I know I've said it before a few times, but boy did I have fun collecting the Toy Story "Buddy Pack" figure collection back in the day. This line debuted in late 2009/early 2010 as Mattel geared up for the release of Toy Story 3 (wow—almost 10 years ago at this point). To this day, it's still one of my favorite collections due to the vast selection of characters that were produced and their adorable stylized designs. Not to mention all the fun gift packs, vehicles and playsets! To read up on the full line, check out my original post from years ago HERE.
As far this item here, no it's not something new (unfortunately the line has not made a comeback), but something released years ago. How did I get it then? eBay? Nope. Charity shop? No. Was it given to me? Not this time. There's a funny story here, so bear with me!
OK so while I was browsing eBay last week, I came across a listing for this Toy Story Buddy Pack "The Claw" carry case and saw that it was listed for a whopping $160. What!? I had no idea this thing got so rare and then realized I still never purchased it for my collection. Cue my epiphany. Something struck me and I remembered that I had hid this (yes, hid—it's a collector thing—call me crazy) at my local Toys R Us back when it was released in 2012; yah we're talking six years ago (as long as my marriage). At the time, I had hid it under one of the shelves where it would stay safe until I felt like spending the money. Then...well then I guess I forgot about it...for six years.
That brings me to a couple days ago when I stopped into that same Toys R Us to try and remember where the heck I would have hid it. I checked under one shelf and then another. No luck. I tried one more...and you know what? THERE IT WAS. Bam. Still there (dirty and dusty, but there nonetheless). Of course it wasn't in the store's system anymore, so I just played it dumb. The cashiers didn't know what to do, so they called management over who ended up just making up a price and sold it to me for $4. And yes I'm admitting this all to you since this is just too good not document here! I hope you get a kick out of it.
Now that that story's out of the way, I can get into my thoughts on the toy itself. Not only is this a cool "game"/playset based on the iconic Pizza Planet crane game, but it's a carry case for your Toy Story Buddy Pack figures (holds up to 30 of them) as well! It also comes with an exclusive translucent "invisible alien" figure, which is pretty neat.
Note: I came home and cleaned up the toy and packaging the best I could, but (as seen in my photos below) much of the dirt, fade and grime on the package there is still quite visible. The product itself is in perfect condition.
How it works: Load the buddy figures into the crane game (through the hatch on the back) and use "the claw" to grab figures and drop them into the prize chute (maybe you'll even get "double prizes";)! If you want to use this as just a carry case, push down and twist the top of the claw's handle clockwise to lock it in place.
I took out a bunch of my buddy figures to show you how it functions below! Of course, with how much I filled it, you can't really use the claw "grab and dump" feature, but I just wanted to show you what it looks like filled with these guys.
I like the "Spacecrane" lettering on the side of the rocket as well. Cool little detail. As far as its size, it's about 12" tall (that's to the top of the handle, the rocket alone is 9" tall) and 7" wide. I couldn't find any info on the original retail price, but I imagine it was in the $9.99-$14.99 range.
It's simple and you get the idea, but you can see exactly how this thing works in THIS little YouTube video by channel BluCollection. It's a fun addition to my Toy Story Buddy Pack collection for sure! I'm really glad I was able to pick it up all these years later (and for such a steal of a deal).
If you're looking to add this to your collection, be sure to keep checking eBay as one might pop up for a more reasonable price. And don't forget to leave me your thoughts in the comment section below—I love to hear from you!
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