Coco: "Shufflerz" Collection

Earlier this year, the Disney Store/ShopDisney introduced a fun new collection of stylized, walking wind-up toys called "Shufflerz" (which began with Toy Story characters; more on those soon). Then come August, at this year's D23 Expo, an exclusive 3-pack of Coco Shufflerz was released and only available at the convention's Disney Store! I had no idea these were coming, so it was certainly a pleasant surprise for Coco fans such as myself. I couldn't resist purchasing the set! A few weeks later, three additional wide-release single-pack versions of the characters were released at Disney Stores nationwide and ShopDisney.com— so you know I had to get those as well.

First off, I'll be taking a closer look at the characters included in the D23 Expo 3-pack: Dante (regular), Miguel (skeleton) and Ernesto (with guitar)! These guys look SO cute. What's unique about Shufflerz is that, rather than having a traditional wind-up key to twist, you wind them up by simply pressing them down repeatedly (around 10 times or so). From there, watch them "shuffle"!

The 3-pack retailed there at the Expo for $39.95. Each character is about 3 1/2'' tall.

DANTE

MIGUEL (SKELETON)

ERNESTO (WITH GUITAR)

Below are the three wide-release versions of the characters, which mix things up just enough to make them fun additions to the assortment: Dante (alebrije), Ernesto (no guitar) and Miguel (regular—with guitar). I'd say the standout of these three is definitely the ultra-vibrant Alebrije Dante! He's essentially just a repaint (with added wings) of the regular Dante, but he looks so awesome regardless. 

Retail for each of these Shufflerz is $12.95 (currently on sale for only $6.00).

DANTE (ALEBRIJE) 

ERNESTO

MIGUEL

And lastly, here's a look at the back of the box for one of the single-pack releases...

All in all, I love these! Shufflerz are fun little twist on the classic wind-up toy. As someone who enjoys wind-up and other traditional, simplistic toys, these were right up my alley. My only complaint would be that I wish (for the wide-releases) that they had created other characters instead of adding repeats. For example, Hector would have been a fun addition instead of a second Ernesto that's already so close to the initial D23 release. That's a minor gripe though, the characters we did get are very well done. Highly recommended! 

If you'd like to add any of these to your collection, you can purchase the D23 Expo set on eBay right HERE and the standard releases HERE. Let me know your thoughts down below! Which one is your fave?

Disney Store Toy Story 4 Opening Ceremony Key

First off, I just wanted to say happy 24th anniversary to my favorite Pixar film of all time—the one that started it all— the original Toy Story (released this day in 1995)! Ok, now onto today's post...

Have you ever participated in the Disney Store's "Opening Ceremony"? If not, I highly recommend it— if you and/or your kids are willing to show up bright and early to your local Disney Store of course. If you are the first in line, you (or your kids if you have them), can assist one of the cast members by helping them turn the giant Disney Store key to "unlock" the store. The ropes drop and the magic begins! There's a little more to it than that, but you get the idea. At that point, the store is officially opened! The best part though is, if you're the helper, you receive a collectible miniature version of their classic green opening ceremony key (which looks like THIS).

Once in a while, the Disney Store will offer a unique opening ceremony key that Disney collectors young and old will seek after. For example, this year there was an Aladdin themed key in May to coincide with the release of the live-action film, a Donald Duck inspired key in June celebrating his 85th birthday, and, you guessed it, a Toy Story 4 inspired key released on July 13th for "Collector's Day"! This key was available (for free!) to the first 150 guests who made a $10 purchase that day at any given Disney Store. I'm not usually a collector of these keys, but how could I not go for a Pixar themed one?

I love the Woody inspired pattern and the Luxo lamp/ball where the castle usually is. Such a clever design! Since I wasn't able to make able to make it to the the Disney Store that day, I have to give a huge thanks to my friend and fellow cast member Gabby, who was able to help me out and hook me up. She's the best!

Were you able to get one of these keys? If not and I've piqued your interest, you can always check eBay using THIS direct link. Let me know your thoughts below!

Disney Parks Pixar Ball Mug Review

There are certain items that come out every now and then that are absolute MUST HAVES for Pixar fans—and this giant Pixar ball mug is one of them! Released earlier this year at the Disney Parks (and then at the Disney Store/ShopDisney for a brief time), this mug immediately caught the attention of thousands of Pixar fans (and Luxo ball lovers) such as myself who couldn't wait to add this to their personal collection. Did I need another mug? Absolutely not, but come on. It's a Pixar ball mug. If you know me then you know I love to collect anything featuring the iconic Pixar ball. I had to make some room for this one.

This is a very large, very round 32 oz. ceramic mug, perfect for your morning hot chocolate or coffee. I'd say it's even big enough to use as a bowl to eat soup from! Whether you're thinking about getting this for practical reasons or for a shelf display piece, I can't recommend it enough. It's solid (very well made), dishwasher/microwave safe and measures 4 1/2'' H x 7'' W (at handle) x 4'' Diameter. Original price was $22.99.

Even though this is sold out on the ShopDisney website (not sure if it's still available in stores or at the Disney Parks), you can still find it through other online sellers such as Amazon (link below), eBay and Magical Ears Collectibles. So if you haven't yet, bounce on over to any of those sites and make the purchase. It's worth every penny!

Let me know all your thoughts in the comment section down below. Will you be adding this to your Christmas list this year?

Toy Story 4: Bo Peep Talking Action Figure (ShopDisney)

Welcome to today's review! If you remember, back in April I created a guide to all the Toy Story 4 Bo Peep doll/toy releases out this year to help my fellow collectors decide which one is the best one for them. For me personally, I decided that the Disney Store/ShopDisney version has the most to offer in the "movie accuracy department", so I decided to go for that one. She's definitely my favorite version out there! However, she isn't 100% perfect, so ultimately the best version of "Adventurer Bo" (in my opinion) is possibly achieved by combining elements of this one and one of the Thinkway Toys versions...but more on that later! To start things off, I'll be focusing in on just this one and why it's my overall favorite. 

I won't spend much time talking about the packaging, since it's pretty simple, but I did want to say that I really do love the design (just as I did with their version of Forky, which I also reviewed this week). I like how the packaging essentially includes elements of Bo's outfit, like the light blue color, the flower button in the top corner, the lace detailing around the window, the pink ribbon down the sides and the pink polka dot backdrop. Solid work!

 

What's neat about this Bo is that, thanks to new "Toy Detector" technology, it interacts (or "activates phrases") when placed near any of the other new ShopDisney full scale Toy Story Interactive Talking characters (namely Forky, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, Rex and Bullseye). I haven't been able to test this feature yet, but I'll be sure to update this post with my thoughts as soon as I do.

Note: Turn the interactive feature on by switching Bo's "on switch" upward (found on her back under her shirt, indicated by an "I"). Requires 3 x LR44/AG13 button cell batteries, included.

Press the button on Bo's upper back to activate her talking feature. Here are her 11 phrases:

• You know, kids loose their toys every day.
• *giggles* Oh you're kidding...I didn't know that! 
• *laughs*
• I'm getting my sheep back. 
• Oh I can't believe it! 
• Oh my goodness, look at you! I never thought I'd see you again! 
• Oh there's someone I want you to meet! 
• Billy, Goat and Gruff.
• Where ya headed? 
• Yup! Sold to the antique store and now I'm here! 
• You know how it goes...their little girl grew up, didn't need me anymore, so...

I love how they're all actually lines from the movie in the original voice! So many times with these types of talking toys, they include phrases that are never heard in the film. I also have to note that the sound here with this one is perfection—loud and clear! Much better than [Disney Store] Forky's sound/speaker system.

Here she is out of the box! She looks absolutely fantastic—and stands well on her own too (after some proper posing of course). Other than the fact that her face looks great (probably the hardest part to get right), this Bo Peep includes three main details that elevated her above the Thinkway Toys versions for me:

•  Her cape/skirt is reversible (and has the movie accurate polka dots—I just don't know how on earth the Thinkway version missed this crucial detail?? Theirs is solid blue on both sides).
• The molded "twine" on her staff is painted/more detailed (the Thinkway version left the twine unpainted; it's all just solid blue, which was a bit lazy).
• Her hair bow is fabric and removable (Thinkway's version is plastic and not removable).

Bo Peep's cape can be be removed and become her skirt (the flower button is a nice snap fastener, rather than velcro). Overall all the fabrics/materials used here feel quality made and the outfit looks totally accurate to the film; I do feel the creators put in the effort here to make this the best Bo they could. You can tell they care! Bo stands at 14" tall, which is her movie accurate height.

Another cool thing about this Bo (which I wasn't expecting) is that her arms/legs are a softer plastic, with the metal joints hidden underneath; so you can bend her arms/legs (you'll feel it clicking into position when you bend them) without seeing any distracting articulation points. Gives off a clean look!

I mentioned at the top of my post that I feel you can create an almost the definitive Bo by combining this one with another. What I meant was you could take the cape and staff of this Disney Store Bo and add it to the Thinkway Toys Deluxe Talking Action figure (since, admittedly, I think the face of the Thinkway version is just a tad better/more screen accurate). Though now that I think about it, the only problem then is that her bow would be plastic and not fabric and her joints would show. Oh well! I guess as usual, there's pros and cons and maybe no such thing as a 100% accurate Bo Peep right now. But hey—that's really just a nitpick. I still feel overall this one does get the closest and has the most good going for it! It's like 99.5% there, I just think that she would be completely spot on with the head of the Thinkway version (that's just me, but this one is certainly close enough and still very well done).

What do you think? Which one is your favorite Toy Story 4 adventurer Bo Peep? I would love to hear your thoughts down below! And if you're interested in picking up this version for your personal collection, you can snag her at your nearest Disney Store or ShopDisney.com HERE for $32.95 (currently on sale). It has my high recommendation!

"Walt Life" Monthly Subscription Box REVIEW!

Hiya pals! If you've never heard of the "Walt Life" Disney Subscription Box, I'm about to make your day. Have you ever dreamed of getting a treasure box filled with surprise [officially licensed] Disney goodies—personalized to your liking—sent right to your doorstep every month? If that sounds too good to be true, it's not. The company "Walt Life" (created by fans, for fans) has made it possible thanks to a little pixie dust and other passionate Disney fans like you. Learn more about this exclusive Disney Fan Club right here in today's post! 

Last week I received my very first special delivEARy from Walt Life and "hot dog!" was it magical. A HUGE thank you to Walt Life for reaching to to me and sending me this box to review! To start things off, let's take a look at the outside of the box—which has a treasure chest/adventurous feel overall. I love it! I felt the Disney magic right away and couldn't wait to see what was inside... 

Inside you'll find a letter welcoming you to the Walt Life family, ensuring you that this fan club has all the Disney fun that you'll ever need! Each month, the folks over at Walt Life curate special boxes filled with officially licensed Disney products (gathered from the Disney Parks/Resorts, ShopDisney, Disney Springs and so on) that are specially chosen with YOU in mind. I think a little birdy (maybe Iago?) told them that I like Pixar and they did not disappoint...

In my box, there was a Walt Life book mark (with a maze on the back)...

A Walt Life "Color Me" puzzle...

A Woody magnet from the Disney Parks (love this! I see these every time I go to Disney World, but have never actually purchased one)...

A Mickey Mouse "Leader of the Club" mug...

The Monsters Inc. Harryhausen's sushi inspired sticky note set (which I almost purchased earlier this year at the Disney Store, but didn't. I'm so glad this was sent to me since I had regretted not picking it up! SO cool)...

A Buzz Lightyear lanyard by Buckle-Down (it reads "To Infinity and Beyond"! How awesome right? I had never seen this one before)...

And last but not least, a Toy Story 4 Lollipop Ring—which turned out to be Forky! I was never able to find these in stores, so I was thrilled to get one of these as well. Man, does Walt Life really know me or what?! It's like they have a crystal ball or something. 👀 They completely nailed this package with items that I don't already have and that are right up my alley! Well done.

At Walt Life, you can order one of the standard Disney Box subscriptions (like the one I was sent, featuring Disney merchandise), a Disney Snack Box subscription (featuring Disney World snacks) or a Disney Surprise! Box (designed to share the news of an upcoming Disney Parks vacation with family and/or friends). You can purchase any of these for yourself or as a gift (Christmas anyone?).

Visit the Walt Life "Build Your Disney Box" page on their website to see all the box sizes and price points. There are plenty of options to fit your family's needs/budget. You can even customize your box by including your interests, age and gender! And don't worry, once you sign up you can cancel or pause anytime. I also appreciate that they include FREE shipping within the U.S.

And guess what? Right now you can save $10 on your first box by using the discount code DANTHEPIXARFAN10 at checkout. Now what are you waiting for!? Bring the magic of the Disney Parks home and order your Walt Life subscription today. Let me know all your thoughts below!

FULL VIDEO UNBOXING:

Toy Story 4: Forky Talking Action Figure REVIEW (ShopDisney)

I want you to meet...Forky! Back in April, I posted a one-stop guide to all the different Forky toys to help collectors decide which one was the one for them (see guide HERE). As far as my personal collection, since I wasn't about to purchase every Forky toy ever made (there are just too many of them), I had to narrow down my top favorites—one of them being this 7" tall Forky Talking Action Figure from ShopDisney/The Disney Store! Thanks to my friends over at Disney Consumer Products, I finally have this one to review for you in more detail.

There's a lot to love about this version of Forky. He might actually be my favorite of all the talking Forky action figures and the one that will get displayed with the rest of my Toy Story collection! First of all, I have to mention how great his packaging is. I love the school craft-like quality to it and all the bright colors! I have to admit, this packaging is much more eye-catching than any of the Thinkway Toys versions. And speaking of that, just a side note, I'm going to be doing a lot of comparing here to the Thinkway Toys Forky Talking Action Figure I got a few months back since they're so similar.

What's neat about this Forky is that, thanks to new "Toy Detector" technology, it interacts (or "activates phrases") when placed near any of the other new ShopDisney full scale Toy Story Interactive Talking characters (namely Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, Bo Peep, Rex and Bullseye). I haven't been able to test this feature yet, but I'll be sure to update this post with my thoughts as soon as I do.

Note: Turn the interactive feature on by switching Forky's "on switch" (found underneath his base) to the left (indicated by an "I"). Requires 3 x LR44/AG13 button cell batteries, included.

Here he is out of the box! Doesn't he look so close to perfect? Such a great likeness to the actual character. This Forky also has a nice push along action feature where his sticks go slightly up and down (to simulate walking) and his main spork body moves from side to side. This is the feature I thought the Thinkway Toys version would have, but it didn't. It's also cool that this version has bendy/posable arms! Everything here seems to be a good quality overall, but it's still a lightweight toy that can be broken if played with too rough.

One thing I did appreciate about the Thinkway version is that he had actual googly eyes. For this version, the pupils are on tiny springs and don't really move much at all.

Now onto this talking feature! Another plus to the Thinkway version is that the audio quality is much louder and clearer. This one's sound is a bit quiet and relatively muffled, but that's certainly not a deal breaker. You can still hear him just fine; and who knows? Maybe it's better this way so parents don't get too annoyed. ;)

Here are his 11 main phrases:

• Hi!
• I'm uhhh...I'm Forky? 
• So I was uhhh, made by...the girl? 
• I'm not a toy. 
• *Laughing*
• Quick question, what is littering? 
• *Groaning* Not this again! 
• Carry me?
• Can we stop? My sticks are tired. 
• I'm littering, ba bye! 
• I'm running away!  

See/hear him in action in my recent tweet HERE! 

I'm very impressed with how many movie accurate details Disney Consumer Products got right here (details that Thinkway missed when creating their version of almost this exact toy). For example this version has the Pizza Planet logo detail on his back (as it should be—fun Easter Egg) and "Bonnie" written on the bottom of his sticks. I also like how his silver "buttons" are sparkly here with this toy and that the subtle blue crayon marks (or whatever they are) up and down his center were included. Oh and of course his obvious rosy cheeks and rainbow sticker details were not missed.

Other than the fact that I feel his "dough" base and arms are a shade or two too dark (that's probably just a nitpick) and that he's actually missing one silver button that should be towards the bottom of his handle, this is as good as the talking Forky figures get in my opinion! Compare this to the movie Forky HERE and see for yourself. 

Though I do like both this version and the Thinkway version (there are pros and cons to both), I think I can honestly say this one is the winner for me. What do you think? Let me know all your thoughts down below and be sure to pick this one up for your Toy Story 4 collection at your local Disney Store or ShopDisney.com for just $19.95.

Bye now, I'm littering!

Toy Story 2: D23 Expo 2019 Exclusive Sheriff Woody Talking Action Figure (LE 500)

Cowboy Crunchies, the only cereal that's sugar-frosted and dipped in chocolate proudly presents...this incredible D23 Expo 2019 Exclusive Woody's Roundup Sheriff Woody Talking Action Figure! Back in August, I had the amazing opportunity to attend this year's D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA. The very first night, my buddy Gio and I waited in line all night long in order to be able to shop at the convention's Disney Store before the stuff we were hoping to get sold out. This is one of the items I couldn't leave without!

This thing is huge, so I had no idea how I would get it home on the plane—but I figured I would buy it and then figure that out later. Risky business! I didn't go into the Disney Store planning on getting this (I don't even think I knew it was a thing), but once I saw it, how could I not? I'm so glad I ended up making the purchase and that I was able to get it home (barely). This is a limited edition of only 500 units produced, so needless to say it sold out relatively quick. I feel pretty lucky to have gotten it, especially considering how much he's selling for now. 

Original retail price was $69.95.

As for Woody himself, this is the exact same Woody doll as the current standard Disney Store version —but all "black and white" toned of course! From his plastic to his clothing, his colors are all desaturated and made to look like this Woody came directly from the vintage Woody's Roundup TV show. He measures about 15" tall and can be removed from the box, but I'm choosing to keep him mint.

It's cool enough that this is a full scale black and white Woody doll, but then there's the retro "Budtone" TV inspired packaging! The creators went all out here; it's all too awesome...just WOW! One of my favorite details is how the "Woody's Roundup" logo (along with "Starring Sheriff Woody") is printed on the front window. It's just an overall very pleasing design to look at.

The box is super sturdy (with some nice weight to it) and measures 19" tall x 15" wide x 6" deep. Like I said, this thing is big.

It's hard to tell from my photos, but even the inside of the box is multi-dimensional. The cardboard cactus and barrel are placed at different distances away from the backdrop, which adds some really nice depth to the presentation. They went all out to make this limited edition Woody something truly special.

And it doesn't stop there! Here's the kicker. Woody talks, but not only does he talk, but he includes ONLY phrases that appear in the Woody's Roundup segments seen in Toy Story 2! Talk about attention to detail. They could have easily just given him the same old phrases to say, but no. This aspect was actually what sold me on getting this. I was on the fence for a while, but it was a done deal after I pressed the button and heard the original Tom Hanks voice clips!

Press the button on the bottom corner to hear his six phrases:

• Good job, Bullseye! I reckon the new schoolhouse is finally done!
• What's that? Jessie and Prospector are trapped in the old abandoned mine and Prospector just lit a stick of dynamite thinking it was a candle and now they're about to be blown to smithereens? (this is my favorite—SO funny) 
• Ride like the wind, Bullseye! 
• *Woody Singing* 🎶 You've got a friend in me. You've got a friend in me... 🎶
• 🎶 ...You've got troubles and I got 'em too. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you... 🎶
• 🎶 ...We stick together and we see it through, cause you've got a friend in me. 🎶

I'll be posting a video this weekend to my YouTube channel and will link it here as soon as it's uploaded.

Unfortunately I only had enough room to bring home one of these (Woody was the obvious choice), but there were actually two other characters released in this same style that I wish I would have gotten as well—Jessie and Bullseye! You can see them in the photo I took there in the Disney Store below. I do have to say, it's a crying shame that they didn't include Stinky Pete in this lineup! That would have been perfect as it seems these are in celebration of Toy Story 2's 20th anniversary this year. What a missed opportunity.

There you have it everyone; in my opinion, a near perfect collector's piece that I can 100% recommend to any diehard Toy Story fan if you can get your hands on it! I absolutely love it—no regrets here! It was worth every penny and all the hassle getting this thing home.

Check out this direct link to current eBay listings if you're interested in tracking this down (or any of the Woody's Roundup dolls) for your collection. Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!