My Mattel Pixar Cars Holiday/Christmas Diecast Collection!

Merry Christmas Eve, Eve everyone! Today I thought it would be fun and festive to show my collection of Disney·Pixar Holiday/Christmas inspired diecasts that have been released over the years by Mattel. These designs started to be released around the 2009/2010 era (based on the book Mater Saves Christmas and the illustrations therein) and have had multiple re-releases over the years since (even as recent as this year and in 2021, seen the photo from Target above).

I have the eight reissues from last year (since I missed them originally; again, see photo above): Mater (aka Whee-Hoo Winter Mater), Reindeer Snowmobile (who had been cancelled for a long time prior, so I was so happy to see that one finally get released), Ramone (blue; aka Wintertime Cruiser), Doc Hudson (aka Decked Out Doc Hudson), Sarge (aka Sarge with Roof Lights), Sally (aka Snow Day Sally), Lightning McQueen (aka Snowplow Lightning McQueen) and Luigi & Guido...

...and then (see below), I grabbed Fuel Tide Cheer Fillmore and Holiday Spirit Sheriff on eBay recently (since they haven't come out for a long time), Christmas Cruiser Ramone (who I was so happy got re-released last year in 2021) and Holiday Hotshot Lightning McQueen (who happily got a re-release this year for 2022).

Alright, with that I still need Reindeer Mater and Santa Car. Those ones haven't bee re-released recently, but I'm crossing my fingers they do. Otherwise I guess I'll just have to fork out the extra money for them and snag them on eBay to complete the collection. I'm also hoping Mattel releases a holiday Lizzy, Flo and Red one day!

By the way, these Christmas/Holiday character designs can also be seen in the books A Very Mater Christmas (see my recent Instagram reel HERE) and A Cars Christmas. The only diecast design here in this collection that haven't seen in any book or media is the blue/snowflake "Wintertime Cruiser" Ramone above that was released last year. That one seems to be completely made up by Mattel.

Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic and safe rest of your holiday season! I'll be sure to update this post as soon as I get any of the final three Christmas cars I need. 

Merry Christmas TOW all and TOW all a goodnight!

Mattel Toy Story Minis Bilind Bags (Series 2) "Special Edition" Black & White Jessie!

 

After roughly six years, I FINALLY obtained the extremely rare and illusive Mattel Toy Story Minis "Special Edition" Black & White Jessie from the original blind bags SERIES 2 (which came out in late 2016/early 2017). I was never able to find Series 2 (I remember it being completely skipped in my area—things went right from Series 1 to Series 3), so needless to say this is a long time coming and the last Toy Story mini I needed to complete my collection!

You can see what the original packaging looked like for the Series 2 blind bags HERE. By the way, this was the only unique character released in that series (all the other had been previously available).

Listing prices on eBay for this (when they do show up once in a blue moon) can reach $150 or more. I was lucky enough to be able to get this a few months back on eBay for a total steel: $12.99! Let me know what you think down below. Anyone else out there looking for this?

World of Pixar 16" Rolling Luggage (Disney Store)

Happy December 1st, everyone! This is an exciting month—we have Christmas of course, my son's 3rd birthday, lots of fun festivities planned and DISNEY WORLD! We leave Monday (December 5th) and will be there until Friday the 9th. If you happen to be there and see us around, be sure to say hi! 

Anyway, I realized recently that this upcoming trip meant I could finally bust out this adorable 16 inch "World of Pixar" rolling kids' luggage from the Disney Store that I was gifted a couple years back! This will be perfect for my 3 year old son Aidan. How cute right? I've been meaning to share/document this here for years and figured there was no better time than now. 

I just absolutely love the allover stylized screen art that covers this suitcase and that they included the Pixar ball and Luxo Jr. in the mix—not to mention a whole bunch of classic Pixar characters and icons from some of my all-time favorite Pixar films.

Here are all the official details for anyone interested:

Product Details:

• Allover pattern of Pixar characters
• Characters include Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Aliens, Bo Peep (Toy Story); Sulley, Mike Wazowski, Boo(Monsters, Inc.); Joy, Anger, Rainbow Unicorn (Inside Out); Lightning McQueen (Cars); Carl Fredricksen, and his house (Up); Dash and Violet Incredible (The Incredibles); WALL•E (WALL•E); the Pixar Lamp and Pixar Ball
• Hard shell
• Zip closure with two zip pulls
• One side of interior features elastic ribbon cross bands with plastic buckle
• One side of interior features cover with double zip pull closure
• Retractable push-button pull handle
• Top carry handle
• Four rotating wheels

Extra Information:

• Ages 3+
• All man-made materials
• 16” H x 12” W x 9”D (excluding wheels)
• Imported

Let me know your thoughts below!

Toy Story Woody (with Lenny) | Funko POP! VHS Covers | Amazon Exclusive!

26 years ago today—October 29th, 1996–Toy Story was released on VHS! To celebrate the original Toy Story home video release, today I’m reviewing Funko’s new Amazon Exclusive Toy Story inspired Funko POP! VHS Covers Woody (with Lenny). Check out my full thoughts in my embedded video below and enjoy!

What special memories do you have of Toy Story arriving on VHS back in the day?

 

Mattel Toy Story Buddy Packs—Lotso's Mob Gift Pack (Target Exclusive)

After all these years, I've finally added the rare Mattel Toy Story 3 "Mean Lotso" Buddy Pack figure to my collection! I've been trying to track this one down for what seems to be forever. Mean Lotso (which features a unique angry expression; he's also holding his cane) was also released in a 2-pack with Stretch and other multi-packs back in the day, but I missed out on him somehow. Since then, he's been real tough one to find. Once I saw recently though that he was also available in this Target Exclusive "Lotso's Mob Gift Pack", I did a little digging and just happened to find one on eBay soon after—snatched it right up for around $35 + shipping. So yah a little pricey, but not bad compared to what I've seen him sell for.

And the perk of finding Mean Lotso within this particular gift pack? There's actually an EXCLUSIVE figure included here as well, one I also didn't know I needed until recently—Glow in the Dark Sparks, who's only included in this set! So in the end, I actually got two buddy pack figures I needed here. Totally worth it. My Toy Story Buddy Pack collection is SO close to finally being complete.

Of course this set also includes Bad Mood Chunk, Twitch and Laser Buzz Lightyear, but those are figures I already have. With that said, to see the rest of my Toy Story Buddy Pack collection, be sure to visit my comprehensive "Complete Guide" post HERE (which, by the way, I have been updating with more new acquisitions—so be sure to check it out if you haven't lately!)

What do you think?! Let me know down below in the comments. 

NEW 2022 Toy Story Hallmark Itty Bittys (Buzz Lightyear, Zurg & Aliens)

Here are the two NEW FOR 2022 Pixar related Hallmark Itty Bittys sets released this year—a Toy Story 2 inspired Buzz Lightyear and Emperor Zurg 2-Pack and a Pizza Planet Aliens 3-Pack featuring the first Pixar mini Itty Bittys! While Buzz has been released as an Itty Bitty plush a couple times prior, this is a new version (he feels kind of like a faux leather material this time). As far as Zurg, he's also a faux leather, but this is the character's first ever appearance in Itty Bitty form! The Buzz/Zurg set retails for $19.99 and can be found in-store at Hallmark or online HERE.

And for the alien 3-pack, like I mentioned, these are MINI Itty Bittys (so a bit smaller than the standard ones). And while a standard alien Itty Bitty was released for Toy Story 4 in 2019, these ones here are brand new and the first Pixar related Itty Bittys to be released in the mini size. I love that all three aliens in this set are unique in that they all have different expressions! Again, you can find this at Hallmark in-store or online HERE for $18.99.

Happy to have these great additions to my collection! If you wanna check out my full Pixar Itty Bittys collection so far, you can explore my Itty Bittys label HERE. Enjoy!

Brave: Merida Funko POP! (2017 Version)

Here's a Funko POP! I had been eyeing for a while and I finally grabbed it this past February—the 2017 version of Merida from Brave (Disney POP! #324)! I've had the original for years, but once I was reminded recently of this updated design I didn't have, I had to go for it. While Funko's first attempt at Merida back in 2013 was perfectly acceptable, I'd say this one is a huge improvement! Love the pose. The way the hair and dress are sculpted to look like they're blowing in the wind is pretty epic.

Additionally, yet ANOTHER version came out just this year as a convention exclusive (seen HERE). I'll have to snag that one as well. Which is YOUR favorite Funko POP! Merida?

 

Honestly one of the main reasons I actually wanted to get this POP was because I had a photo idea from years ago that I really wanted to finally bring to life using this figure based on some unused Brave concept art (from back during the film's development when the story included a snowy forest setting).

 

 And below is the final result! Very happy with it.

Mattel Pixar Alien Remix Figures—UPDATED & COMPLETE Final Checklist 2020-2022!

Here you go everyone, the long awaited [updated] 2020-2022 COMPLETE CHECKLIST for Mattel's Pixar Alien Remix Collection! I believe this line is finished now, so in the end, there ended up being a whopping 55 numbered characters released and one unnumbered character released (for a grand total of 56 Mattel Alien Remix figures). Hope this helps you on your hunt to find them all!

2020 Wave 1: 

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

2020 Wave 2: 

• #6 Woody
• #7 Remy
• #8 Boo (Monster Costume)
  
• #9 Edna 
• #10 Anger

2020 Exclusive 1:

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

2020 Wave 3:

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

2020 Exclusive 2:

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

 2021 Wave 1:

• #17 Duke Caboom 
• #18 Flik
• #19 Sadness
• #20 Syndrome 

2021 Wave 2:

• #21 Carl Fredricksen
• #22 Jessie 
• #23 Forky
• #24 Frozone

2021 Wave 3: 

• #25 Arlo
• #26 Eve 
• #27 Wall·E
• #28 Bo Peep 

2021 Wave 4:

• #29 Al in Chicken Suit
• #30 Joy
• #31 Stinky Pete 
• #32 Barley 

2021 Wave 5:

• #33 Ernesto de la Cruz 
• #34 Combat Carl 
• #35 Zurg 
• #36 Kevin  

2021 Wave 6:

• #37 Fear 
• #38 Joe Gardner 
• #39 Randall 
• #40 Disgust 

Movie Moments 2-Pack 1:

• #41 Dug  
• *Carl in this set is a re-release of the single pack #21*
  

Movie Moments 2-Pack 2:

• #42 Woody (New Sculpt)
• #43 Buzz Lightyear (New Sculpt)

 Movie Moments 2-Pack 3:

• #44 Boo (Monster Costume—No Hood)
• #45 Sulley (New Sculpt)
  

2022 Wave 1:

• #46 Rainbow Unicorn 
• #47 Wheezy 
• #48 Darla 
• #49 Black & White Woody 

2022 Wave 2:

• #50 Ian Lightfoot
• #51 Celia
• #52 Luca
• #53 Blue Suit Mr. Incredible
  

Movie Moments 2-Pack 4:

• #54 Ken 
• #55 Barbie
  

Mattel Toy Story Buddy Packs— Canyon Adventure AND Barbie & Ken Vacation Gift Packs

 

I'm so happy to have finally added the Two-Eyed Alien [with eye patch] Toy Story Buddy Pack figure (as part of the "Canyon Adventure Gift Pack") AND the "Barbie & Ken Vacation Gift Pack" which features several exclusive Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation inspired Buddy Pack figures (Hawaii Barbie, Tropical Ken, Waikiki Woody and Beachy Buzz Lightyear) to my collection! I've been trying to track these few figures down for a long, long time for a decent price and was finally able to score them on eBay recently. Super exciting! I'm that much closer to completing my Mattel Toy Story Buddy Packs collection.

 

 

How fantastic right? As a long time, avid collector of Mattel Toy Story Buddy Packs, it's super satisfying to have a few of last figures I needed to complete my collection. There are only a handful of ones I need to track down now!

 

To see the rest of my Toy Story Buddy Pack collection, be sure to visit my comprehensive "Complete Guide" post HERE and be sure to check out my video review of these two gift packs below.

D23 Expo 2022 Exclusive Elemental Poster

One of my favorite exclusive freebies I got while attending the 2022 D23 Expo a couple of weeks back is this Elemental (Pixar's 2023 theatrical film) poster that was given to everyone who was at the Studio Showcase Day 1 Panel ("Celebrate the Magic of Disney and Pixar")! I absolutely adore the look of this film so far and I love how the concept art featured here on this print is pretty minimalist, yet still so stunning and imaginative. I wonder who it's by? The poster is pretty big, measuring 18.5" x 27 in size.

The same art was also on a big promo wall at the Pixar booth there at the expo, seen below.

And here's a quick video, just so you can get a sense of the sheen that was added to certain areas of the print. So great. Let me know what you think down below and I'll catch you all in my next post!

The Incredibles: D23 Expo 2022 Exclusive Frozone Funko Soda Vinyl Figure

My D23 Expo haul continues! Today I'm sharing the D23 Expo 2022 exclusive Funko Soda Frozone vinyl figure—inspired by The Incredibles, of course— that I picked up at the Funko booth while attending the convention a couple weeks back. Unfortunately I didn't get the limited edition chase (which includes some ice coming out of his hand), but regardless, I was happy to snag this common one before they sold out there. 

And good news! Funko also released this online, so if you couldn't make it to this year's expo, no worries. And double good news, it's still in stock as of this write-up! You can purchase it on the official Funko Shop website HERE for $15. 

What do you think!? Did you get this figure as well? Were you one of the lucky ones to get the chase? Let me know down in the comments! And be sure to stay tuned right here for more blog posts and video reviews coming real soon.

For anyone interested, check out my YouTube SHORT video unboxing of this Funko Soda HERE.

D23 Expo 2022 Exclusive Elemental Concept Art Print

Pro tip: At the D23 Expo Pixar booth—no matter what year you attend—they're always giving out fun, exclusive freebies there to take home. Some are easy to get, some are more spontaneous giveaways you kind of just have to be in the right place at the right time for. The later was the case regarding this Elemental concept art print that was being handed out on the last night of the expo! I just happened to be standing near the Pixar booth when I saw the Pixar folks starting to give these prints away and I could tell they had a very small amount of them to hand out...SO you know I ran right over and got one and it happened to be one of the very last ones! It's those kinds of little magical moments that make going to the expo worth it for me.

Elemental, Pixar's next film, hits theaters June 16th, 2023. What are your thoughts on the film? Based on what was shown at the D23 Expo 2022 and the beautiful concept art revealed (like what's featured here in this print), I'm incredibly excited. It sure has the potential to be another classic!

D23 Expo Pixar Booth 2022 Exclusive Pins (Elemental & Woody from Toy Story)

 

Happy Monday, everyone! Here are a few D23 Expo 2022 exclusive pins that were given out at the Pixar booth (yes for free!) that I just wanted to quickly share and document here on the blog. First off, above are the two Elemental pins (Wade & Ember), promoting Pixar's next theatrical film Elemental (releasing June 16th, 2023). These were a little harder to get since I feel they were a bit more limited and went quickly, but I was lucky enough to obtain the very last Wade pin they had. As far as Ember, I missed out on her—BUT a huge thank you to my friend Josh (aka "Pixar Freak") who was nice enough to give me his! It was totally unnecessary, but incredibly kind nonetheless and I'm still so super grateful. It would have been weird to have one without the other, I will say! 

 

The Toy Story inspired Woody pin below was another freebie given out and I absolutely love the design of it. I'm not sure who the artist is behind any of these pins, but if you know, definitely shout it out down in the comment section.

 

Enjoy and have a great week!

 

Pixar Luxo Jr. Lamp & Ball T-Shirt— Disney Parks Exclusive

So it's been a long time since I picked up a new Pixar inspired tee. Honestly, I have SO many and there just hasn't been a design I've see that's been a "must have" in a quite a while—that is until just last week when I purchased this Pixar logo t-shirt featuring the iconic Luxo Jr. and Pixar ball! This just felt very unique and "me" and I couldn't resist getting it. 

I found this at Knick's Knacks at Disney's California Adventure (I'm not sure where else it might be sold) and ended up paying $26.93 for it. It's soft, fits well and I highly suggest picking it up as well if you're visiting DCA anytime soon! 

Let me know what you think down below and I'll catch you right here soon in my next blog post.

D23 Expo 2022 Exclusive 100 Years of Disney Magic Print (by Artist Eric Tan)

Here's something I grabbed at this year's D23 Expo last week! I absolutely love all the characters, references and hidden details included in this D23 Expo 2022 exclusive art (given out to D23 Gold Members for free) celebrating 100 years of Disney magic. The artist behind this print, Eric Tan, did an absolutely phenomenal job and I know the task he was given to do this was no small feat. I’ve looked at this a lot and I’m still noticing new things—so impressive! What’s your favorite detail?

*The print is 13x19 in size for anyone wondering.*

Coco Alebrije Dante Novelty Straw/Figural Clip (Disneyland & California Adventure Exclusive)

Hey all! So I just got back Anaheim, CA where I not only attended the 2022 D23 Expo, but was also grateful to have fit in a quick visit to Disneyland & California Adventure as well thanks to my friend Josh aka Pixar Freak! And even though I didn't come home with anything very exciting from the actual expo (Pixar merch was both VERY lacking AND lackluster this year), I did pick up a couple of cool new items from the parks—one of which was this really neat new Coco inspired alebrije Dante novelty straw/figural clip which just dropped earlier this month! Without Josh's help, I wouldn't have known about this; so again, I'm very grateful to him for not only getting me into the parks, but letting me know that this was out AND where it was available to buy.

I couldn't resist it (as well as a delicious refreshing horchata beverage) since firstly: it's super cute and unique and secondly: I've already collected several other Disney Parks novelty straws in the past (like the Luxo Jr. Toy Story alien and Ratatouille ones), so I knew this one would fit right in with the collection.

You can buy this right now at both the Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill in California Adventure AND the Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante in Disneyland (Frontierland) for $7.99.  

Let me know your thoughts down below! What do you all think of this one? Will you be picking it up?

Disney Parks Exclusive Pixar Luxo Ball Beach Towel!

Hey everyone! Wow, crazy I'm back here on the blog after all these months—I know. I have had SO many blog posts I've wanted to write here over the last year or so (and I do miss it), but it turns out there just aren't enough hours in the day. Who knew?

After deciding last spring (2021) that I was going to put all my efforts into pursuing YouTube full time, writing/filming/editing/uploading my video reviews daily has taken every spare second I have (outside of my other home and family responsibilities, of course). As such, my written reviews have—unfortunately—had to go on the back burner, at least for now. So yah, I'm still creating content, my Pixar product reviews have not stopped, it's just I've switched over to video format for the time being. If you're interested in following along with my reviews there on YouTube, be sure to check out my channel HERE and feel free to subscribe! Any support means a ton. 

Anyway, for today's post I just wanted finally jump on here and share that update with you all (since I know a lot of my long-time readers have wondered where I've been) as well as show you this fantastic Disney Parks exclusive Pixar Luxo Ball beach towel before the summer is over! I received this as a birthday gift over a year ago and meant to post this last summer—that's how behind I've been here. 

You know I love collecting anything and everything Pixar ball related, so this was a must have as soon as I saw it was hitting the Disney Parks! The towel is pretty huge (5 ft in diameter) and is just simply awesome for literally any Pixar fan young or old (even my 2 1/2 year old son Aidan loves it as you can see). I absolutely recommend tracking it down! I'm not sure if it's sold at the parks at this point, but it's pretty easy to find currently on eBay (that's where I got mine; see current listings HERE) for around $30.

Let me know what you think down in the comments and/or any questions you might have! Have you picked this up for your collection? Looking forward to hearing from you below. Hope you all have an AMAZING last few weeks of summer and I'll catch you in my next blog post / video review!

Lightyear 7" Scale Action Figures ARE Coming! | Mattel's ALPHA CLASS Series Revealed & Explained

Hey everyone! Today I'm thrilled to finally be able to talk about the new "Alpha Class" Series of Disney·Pixar Lightyear figures coming soon. SO I had seen these images floating around for a while, but I didn’t have enough info to report on them in full, BUT as of the Lightyear toy launch this past Sunday, we now have every detail we need to get us all super pumped thanks to Amazon listings.

So the news you were all hoping to hear is...yes these Alpha Class figures ARE in fact part of Mattel’s 7” scale action figure collection! Back when Mattel’s 5” scale Lightyear collection was announced, I know a lot of you (myself included) were disappointed that the Pixar 7” scale collection that we’ve been collecting for 3 years now seemed to have been over just like that and replaced with the 5” figures. But now we have confirmation that the 7” scale collection is continuing on through this Alpha Class series for Lightyear and is in addition to, not replaced by, the 5” scale figures. So great that we get the best of both worlds.

What’s really cool about the Alpha class figures is that they’re not the basic $10 Pixar 7” figures, but are more in line with Mattel’s more premium style 7” scale figures geared more toward slightly older kids and collectors—very similar to the collector centered Pixar Featured Favorites line I’ve been reviewing on my YouTube channel. And at a retail price of $21.99 each, they’re the exact same price point as the Featured Favorites as well, so I see what they’re doing here (these are basically Featured Favorites for Lightyear in a way). 

Anyway, within this Alpha Class series we have four figures, at least for now. I have no idea if additional characters will be made, but if this is it I’m happy we get at least the films four main characters: Space Ranger Alpha Buzz Lightyear with Sox, Zap Patrol Izzy Hawthorne, Zap Patrol Mo morrison and Zap Patrol Darby Steel.

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR & SOX

MO MORRISON

IZZY HAWTHORNE

DARBY STEEL

ALISHA HAWTHORNE & BUZZ LIGHTYEAR (XL-15) 2-PACK

And how cool and sleek are the window boxes they come in? I love that they're totally designed with us collectors in mind. Wow, amazing work Mattel team. They just keep on bringing it. Each of these figures will have premium detailing, plenty of film inspired accessories, and some incredible articulation (24 points each to be exact which is a pretty insane amount of posability),

Now for anyone here interested in pre-ordering any of these, I’ll drop the Amazon links to all four below. I’ll warn you though, only three are actually available to pre-order right now. Darby Steel isn’t available to pre-order quite yet, but keep on checking using my links below. At least there’s a listing for her up, so that’s a good sign.

Anyway, how happy are you that Mattel is continuing their Pixar 7” scale range with Lightyear after all? If only Mattel had done the Turning Red toys, we would have 7” scale figures for almost every single Pixar film so far. Oh well, maybe we’ll get those in the future but now I’m just happy the line is continuing on with Lightyear. Raise your hand down in the comments if you’re gonna pick these up! You know I did.

 

 

Disney·Pixar 'Lightyear' LEGO Sets Revealed!

Calling all Space Rangers! A couple weeks back, LEGO officially revealed their first four Disney·Pixar  Lightyear inspired sets—which you probably have seen by now—but if you haven't by chance, here they are! Even though I already did a video reveal of these last month, I wanted to document the news here on the blog as well.

You can find all the official listings (with many more images) on LEGO.COM HERE. So what do you think?? Which set is your fave and what else do you hope gets made? Let me know down in the comments and I'll catch you all in the next post.