Toy Story Tech Holder (from Hallmark)

Back in 2014 and 2015, Hallmark introduced a pretty amazing collection of some really tastefully done Pixar home decor products. At the time, I had purchased almost all of it and the items are still proudly displayed in my Pixar home office to this day—I genuinely loved essentially everything they had put out! 

One of the only things I didn't buy was their Toy Story inspired Rex "Tech Holder" (phone stand). I thought it was really cute, but I mainly didn't go for it because I honestly didn't think I'd have any use for it. Nowadays, I work from home where I do a lot of social media work (for my day job and blog) and have a baby I'm checking in on regularly when he's sleeping (his baby monitor/video feed comes through my phone), so I find myself wanting to prop up my phone more so that it's easier to see when notifications are coming through. That's when I remembered this phone holder and decided to track it down all these years later! I was lucky to find one recently for a great price on eBay.

So yah, I'll admit that it's still not totally necessary (it's a tad novelty and mostly just makes for a cute desk accessory), but it does have its use these days for me! I do appreciate having the phone standing up securely rather than having to look down at my desk all the time or having it leaning on a random part of one of my desk shelves. Rex peeking out from behind the stand is obviously the main thing I love about this though—it's too adorable! Rex is one of my favorite Toy Story characters and I love the simple stylization of his design here. The whole stand is very minimally done, which I like.

 

This stand is about 6" tall and originally retailed for $19.95. I believe it's ceramic? I can't be sure what it's made from, but it's definitely breakable.

 

There are actually a couple of these still on eBay right now if you're interested, so head there (using this direct affiliate link) if you'd like to pick one up for your collection! Be sure to let me know your thoughts and/or any questions you might have in the comment section below.

MORE Pixar in Pins Collection by "Through the Doors Store"

Hey everyone! I'm back once again with some more awesome Pixar inspired pins from the amazing "Through the Doors" store on Etsy! Tim, the shop owner, was kind enough to send me an additional selection of his fantasy pins to add to my collection and review for you all (a total surprise), so a huge thanks and shout-out to him! If you missed my original post, here's the breakdown of how his "Pixar in Pins" collection is organized:

Volume 1: Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo
Volume 2: The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, Wall·E and Up
Volume 3: Toy Story 3, Cars 2, Brave, Monsters University and Inside Out   

As you can see, there's a pin representing each Pixar film (released in chronological order) from Toy Story through Inside Out—all of which are brilliant original designs by Tim at "Tim Loves Disney"! Tim has also since come out with a Toy Story 4 inspired pin with a few more new designs coming out in the spring of this year. This time around he sent me his entire Volume 3 collection and his Up pin, as well as some neat Pixar quote cards he created! I could tell immediately upon opening the envelope that the pins and cards were packaged up and shipped with tons of care; I could really sense the love Tim put into each of the designs. He's obviously a big Pixar fan and takes great pride in his work.

Take a closer look at the pins I was sent down below! These are quality, hard enamel/metal pins and sell for $8.59 each. They're honestly as good as any official pin you could get at the Disney Parks and are now displayed proudly on my pin board! The shop is based in the UK, but they ship to the US as well.

 

What do you all think? What's your favorite design? If you like what you see, be sure to place an order on Etsy HERE and follow "Through the Doors" on Instagram HERE for future updates! One last big thank you to Tim for surprising me and sending these my way. Can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

Pixar Pals Baby PJs (ShopDisney)

You wanna know why these baby Pixar Pals PJs are so cute? Because they feature an allover pattern with character designs by the king of cute himself—my favorite Disney artist and pal—Jerrod Maruyama! I had to pick these up for Aidan as soon as I saw them and let me tell you, I'm glad I did. They so adorable, so soft and Aidan has been loving pointing to all the different characters and learning their names! Some of them he already knew (like Buzz, Woody, Mike and Sulley) and he thinks it's pretty cool to go to bed wearing some of his favorites. 

On these cozy pajamas you can spot ten iconic Pixar characters in Jerrod's unmistakable style: Woody, Buzz, Sulley, Mike, Alien, Rex, Carl, Russell, Joy, and Anger. This long-sleeved, heathered jersey knit top and bottom set is 100% cotton and originally retailed for $16.99 at the Disney Store and ShopDisney.com. The sizes ranged from 0-3 months to 18-24 months (we got the 12-18 month size for Aidan, who's 13 months old, and it fits perfectly). Most sizes have since sold out online, but 0-3 month and 3-6 month sizes are still available.

If you're interested in either of the remaining sizes, be sure to visit THIS LINK to purchase on ShopDisney (currently on sale for just $13.59). I highly recommend them to any Pixar fan parent and their little one! Let me know your thoughts down below and be sure to stay tuned right here for more from my ever-expanding Pixar collection.

Monsters Inc.: Funko Pint Size Heroes

In the fall of 2016, Funko introduced yet another lineup into their large family of pop culture collectible vinyl characters... Pint Size Heroes! This line, though pretty short-lived, followed in the footsteps of Funko's other successful lines such as their [insanely popular] "POP!" figures, Mystery Minis and Dorbz (to name just a few). Ultimately these are basically the same shape and style as Dorbz, just much smaller and in blind bags. Pint Size Heroes are SUPER tiny— about 1.5" in size.

I had been eyeing these Monsters Inc. Pint Size Heroes for some time and finally decided to track them down on eBay. These were originally available at Hot Topic Stores (and I believe Walmart?) in the Disney Series 2 blind bags (you can see the full set of 12 in the press image below). And yes, I definitely still need to find Wall·E & Eve! The only other Pixar characters that were made in this Pint Size style were Buzz, Zurg and an Alien (which I have and were available in Series 1).

The three Monsters Inc. inspired characters in this series are Mike, Boo and Sulley—and they look monstrously adorable! I'm so glad I was able to finally pick them up. Check 'em out in closer detail...

Mike Wazowski

 Boo

 Sulley

Original retail price for each blind bag is between $3.99 and $5.90 (depending on where you get them). I got all three on eBay last week for about $17, which wasn't too bad at all. They're now displayed on one of my shelves in my Pixar home office and look seriously great.

If you're a fan of collectible Disney figures, blind bags and/or Funko products, then these (along with the rest of this series) just might be for you. As Funko says, they may be small, but they pack a punch of personality! Did you ever pick up any of these Disney Pint Size Heroes? Which are your favorites? Do you wish the Pint Size Heroes line had continued? 

Sound off your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to stay tuned for more from my Pixar collection all week long.

2020 Mattel Pixar Alien REMIX Collection—Complete Set & My Display!

2020 was the year of a lot of things—one of which was the year of the Pixar Alien REMIX merchandise. Oh boy, that'll go down in history for Disney/Pixar collectors. It was EVERYWHERE. From plush, to pins, to Funko POPs, to blind boxes, to figurines, to wallets, to stickers, to FiGPINS, to pens, to backpacks, to clothing (not to mention all the internationally released items)...and the list goes on and on. One could say they went a bit overboard with it all and they would probably be right. However, in small doses, it's actually a very fun and creative idea and I did enjoy collecting select merch. I did draw the line though and told myself to just choose one assortment—whatever one I liked best—which ended up being the Alien REMIX figures from Mattel! 

Though I'm usually a Pixar Funko POP completest as well,  I just couldn't swing all of them this time. So rather than going down the Funko POP rabbit hole for these, I decided to go for the Mattel figures instead for a few reasons: they're less expensive, more easily accessible/easier to track down and smaller in size (I think I do also favor their designs). Don't get me wrong, I still really like the Funko ones too—if I had unlimited space, I probably would have gone for them as well. When it came down to it though, the Mattel figures were the best ones for me.

In 2020, there were 17 Pixar Alien REMIX figures released (three waves of five and two exclusives). Each one (except the Pizza Planet Truck/Driver) is numbered. Here's how the releases were broken up along with their numbers:

Wave 1: 

• #1 Buzz Lightyear
• #2 Merida 
• #3 Sulley 
• #4 Miguel 
• # 5 Mr. Incredible 

Wave 2: 

• #6 Woody
• #7 Remy
• #8 Boo
• #9 Edna 
• #10 Anger

Exclusive 1:

• #11 Tinny (Exclusive to the Disney Store/Disney Parks/ShopDisney)
  

Wave 3:

• #12 Russell 
• #13 Lotso
• #14 Heimlich 
• #15 Bing Bong
• #16 Nemo 

Exclusive 2:

• Pizza Planet Truck + Driver (Exclusive to Comic-Con 2020/Instagram)—Not Numbered

These figures stand roughly between 3"- 4" tall (depending on the character) and each retailed for just $5.99. You could also get select characters in 2-Packs at Target for $9.99 (seen HERE) and 3-packs on Amazon for $16.99 (seen HERE; come in cool collector's boxes). I also wanted to note that they have very limited articulation (essentially just some of the arms can be swiveled and the heads can turn).

I finally got around to opening all these up recently and displaying them in my Pixar home office on my LED light-up shelf from Michael's! I love how they look with the light shining down on them. I feel it works so well with the whole space alien vibe. I debated on getting these for so long and now I'm incredibly happy that I gave in! They just look SO cool all together displayed like this and I'm thrilled with the end result.

Good thing there's some extra space still available on the shelf because guess what—this collection isn't over! The line will be continuing throughout 2021 with brand new characters such as Flik, Sadness, Duke Caboom, Syndrome and more (UPDATE: 2021 Wave 1 Blog post HERE). I'm looking forward to it! They should be released very soon, so stay tuned. 

What are your thoughts on Mattel's Alien REMIX line?! I'd love to hear what you think and/or any questions you might have. Did you go ahead and collect them all or maybe just a select few faves? Do you prefer these or the REMIX Funko POPs? Let me know! 

You can still find some of these at Target (in-store or online), eBay (using this direct link) or on Amazon using the links below. 

 

Random Assortment of Pixar Pins!

 

Hey all! So you may know that I'm not an avid Disney pin collector, but I do get a few here and there that stand out to me and I do have a modest pin board where I display my favorite Pixar pins that I've purchased over the years. With that said though, I'll never pass up a pin that's free or gifted! A few weeks ago, a couple friends/fellow cast members of mine offered me some spare Pixar pins from their collections and I couldn't say no. It's actually a pretty awesome little group of pins with some real standouts! A big thanks to them for hooking me up. 

Now since I'm not a pin expert, I don't know many details on these here— but through a little research, I was able to find out some:

• The sketch pad drawings of Nemo and McQueen are from the Walt Disney World 2014 Hidden Mickey Character Sketch Pads series 
• The Gerald, Jack-Jack, Mama Imelda buttons + the Sadness "MOOD" pin are from a 2019 Oh My Disney Jacket pin set from ShopDisney 
• The Buzz and Woody Vinylmation pins are from THIS set that was available at Walt Disney World (not sure the year)

The rest I'm not totally sure about, so I could use your help! If you know any additional info on any of the rest, be sure to let me know down in the comments and I'll update the post. 

Thanks for dropping by the blog! See ya real soon 

Pixar/Luxo Ball Storage Wall Shelf Review (Hot Topic)

Last September, Hot Topic released this strikingly cool Luxo ball storage shelf and I knew immediately that it was a must-have for my Pixar themed home office wall! If you haven't noticed by now, I absolutely love collecting anything Pixar/Luxo ball related. I've pretty much lost tracked at how many Pixar ball inspired items I have in my collection at this point, but it's a lot. Can't stop won't stop! 

This is a pretty small shelf (measures 14.9" x 14.9" x 3"), which is good for me since I have very limited wall space at this point. The actual shelf part is only 12" across and 3" deep. It's perfect for displaying just a select few smaller Pixar items (I ended up using it to display my Toy Story Funko Vynl and Pint Size Heroes figures for now). If you're looking for a big shelf that will fit a lot of Funko POP figures and/or other collectibles, this isn't it (it'll fit about four or five Funko POPs).

I love the colors on this shelf—they are so much better in person than on the website. Though the brighter colors seen on the site are probably more movie accurate, the more muted colors the shelf actually is [I feel] works better as a decorative piece. It goes with the rest of my office esthetic perfectly and I adore how it looks hung up on my wall surrounded by some of my favorite Pixar art prints. I got this shelf for Christmas and finally just got around to putting it up this week—check it out below! 

By the way, hanging it was a total breeze. There's only one hook on the back (just a single sawtooth hanger; so just one nail needed) and I didn't have to do any real measuring. I usually hate measuring and hanging stuff, but this was easy peasy. Just how I like it.

I can't recommend this enough to any Pixar fan out there! The good news is that it's still in stock over at Hot Topic, so be sure to head there (using THIS direct link) to purchase before it sells out. Retail price is $36.90, but there's also a 20% off code right now which is nice. It's totally worth it!

So what do you think? Did you pick one of these up? If so, I'd love to see how you decorated yours! Share any photos you might have (as well as any of your thoughts/questions) down in the comments.

Soul: Joe Gardner & Mr. Mittens Musical Ornament (ShopDisney Exclusive)

 *gifted/free product*

There wasn't a ton of merchandise for Pixar's Soul, but one of the stand-out Soul inspired items released this past year was certainly this Disney Store/ShopDisney exclusive musical ornament! This is a wonderfully sculpted ornament and I love how this little miniature scene says so much while capturing the heart of the film so perfectly—it's incredibly detailed and the fact that it plays one of the film's most memorable musical cues is the icing on the cake. 

Press the button underneath the base to hear a snippet from the track "Audition" by John Batiste (who was responsible for all the jazz music in the score). In the film, this is the moment when Joe Gardner first plays the piano for Dorothea Williams and gets into "the zone". The ornament itself, however, is based on Joe's personal piano in his NYC apartment and not the Half Note Jazz Club piano.

The only issue I have with this sculpt (and it could be that mine is just extra off), is that Joe's eyes painted on his glasses looks a bit wonky. It's not a deal breaker, as Joe is mostly facing away toward the piano, but it's the one aspect of this ornament that just doesn't completely work for me. Other than that, it's all really well done and makes for a great collector's piece for any fan of Soul. 

 

This is a free standing design, so it can easily be displayed on a desk or shelf in addition to using it as a Christmas tree ornament. It requires 3 x LR41 button cell batteries (included) and measures 4 1/2'' H x 3 1/4'' W x 3 1/3'' D. Original retail price was $19.99. 

 

Unfortunately this ornament has since sold out online on ShopDisney, but you can most likely find it at your local Disney Store if you have one nearby. At the the Disney Store closest to me, there's still a bunch left hanging around on the pegs! Be sure to call ahead to confirm whether it's in stock with a cast member.

What are your thoughts? Did you end up grabbing this for your Pixar collection? Let me know what you think and any questions you might have in the comments below.

 

Follow me on Instagram @danthepixarfan

Small Fry Buzz Lightyear & Duke Caboom Key Fantasy Pins + Sticker

Hey everyone! A few weeks back, I received a surprise package in the mail from the U.K. featuring these two Toy Story inspired "fantasy pins" (fan-made/unofficial) designed and sold by a couple folks I know from Instagram. The Toy Story Toons: Small Fry Buzz Lightyear pin was designed by [IG account name] @Buzz_We_Are_Your_Parents and the Toy Story 4 Duke Caboom key pin (based on the Disney Store collectible keys) with Duke Caboom sticker was a collaborative project between @Flanamation and @Buzz_We_Are_Your_Parents. A big thanks to both these awesome fellow Disney·Pixar fans for hooking me up! 

 

Both of these pins so well done—I can tell they were designed with a lot of love by fans who care (they understand the magic is in the details). They're honestly as good of quality as any pin you'd pick up from the Disney Parks, BoxLunch or anywhere else officially licensed pins are sold. The Duke sticker is awesome as well! If you're interested in picking up either of these for your collection, be sure to send a direct message to @Buzz_We_Are_Your_Parents and/or @Flanamation on Instagram.

 

I’m currently displaying these on my modest Disney pin board alongside all my favorite officially licensed pins; and you'd never know the difference. I'm impressed! What do you think? Thinking about picking either of these up? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below.

Soul: Joe Gardner & 22 Action Figure 2-Pack (Mattel's 7" Collection)

 *Gifted/Free Product* A big thanks to Mattel for sending this my way!

Mattel's signature 7" action figure line continues under the overarching PIXAR banner with a brand new release inspired by Soul—Joe Gardner (Jazz Performance Suit) & 22! At the start of last year, Mattel began expanding their awesome Disney·Pixar 7" action figure collection (which began in 2019 with Toy Story 4) to other Pixar films—such as Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Wall·E, Onward, Coco and Brave (with hopefully more to come). I'm thrilled that Soul is now represented in this line, though I would have loved if a few more of the main characters were included. I'll take what I can get though and this is a wonderful set of figures. They look absolutely fantastic! 

I saw these figures in person for the first time clear back in February last year at the 2020 New York Toy Fair and I was looking forward to them even back then. At the time, they would have been released within just a couple months later since that was before the film and merchandise got pushed back.

Joe is actually almost 8" tall, so it's one of the taller figures in this line for sure. He has some really nice articulation, an extremely well done sculpt/character likeness and a removable hat. 22 stands at about 2" tall and looks outstanding as well. I love her little stand (to give her a floating effect and displayability) and her translucent/sparkly sculpt. It's all so well done.

 As with the rest of Mattel's 7" figure line, this figure is perfect for play or display. No matter your age—if you're a kid or an adult collector—if you love Soul, you'll definitely want to pick this one up! This 2-pack is hitting Target stores right now (online HERE) or you can purchase it on Amazon using the direct affiliate link below. Retail price is $9.99. 

Let me know your thoughts or any questions you might have down in the comments and be sure to stay tuned for more from my Pixar collection right here each week!

Pixar Soul "Minis" Complete Collection by Mattel (w/Blind Bag Codes)

Welcome back to the blog, everyone! In the summer of 2016, Mattel introduced us to their Toy Story "Minis" blind bag collection; a collection of mini figures so cute and so popular that the line is still continuing on today with many new characters still set to be released in 2021. What's been incredibly exciting is that the Minis have also expanded beyond the Toy Story franchise with last year's Onward and "PIXAR" series—and now we can add Soul to the mix as well with this recently released fully Soul themed blind bag assortment! A huge thank you to Mattel for gifting me this complete set to help celebrate the film's release on Disney+.

These blind bags are just starting to hit Target stores ($3.49 each), so be sure to check your nearest location for availability. If you'd rather just pick up these Minis without doing the blind bag thing, you're in luck. The exact same 12 figures are available on ShopDisney in this Heart 'N Soul 12-Pack HERE for $29.99 (which is actually a really good value price)!

First up, as usual, I just have to give some praise to the bag design here. It looks absolutely fantastic—really eye-catching! I especially love the overall color scheme.

This series features 12 awesome characters from the film in Mattel's signature Minis style: Soul Joe Gardner, 22, New Soul, Earth Joe Gardner, Soul Moonwind, Earth Mr. Mittens, Terry, Earth Moonwind, Dorothea Williams, Miho Akagi, Curley Baker and Soul Mr. Mittens. Young fans will love playing out their favorite movie moments and adult collectors will enjoy displaying the figures.

BLIND BAG CODES—
What's really nice about any of the blind bags that Mattel puts out is that you don't have to guess which character is inside if you know what to look for! There's a code (a series of numbers/letters) on the back of each bag near the top left corner. The last letter in the run is what you're looking for as it will correspond to a particular character. For example, the bag I have down below (I circled what you want to pay attention to) is bag A; that means Soul Joe Garder is inside. It's that simple! No more awkwardly standing their in the store feeling the bags for minutes on end.

Since there are 12 characters, the letters I'm referring to range from A-L. Below is a detailed shot of each character and their corresponding letter! I hope this helps you out on your mission to get all or certain characters. 

Each figure is about 1.5" in size.

 A— Soul Joe Gardner 

B— 22

 

  C—New Soul

D—Earth Joe Gardner 

 

 

E— Soul Moonwind 

 

 

 F— Earth Mr. Mittens

 

G— Terry

H— Earth Moonwind

I— Dorothea Williams

 

 J— Miho Akagi

K— Curley Baker

L— Soul Mr. Mittens

 

Like I've mentioned before, I would love to meet the artist/design team behind these figures. They're perfectly done as usual! It's really hard to choose, but I'd say my favorites are any of the soul characters because of their translucency and neat iridescent paint application (Terry and the New Soul are standouts to me though). I also have to give an honorable mention to Curley Baker, since I love that he comes with a little drum set accessory. They're all really great though and look particularly awesome when displayed all together.

Who are your personal favorites? Have you picked any up yet or plan to? Who's on your must-have list? Let me know all your thoughts and any questions you might have in the comment section below. Most importantly, have fun collecting and stay tuned for more from my Pixar collection right here soon! 

UPDATE: Visit my YouTube channel HERE to watch me open up the blind bags.