Duffy Shaped Vinylmation Revealed!!!!

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Thank you to Tomio for pointing us to these pictures and Attractions Magazine for tweeting them. This is the first look at the new Duffy shaped Vinylmation. It really is a whole new look.

They should be coming out later in 2012. They created an all new mold shape for this and it was the perfect way to go. I absolutely love this design. First of all, making a new vinyl shape for Duffy is the perfect way to go. The shape would have been too similar to Mickey Mouse otherwise. The sitting position allows for the details on the bottom of the feet to be displayed. It keeps the figure a nice size and looks completely adorable… like a vinyl teddy bear. This shape captures the bear’s hefty look and rounded features. There seems to be two designs here, plain and sailor clothed. I would not be surprised to see a ton more as the Duffy plush at the parks are completely customizable with a variety of outfits from country themed to Disney character themed choices. I expect a ton of varied opinions on this one… let’s hear it.

Park Starz Variants Revealed

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Thanks to a post by @TouringPlans, we now have a look at the three Park Starz Variants. They were unveiled today at the Disney Moms Conference.

They include Copper Abe Lincoln, Gold Yeti and Figment with his yellow sweater. They are set to come out on June 29th along with a signing with artists Thomas Scott and Casey Jones at D-Street Orlando from 5p-7p.

Celeste Custom Vinylmation Giveaway

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Our friend, custom artist Celeste, made an announcement on her Facebook page she would like to share with you! Celeste is giving away a one of a kind 3″ White Rabbit! He comes with his own trumpet accessory.

All you have to do is become a fan of her Facebook page AND leave a comment… that’s it.

The deadline to join is Midnight (Pacific) Saturday May 5 on Cinco De Mayo. This custom looks great! Now while we are on the subject of Celeste, I saw a custom piece on her Facebook page that she recently finished for a customer. A reminder, the following figure is NOT part of the giveaway.

Super cool! A 3″ Maleficent with Jr. Diablo sitting atop a custom staff. The best part… well, besides the amazing artwork… a magnetic orb on Maleficent’s staff holds Diablo perched up there so the bird is easily detachable! Great job Celeste.

Buzzing Around the Flower & Garden Festival

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

I decided to take Mom to the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT this past Sunday. Call it an early Mother’s Day gift… or more likely a way to get lunch paid for… either way, it was a beautiful day. Except… a swarm of killer bees kept following us around to all the flower beds and topiaries. They all looked very angry and it was sure terrifying, but we survived to tell the tale.

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I also had my Red Sox Vinylmation on me… maybe a trip to WDW would refresh my team and get them on the winning path?
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And I had time to take some pictures around other parts of the festival.
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Pairs 2 Jrs Revealed at D-Street

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Update 4/26/12 Austin sent in close ups of all 4 pairs.

Dopey
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Pluto
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Cheshire Cat
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Minnie Mouse
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Just a few days ago, Stephanie sent us a picture of Pairs 2 Jrs on sale at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Today, Austin sent in a picture from D-Street of all 4 Pairs on display and a sign stating they will be officially released on April 27.

The lineup includes Dopey, Pluto, Cheshire Cat and Minnie Mouse. Each Disney character Jr comes packaged with a colorful pattern designed Jr for $16.95. It is a really interesting twist on character designs and I enjoy the color pallets chosen. They are fun as Jrs and work well at this smaller size. I really like the way the Cheshire Cat’s crazy face really pops out at you. The pattern pairs don’t appeal to me personally, but they also work well at this size and for what this series is probably designed for… your average guest picking up an accessory to hang on a bag or key chain. Not to say these will not find a way into some collector’s displays, but I don’t believe that is the target audience. Especially considering the secondary pairs are not all Disney themed. I know we at DV always call for more pattern based Urban 3″ designs, but these fall short (pun kind of intended because size has something to do with this comment) of our favorite Urban patterns. Will Disney Pairs be hanging in your display case anytime soon?

DS Jiminy Cricket Review

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of these guys a week early, thanks to (probably) some miscommunication between my local Disney Store and the powers that be. But here he is, the Make-a-Wish Jiminy Cricket! (*editor’s note: the official release date for this figure is April 29th)

I love the graphic design of the suit. The button isn’t three-dimensional as some guessed, just painted on, but it looks great. The face has great detail, I love the shading, but looking at the figure up close and I’m thinking his head is a bit too cocked to the side. It kinda looks like his neck is broken. When I compare this figure to the A2 combo topper Jiminy, I think I prefer the straightforward graphic style of the latter. If I give him the MAW Jiminy’s umbrella, he’s practically perfect!

Unfortunately, again, this figure suffers a bit from quality control issues. Not nearly the state of Furry Friends, but still, because he’s mostly white a lot of dirtiness/ imperfections really stand out. Notice the dirt on his hat and feet. It’s hard to tell when looking at him in the store in his box, but be mindful of this.

All in all, he’s a cute figure and $1 of each purchase goes to the Wake-A-Wish foundation, so that’s cool. He retails for $9.95 also, which is a great price considering he has two accessories AND when you take into account the donation.

Autism Awareness Vinylmation Auction

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

by Annemarie

For the month of April, there’s been a great auction going on over at the Vinylmation Exchange Facebook page. Several artists have donated customs for the cause, Light it Up Blue for World Autism Awareness Month. Cheryl Kramp is running the auction, and it goes until the end of this week, ending April 29th. I was honored to design and donate a custom for the auction, Merida from Pixar’s upcoming “Brave.”

There are several other customs up for auction by various artists, and even some Disney produced harder-to-get vinyls as well.

Baby Stitch by Aaralyn
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Sorcerer Mickey by Chris Porter
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Spongebob by Laura Morrey

 So be sure to check out the Facebook group, scroll down to see the pieces up for auction, and join the group to bid!

Jiminy Cricket hops into some Disney Stores early

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Jiminy 25th Anniversary Vinylmation
Annemarie found this figure in her local Disney Store. It was out early at her store so check yours and let us know if your Disney Store put it on their shelves. Check back soon as we should have more pics and a review of the opened figure.

Mysterious New Junior Keychains

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Mysterious new keychains
Our friend Stephanie found these keychain juniors at the Villains in Vogue shop at Hollywood Studios.
Pairs 2 back
It appears to be a Minnie and Cheshire in a old school color palette. They remind me of the 9″ Mickey from The Florida Project. On the back it says that these are two of the ten figures in the Pairs series. So I would guess that there are also a Mickey and Donald and one other character, all packaged with a design figure too.

Has anyone else seen these? What do you think they are a part of?

Urban 9 Variant- Gold Kitsune

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Urban 9 Variant
Over at themagickitschdom they uncovered the first known variant for the Urban 9 series. Check it out above. It’s a gold version of the red kitsune-ish figure. I kinda like it in Gold. Thanks again for the pics Magic Kitschdom!
Urban 9 Variant gold back
What do you think of this? What other figures in this set do you hope have variants? According to The Playwright there is also a Sheep that has been shorn.