Disney Afternoons Photoshoot

WDWNT on August 30, 2012

Disney hit the jackpot with the Disney Afternoon series. The developed exciting collectibles that allowed us to bring a little piece of our childhood home. Austin and I took them out of the home and to the parks at Walt Disney World for a few photos.

Bonkers must not be doing his job if Fall Apart Rabbit got into the forest.

Darkwing Duck take Gosalyn on a safari adventure.

Doug found a gig at the Grand Floridian but couldn’t find a sitter for Porkchop.

Scrooge McDuck hunts for fortune by Everest after Launchpad touched them safely down.

The Dinoland terrain offers the perfect challenge for Max as Goofy looks on.

Chip ‘n Dale leave their Tree of Life hideout to search for clues.

Adventure finds Kit and Baloo where ever they go.

Park Starz Yeti Rides Expedition Everest

WDWNT on July 27, 2012

Austin and I had the rare chance to tag along with the great and mysterious Yeti as he visited Animal Kingdom to ride Expedition Everest.

Yeti arrives at Animal Kingdom on a beautiful summer day.
It didn’t take him long to find Asia
Like most tourists, the Yeti could not resist a photo in front the fabled mountain range.
First he made sure he fit in the ride vehicle. Plenty of arm room. You know how those Yetis like to move their arms!
Then, with a 90 minute wait, it was wise to grab a Fast Pass. A nimble creature the Yeti is.
Respect the Yeti you will.
While waiting, he shopped at the Serka Zong Bazaar. “How dare they make me look cute!”
“Arrrg! Now I’m a Yeti!” He said it should shrink in the wash.
Now it was time! The anticipation grew! Let’s get in line, our time has come!
“Sorry sir, you must be one Yeti foot tall to ride Expedition Everest.” What!!! Grrrr! What does that even mean!? I AM a Yeti!
A very angry Yeti then spent the rest of the afternoon swatting at guests as they swooped off the mountain side. He didn’t hit much, but it made him feel better.

Collectors Beware: Capturing Yeti Comes at a High Price

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

On June 29th, the 9″ Yeti from Park 8 will be released as an online exclusive. With an edition size of 1000, it will retail for $74.95. (Park 8 LE Explained page)

This is the second time we have seen the outrageous price tag of 75 bucks for a single 9″ figure. Price aside, let’s talk about the creature it is based on.

Expedition Everest opened on April 7, 2006 at Disney Animal Kingdom park at Walt Disney World. When completed, the mountain of steel beams and imagineered rock work stood nearly 200 feet tall. Here is a great article from Popular Mechanics Magazine with a peak inside the mountain. To me, the best part about this ride is the most detailed queue line at the Disney parks. Every inch of the path onto the train is fulled with treasures and artifacts from a journey into the Himalayas. It may be a bit of a stretch to say this, but I don’t mind avoiding the Fast Pass line now and then to check it all out.

Inside the Everest queue. Picture from our Urban 8 photoshoot
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Once on the train, guests are sent up a hill offering one of the best views of the rest of the resort… if one is brave enough to take a breath and look around. The downhills are great and the ride backwards is a thrill, but the star of the attraction is the Yeti… the protector of the imagineered “Forbidden Mountain.”

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The Yeti, standing at 22 feet tall, is the largest animatronic the Imagineers ever built. The story of the Yeti is a much publicized one. Dubbed “Disco Yeti”, he now stands motionless with a strobe light on him to simulate movement. Here is an Orlando Sentinel article from 2010 highlighting the issue.

Park 1 Yeti
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We have a Park 1 Yeti and a Park Starz version, but none seem to capture the Yeti’s ferocity as depicted in the Exhibition Everest attraction as the new 9″ Park 8 does.

Park Starz Yeti
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This Park 8 version has the straggly fur, glowing red eyes and big dangerous teeth. Where as the other versions depict a more cartoonish Yeti.

The 9″ figure looks to take inspiration from both the animatronic Yeti himself as well as some of the artwork in the queue.

Photo from Jim Hill
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Photo from Mouse Planet
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But the big question still remains… will the Vinylmaiton Yeti’s arms move?

Animal Kingdom; Just Part of the Mystery

WDWNT on June 11, 2012

I should just learn to not try and understand Disney. Brad sent us this screen shot from the DisneyStore.com.

Wow, thanks Disney! Can I really buy a Mystery Animal Kingdom figure for $9.95! After I could have picked out the exact one I wanted while they were in the stores? After I could have grabbed them at discount at the outlets? After I could have added one to my cart for only $1.99 with my other online purchases. And even right now as I write this article, you can go on eBay and buy the exact one you want for less than $10 shipped. These are the kind of moves that begin to disillusion collectors. I know I’m asking too much, but maybe Disney could think about putting these suffering guys down and out of their misery? Close the flood gates and get this product, and other over-produced ones like it, off the market. If Disney is going to call this a collectible, it needs to be treated as such. Put a time limit on the shelf life of these products.

Urban 8 Photoshoot

WDWNT on March 31, 2012

There are so many little details around Disney’s Animal Kingdom. So with Urban 6 photos at EPCOT and Urban 7 at DHS, Austin and I decided to take Urban 8 around AK. Many of the pictures here were taken inside the Kali River Rapids queue. As always, you can find some different pics from this shoot on our Facebook page.

This Thomas Scott design sat on the wall and watched us take pictures.
Thomas Scott’s Barricades guarded the entrance to the treasure.
They also protected guests from dangerous turns.
And here they stood watch by Chester’s and Hester’s.
But the Barricades got into a little trouble by the Tree of Life.
The beads design sits atop a ruined hotel sign.
Frenchy gets home on his Schwinn.
Not a Rainforest Cafe, but the Tree of Life will do for this frog.
Casey Jone’s Gnome is right at home in back of Chester’s and Hester’s.
Group shot! Just outside the Kali queue.
Monty’s creation hangs by an antenna for better reception.
What food item temps you the most?
Look what trinket is found on this desk.
Rudos vs. The Dragon
Casey’s squirrel finds a roof top to perch on.
Maria Clapsis designed this Aztec Warrior who slayed a mighty beast.

Kali Kali Oxen Free- New Animal Kingdom Vinylmation

WDWNT on March 31, 2011

Also released today is the Kali River Rapids figure. This ride is from Animal Kingdom, which makes sense because it was a reward for reaching 9,800 followers on the Vinylmation Facebook. (1998 is the year Animal Kingdom opened). Originally the name for this ride was Tiger Rapids Run, which makes a lot of sense since this figure has a very tiger-y feel to it. (Hopefully no tiger blood though!) If this vinylmation keeps form with the other WDW figures we have learned about, it will be part of a park set in the future.

More 9″ Park 6 Release Dates

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Both of these have already been seen on the shelves at Disneyland Paris, but today, Disney announced a July 29 release date stateside for both Davy Crockett and Animal Kingdom Crate. They will be released at both D-Streets as well as a “limited quantity” available at the Disney Store Online. Check them out below and visit our 9″ Park 6 Explained page for more details.

This figure is designed by Maria Clapsis, is LE 800 and will set you back $44.95. Normally, I love everything Maria puts out, but this one will not be joining my collection. As a 3″, it would be welcome, but especially with so many other great 9″ and the price tag, it just doesn’t work for me. It’s a well done design, but doesn’t have that special touch 9″ need to warrant the purchase for me. But I am curious… what animal lurks in the darkness?

The King of the Wild Frontier was a favorite of mine as a kid, and I am so glad designer Casey Jones went the extra step to make Davy Crockett’s signature cap removable! Davy is LE 1000 and will retail for $44.95. As you can tell, this is an immediate pick up for me.