Cutesters 5 En Vogue Explained

WDWNT on February 6, 2013


Disney showed off some of the new Cutesters 5 set today. We knew about the black dress one, but look at all the other options. Some weddings, some different colored dresses. This just brings up lots of questions. We know Caley Hicks was heavily involved with these from Mickey’s Circus. It also looks like Thomas Scott is a major contributor. We will also see work from Martha Widener, who is new to Vinylmation. After consideration, I remembered that at Mickey’s Circus they said this would be an eight figure set. I think these three sets below are variants, leaving 8 basic designs. This means one of the below is the chaser. We believe it is the flowers.

Caley Hicks designed this purse with a cute dog inside. The Light pink appears to be the regular version with a clear pink variant.

New to vinyl artist Martha Widener did these flower designs. This seems to be the chaser with a variant.

Then out of these two Thomas Scott figures, the yellow seems to be the regular with a blue variant.

This series will be released at both D-Streets and Online on March 29th. Each figure will be blind boxed in a tray of 16 and will sell for $12.95 each.

So far I only see I only see one really good use of the bow as not a bow (Audrey). – M.C.



I love the art style on these. They are not at all what I expected after seeing the concept art at Mickey’s Circus, but I can still appreciate the designs. It is a very old school, fashionable art style that will sure ring a bell with a certain demographic (Zoe). The animals look to be right out of a mid 1900’s Disney cartoon. Its a great use of the Cutesters line and a nice variation on the more cutesy cartoon stylize of the first few series. I think the bow is used perfectly. It only seems forced on the flowers. -Nick

It will be interesting to see where these designs go. Do we not get a “chaser” with this set? What do you think?

Episode 106 Stitch

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

Ep. 106 Stitch

Two big topics broke in the past week… The release of Whiskers and Tales and the possible decrease in Cast Member trading at the WDW parks. We tackle both these topics and read your comments. We also have the latest news and up to date release and events calendar.

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Spotlight On: Stephanie’s Valentine’s

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

Remember that awesome Sugar Rush Racer we spotlighted a few weeks back. We ran into Stephanie again and she shared a cool custom with us. Also check out her sale she’s running, more info at the end of the post.

 “I love kawaii art, and it fits the spirit of Vinylmation so perfectly. I really enjoy incorporating that style into my customs, which I’ve done a few times already. Inspired by Valentine’s Day (which is one of my favorite holidays), I had to come up with something cute and shiny (and pink is my favorite color too). This little character started to form in my head, and I went with it. I love leopard spots and (of course) a little extra sparkle, so I had a lot of fun making this cutie!

Several additional elements were utilized to give her the extra dimension. I used Sculpey clay for her hair and tail, Swarovski crystals, fabric flowers, and a wooden base for her to sit on. I enjoyed using the clay to form the swirling dynamic features, which come together for nice aesthetic appeal. All separate elements were sealed together using Mod Podge, and the final piece has a glossy Testors finish. And of course, just a touch of glitter paint!”

If you’d like to find more stuff by Stephanie go to etsy.com/shop/StephanieImagined or stephanieimagined.weebly.com/

Stephanie is also running a salethru Valentine’s Day 2013 on her site. Use the coupon code in this image to get 10% off your entire order.

Spotlight On: Aaralyn’s Baby Snow White

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

This week Aaralyn showed off her latest Vinylmation custom, the most recent princess in her princesses as babies style. We asked her for a few words about it…

 “I have quite a few upcoming projects that I am really excited about. My next project is Tiny Tails, my first custom series and I will also be working on additional 9” customs in a slightly different theme/style than previous works. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my latest custom!

 When I first started creating custom Vinylmations in December of 2011, once of the first projects I planned was creating a set of Baby Disney Princesses. Although my style has evolved since I started, I still plan to finish the series that started with Cinderella, then Ariel and now includes the fariest of them all, Snow White.

The hardest part of designing this custom were her eyes. I sketched out quite a few different styles until one stood out. In the design stage, the eyes are the aspect that always seems to get the most sketch time.

Like the other baby princesses I’ve done, I also had the task of picking out an animal friend to include. One of my favorite scenes from the movie is when the baby bluebird tries to out-sing Snow White and the little bird goes out of tune, making its parents wince. I thought he was a perfect addition to the custom.

For more information about Aaralyn:
“Like” her art page on Facebook at facebook.com/artworksbyaaralyn
Follow Aaralyn on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest: @ArtistAaralyn
Visit her website for customs, Disney photography and more at artworksbyaaralyn.com“

Thanks again to Aaralyn for showing off such awesome artwork!

Urban 1 Photoshoot

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

We took the Urban 1 series around Walt Disney World for some photos. See if you can guess where some of the locations are.

Welcome to the Jedi Kingdom Podcast

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

Jedi Kingdom is a new joint venture between Destination Vinylmation and Vinylmation Kingdom that is dedicated to deliver news and commentary on the Disney/Star Wars relationship. The recently launched JediKingdom.com is already full of great articles related to the deal. Now, just a day after the wonderful J.J. Abrams announcement, we are happy to release the first episode of the Jedi Kingdom podcast hosted by Nick and M.C. This episode is meant to be an introduction to us and our motivations behind this venture. There are many great opportunities for you to be involved as well. Please visit JediKingdom.com for more details. 

Thomas Scott Poster Art Signing on March 1

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

The collections by Disney page has already announced the date for the March Poster Art Series release and signing. On March 1st, Thomas Scott will sign the Vinylmation, Pin and Calendar from 5-7pm at Disney’s Pin Traders  in the Downtown Disney Marketplace. March features a Donald Duck inspired design. Take a look at the viny, pin and calendar page below. Take a look at the complete lineup here.

First Disneyland Trade Night of 2013 Announced

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

They left us waiting and wondering. Disneyland will have their first trade night of 2013 on Friday, March 15th  from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m at the Pacific Ballroom at the Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. That is a very interesting time, as normally the Disneyland trade nights are 7-10 (and WDW’s are 6-9). Well, West Coasters, enjoy your trade night, as pin and vinyl fans in Orlando still await an announcement of Walt Disney World’s first trade night of 2013. Originally, DLR was to have one in January and WDW in February, but that is seeming less likely.

New Giveaway by artist Cesar Diaz

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

In the words of artist Cesar Diaz:

Giveaway time! This week I’m giving away a custom 3″ LGM wearing his Mickey ears.

To win this little green guy you have to do the following…

1. You must like the Customations by Cesar Diaz Facebook page to be eligible for the giveaway
2. You must leave a comment under the picture on the Customations by Cesar Diaz Facebook page. Any comment will do BUT remember only one comment per person please.

Giveaway starts now and will end next Saturday Jan 26th at 10am PST. I will then use a random generator to pick one winner. Good luck everyone!

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Roman Rodriquez

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

I was at work the other day, just flipping through Facebook (don’t worry, my boss isn’t a Vinylmation fan), when I happened to see a custom by an artist out of Cincinnati I was not yet familiar with. I contacted Venezuelan born Roman Rodriguez right away to talk to him all about his creations, his inspirations and of course, cake.

Destination Vinylmation: Usually we would start off by asking about the artist or the Vinylmation, but in this case my first question has to be… How did you come to own a life size Watto from Star Wars?
Roman Rodriquez: Very good question.  I love Star Wars and I had the opportunity to buy Watto on Ebay and I went for it.  I wanted to have a life size for my office and I was lucky enough to get it.  Plus why wouldn’t someone get him :0)  he is awesome. LOL

DV: A lot of sculpting went into your Watto custom. How long did it take to create?
RR: It took me about 3 days from beginning to end including painting.  Once I get into a project I can’t stop working on it until I am done.  I start with an idea and how to approach each step of the process.  After I get a clear picture from beginning to end I just go for it.

DV: What was the most difficult part about creating Watto?
RR: It had to be getting the right shape so it would look like him.  I was afraid that it may not look like him at the end and I would have just wasted my time.  I was able to see soon enough that it was going to look like him and I just couldn’t stop.  I remember that I just keep on looking at his eyes making sure that I capture the essence of him.

DV: What was the inspiration behind making Mr. Smee as a theme park guest?
RR: My family and I love Disney and we would love to live inside Disney World.  I wanted to create something that would show the joy of a vacation at Disney World.  What better way than Mr.  Smee taking a break from Captain Hook.   He is such an interesting character and gets blamed for everything bad that happens to Captain Hook.  I decided he needed a break so I gave him the vacations of his lifetime.

DV: From looking at your work, you seem very comfortable using props and sculpting… what other types of art forms are you into?
RR: I am into cake decorating you can see some of my work at my Facebook group.  I can apply some of the sculpting techniques to creating Vinylmation.  I love creating something from nothing and letting my creativity run wild.

DV: Cake you say? Tell us about your most memorable one.
RR: My favorite cake has to be the 2nd cake I made.  It was my son’s birthday and since he was into airplanes, I decided to make him a scaled down 747. Even though my skill have gotten a lot better since this cake, this was the one that gave me the confidence to keep on making them.  In addition, it was for my son’s birthday and that made it that much more meaningful.  Thinking back it was also the first time I used an airbrush…WOW… Now I can live without it.  Please check my Facebook group to see this cake in video and my other creations.

DV: What drew you to the Mickey canvas?
RR: I have been designing cakes for about 4 years.  The bad part about it is that after the party you have only pictures and videos of it.  It is hard to put all that time, work, and love into something and then in one minute destroy it all to eat it.  I started collecting Vinylmation a few years back and I wanted to create something that I would actually be able to keep.  What better way than merging my love for art and the passion we have for Disney??? Vinylmation has provided me that venue to express my passion for Disney and Art while keeping it at the end.

DV: Do you have a place where people can view your work?
RR: I feel honored for all of you that are joining me in this new venture.  Please join my Facebook group.  You can see my work or request a special piece for yourself. You can also now like my new Facebook page.