In late 2009, leading up to the release of
Toy Story 3 in theaters, Thinkway Toys had serious
Toy Story fans/adult collectors in mind when they launched their
"Toy Story Collection" line of full scale replicas (later renamed "
Toy Story Signature Collection"). Each toy came complete with a certificate of authenticity, was designed using Pixar's own digital data used for the films and was promised to be the most authentic, movie accurate version of the character out there (which turned out to be more or less true for the most part).
The line ran from the end of 2009-2011 and featured 14 characters from the first three
Toy Story films (seen
HERE). For a while there, it was a dream come true for
Toy Story fans such as myself as we got amazing new versions of characters we hadn't seen for a decade...but of course it didn't last forever and us diehards were super bummed when the assortment didn't continue on. Well, flash forward to eight years later and the
Toy Story Signature Collection (TSSC) is back featuring several new characters from
Toy Story 4! Collectors rejoice.
Now that Toys R Us is gone, this new wave is now exclusive to Target stores and features Ducky, Bunny, Bo Peep with Sheep and (coming later this year) Duke Caboom! Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, Green Army Men and the Aliens were re-released as well (but are virtually the same as the original releases). Today I'm taking a detailed look at Ducky and Bunny specifically and will explain why I feel these are the best versions of the characters you can buy.
BUNNY
Let's start with Bunny. To me, Thinkway Toys totally nailed it here; it's just undeniably the most movie accurate out of
all the Bunny plush out there! His face, his soft plush material, his shape, his size, his colors...it's all just spot on to me. And he even has his whiskers, velcro on one hand (to attach to Ducky) AND a plastic hook on his head—three details the Disney Store version failed to get right. Sure, if you really want to get picky and compare this toy to the one in the movie, it's not 100% perfect (but I feel it's the closest we'll get).
His plastic eyes with the clear, glittery purple irises look amazing (some versions out there have the purple either stitched or painted). These ones are movie accurate, as well as his blue plastic (not plush) nose.
For both Bunny and Ducky, I love the carnival inspired packaging and how the "Star Adventurer" game is featured. Great work on the designs!
Now as far as the talking feature goes, it's loud and clear! His voice is right out of the film and sounds great, not to mention he apparently has over 50 sayings. Just press the button on his chest or squeeze him to make talk. It's amazing how much better his voice sounds when compared to the Disney Store version, which is very muffled and mostly made up of grunts and silly sounds (rather than words and phrases).
Here's some of what he says:
- "I want your honest opinion. I look good in green fur, right?"
- "Hehe Thanks, pal."
- "Don't worry! You are adorable...in your own way."
- "You haven't seen my friend Ducky have you?"
- "He's yellow and fluffy, but not as fluffy as me of course."
- "Ducky and I go back a long way."
- "Me and him have like this special bond, you know?"
- "Oh yah! We're the best buddies there are! When we're not fighting."
- "And sometimes, we don't even know why we argue."
- "You have a kid?! Like a kid kid?"
- "No way! Wow!"
- "You are a very lucky toy."
- "Have you heard? There's a stealth mission coming up."
The only main thing I'd say is not the most movie accurate is Bunny's ear length. They should be a bit longer, but that's a small nitpick. Again, I do love that plastic hook detail! Remember this is part of his design, so don't remove it.
Bunny requires/includes 2 AA batteries (the compartment can be found under his foot). I was actually surprised to unbox this to find that he has hard plastic under his feet! This, of course, is also not movie accurate, but I really like it so that he stand and be displayed on his own (something that wouldn't usually be possible with a plush like this). I can see though that it could bother someone who wanted a full plush toy here; if that's the case, there are
plenty of other versions out there that don't have these plastic feet.
Lastly, Bunny is 16" tall, about 10" wide and retails for $59.99. Yes, that's pricey, but that's just the Thinkway Toys TSSC for you. Expect high prices; these are deluxe film replicas after all and are extremely well made!
DUCKY
For Ducky, I'm going to echo a lot of what I said about Bunny. He's just about perfect! He's soft, squishy and looks completely movie accurate. He's made of all the right materials (again, love the sparkly eyes), is the right shape, the right colors and the correct size.
I love the fluffy hair atop Ducky's head. So well done and looks straight out of the film! As mentioned earlier, Ducky also has velcro on his hand to attach to Bunny.
Just a reminder, both Bunny and Ducky come with certificates of authenticity—just like the original TSSC characters did! These can be found inside the base of the boxes. Don't forget them if you're going to be throwing this packaging away.
Speaking of the packaging, I have to give it another shout out. Once again, great designs! Really captures the fun of carnival games (and of Toy Story 4 in general).
I was super excited to see that Ducky's legs/feet are soft yet sturdy enough that he can stand on his own too! Only he doesn't have any plastic under is feet, which is nice. His battery pack can be accessed via a velcro pouch underneath him. Like Bunny, he requires 2 AA batteries (included).
His voice sounds excellent as well— a "quality sound system" if you ask me (; Here are just a few of his "over 50 sayings":
- "You know what I like about me me? Me!"
- *beatboxing sounds*
- "Another exciting day at the carnival!"
- "Hey buddy! How are you?"
- "Hm hm...uh huh...sounds good!"
- "Uh oh, are you alright? What happened?"
- "You look kinda different! Did some of your fur rub off?"
- "Oh interesting! Well it's all good. You still look very nice!"
- "Hey! Do you have any plans for today?"
- "Oh ok, sure. Whatever you say."
- "You and me, we make a great team. Did I already say that? Man!"
- "Man I love me some balloons!"
- "Step right up man! Win yourself a prize."
Ducky is about 11" tall and roughly 8.5" wide. He retails for $42.99. Again, pricey, but completely worth it.
Well everyone, I think those are all of my detailed thoughts surrounding these guys! If I had just one last "criticism", it would be that I wish they included some of their classic quotes from the film. They have so many hilarious and amazing lines and I don't think there is one featured here with either of these guys. So yah, just a bit of a missed opportunity I feel. Also, it would have been cool if they had an interactive feature where they could talk to each other...but really, that's it! Other than that, these are incredible and do not disappoint. I can't recommend them enough!
These are Target exclusives and can still be found there at the store (I had to ask a worker at mine to get them from the back for me though, so definitely ask if you don't see them on the shelves; distribution has been a bit wonky). You can also still get them online (
HERE for Bunny;
HERE for Ducky).
What are your thoughts? Have you picked these up for your collection? Do you feel these are the best versions of the characters you can buy? I'd love to hear what you think! And stay tuned as I'll be reviewing the rest of the
Toy Story 4 Signature Collection characters right here soon.