Disney Parks Merchandise Comes to the Disney Store Online

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

As of today, Disneystore.com (formerly Disneyshopping.com before a quick name change took place just a few days ago) is now offering a large assortment of merchandise from the U.S. Disney Parks:

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Mickey and the gang welcome you to “Bring the Magic Home with You” through the Disney Store website

Among the Walt Disney World and Disneyland merchandise available are Mickey Mouse ear hats, character autograph books, photo albums, toys (including the monorail playset and some of its accessories), apparel, snowglobes, big figures, small statues, home decor, and much more. You can start shopping right now at this link.

Florida Mall Disney Store Reopens 8/24/11

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Disney Store on 8/17/11. Pic by Chris! Thanks Chris.

At 10 AM, on August 24th, the doors will reopen on the newly renovated Disney Store in the Florida Mall in Orlando. The store has been closed for several months to refurbish the store and make it more “magical” (much like several of the new stores across the county.

Doors open at 10 and the first 250 people will receive a special gift.

Then on Saturday the 27th, there will be an opening ceremony at 10 AM. There will also be several Toy Story characters at the store from 12-4 PM to take pictures with.

This is exciting for us because it now means that we don’t have to drove to another twin just to pick up those upcoming Disney Stores exclusives (Lion King, Alice)!

Now, does this mean Orlando might get an exclusive location vinylmation like San Fran and NYC????? Pondering….

Win a Windy City Chicago Vinylmation from Disney Store

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

On the Buzz, The official Disney Store blog, they are holding a contest for a 3″ Windy City Chicago Vinylmation. It appears the post went up early as the contest starts at Midnight on September 19th… but you can check out the link to the blog here. You just have to answer a few simple questions, the answers to which can be found on our site… maybe under the “Released” tab… maybe under Villains. Good luck!

Check out Minnie Malice’s article on the Chicago release here.

What’s in Orlando’s Disney Store?

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Our good friend Chris tweeted up this picture and also let us know how the Vinylmation was in Orlando's Disney Store.

First up, Pop Vinyl 2 is available there. Lots of new figures. But this begs the question, "How long is their contract, and will they stop now that Park Starz is coming?"

Chris also reports that vinyl trading now at the store! They also have plenty of Vinylmation series to buy, Animation, Muppets, Urban 7, Cutesters Like You, Cutesters 2, Cars 2, and Spooky 1.

Thanks or the update Chris!

UPDATED: Disney Store Online Seeks Solution to LEs

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Update: 9/23/11 Looks like I was quick to hope for an actual solution to the problems associated with the sale of LE items. Here is the Disney Store’s response to the Designer Princes problem:

Dear Disney Store Guests:

As you may be aware, our new limited edition Disney Princess Designer Doll Collection has generated a good deal of excitement. While many of you love the new dolls, you have also expressed frustration in securing your favorite Princess, and brought to our attention ways we could make the process fair for all Guests. We want you to know that we read your comments on Facebook, saw your Tweets, and our wonderful Cast Members have told us what they heard from our Guests who visited our Stores.

Quantities of these dolls are very limited, and we realize that not everyone will be able to get the doll of their choice even with a new process in place. Our aim is to increase the possibility of our Guests to obtain the dolls that they are seeking. Therefore we have updated our release plans as follows:

• We will now release for sale all 5 remaining Disney Princess Designer Dolls: Tiana, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and Pocahontas on one date in Stores on 10/17/11.

• We will then have a Disneystore.com release of all 5 remaining Disney Princess Designer Dolls (Tiana, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and Pocahontas) the following day on 10/18/11, at a time to be determined.

• We will be limiting the purchase to one doll per Princess, per Purchasing Guest – both in-store and at Disneystore.com

• We will implement a line queue and ticketing procedure (first come, first served) in Stores on the release date and the dolls will be sold at store opening.

• Guests that are not successful in obtaining the Princess Doll of their choice at the Stores will be able to try again later at Disneystore.com

We thank you for your continued support and loyalty. We hope you have a Magical day.

(DV’s original article from 9/19)

Lets be honest for a minute. Each one of us may have ended up on the wrong side of a “Disney Store system malfunction” before. And it is not fun. But the true test of a customer satisfaction policy is, “what do you do to correct the problem?” Disney has always been better than most in that department. This is not to dismiss mistakes, but it needs to be pointed out. We are all familiar with the various Disney Afternoon and 9″ villains debacles. Well today, the Snow White LE designer princess doll was released at Disney Stores and at the Disney Store Online. And by all accounts, it was another mess. Sold out online in less than 10 minutes. Oversold to customers. Lines at Disney Stores with very little stock. And even the report from Tampa that mall employees were given the tickets reserving a doll early in the morning before guests had the chance to access them.

The Sold Out Designer Princess

The Disney Store issues are more difficult to solve. There is only so much product and lines cant be stopped. But procedures need to be policed to enforce purchase limits and fairness of distribution.

As far as online, Disney has acknowledged a problem after the Vinylmation issues, and a fix was supposed to be put in place. But after this morning, we see that the same issues are occurring. Namely, overselling a LE product.

The good news? Disney Store President Jim Fielding made a public apology on the Disney Store Blog. He said, ” We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and recognize that this did not meet the high quality guest service that our Guests have come to expect from Disney Store.” Jim also went onto say that they are going to delay the next LE doll release explaining they will, “reevaluate our process to ensure that all guests have a fair opportunity to purchase these highly coveted dolls.”

Check out the Buzz at blog.disneystore.com

I wish they took it this seriously after the first or second or third LE Vinylmation problem, but it is nice to see a public admission of a problem and a dedication to a solution. I would think its an overall look at how LE sales are computed online and would positively affect Vinylmation as well. Jim pledges an update by Friday, September 23.

Disney Store Artist Signing: 10/22 in California

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Disney Store artists Jim Valeri, Gerald Mendez, Enrique Pita and Kyle Jensen will be at the South Coast Plaza Disney Store in Costa Mesa, CA for an artist signing event on Saturday, October 22, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Zoe sent us in the above picture from the mall. These are the talented artists that brought us Vinylmation sets such as Villains, The Lion King, Robots and more! Villains 2 releases at Disney Stores on October 24, but guests attending this event will have the opportunity to purchase some boxes of Villains 2 and a select number of the 9″/Jr Genie Jafar with Genie combo.

According to Disney… the fine print: Please note that artists will sign no more than two (2) total items including Villains 2, Lion King or Robots vinyl figures per Guest and only Vinylmation that they have designed. Guests must be present to receive a signed figure. There will be purchasing limits on October 22: Eight (8) 3-inch Vinylmation per series per Guest a day. One (1) tray per series per Guest a day. One (1) 9-inch Vinylmation per style per Guest a day.

Disney nicely broke down the who designed what for us as well:

Bowler Hat Guy – Kyle Jensen
Hades – Kyle Jensen
Shere Khan – Kyle Jensen
Dr. Facilier – Gerald Mendez
Evil Queen – Gerald Mendez
Honest John – Gerald Mendez
Big Bad Wolf – Enirque Pita
Jafar/Blue Genie – Enrique Pita
Runaway Brain – Enrique Pita
Villains 2 Mystery Chaser – Jim Valeri
Pumbaa – Jim Valeri
Rafiki – Jim Valeri
Timon – Jim Valeri
Rafiki/Simba – Jim Valeri Robots Series #1
Security-bot – Gerald Mendez
Ignition-bot -Gerald Mendez
Steampunk-bot -Gerald Mendez
AudioSonic-bot – Enrique Pita
Elektro-bot – Enrique Pita
Love-bot – Enrique Pita
Radio-bot – Enrique Pita
Elektro-bot – Enrique Pita
Voltinator-bot-Jim Valeri
Bot-in-a-bot – Jim Valeri
Cranky-bot – Jim Valeri

Disney Store Makes Good on Lion King Chaser

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

It took a little over 2 months, but yesterday, we received the correct Lion King Hyena Mystery Chaser from the Disney Store in the mail.

We, like many of you, opened up a case of Lion King Vinylmation a couple months back only to have an incorrect chaser. One that mixed up Ed’s body with Banzi’s head.

The above picture was taken by us at D23. Among many excited collectors opening box upon box, we found this previously unknown chaser. Caught up in all that excitement, we didn’t notice the error. Right away, the Disney Store promised to make good on the error by sending guests who opened up a blind box and got this error figure, a replacement corrected figure. All you had to do was email customer service and provide some info like a copy of your receipt. They said expect it in 8-10 weeks, and although it was a few more than that, we are very happy to have received it. So if you contacted customer service as well, rest assured, it seems as if you will be getting a UPS package in the mail too.

On another note, we have made numerous attempts to contact the Disney Store and the Vinylmation team about what steps they are taking to correct this issue in current blind boxes sold on the shelves. As of today, there is no official comment. Can anyone verify if the incorrect chaser is still inside cases currently being shipped to stores?

Star Wars Muppets Review

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

It’s the week before Christmas! Wonderful glorious Christmas. And yesterday I was among the hustle and bustle of the Disney Christmas shoppers at Downtown Disney Orlando. I began of course by stopping off at D-Street to do some trading and pick up some new Vinylmation. I then made my way over to the World of Disney store. I figured a question mark tie would make a good gift for MC this year. You can’t poke your eye out with that. Disappointed that they had none, I made my way over to the toy department. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear? But Muppets Star Wars Series One! A set of eight tiny action figures.

There are four different combo sets, each retail for $19.95. Kermit as Luke and Miss Piggy as Princess Leia. Beaker as C3P0 and Bunsen as R2D2. Fozzie as Chewy and Link Hogthrob as Han Solo. Sam the Eagle as Obi Wan and Gonzo as Darth Vader.

Collect all 4? Don’t mind if I do! But I started with only 2 today.

I’m a big Sam the Eagle fan, and him as a Jedi Knight is impossible to pass up. And come on, a chicken with a Stormtropper hat! Awesome.

The first thing I noticed about these figures is the size. While Gonzo is about Vinylmation size, Sam stands about 5 inches tall. And they are hefty. Very solid figures that allow a lot of detail to be molded in. If you put these up against the Disney Characters Star Wars figures, these tower over those and just feel much better constructed.

Sam, of course, comes with a lightsaber. They are also extremely poseable. Sam comes with joints in his shoulders, elbows and knees. A figure like Gonzo, with shorter arms, doesn’t have the elbow joints. But the figures have turning heads, wrists, and waists.

The detail is also fantastic. The Jedi robe is a soft plastic that sits over the figure. The ruffles on Sam’s tail and texture on the head is perfect. The paint job is also top notch as you don’t see much outside the lines jobs and I didn’t have to pick through all the shelves for a good one.

Packaged with Sam, the designers had Gonzo take the role of Darth Vader. His cape is much like Sam’s robe, a soft plastic and he also comes with a lightsaber.

Gonzo can also put on Vader’s mask. Unlike the Disney Character Star Wars which have helmets that wrap around the head and clasp on, Gonzo comes with 2 heads. You just pop one off and stick the other one on.

In what may be the best part, this combo comes packaged with a Camilla the Chicken as a stormtrooper.

The helmet just slips right over her head. The only part I’m disappointed about is when the helmet is placed over her, you can see she slumps and looks down.

I also purchased Kermit and Miss Piggy.

Again, I was very happy with the construction of these figures. Very durable and very poseable.

Kermit as Luke has a nicely formed robe and detail on his belt and feet.

Miss Piggy is Princess Leia, complete with robe, ring and gun.

They sculpted her hair perfectly into the signature buns and have the hood laying down in the back.

Overall, this is a fantastic series that does a great job picking the right Muppets and really making them look the Star Wars characters they represent. The value on these is great with a $20 price point coming out to the $10 per figure you pay for the Disney Character Star Wars and these are bigger, have more detail and just have a heftier construction.

A Peak Inside the NYC Times Square Disney Store

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Here is a fun look inside the NYC Disney Store in Times Square. They have some cool Vinylmation displays and of course are the home of the exclusive Statue of Liberty Minnie. A huge thank you to Dana, author of The Dragyn’s Lair blog for these great pics!

Interactive Magic Mirror
Hey Taxi display
Graffiti (sold out) display
Disney fan’s heaven!
Jumbo-TRON outside store
The store is very well designed
Mickey takes on NYC
Exclusive merchandise
Castle with interactive activities

A Little Less Magic in Orlando

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

Update: 5/30/11 As noted in the comment below, the closure of the Florida Mall Disney Store is only temporary. Check out the story in the Orlando Sentinel. The store will be renovated to included many interactive features and will reopen in September. A nice sign on the door would have been nice. But two parts of the story below remain the same… Sanford, for a while, is Orlando’s closest Disney Store and… I still want that Mouse Ear archway for my house!

5/29/11 Looks like Vinylmation collectors will have one less place in Central Florida to purchase Disney Store Exclusive figures. Thank you to Chris for sending us this picture:

Gate down, lights off, store empty. This is the now former Disney Store inside the Florida Mall in Orlando. Closed for business. I’ll take the archway for my room! Collectors now will have to drive north on I-4 a bit to the Seminole Towne Center in Sanford.