of the box also has a window and is designed to resemble a stage through which one can see the back of the nine-inch figure! Hopefully this type of packaging will be used in future sets of nine-inch figures.

Friday saw the release of the Vinylmation Star Wars Disney Characters set at the parks and the Brave set in Disney Stores as expected. It also saw the release of images of some upcoming designs. Here is a preview of the Phineas and Ferb figures, from the set of six open edition figures coming to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Disney Store next Friday, May 25.

The figures in this set will retail for $12.95. Kudos to the artist for adapting Phineas’ triangular shaped head perfectly to the rounded Vinylmation canvas!

The other preview released on Friday was of the rest of the figures being released during the Vinylmation Trading event, Mickey’s Circus. In addition to the three figures previewed earlier this year, there is this set of two three-inch figures of Bongo and Lulubell from the animated film, Fun and Fancy Free.

The combo was designed by Monty Maldovan and has an edition size of 500. It will retail for $26.95.

The last two figures for Mickey’s Circus are two nine-inch designs. Both figures will have an edition size of 100 and will each sell for $150.00 (we’re hoping this is a typo on Disney’s part)!

The first design is by Caley Hicks and features a Circus Seal standing on a platform while balancing a ball on its nose. The seal’s face is done in profile, allowing the canvas’ left ear to be used for the ball and the right ear for a hat. It may be a little tricky to make out the design at first.

The other nine-inch design is by Eric Caszatt and features a Circus Lion. This design is straightforward, and like the seal, is very colorful.

Mickey’s Circus Vinylmation Trading Event will take place at Epcot’s World Showcase on Sunday, September 9, 2012, from 9:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Registration for the event is now open. Will you be attending? As the Kidada figure states, “Let your Conscience Be Your Guide!”

Vinylmation news got off to a wicked start this week with a much anticipated preview of two figures from the Vinylmation Villains #3 series, and they did not disappoint! The two designs released feature Chernabog from Fantasia and the coachman from Pinocchio.

The detail on these figures is tremendous. The light and shadows on Chernabog are perfect, and the large wing accessories are impressive. The coachman is equally detailed and once again demonstrates one of the best aspects of Vinylmation, the penchant to showcase obscure Disney characters that don’t usually appear in merchandise. These figures will be released at Disney Stores on June 18, and will retail for $9.95 each. With Father’s Day on June 17, what more could you ask for as a gift? Just saying.

Although they have been available at local Disney Stores, on Friday, May 11, Urban Series #9 was released along with the combo topper set at D-Streets and online at DisneyStore.com.

It is interesting to note that this series is selling for $9.95 each for the blind boxes, a nice decrease in price since the last Urban series. The combo set is selling for $24.95, which is two dollars less than the last Urban combo set. Typical for Urban series, there is a lot of variety of designs for the figures in this set, which includes two variants.

Finally, Disney announced the release of an all new series of open edition three-inch figures called Vinylmation Mascots. This window boxed series will be coming to Dstreets and Disney Stores on June 22. Artwork for this set has been circulating around the internet, but Disney hasn’t released anything official. The mascots appear to be original stylized designs featuring the Fab 5. They do not represent any particular team, but have been designed in the spirit of rugged, retro looking sports mascots. We will share the artwork for this set in an upcoming report.

In the meantime, check your midichlorian counts. The Force will be strong with Vinylmation collectors next week when the Vinylmation Disney Characters as Star Wars Characters set is released on May 18!

]]> http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/9407/feed 1 http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/9330 http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/9330#comments Sun, 06 May 2012 18:30:16 +0000 wdwntadmin http://wdwnewstoday.com/?p=9330 Since news is usually slow on the weekends and we are called WDW News Today (which should include every day of the week), we have decided to install a weekly column with news on the world of Vinylmation. Brian Shapiro, who was in charge of the Vinylmation Station website until its demise last week, will bring us a weekly dose of news & more on this growing hobby starting today. Enjoy!

Welcome to our new weekly Vinylmation report! This week got off to a magical start with Vinylmation collectors granting wishes through a rare Sunday release. Disney Stores and DisneyStore.com released a special three-inch Jiminy Cricket figure in a windowed box. The design featured Jiminy with glistening skin in a silver and white tuxedo, and included two terrific accessories, a white top hat and umbrella. Disney donated one dollar from the sale of each figure to the Make a Wish Foundation. No edition size was given, but it quickly sold out online and in many stores.

The end of the week saw some releases on Friday. Just when you thought you hadseen the last of The Nightmare Before Christmas figures, Disney surprised everyone with a unique combo set at D-streets and on DisneyStore.com. The set included a nineinch Behemoth, a three-inch Easter Bunny (“Bunny!”), and a junior Nutcracker. With an edition size of 2000, all three figures have great details, and was designed by Disney Design Group artist, Casey Jones. The Behemoth certainly has a clever, edgy design with the axe in his head incorporated on the figure’s ear.

The other Friday release was the Facebook exclusive set inspired by the upcoming Disney-Pixar movie, Brave. This set included a three-inch figure of Merida, the movie’s heroine, and three identical junior figures of the triplets, Harris, Hubert, and Hamish. The Merida figure is one of the most detailed three-inch figures around, and her wild, curly red hair is depicted perfectly. She has a quiver and sword painted on her back, but she comes complete with an accessory bow in her hand. The set is open edition and will be coming to Disney Stores and the Parks on May 18.

No week would be complete without an announcement of upcoming releases and events, and there’s plenty to be excited about! On May 11, there will be a Disney Trading Night at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World in the Fantasia G Ballroom from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Disney Design Group artists Thomas Scott, Caley Hicks, Maria Clapsis, Casey Jones, and Billy Davis will be there to sign Urban 9 and Urban 9 combo sets.

On May 18, the six highly anticipated figures of the Star Wars – Disney Characters as Star Wars Characters figures will be released at Darth’s Mall during Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and at D-Street in California. All six figures have astounding detail and come with some amazing accessories. These window boxed figures will be open edition and are sure to be a hit!

Phineas & Ferb fans will be excited to know that the six open edition figures based on the popular series will be released at D-Streets and at Disney Stores on May 25.

After several publicized delays, the long awaited Disney Store 25th Anniversary limited release series will come to Disney Stores on May 28. Collectors will have the opportunity to purchase complete trays or individual blind boxes as well as the Sorcerer Mickey combo with a light up base. As a special gift with purchase promo, guests who purchase a complete tray will receive a free Sorcerer Mickey combo with a light up base.

Finally, just when you thought it was safe this summer, beware! Vinylmation Villains Series 3 will be coming to Disney Stores on June 18. The artwork for this series hasn’t been released, but expect to see something soon.

Until next week, start making room on your shelves. It’s going to be an exciting spring and summer for Vinylmation enthusiasts!

Flower and Garden Festival in bloom at Epcot

IF ONLY WE HAD XPASS!!!!

Queue modifications are done… it’s a completely different queue experience now…

Peacock

Cool graphics on the Epcot tip board

Enjoy Kim Possible while it lasts

Habit Heroes and the VISION House now on the list inside Innoventions East

Habit Heroes is still closed

I’m offended…

Work continues on the VISION House

Habit Heroes now has a sign on the entry wall

Goodbye

VISION House will be added soon as it opens in April

Phineas and Ferb now have an entire section at MouseGear

AGENT P!

The light-up Vinylmation lamps and Baseball figures now available

Let’s Go Yankees! (Personal bias)

These are buy 1, get 1 50% off

Shouldn’t the Knicks be on the bottom? (I actually am a fan… but I’m realistic)

Let’s go Dolphins! (Please pity me)

2012 dated Vinylmation

Zodiac series

Flower and Garden merchandise

Cool magnets

This is too cool…

If your imagination features Captain EO, seek help

Bambi’s Butterfly House is back

The play area for this year’s festival is called “Let’s Get Moving”

Chimpanzee is coming… before Earth Day?

Can’t imagine why they are changing this…

Exterior work continues at the Seas with Nemo and Friends

A new entrance being worked on, possibly for Turtle Talk

There’s a new path in the queue…

It leads to Seabase

The mural is surviving the work

A new company has taken over the chromakey photo area at Imageworks

It’s pretty empty right now

Amazing Pictures (who you may have seen at Universal Studios) is now here

Hey, why don’t we just start the demolition…

On to the Festival Center

The Flower and Garden, Food and Wine Festival?

A touch-screen map of the Festival available

Body Wars is back there somewhere

The Odyssey has been painted blue

Well, at least the roof

This exhibit is weird…

Tarps are now up for the Tutto Italia refurbishment

FREE SAMPLES!

Another play area

Let’s take a boat over to Studios

We can’t get enough of these

The outline of Roger Rabbit has seen better days

The entrance at Tower of Terror had some pavement replaced

The Star Tours name is on some of the merchandise tags now

On to the Magic Kingdom, Skyway demolition continues in Fantasyland

The Tigger Bounce area being removed from the Pooh queue

Yes, more Dumbo photos…

Storybook Circus sure is something at night

HA!

I love restrooms… there, I said it…

I’ll tell you what I don’t love… the Club 626 Dance Party

A sad not to end on…

I feel like a time traveler at Disney Theme Park Merchandise. I’m surrounded by developers and artists who are already creating cool things that will arrive in late 2012 (a long development time is essential for many categories). I wanted to give you a sneak preview of their work in what I hope will be a recurring article. The article title is a nod to my favorite Disney attraction, Horizons, which also gave a glimpse into the future. Here are a few of my favorite items currently in production.

I’ve been a long time fan of The Haunted Mansion clock and the timepiece pictured above is a worthy tribute. It’s heavy and the details on the watch and figure are impressive. Disney Design Group artist Caley Hicks, who also designed the Vinylmation – Flags series, created the artwork. Releasing in a few months, this is the last timepiece in our Vinylmation watch series. The set will have an edition size of 750 and a retail of $175.

Our next stop – a new mystery pin set coming this summer to the Disneyland Resort. This limited release set contains 12 pins (plus a few chasers), and was designed by Disney Design Group artists Quynh Kimball and John Henselmeier (from Starspeeder 1000 Vehicle Playset fame). Product developer Jeanne Lewis told me that this collection “highlights favorite Disneyland attractions in license plate form.” Her favorite pin is “World of Color”, while mine is the Jungle Cruise (with Duffy The Disney Bear a close second, of course).

I like wearing ties (as you may have seen in previous Disney Parks Blog articles). That article contained a sneak preview of a new tie coming this year. There are a few additional items arriving in April that I think are super cool – bow ties! All I need now is a hat.

Speaking of hats, here is a first look at the Buzz Lightyear-themed Disney Ear Hat that will be arriving this fall. It is part of the Disney character ear hat collection that was first introduced last August.

Sadly, unlike Horizons, you won’t be able to choose your own ending to this article. But stay tuned as more cool things are coming.