NOINDEX – Page 610 – WDWNT Archive

Park 7 Vinylmation Explained

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Park 7
Release Date: October 14, 2011
Blind Box Price: $12.95

Update: 02/23/12 9″ Main Street Electrical Parade and 7 Adventures get 2/24 release date. And according to a D-Street Cast Member, will have a retail price of $44.95.

Update: 01/27/12 Today DisneyStore.com released various Park 7 LEs including the Online Exclusive Main Street Electrical Parade Dragon and 3 piece Fife and Drum set. They also released 9″ River Country and 3/3 Horse and Trolley combo.

Yesterday Disney announced a 6 figure set based on the Tapestry of Nations parade. No pictures released yet, but the release date is February 3 and the price is $99.95 on this LE 2000 set. See details here. We are still waiting on details for Kitchen Kabaret. You can see the entire Park 7 LE lineup below.

Update: A ton of updates on this series today. First, an October 14th release date for the series and the combo topper. Second, we updated the pictures below. Tinkerbell has wings! Also, the Park 7 pin that we called Hong Kong Castle is NOT in the 12 figure set. Makes sense, because Park 7 and Park 8 are themed Walt Disney World for the 40th year celebration. Hence the amazing packaging:

No bland black boxes for Park 7! The used the same collage that is featured on other WDW 40th merchandise.

Here is the 11th figure we did not get from the Park 7 pins:

Update: 9/12/11 New pictures from The Florida Project

Update: 8/28/11 Well, after D23 we now have a clear view of the 11 known Park 7 figures and a release window. We guessed at a few of them when we first posted this explained page… and missed horribly, but in November 2011 we will see the following figures.

Donald Philharmagic
Casey Jones

The best 3″ design EVER. Hands down. Wow. This is a favorite of mine. It’s from the Philharmagic show where Donald gets stuck in a tuba at the end of the show. Only to get blasted out into the wall behind you and then end up tangled in the instruments of the ceiling of the gift shop.

Muppet Vision 3D
Lin Shih

This colorful figure fits perfectly onto the Vinylmation. It’s Kermit’s hot air baloon that flies high over the attraction. It has a lot of bright colors and a clean design.

America on Parade
Casey Jones

This amazing little guy depicts the parade float Mickey, Donald and Goofy rode in America on Parade. (see Fife and Drum set below for more info)

Polynesian Fire Dancer
“Cousin Q” Quynh Kimball?

Ok, they kicked it up a notch. Look at the fire stick! The pin didn’t do this guy justice. The ears are clear with the left having a flower and right saying “Aloha”.

Tinkerbell
Eric Caszatt

The famous fairy gets another vinylmation. Is this her flying through the night sky over the park? ~~Will she have a wand?~~ Oh wow she has a wand! Look at that wand with a star on top. Her outfit also has a real glittery appearance. I have to say she looks a ton better in person than she did on pin. Wings!

Star Jets
Eric Caszatt

A Tomorrowland ride that has had or has versions in all the theme parks. The ears are clear and have the rockets painted on them. Its a perfect rendition. It’s also a perfect accessory piece on the head.

Figment in Spacesuit
Thomas Scott

Figment makes his 3rd Vinylmation appearance… not inside a spacesuit. He has a Buzzlightyear-type helmet and clear ears to show off his horns.

World of Motion Sea Serpent
Maria Clapsis

It’s the Sea Serpent from World of Motion who is found looking right back at Christopher Columbus who is searching for the New World.

picture from lostepcot.com

EPCOT 2000
Thomas Scott

Love it or hate it, the EPCOT ball had a wand attached to it for 8 years. This figure celebrates the occasion. In the picture, it says “EPCOT” above the ball, however, when the wand was originally put in place in 1999, it said “2000″ as on the Vinylmation. I liked it, but 8 years was overkill.
– Nick

Kali River Rapids
Billy Davis

A river rapids water ride in the Animal Kingdom. This figure is from the logo and sign that greet guests at the ride.

Earful Tower
Lin Shih

This was the iconic feature of Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) in Orlando, FL until the giant sorcerer’s hat was built in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

Mystery Chaser

Could be anything. What would you like to see?

The combo topper is Magic Kingdom Mickey from 1971 designed by Monty Maldovan.

3″ Horse and 3″ Trolley

Released in January 2012
Based on the transports you can see at the Magic Kingdom.

3″ Fife and Drum Set
Jan/Feb 2012
LE 5000
$44.95

Mickey Mouse

This set represents America on Parade that ran from 1975 – 1976 at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. In the parade, Mickey had a flag, but it wasn’t in the display. Mickey does have a tri point hat on his head.

Donald Duck

Donald played the fife in the band as they rode the parade float down Main St. USA. The eagle float that Mickey, Donald and Goofy rode on was 18 feet tall. I like the duck bill extending down to the body. A ton of great Donalds coming out.

Goofy

Goofy has a drum and stick accessory. The artist did a great job at capturing his eyes and face. The drum says “America on Parade”.

	9″ River Country Goofy Jan/Feb 2012 LE 1000 $44.95 River Country was a beloved Disney water park before Blizzard Beach and Typhoon lagoon came along. It opened in 1976 and closed in 2001. The area next to Fort Wilderness sits abandoned today. What was your favorite attraction there?
	Magic Kingdom Ticket February 24, 2012 LE 1500 $44.95 7 Adventures in one place! I want to go!
	Main Street Electric Light Parade Dragon Jan 2012 LE 1500 $74.95 It’s the parade we all know and love that makes it’s way down Main Street USA nightly. Are you a ELP or Spectro fan?
	Main Street Electric Light Parade Train February 24, 2012 LE 1500 $44.95 It’s the parade we all know and love that makes it’s way down Main Street USA nightly. Are you a ELP or Spectro fan?

Kitchen Kaberet Set
Jan/Feb 2012
LE 1500
$74.95
Kitchen Kaberet is a former EPCOT attraction. It was in the Land Pavilion from 1982 to 1994. It was an animatronic show with food promoting healthy heating through entertaining skits and music.


Mr. Dairy Goods	Mustard	Rice

Bonnie Appetite	Broccoli	Ham

Park 9 Explained

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Park 9
Release Date: July 13th 2012 (D-Streets), July 20 (Online)
Price: $12.95
(Park 9 LE Explained)

Update: 7/8/12 Updated with Combo Topper.

Update: 7/2/12 Disney released product shots of all 12 figures INCLUDING CHASER! See below. Also, Skyway picture points to variant.

Update: 6/22/12 Release date set for July 13, 2012. Dates for Park 9 LE’s released too, find those here.

Update: 6/11/12 Product shot of Typhoon Lagoon Gator added below.

Update: 5/14/12 Added some of our own Pin photos. Also added Dumbo Vinyl pic and release date!

Update: 8/28/11 According to Vinylnation.net, Dole Whip is the 11th figure and three of these have variants. Skyway and Dapper Dan have color variants and the AK Bat has an eyes open variant.

Thanks to @Kajiholic and a mistake by Downtown Disney in Anaheim, we have a look at Park 9.

	Railroad Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Lin Shih “I just want it to look like nothing else in the world. And it should be surrounded by a train.” âWalt Disney The #2 Engine at WDW is named Lilly Belle after Lilian Disney, Walt’s wife. It was built in 1928, the same year Mickey Mouse was born. It no longer carries guests around the Magic Kingdom, but is used exclusively for the daily park opening ceremonies.
	Camp Minnie-Mickey Bear Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Caley Hicks This bear awaits guest at the entrance to this Animal Kingdom area.
	Dapper Dan Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Thomas Scott These guys serenade guests up and down Main Street USA.
	Dumbo the Flying Elephant Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Caley Hicks This classic Disney attraction has entertained guests young and old since 1955 in Disneyland. It is a staple in all 5 Disney parks worldwide. Some people have suggested it might be Jumbo, Dumbo’s mom.
	Flick’s Flyers Disney’s California Adventure Maria Clapsis I didn’t know what this one was, then a reader let us know. The very next day I visited Disney’s California Adventure for the first time and saw them for myself. There are various designs using different type boxes… this one is raisins.
	Fruit Bat Maharajah Jungle Trek, Animal Kingdom Casey Jones At Animal Kingdom in Orlando there are two can’t miss walking animal tours. On the Maharajah, you get to walk through the bat section. These creatures are hanging out all over the place in there.
	Phantom Manor Disneyland Paris Thomas Scott This guy appears in several locations in the Disneyland Paris version of the Haunted Mansion, but mostly in the graveyard and Phantom Canyon scenes
	Skyway Disneyland Casey Jones There was a Skyway at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland. They all took you on a ride between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. They are all now closed. The pin based on this vinyl is green. There was already speculation, but this increases the odds there will be variants of this one.
	Typhoon Lagoon Gator Walt Disney World Casey Jones Lagoona Gator is the mascot of the Typhoon Lagoon water park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. The park opened in 1989 and is home to the world’s largest wave pool. This gator is not to be confused with the blue Blizzard Beach Gator named Ice Gator.
	Castaway Cay Disney Cruise Line Billy Davis A cool underwater Mickey statue. Custom Artist Brian Shapiro sent us a pic he took while snorkeling around the inspiration for this figure:
	Pineapple Dole Whip A favorite frozen treat of park guests. Served at Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Disney’s Polynesian Resort… this figure, with the umbrella and cherry, represents the West Coast version.
	Mystery Chaser Click Mystery Chaser picture to reveal the chaser!
	Combo Topper Brave Little Tailor (1938) Voiced by: Walt Disney Release Date: July 27 D-Streets Great looking figure.
	Dapper Dan Variants In addition to the regular Red, there are Purple, Yellow and Blue variants.

9″ Holiday 3 Vinylmation Explained

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

9″ Holiday 3 Explained

Update: 5/23/12 Release date and price on 9″ Colonial figure. It will hit D-Streets on May 25.

Update: 9/13/11 We found out the entire line up on 9″ Holiday 3 figures on a poster on display at The Florida Project.

This series of Vinylmation are the first that will be released in the new 9″ mold. First on display at D23 in August.

	DraculaArtist: Maria Clapsis LE: TBA Price: TBA Release Date: September 14, 2012 An evil looking face and great detail on the shirt with the bats and the pocket watch. It captures Dracula well, but I’m spoiled by customs that add things like real capes.
	ColonialArtist: Casey Jones LE: 600 Price: $44.95 Release Date: May 25, 2012A very Patriotic figure, I’m drawn to this one as I am to the Patriot from Holiday 2. He has nice definition in his face and it for sure looks like he will have an accessory hat. I may have to grab this one if the price is in the 40’s.
	Easter EggPrice: $44.95 Release Date: April 2012A colorful egg design with a chick peaking out of the crack in the head. It’s a solid design, but doesn’t appeal to me. I do like the idea and placement of design elements.
	Chocolate Birthday CakeArtist: TBA LE: TBA Price: TBA Release Date: TBAIdentical in every way except color to the 9″ Holiday 2 figure by Tyler Dumas. Not a bad design. Its fun but the earlier figure had a small production issue. It was layered with stickers for the pattern and they overlapped, misaligned and shown through each other in parts distracting from the overall figure. Hope they fixed that in this release.
	Be My ValentineArtist: Lisa Badeen LE: 1000 Price: $44.95 Release Date: 1/21/12
	Thanksgiving Diner Aftermath Artist: Mike Sullivan LE: 600 $44.95 Release Date: November 2011Wow! All ready for a nap. I have to say, I love this design. It’s kind of gross, but very cool looking. Note his right arm. It looks a bit odd, almost like another left, but not sure if it is or not. If not, the new 9″ mold has two different right arms… one to hold accessories and one like this. (see below)
	Nutcracker Suite 9″/3″ comboArtist: Maria Clapsis LE: 1200 -11/18 (D23 said 1000) $74.95 Release Date: November 18th, 2011 OnlineThis is the Rat King from the Nutcracker. The new 9″ mold, like the 3″, allows for easier holding of accessories. Here is a look around his head:
	Nutcracker Suite 9″/3″ comboArtist: Maria Clapsis LE: 1200 -11/18 (D23 said 1000) $74.95 Release Date: November 18th, 2011 OnlineThe Nutcracker is the 3″ figure in this combo. Here, the shape of the head neck to body area of the new 3″ mold really pays off for the shape of the mouth.

D-Tour Vinylmation Explained

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

D-Tour
Release Date: January 20th, 2012 (first series)
Price: $12.95
Details: Open Window

Update: 4/7/12 The “Paper Cut” figure was released on the 6th at D-Streets. The figure was the one were used to know as “Flowers and Vines”.

Update: 1/13/12 D-Tour will be released at D-Streets on Friday, January 20th, 2012. We also now have a look at the rest of the first release of this series. There will be a total of 6 open window figures in the first set.

The Urban series gives much artistic license to the artists, but D-Tour is art all upon itself. This is a new direction for Vinylmation. Taken from tee-shirt designs with different versions of Mickeys, D-Tour looks like an artistic gem of a series. This set will revolved around different designs of Mickey. It will also be different in that they will keep track of inventory and order more hot sellers and replace slow selling designs with brand new designs. They will be in D-Streets in ~~February of 2012~~ and will retail for $12.95.

	Headphones Mickey A great looking design that uses the headphones accessory similar to what we expect to see on 80’s Dale in the Disney Store Tunes set. I like the muted tone in the colors of this vinyl.
	Mean Mickey A face that looks like it took some inspiration from Runaway Brain Mickey. He has skulls on his shirt and scary shoes. It’s always fun to see Mickey outside his normal self.
	Bright Mickey Lots of colors here. A heart in the ear. Almost a sunshine look to his shirt. And you can almost see a face in the body as well. It seems very Florida, almost Key West in personality to me.
	King Mickey A great drawing of an art-filled Mickey. My favorite out of the original 6 released.
	Paper Cut “Flowers and Vines” Released: 4/6/12 This one is just loaded with Mickey heads. I like the colors and the pattern is very creative.
	Color Mickey Almost Muppet like with its flat, separated colors. Compared to the others in this series, it is plain and not my personal taste, but it does have a certain colorful character to it.
	Mickey Hearts A cool sketchy coloring pattern. Hearts in the ears and body. I like the style of this one, it reminds me of how I color stuff in but more artistic.

Here is some of the artwork these are modeled after:

Star Wars 2 Explained

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Star Wars Series 2 Explained
Release Date: Celebration VI: August 23, WDW August 24, DLR: August 25, 2012
Price: $14.95
Details: Blind Box 12 figure series

Update: 08/17/12 Series 2 accidentally released at Emporium at the Magic Kingdom today. Rumored price is $14.95 per blind box!!!!!

Update: 08/14/12 Picture of Chaser added. HQ pics of all the characters now available.

Click image above to reveal the chaser

Update: 08/13/12 The Disney Parks blog released some new photos today and some words from SW2 artists Thomas Scott and Casey Jones

“The first series was created at a different time in Vinylmation history,” explained Thomas. “When we began developing series two, we considered several factors for future growth. We again worked closely with Lucasfilm when selecting the characters for the new series. We also thought about how those characters could appear in future series.” – Thomas Scott

“I like using the ears as a way to further enhance the story,” explained Casey. “When designing these figures, I looked for something iconic to add to the ears, such as the ‘binary sunset’ on the Tusken Raider or Obi-Wan Kenobi figures. Adding design elements from the film help set the stage for each character.” – Casey Jones

The article says that Casey Jones created concept sketches of each figure, while Maria Clapsis turned those sketches into full-color images.

Update: 08/07/12 Artist Casey Jones tweeted us to let us know the release date for Star Wars 2 in Orlando will actually be Friday, August 24 (Disney’s Events page said 8/25). Casey Jones will be at D-Street from 11am-1pm EST to sign Star Wars 2 figures.

Update: 08/06/12 ~~Release date of Saturday, August 25 announced for D-Street Orlando. Casey Jones will be at D-Street from 11am-1pm EST to sign Star Wars 2 figures~~. Also, the LE 2500 Princess Leia Hologram figure will be on sale at Star Wars Celebration VI from August 23-26. Celebration is a ticketed convention held at the Orange County Convention Center.

Update: 07/29/12 Release date of Saturday, August 25 announced for D-Street Anaheim. Casey Jones will be at D-Street from 3p-6p PST to sign Star Wars 2 figures. ~~No release info for Orlando yet. But the weekend of August 23-26 is Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando, so a release is expected.~~

Update: 07/18/12 Pictures of 11 of 12 figures now up. Here is a look at them in their entirety from Vinylmation World.

Update: 07/08/12 Pictures of Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Muftak added in pin form.

Update: 11/17/11 The facebook page for Star Tours had a first look at the Obi-Wan vinyl from Star Wars 2.

Star Wars Series 2 is based on characters from a New Hope Episode IV, the first Star Wars movie to hit theaters. This series was a Casey Jones, Maria Clapsis and Thomas Scott collaboration, each contributing to different parts of the design process they could best handle. As more figures are released, we will see the composition of the set. Do they have to repeat the big stars of the movie franchise? (Luke, Leia, Han Solo) Or can supporting characters carry this second series?

	Darth Vader Window in one ear, stars in the other. A bit more realistic looking that the series 1 version. It has a helmet shaped feature coming off the head!
	Princess Leia The walls of the ship in her ears look great. Can’t wait to see the details in her clothing in person. The hair buns are the perfect touch after the braided hair ring for series 1.
	Luke Skywalker His return for series 2 puts him on Tatooine with the duel suns ablaze and the colorful skyline in the ears.
	Muftak He is found in the Mos Eisley Cantina. He is paired up with Kabe in the movie
	Ponda Baba Nice coloring and that’s a great looking, although ugly, face.
	Han Solo He looks a lot better in this series. I didn’t like the bland Han look from Series 1. He looks more rugged here with more defined hair and clothing features.
	X-Wing Pilot Great visor look just like X-Wing Mickey.
	Grand Moff Tarkin Tarkin is the commander of the first Death Star. In Episode IV he is portrayed by actor Peter Cushing. This set is doing a great job so far at use of ears. Instead of blank, the artist is using them to represent where we might see the character.
	Obi Wan Kenobi Luke’s first mentor as a Jedi. Also the chaser in Star Wars 1 with a “ghost” variant.
	Greedo The bounty hunter that comes after Han on Tatooine. He never shot first!
	Tusken Raider Roaming Tatooine, these guys ride single file to hide their numbers. Amazing use of ears. The desert scene looks great.
	Mystery Chaser Click on image to see the chaser and our thoughts on it.

MLB Teams Explained

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Release Date: First Wave: February 10, 2012
Where: WDW, DLR, Online (See below for where specific teams will be released)
Price: $14.95

Update: 01/28/12 Release date of 2/10 announced as well as where certain teams will be for sale. Yankees and Red Sox are the only teams that will release in all three locations. Some teams will be released in the Disney Store in their home city. Also of note, NY Mets did not make wave one as expected. Instead, the SF Giants will be an initial release.

This will start as an 8 figure Open Window set. They then can then add more teams later on. All the figures have the same basic design. A baseball in the right ear. Grey batting gloves. A hat with the team’s logo painted onto the head. A Home jersey painted onto the body. The feet have a pair of spikes painted onto them. The only missing element that would skyrocket these in awesomeness…. an accessory bat!

	Boston Red Sox WDW, DLR, Online
	New York Yankees WDW, DLR, Online Times Square Disney Store 2/15/12
	Atlanta Braves WDW, Online
	LA Dodgers DLR, Online
	Chicago Cubs Online Chicago Disney Store 2/15/12
	Anaheim Angels DLR, Online
	Philadelphia Phillies Online
	San Francisco Giants Online SF Disney Store 2/15/12

NFL Teams Explained

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Release Date: First Wave: January 27th and February 3rd
Where: Online, WDW, and DLR (see specific team below for details)
Price: $14.95

Update: 1/27/12 We can add three teams after seeing the display at the WDW trading event: Jets, Chargers and Colts.

Update: 1/27/12 NFL Teams released online today. Patriots, Giants, Steelers, 49ers, Dolphins, Bucs, Cowboys and Raiders. No Saints as we thought would be in the first wave of 8 figures. Instead, this Raiders figure:

All figures are open window and $14.95. All 8 are available online and most will be available at WDW and DLR on February 3rd. Bucs and Dolphins are the exceptions so far. They are online, but will not appear at DLR, only WDW on February 3rd.

Update: 11/20/11 The Disney Parks Blog, in an article about football themed merchandise at the parks, had this picture of 7 upcoming NFL Vinylmation figures. We already knew 5 of them from The Florida Project, but this pictures adds the Saints and 49ers to the list. They also adjusted the release window to early 2012 instead of Fall 2011.

This will start as an 8 figure Open Window set. They then can then add more teams later on. All the figures have the same basic design. The team’s football helmet painted onto the head. The jersey on the body is more generic, with just the team’s color. The numbers painted onto the front and back of the jerseys are 00. Gloves painted with the team’s color. The feet are painted so that they appear to be spikes. From head on, you can see the face mask painted on to the face and NFL written on the helmet.

	Indianapolis Colts Not For Sale Yet
	NY Jets Not For Sale Yet
	San Diego Chargers Not For Sale Yet
	New England Patriots WDW, DLR, ONLINE
	Miami Dolphins Available only in WDW and Online
	Tampa Bay Buccaneers Available only in WDW and Online
	Dallas Cowboys WDW, DLR, ONLINE
	Pittsburgh Steelers WDW, DLR, ONLINE
	New Orleans Saints Not For Sale Yet
	San Francisco 49ers WDW, DLR, ONLINE
	New York Giants WDW, DLR, ONLINE

Pinocchio Kidada 9″/Jr. makes a Sweet Combo

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Update: 03/20/12 @Kidada4Disney says release has been delayed to a date TBD

Update: 02/12/12 Rumored March 19th release date for 9″/Jr Pinocchio and Jiminy.

Update: 11/5/11 When we asked Kidada4Disney why Jiminy doesn’t get candy. She responded: “Because he is the voice of reason.” Wow, this combo makes more sense than we thought.

After the release of the Peter Pan Kidada, we finally get a chance to see the concept art for the Kidada that was teased at D23 back in August. This piece features Pinocchio on the 9″ and Jiminy Cricket appears to be on a Jr (thanks VMKingdom). According to vinylmation.com this piece will be available in early 2012. The price of the last set was $74.95 and it was a LE of 1500, but it was with a 3″ not a Jr. You can still get them at the disneystore.com so I wonder is the production run number will come down so there’s more demand. The first 9″ Kidada sold out instantly with a run of 500.

It looks like Jiminy is on a figure with no candy (poor guy, Tinker Bell got a candy bar) and it looks like he might come with a hat! Coolness….

I guess a Jr makes more sense size-wise, which I’ve always said I wish they’d pay attention too. So yey!

What do you think of this piece? Too sweet? Does it make your teeth ache?

And don’t forget to subscribe to Kidada’s Disney twitter: @KIDADA4DISNEY

Then and Now: Disney’s River Country

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Park 7 celebrates the rich 40 year history of Walt Disney World. All the figures, 3″ or 9″, feature both current attractions and ones that now only reside in the memories of the guests who enjoyed them. This article is about the later. On January 6th Disney’s first water park, River Country, will be commemorated with a 9″ Vinylmation.

This 9″ features Goofy with a huge water tube “accessory” around his waist. The tube is one of the finest accessories to date for a large figure. Monty Maldovan designed this LE 1500 piece. Goofy’s face has a simple, yet perfectly placed look to it. The nose and mouth seem so much more suited for this larger canvas than previous Goofy 3″ efforts. The ears waving up into the air is nice, although I would have liked to see some kind of background pained on. The bathing suit is also simple, but works. Just a green and white striped pattern. But let’s be honest, the tube is the highlight here.

It has the River Country logo painted on and is very colorful. Overall, this figure is a solid Park addition. Now, the reason Goofy was chosen is because he was featured on the park’s logo:

Goofy always seemed to be tossed into the water at WDW… remember water skiing Goofy? Well I also found this 1981 picture at MainStGazette.com of Goofy enjoying a River Country slide.

River Country was a fun watering hole for Walt Disney World guests that opened on June 20th, 1976. It was located at the Fort Wilderness Resort, right on the shore of Bay Lake. In fact, the main feature of River Country, The Old Swimming Hole, was actually part of Bay Lake. There were rope swings, T-Bars, large platforms, a ship’s boom and other areas where guests could jump into the water. There was also a barrel bridge for guests to cross over to the slides.

Scan from a WDW guide book. (scan from BigFloridaCountry.com)

Scan of a River Country park map

Here are some of the River Country attractions as described on old WDW material:

Whoop ‘n’ Holler Hollow – Two twistin’ ‘n’ turnin’ body slides that plop right into Bay Cove.

Slippery Slide Falls – Two winding slippery slides that sploosh you into the Upstream Plunge.

Upstream Plunge – Dive into 330,000 big, splashin’ gallons of good, clean fun.

White Water Rapids – Hang on for an adventure in relaxation as you float through swishin’ and swirlin’ waters.

And here is a picture from BigFloridaCountry.com of River Country in it’s hay day…

I also found a scan of this undated park admission ticket on ImagineeringDisney.com

Not a bad price for a day at an Orlando water park! This was also a cool find…

A scan of a 1976 Eyes and Ears, the Cast Member magazine, inviting CMs to preview the new water park. So, that’s a bit about the history of the park, but it’s all in past tense… On November 2, 2001 the park closed for the last time… then finally, on January 20, 2005, The Walt Disney Company announced that River Country would remain closed permanently. So what ever happened to River Country? Oh, it’s still there. You can see the banks of this abandoned water park when you take the boat ride from the Contemporary Resort to Fort Wilderness. And here is a current Google maps view.

That’s the watering hole in the center. And you can see all the slides, albeit with much plant growth surrounding them, still standing to this day. Here is a then and now picture from ImagineeringDisney.com.

It’s really a spooky site to see some of these current pictures. Guests have been fence hopping for years to get some shots. Here is one of my favorites…

An inner tube still floats around the murky waters. You can find a ton of pics and stories at these two links:

http://www.imagineeringdisney.com/blog/2009/12/19/abandoned-disney-river-country-part-1.html

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2344523

Although I stayed at Fort Wilderness many times throughout my childhood, we never visited River Country. To this day, I’m not a big water park fan, but do find the history of this park, being that it still sits abandoned, fascinating. Do you have memories of splashing in the waters of River Country? Please share them, and your thoughts on this Vinylmation, here.

Animation 2 Vinylmation Explained

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Animation 2
Release Date: January 13
Where: D-Streets and Disney Stores
Price: TBA

Artist Signing
January 13, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
D-Street Orlando
The artists currently scheduled to attend include Mike Sullivan, Casey Jones, Monty Maldovan, Thomas Scott, Adrianne Druade and Eric Caszatt.

Update: 01/12/12 The variants have been revealed and they, with the chaser, have a common theme.

They are all missing something! Noah’s Ark Donald doesn’t have rain in the ears or drops on the head. In my opinion, that makes this figure supremely inferior to it’s regular version. The Noah’s Ark Donald with rain drops is one of my favorites. Taking the rain away, even for a variant, takes away the sense of this figure. It is also interesting to note that this Donald’s 2nd variant (Park 6 Wet Paint Donald). Here is the second variant…

John is showing off for the ladies as he goes shirtless in the variant. It makes sense, but like many variants, not one I’ll go out and search for. What are your thoughts on these variants?

Original Article: Please leave your thoughts below… here’s mine. Character selection is phenomenal! Love the mix of classic and computer animation with some shorts and TV tossed into the mix. It’s also a nice 50/50 mix of main to supporting characters. Overall, after seeing some recent releases, I expected a tiny bit more in the detail. I think most of these are great designs, but I’m not sure they stand up to the sets we saw released in late 2011 and will see in early 2012. That being said, most are spot on capturing the film character. The artist star of this set is Casey Jones. He designed 5 of the 12 known figures and 3 of my personal favorites… Donald, Sebastian and Jose Carioca. He also used the ears better than any artist in this set. The inclusion of Kim Possible, a TV character, makes me excited about future set lists. Disney talks about 2 variants… what do you think they will be?

	Flower Bambi (1942) Artist: Casey Jones The skunk is drawn well and true to the character. I could use more, but the green ears well represent the forest backdrop. (more than white)
	Baloo Jungle Book (1967) Artist: Adrianne Draude Although I like the Disney Afternoon version better, Adrianne really captured Baloo’s happy go lucky face.
	Chicken Little Chicken Little (2005) Artist: Monty Maldovan We have now seen new mold sets with lots of detail and shading, so I feel I want more and this is an example that falls a little flat for me. I would expect some show of feathers on the head. But I love, love, love the falling sky reference in the ears!
	Dopey Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Artist: Monty Maldovan Perfect. If your not going to go stylistic, I like when artists try to capture the character in the style they were originally done. This seems to capture the simple yet beautiful art of this classic Disney film.
	John Henry John Henry (2000) Artist: Mike Sullivan The most obscure choice in the set. This character is based on a 10 minute Disney short. Really like the hammer and the expression on the face.
	Kim Possible Kim Possible (2002-2007) Artist: Thomas Scott I applaud the awesome character choice. I like the way the face is drawn and I can see design wise why the pants had to come up so high, but go look at the Light Up set Rapunzel for how the hair can frame the face to slim it down. But i’m very happy she was included.
	Jose Carioca Three Caballeros (1944) Artist: Casey Jones Yay! So glad he is recognized here. Great face. Fantastic hat. The stars in the ears finish this one off very well.
	Sebastian The Little Mermaid (1989) Artist: Casey Jones What a perfect use of different vinyl features! The claws are welcome here. The blue clear ears and feet to give the water and bubble effect!
	Tigger The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) Artist: Mike Sullivan Not only did they do a tail, but the did it right.
	Tinker Bell Peter Pan (1957) Artist: Casey Jones No offence, but don’t get another Tink here. I understand there are a ton of back stage designing, production and scheduling that we don’t know the timeline of, but this is just a lesser but almost identical version of the Park 7 Tink:
	Donald Duck Fantasia 2000 (2000) Artist: Casey Jones Best Donald face yet by a Disney Artist! Great choice for a character and I love the use of rain in the ears and drops of water all around the head. This Donald is from the Noah’s Ark scene in the Fantasia update.
	Mystery ChaserClick Image to Reveal Chaser
	Combo Topper Jiminy Cricket Pinocchio (1940) Artist: Bob Holden This is Bob’s first Vinylmation and a great job. Jiminy fits the mold well and the artist did a great job with proportions. The hat is magnificent. I hate to do this… but umbrella seems to be a no brainer. We will see.