At Mickey’s Circus we learned that Park Starz 1 will be restocked!
We also learned that we have to wait until Summer of 2013 for Park Starz 2. As for PS2, we saw a picture of the Tower of Terror Bellhop in the DLR D-Street window… but now we get a look at the actual figure.
Update 3/9/12 Thank you everyone here and on Facebook for the comments on these sneak peaks! Looks like the best guess to the mystery women is from Derek… Tomorrowland Space Women (can also do man variant).
3/7/12 The Disney Parks Blog just posted an interview with Disney Design Group and Vinylmation artist Thomas Scott. It was an interview focusing on the new John Carter Vinylmation, but we saw much more around the office than that. We brake it down for you, but the video itself, has great insight and pictures on how Vinylmation are designed. Take a look.
Ok, let’s dive in…
We have some pieces here they wanted us to see, what do you spot? Possible some Urban designs? Also, pink Park Starz Squid. Is this another variant? The stars top hat behind seems to be the Uncle Sam figure we are looking forward to near July 4th. How abut the women in the bubble helmet. This strikes me as a Park figure but I can’t quite place it.
Next up, we have our first real look at the upcoming Popcorn figures. Mickey in the foreground and Goofy in the right corner. Looks like the opposite of my speculation! These are larger than 3″ and even appear larger than Park Starz. Speaking of… are those 2 more Park Starz molds behind Mickey? If so, any character guesses?
Here is another look at Goofy. And then the John Carter vinyls…
Besides the new molds, that we already knew about, It appears Princess Deja has a cape accessory! Where was that for Star Wars?
And here is a closer look at Thark Jeddak Tars Tarkus’s arms.
The video also gave a glimpse into the work environment for Thomas Scott. Maybe showing some of his inspirations and for sure showing off a collection of his own Vinylmation work.
Looks like Lincoln got bronzed! Is it just part of the Linsanity? Nope, it's the first Park Starz variant. At the trade show they mentioned these would e coming out this year, but they never told us what they would be. Here he is.
Bronzed Lincoln
LE 2500
Dstreets
June
So, what’s with this information drought Disney? No solid info has been posted on Vinylmation.com since before the Super Bowl. And with an ever shrinking confirmed release calendar, the Vinylmation collecting community is wondering what’s next? So I thought this is as good a time as any to go over what sets and figures we know about that should eventually get released. The first on my list was an intriguing collection that we saw at The Florida Project.
These 7″ battery operated night light Vinylmation had the community excited… but by the end of the weekend, Disney announced they would be indefinitely delayed. Next up, Disney Classics.
Touted as the Have a Laugh follow up, the release of this series seems to be on the near horizon as it does appear in the Sneak section of Vinylmation.com. The picture above is from a teaser slide at The Florida Project. It looks like a black and white set of classic Disney characters as they first appeared many decades ago. Then we have a follow up to the popular Disney Store Robots series.
We expect to see Robots Series 2 sometime in 2012. We were excited to uncover a couple pictures from a website called http://gdpinvestigation.blogspot.com/. They claim these are images of Robots from Series 2.
This first image features some concept art.
This second image seems like the packaging design. How about a blast from the past? The next two pieces of concept art were already posted online at Vinylnation by the time I started collecting about two years ago. They both seem to feature Disney Vacation Club exclusive figure designs.
Park Starz Series 1 Variants Explained
Release Dates: Summer 2012 (Various)
Where: D-Streets and Online
Price: $24.95
LE: Varies
Artists: Thomas Scott and Casey Jones
Details: Each variant is sold in a stand alone tin in which you know what figure you are getting. There will be a signing on June 29th at D-Street Orlando from 5p-7p with Thomas Scott and Casey Jones.
Update 5/25/12 Park Starz Squid variant announced. Possible Comic Con release. Online release on July 13. It will be LE 2000 and $24.95.
Update 5/29/12 Release date for Abe moved to June 15. Release date for Bride confirmed at June 8. LE for Bride confirmed at 999, while the others are still 2500. Also, a $24.95 price tag is confirmed.
All the Park Starz variants now have release dates:
Abe – May 25
HM Bride – June 8
Yeti – June 22
Figment – June 22 (Online only)
All are LE 2500
Each day this week, someone from the Destination Vinylmation staff will give their Top 10 list from 2011. The lists can include just about anything from figures to sets to headlines to personal moments. Please feel free to comment with your favorites and memorable stories from the past year as well. (Other lists: Nick, Claudia, Zoe)
10. My Very First Pull: Lotso
The first time I bought a Vinylmation (thus beginning my descent into the vinylmation abyss) was a Toy Story Lotso in Tomorrowland at WDW’s Magic Kingdom.
I had no idea what these things were, but I knew I liked them. I had nearly 20 by the end of our vacation and haven’t stopped since! Thanks, Lotso!
9. Japan “Mushu” exclusive
This has to be one of the very best 3″ vinyls out there. The detail and design on this figure is just incredible.
It’s not often I wish a 3″ was a 9″ but this is one of those rare cases. Well done, Japan!
8. Completing what I call my “Matterhorn Set!”Â
Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds is my favorite Disney attraction, so I had to get every figure associated with it (so far!) The Park 6 9″ and the Park 5 Abominable Snowman almost rounded it out, but I needed to grab a whole set of monorails to complete the look.
These figures together create one of my favorite “sets” in Vinylmation!
7. Thomas Scott “Alice” signing in CA
Granted, this is the only Vinylmation event I’ve been able to go to, but it was a great one! It was awesome to meet and chat with fellow collectors, a couple of whom helped me round out my set with trades.
Most of the signings happen in Florida obviously, so I jumped at the chance to get one of my Alice vinyls signed by the awesome Thomas Scott, who was kind enough to answer my annoying questions, not to mention responsible for designing two of my favorite sets, which leads me to…
6. The Alice in Wonderland set
Probably my favorite 3″ set, the colors are vibrant and the design is fantastic.
The Hatter’s hat and Caterpillar’s neck piece, not to mention the new addition of Cheshire Cat’s tail make this an amazing set.
5. Pulling Mother Gothel
This is the only chaser I’ve ever pulled from a blind-box set.
Anyone who’s pulled one knows the excitement of getting one, but Gothel is a special circumstance, I REALLY wanted her. She’s a phenomenal chaser.
4. Park 6 “Up” 9″
This is my favorite 9″ by far.
I’m not even a huge fan of the movie (I know, feel free to throw things at me) but the design on this Maria Clapsis figure is perfect for the 9″ format. I love the colors and the simplicity.
3. My custom Peter and the Wolf project
One of the best parts of Vinylmation to me has been the inspiration it gives artists to design their own work.
Particularly, this Peter and the Wolf 9″ might be my favorite art project I’ve done all year, period. (And I do a lot of art, guys.) It was a thrill for me to bring one of my favorite Disney cartoons to a vinylmation.
2. Park Starz
I realize this is a controversial stance, but Park Starz is my favorite vinylmation series to date. I love it. The stylized look drew me in; if the set had looked more naturally like the characters, I probably wouldn’t have had as much interest.
I can have a dozen Figment toys, but not any are him shaped as a bowling pin (awesome!) I simply can’t WAIT for series 2 of this set.
1. THE INTERNETS!
It’s been such a fun year meeting so many awesome fellow vinylmation fans on the Internet; to me, it’s the best part about it. Trading, sharing, and just creating a network of awesome people has been a blast. If I’ve ever communicated or traded with you, I thank you. And I hope to meet more of you guys over the years to come!
Look at us all, like vinylmation cats. Different molds, different series, but all coming together! (Wasn’t that poetic?)
Each day this week, someone from the Destination Vinylmation staff will give their Top 10 list from 2011. The lists can include just about anything from figures to sets to headlines to personal moments. Please feel free to comment with your favorites and memorable stories from the past year as well. (Other lists: Annemarie, Claudia, Zoe)
10. Inventory Issues
I Don’t mean to start with a negative, but making the end of my list are the numerous inventory issues. We all know about the Disney Store Online problems, and I will not rehash the entire debate here, but I will say we all look forward to improvements in inventory control on highly sought after LE items. The other inventory issue actually relates to the number of LE’s produced. I’m not alone in thinking Disney produces an abnormally high number of some of these less popular 9″ or 9″/3″ combos. With some of these Urbans being over 1000, they sit on the shelves forever. I guess, what should I care that Disney has a ton of inventory sitting around? But it trickles over to the hobby as a whole and even the lower LE figures become less desirable when there is so much product out there.
9. The Florida Project
I wish there were 2 huge such trading events a year. This weekend was so fun for both Vinylmation and Pin traders alike. We met fellow collectors. Got sneak peaks to future series. Traded up with our “commons”.
And most of us picked up more little Orange Birds than we know what to do with! What should have been the highlight, was actually the least anticipated part. The LE Vinylmation for the event should have been spectacular, but apart from the 3″ Winnie the Pooh, fell a bit short of expectations. That being said, the pins are among my all time favorites.
8. Maria Clapsis
OK, I’m a little biased here… but it’s my list! Listen to the podcast and you know Maria has been my favorite artist forever, but in 2011 she seemed to dominate the Vinylmation scene. One could argue that whoever is as prolific as Maria would be bound to have a few hits. But if our own Dee Vee awards were any indication, she had more than her share.
I might be missing something, but here is a peak at her 2011 resume: 9 Park and Urban 3″ including the Urban 6 Chaser (Griffin). 6 Park and Urban 9″ including the Dee Vee winner for best 9″ (UP). Cutesters Too, a complete set left in her hands that includes a variant Chaser. The Disneyland Annual Passholders Goofy’s Sky School and Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. Ariel won the Dee Vee Award for Best Overall 3″. She also designed all 7 DCL Disney Character crew members, the DCL Alaska Totem, Castaway Cay and Aquaduck. Wow, what a year.
7. Customs
This year we met so many great friends by spotlighting custom artists across the world. The art form really blew up this year and people really got creative. D-Street now regularly features customs that they commission and NOAH became a household name for collectors. There was even a custom artist show put on by Ceasar in California and wee look forward to many more.
And, in a big personal step for myself, I created my first custom. A Santa Donald that I am very proud of. I can’t wait to create more and see what you bring to us in 2012.
6. Disney Afternoon
How many Fridays did you call in late or sick from work? This limited edition on-going series dominated the headlines all year long. The demand for each of these nostalgic sets far out paced the production. At each coast, collectors and sellers lined up in the early morning hours forcing Disney to actually change the way they handle releases. Rules and locations for lines had to be outlined. Bracelets were handed out in California. Strict buying guidelines had to be enforced.
And don’t get me started on the online debacles. Vinylmation fans wore out our refresh buttons as we sat warily eyed in front of our computers for the precious plastic to appear. Then many were met with only frustration as servers crashed and orders were canceled. Some of this news overshadowed the work by Christopher Chapman who designed one of the best series in Vinylmation history.
5. The Emergence of Disney Store Artists
Nothing against our Disney Design Team artists, but it’s nice to see new blood. The Disney Store artists provided that in a big way in 2011. We saw the release of many Disney Store only products like Villains, Robots and Lion King. We also began to see an influx of location specific items… namely in NYC, San Francisco and Chicago. An already emerging network of online collectors enjoyed the chase of networking across the country to fill out their collection. More so than that, I think the Disney Artists have brought designs that are very different than what we see with the Disney group. The Lion King is one of the most beautiful sets you will ever see on a vinyl Mickey.
And Villains 2 is a very innovative take on the mold and in my opinion a perfect design choice coupled with perfect character selection. (Note: I wrote this article before the announcement of the Disney Store Light Up series, but I think that more than proves my point.)
4. The Growing Hobby
Wow, have we grown! One of the big indications for me is at the trading events. The events are for both Pin and Vinylmation collectors, but you can see the growing looks of frustration on the pin traders’ faces as the Vinylmation crowds begin to grow all around them. Maybe its just because vinyl takes up more room, but Vinylmation traders seem to have tipped the scales and passed the 50% point at these events. And now artist signings are the norm.
Fan websites have popped up all over the place. Twitter blows up daily with news and comments. Vinylmation mania is spreading the world over as figures and trading have shown up at Disney Stores and parks across the globe. Vinylmation are for sale in more and more stores. But with a growing hobby, comes the downsides as well. Long lines at releases. High aftermarket prices. And what pins have been dealing with for years now… dumpster dives and possible scrappers. But one thing is for sure, after 2011, it is hard to find a guest or Cast Member at WDW or DLR that hasn’t heard about Vinylmation.
3. Star Wars 1
It’s not my favorite set of 2011. I’d put The Lion King, Park 7 and possibly even Villains 2 and Pirates ahead of it, but you can’t argue that there was more buzz for Star Wars than any other set before or since. This set transcended boundaries of collecting. Vinylmation, Disney and Star Wars fans alike could enjoy this one. The release was put off for about a year, making the anticipation grow. The day of release was met with a midnight release event… complete with a D.J., prizes, decorations and an artist signing. Fans lined up for over 7 hours and braved the cold (yes, I know it’s Florida, but it was cold) and wrapped a line around Downtown Disney waiting to enter D-Street. After purchase, fans hung around trading and talking and looking the set over. And the buzz about this set never died the whole year.
This set gave us our first variant. It gave us a rocket pack. And it gave us lightsabers! The after market prices stayed high for months… especially because the set quickly disappeared from stores. Meant to be a continuous release, demand exceeded supply and it didn’t reappear until late summer/early fall. Star Wars 1 had a huge impact on the hobby and even took home our first Dee Vee for Best 12 figure set.
2. Park Starz
What in the world is this Project Z!!?? After weeks of being teased, we finally found out at The Florida Project that Project Z was Park Starz, a completely new take on Disney’s vinyl toys. It’s not a new idea in the vinyl toy hobby, but up until now, all Vinylmation were on a Mickey mold. Now, with this new series, we will see Disney vinyl toys in the shape of our favorite characters from around the Theme Parks. It’s the perfect defined direction to take this idea. I was with many of you who were skeptical about this product. What would the quality be? Is the $18 price point too much? But as soon as I got my hands on them, I was hooked.
As a huge fan of the Disney Parks, even more so than the movies, most of these figures hold a special place in my heart. The quality of the figures is perfect for the price point. They have a hearty feel to them and great detail. They are still under the Vinylmation brand and add some great variation to my Disney collectible shelves. They really did break the mold.
1. The New Mold
How could this debate not be number one? It not only dominated the headlines in 2011, it dominated the comment sections on completely unrelated topics. Before Park Starz obliterated the Mickey mold, the “new mold” forever altered what our Vinylmation collections would look like. It’s been talked about a thousand times… the reasons why people dislike it and reasons why Disney changed it.
It got off to an inauspicious start. Sea Creatures was an odd set that was just a different design all together. And coupling a not so popular set with a controversial mold change didn’t win over the fan base.
There was also the poor quality of the Cutesters Like You series. The product just was not polished. But now we have seen enough sets produced on new mold to form our opinions and hopefully get over it. You by now have made up your mind whether to still collect new series or not. All I know is that when I look at the artwork on a figure from The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean, Villans 2 or Park 7… I don’t want to go back.
For our Mystery Mailbag questions yesterday, we got this interesting photo from our reader Caitlin. She asked, “Hey guys! I had a quick question for you. I was recently in WDW and my brother and I both bought one Park Starz from the same tray. We both got ice gators (wah waah). It wasn’t until much later that I noticed that one of the gator’s hats was missing a stripe. I was just wondering what your take was on it and if there is any extra value in it or if it was just an error. Thanks for your help!”
Well Caitlin, although we were told that there are Variants for Park Starz coming out next year, they were supposed to be in separate packs (not part of the cases). Also, by looking at this more closely, it seems, like you said, to just be missing a stripe. We think it’s just an error, but probably not one that would raise the price any. (Unless, like we mentioned on the podcast, you found a person who really liked collecting those type of things.) For now you just have an interesting figure that is probably one of a kind.
Thanks for the question! Has anyone else seen a printing error on their Park Starz? What do you guys think?
I think a lot of people have been a bit skeptical/apprehensive about the release of Park Starz. A new mold? No… twelve new molds? A weird, wacky new design? Crazy! WE ARE CREATURES OF HABIT, WE DON’T LIKE CHANGE.
This is human nature, obviously, and a not an uncommon reaction. It seems like a slippery slope to introduce an entirely new line of Vinylmation, and I can understand and agree with the hesitation to embrace it. Vinylmation is already overwhelming. I’m fairly new to it, and I have a pretty good collection (I think) so far… but there is so much Vinylmation out there that I don’t have. The only way to keep myself sane (and out of the poorhouse) is to limit the collections and series I buy.
This is why Park Starz appeals to me. I like the idea that I can begin collecting these now, and collect them all. I’m an artist myself, so I appreciate the artsy-stylistic approach Thomas and Casey have chosen for these figures. It makes them unique and interesting. I’m not going to spend too much time talking about Series One, because the purpose of this article is to speculate about the awesome possibilities for Series Two… and beyond!
A quick mini-review of Series One for me, though: I LOVE them. I bought a case sight-unseen, except for the photos we’ve seen over the past month or so. I took my case home and opened them one by one. It was like Christmas morning, my husband and I had so much fun. They were smaller than I expected, as most people have been saying, but their small size has grown on me (especially with the possibility of adding to them year after year!) My chief complaint is that they’re pretty much all top-heavy, which makes a few of them a little difficult to stand securely. I realize changing this would change the design style, and I don’t want that at all, but maybe something to think about in the next batch… to somehow make the bottoms of them a bit heavier, or even to give them stands or something? Just a thought. My favorite is Big Al. Best surprise was the Giant Squid… I was not expecting to love him as much as I do. And my least favorite is the Funmeister. Probably because I have no idea who he is, being a Disneyland West Coast girl. (Or maybe because he reminds me of Lucky Charms. There, I said it.) Not to diss him, though, I absolutely love the idea of choosing extremely obscure characters to make these figures from. They appeal to only hardcore Disney Parks fans, and that’s how it should be!
This leads me into the crux of this article… my personal hope for some more original Disneyland-only characters (we only have one in this series, Abe Lincoln, who I’m assuming is from “Great Moments” at Disneyland, but he can also found in the Hall of Presidents at WDW!) This series has many more WDW-specific characters than Disneyland, which I get, because obviously there are way more characters at WDW because of the sheer square-footage over there. Don’t get me wrong, I love Walt Disney World, and I entirely expect to get more characters from it, but my hope for Series Two is MORE DISNEYLAND LOVE!
Let’s start with Harold, the Abominable Snowman from the Matterhorn.
This seems like a really obvious choice, and given the abundance of WDW characters to choose from in Series One, I’m kind of surprised they didn’t choose him over the Yeti from Expedition Everest. Harold is the ultimate Disneyland Park Star, and I’d love to see him turn up in a future series.
The “Partners” Statue has been mentioned as a possibility, but I really doubt they’re going to go there, as it’s not really a character; less of a Park Star than a monument. You never know, but that’s just my feeling on it. So I say give us Walt Disney himself! We don’t have any actual Walt Vinylmations yet, and there’s never been a better opportunity than now to give him his own mold, perhaps a Mickey plush accessory, and a spot in the Park Starz series. Let’s remember, Disneyland is the only park Walt himself walked in, so he could of course be a Disneyland Park Star!
Sam the Eagle from “America Sings” would be another fantastic Disneyland-specific choice.
He already has his own Vinylmation but so does Big Al and they did just a great job with him in Series One. Sam’s right-hand owl Ollie, or better yet: the Pop Goes the Weasel would be great Park Starz as well.
I’m going to divert for a moment to elaborate on what I think would be a great model for the Park Starz series. M.C. and Nick mentioned in a recent podcast that it would be a good idea for each series to have another Small World kid/animal duo, and I agree this would be a great idea. Going along with this theme, a new Country Bear in each set would work wonderfully. Might I suggest Teddi Barra or Henry for the next set? Or even a new America Sings character? There are many to choose from, and WDWers would enjoy seeing characters they will recognize having made their way to Splash Mountain as well! If each series sort of mirrored the last, I think that would make it fun to collect and guess what each series will contain.
On to some more possible Future Park Starz!
-I’m a HUGE Captain EO fan, and was hoping for a Captain EO character in Series One. Captain EO himself, or any of his sidekicks (i.e., Hooter) would be cool.
-Captain Rex, the bumbling pilot from Star Tours.
-Bathing Bertha from Jungle Cruise, among other jungle possibilities.
-The Goat with the dynamite in Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
-We already have the Dog with the keys from Pirates of the Caribbean as a Mickey-shaped mold, but I think he deserves his own Park Starz mold at some point.
-Indiana Jones is a must as well, from the Hollywood Studios’ stunt show, as well as from Disneyland’s Temple of the Forbidden Eye.
-The Brer characters from Splash seem a little obvious, so how about Mr. Bluebird instead?
-Benny (or “Lenny”) the Cab would be an AMAZING Park Star. (This is coming from the biggest Roger Rabbit fan around, and technically he’s a ride vehicle in Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, but he’s also a character himself, so I think they could make it work.) Speaking of Roger, how do we not have ANY Roger Rabbit character vinylmation yet, outside the custom realm? I imagine there may be some copyright issues, but come on, Disney. Get on that.
-Max, Buff, or Melvin, the animal heads on the wall in Country Bear Jamboree would be a great opportunity to get creative: maybe each could have a little hanger on the back to display on your wall?
-The Tiki Gods in the Enchanted Tiki Room, particularly Pele, would make awesome molds, and could be a continuing series like the Country Bears or Small World figures in Park Starz. (On another note, I thought a cool variant[s] for Series One would have been different tiki birds representing Fritz, Michael, and Pierre. They can keep the same mold but change the color. It would be really neat to have all four of the Tiki Room hosts!)
A big thing for me in upcoming Park Starz would be to not see too many “cheats,” say a character that is in the parks, but is also a character in their own right (for example, Brer Rabbit, or Mr. Toad). I hope they stick with Park-only characters, or at least ones obscure enough not to be immediately recognizable as a non-Park-only character.
There are some fantastic opportunities to get creative with Park Starz. Yes, they’re different, a little wacky, and a bit more expensive, but I think they’re amazing collectibles and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
Annemarie Brown
@admiralakbrown on Twitter
