Monsters University: Mike Bop Ball

Ever wanted to punch Mike Wazowski over and over again? This is your chance. All you do is blow him up, tie the knot, secure your finger and punch to your heart's desire! 

 When I was at Kmart a few days ago checking for the latest cars, I saw this MU Mike "Bop Ball" in one of those holiday $2 bins and said to myself "this is too random to pass up!" I don't usually ever go for the cheap stuff, but I thought this was a pretty funny. 

 

Of course, it does get old after about 30 (or less) seconds...but it's still fun and hilarious! My nieces and nephews will for sure get a kick out of this when I show them during Christmas break.

 

Check out my Vine video below to see it in action:

Lego: Toy Story Army Men On Patrol

Here is one of the few Toy Story LEGO sets I got back in 2010... The "Army Men On Patrol"! It comes with four Army Men minifigures, a stretcher and an army truck (not seen in the film, but still fun here). This set is 90 pieces. 

Below is a picture from back when it was first built a few years back:
 

Check out my "LEGO" label to the right to see more Pixar related LEGO sets and look for more here soon!

Toy Story 2: Notebook

Here is my original 1999 Toy Story 2 spiral notebook! It has a 3D vinyl type material front which makes it look pretty neat. I'm not sure where this came from originally (as I'm sure it was a gift from my parents) and I can't seem to find even an image of it online. It's still in almost perfect condition with no writing in it whatsoever! 

Here's the back:

 

Cars: 3D Poster

Here is the Cars 3D lenticular 11"x14" poster! This was available at Best Buy quite a few years ago. There isn't much to report/review here since it is what it is, but I recommend it to you Cars fans nonetheless! If you're interested in tracking it down, I found one on eBay here. 

Toy Story 1, 2 & 3: Limited Collector's Edition Read-Aloud Storybooks

 When Toy Story 3 came out in 2010, I was so excited (being that the Toy Story films are probably my favorite Pixar movies if I had to choose) to see a plethora of new Toy Story products out for the first time in 11 years! I figured, since this would be the last Toy Story film, I'd better get all the things that really stood out to me before they left the stores for good.

Getting a few of the books I saw at the time was definitely on my list to get. But which ones? There were SO many. Once I saw these ones and flipped though the illustrations, I was sold. They were the artistic style that I really like and the summarized stories were well written.

 The first two Toy Story stories can be found in the first book and the story of Toy Story 3 got its own book (as seen in the pictures above).

A page example from Toy Story:

 A page example from Toy Story 2:

 A page example from Toy Story 3:

If you have young kids who would love to read these classic stories over and over or if you're an adult Pixar book collector OR if your both, I can't recommend these enough! 

These books were limited collector's editions and are a little hard to find. I could not find them on Amazon (except for Kindle versions) but I did see a couple on eBay for under $15 if you are interested. 

Thanks for visiting and come back daily to see more items from my Pixar collection! 

Cars: Artie

Here is Artie, the RSN (Racing News Network) TV director from Cars! His appearance in the film can be seen in the screenshot above. This version of the character has lenticular eyes but he was also released in the "final lap" collecting with fixed eyes.

From Pixar Wiki, here's a little about Artie: "Artie started covering local sporting events back in Wilmington, Delaware, but caught the attention of Racing Sports Network executives with his ability to not just cover the race, but the story of the race as well. Artie likes to say, 'If there's a story out there, I'm just trying to cover it.'"

Cars 2: Barrel Blowout Track Set

Following my post on the Mattel Cars 2 Stunt Ramp Getaway Track Set from back in July, here is another track set from the same line..."Barrel Blowout!'

This is one of six track sets that connect to make an awesome chain reaction! The six include Stunt Ramp Getaway, (this) Barrel Blowout, Spy Jet Escape, Tokyo Spinout, Cliffside Challenge and the Big Bentley Breakout. Look for more posts on these track sets soon!
 

This track set represents the opening scene from Cars 2 when Finn escapes the oil rig. The set also includes two vehicles: one plastic 1:55 scale Finn Mcmissile and one plastic unnamed "Crane" character. 

 

 Check out the short video below to see this set in action!
 

Toy Story: How to Draw Book

If you wanna learn some of the basics of drawing your favorite Toy Story & Toy Story 2 characters, this is the book for you! This is my original "How to Draw: Toy Story" book from 1999. I can't say I ever made it far with the drawing thing, but for you aspiring artists/Pixar fans, this book is a great book for beginners! Maybe my kids will have more of a drawing talent than I do someday :)

I just saw a couple of these on eBay for a cheap price... so if you're interested, track them down HERE.

Toy Story 3: Lenticular Poster

It's hard to tell from this picture, but this awesome Toy Story 3 poster is actually a "lenticular" print with a 3D effect! The size is 27" by 17" and is a vinyl type material. I'm not sure where it originally came from, as it was a gift from my parents back in 2010 when the film was released...does anyone remember where this was first available? 

This is a great item for any Disney/Pixar fan...especially if you're a movie poster collector. This one is pretty neat because it's not one of the more commonly known Toy Story posters out there.  

There are currently 3 of these on eBay so check it out if you're interested in tracking this down!They sell for about $15-$20.

UPDATE: Thanks to blog reader Zach who remembered that this poster were originally available at Toys R Us when you spent a certain amount of money. Thanks for letting me know Zach! 

Cars: Fabulous Hudson Hornet

23 days till Christmas! Here is the new holiday 2013 package edition of the Fabulous Hudson Hornet 1:55 scale car from Mattel! This particular version has "lenticular eyes." 

When the Cars diecasts were first released, I wasn't the completest I am today. When I got the Fabulous Hudson Hornet crew-chief car (with headset) back a few years ago, I figured that was good enough...but these days I recognized that I needed the character without the headset (as seen in the film right after the final big race and during the credits) as well if I was going to feel like my collection was really complete. : )

 

I was super happy when I saw that Mattel had just released this character again...not in the mainstream lineup of 2013 cars but only in this Christmas/Holiday packaging. That works for me since I don't care what package he's in, as long as I get the character!

One of the main reasons to be exited about the Hudson Hornet's return to stores is because, if you missed him back during his initial release, he can be very hard to track down online for a decent price. He usually sells, even just loose, for pretty expensive prices ($20 +).

I found this one at my local Fed Meyer grocery store and he was 20% off! He was not in the main Cars isle, but was found on a display stand (with the other 2013 Christmas edition cars) near the toy section (seen below).

I only started checking Fred Meyer for Pixar toys a few months ago. Before then, I had never even heard of it. I looked up to see if I had one near me one day after someone tweeted about a good find that they had found there, and luckily thee was! If you have one near you, I'd definitely check it out. They have had many Pixar things (mainly Toy Story, MU and Cars stuff) that I have not found anywhere else. It has been a great spot to check during my weekly toy runs so if you're a collector as I am, definitely check it out! 

A Toy Story Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar!

Happy first day of December! Today's post is on the Hallmark exclusive "A Toy Story Countdown to Christmas" advent calendar from 2010! Each day of the month you open a flap to reveal a surprise fact about how the toys of Andy's room like to celebrate the Holiday Season as you countdown to the best day of the year. Since I haven't opened this yet, as I'm saving this for my kids to have someday, I'm not sure what you can expect as you open up the flaps....but sounds fun!

You can find this still on eBay for under $15 if you're interested in getting it this year! If you're a fan of Christmas, Toy Story or Disney/Pixar in general, this is for you. 

 

UPDATE 12/03/22—

Well, here I am almost a decade later updating this post since the time has finally come to give this advent calendar to my son Aidan who's just about to turn three years old! Luckily he loves Toy Story just like I hoped he would ;)  Here are some updated pics of the calendar and Aidan enjoying opening the first couple doors— I'm looking forward to opening a flap each day with him this month! Pretty surreal and magical after all this time. I also posted a video to my Instagram account HERE to capture the fun.

Cars: Mike and Sulley Movie Moments 2-Pack

 Here is the Movie Moments Mike and Sulley 2-Pack from the Cars "supercharged" line! I absoulutey love these cars...such a great set! 

One of the funniest and most creative scenes in Cars is during the end credits when the cars are at the Radiator Springs Drive-In Theater. There we see many of our favorite Pixar characters in car form such as Buzz, Woody, Hamm, PT Flea, Flik, the Circus Clowns, the Yeti, and, of course, Mike and Sulley!

The scene is hilarious because it pokes fun at how John Ratzenberger has had a cameo in every single Pixar film. The scene can be watched Here. Never gets old!

As of 2014, with the "Circus Cars" being released as Super Chases, Mattel has made every character from that scene...I'll be posting more soon, so stay tuned! 

Toy Story: The Essential Guide

Per request, here is my original 1999 Toy Story/ Toy Story 2: The Essential Guide Book! This is my third "Essential Guide" post following the Monsters University and Cars 2 ones. The only movie DK publishing never released an essential guide for is A Bug's Life.

Ever since I was little, I always liked DK publishing's "Essential Guide" books to all my favorite movies...Pixar films are of course no exception! They're always chock-full of lots of fun info about characters, plot points, props, fun trivia ("Did you know?" facts), quotes, stats and much more! These books are great for learning so many things about the films that you might not get from just watching them.

Here's an example of a couple of the fun pages you can expect:

 

This essential guide and an updated, more recent version of the same book can both be found on Amazon for very reasonable prices (if you visit the Amazon link, you can "look inside" at more pages from the book). 

Definitely grab this if you haven't yet!

Cars: Latest Wave of 2013 Movie Moments 2-Packs

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm thankful for SO many things...and it's no surprise that Pixar is one of them!

Most importantly, I'm thankful for my family and my beautiful wife Brita. This morning we were excited to exchange some thanksgiving presents and I was so happy to finally receive the latest wave of Cars and Cars 2 movie moments 2-packs! Thank you! 

Also, a HUGE thanks to my very good friends and fellow Pixar fans T.J. and Julie Woslos over at the PixarPost.com for thinking of me the day they found these. Even though they were rushed to make it to a movie, they took the time to send me a message to see if I would like them to pick these up for me. I'm so happy I accepted their offer because I still have not found them at any of my local stores. I'm thankful for them and for the time they put into giving all of us Pixar fans the latest Pixar news! Thanks again guys. 

Now onto these awesome sets:

First off, my personal favorite, Uncle Topolino's Band! Brita thought this was so cute and jokingly said she wanted to keep this one for herself.

 The band can be seen in Cars 2 during the Italian festival scene when Uncle and Aunt Topolino talk about the true meaning of friendship to Mcqueen (screen shot below):

.

 Doug Speedcheck and "Palace Danger" Finn McMissile:

 Doug is a British Police officer and can be see in London near the Queen at the end of the film (screen shot below):

.

Palace Danger Finn has a yelling expression (similar to the screen shot below when Finn and Holley are trying to escape Big Bentley). 

Yokoza and Chisaki:

These 2 cars can be seen with other "tuners" during the Tokyo party scene (screen shot below). All of the cars seen below were released this year.

Lightning Mcqueen (with sign) and Fred:

It was funny, T.J. and I both wondered "should I get this 2-pack just to get that sign since I already have Lighning and Fred?" The conclusion as a cars completest was..."Yes!"

Mcqueen is seen with the Rusteeze sign in the first Cars film when he tries to sneak into the Rusteeze tent unnoticed (as seen in the screen shot below):

And everyone who has seen Cars remembers the confused old rusty car Fred who yells in excitement "He knows my name!" as Mcqueen reads his license plate (screen shot below): 

Thanks for vising and be sure to check back daily for more from my Pixar collection. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Cars 2: The Essential Guide

Since I was little, I always liked the DK publishing's "Essential Guide" books to all my favorite movies...Pixar films are of course no exception! They're always chock-full of lots of fun info about characters, plot points, props, fun trivia ("Did you know?" facts), quotes, stats and much more! These books are great for learning so many things about the films that you might not get from just watching them.

Below is an example of a couple of the pages:

 

There are essential guides for every Pixar film except A Bug's Life. Stay tuned for the Toy Story/Toy Story 2 guide to be posted here very soon! 

Check out my "Books" label to the right to see my other posts on some of the great Pixar books I've collected so far. Thanks for visiting today!

Monsters University: Scare Pairs (Fearsome Friends) PAGE UPDATE- Dean Hardscrabble!

Today's post is another page update to my MU toys! I just recently added Dean Hardscrabble to my collection of "Fearsome Friends." Visit the original post HERE and scroll down just a bit to see the update!

Toy Story: Pop-Up Book

When I was little, I LOVED pop-up books. What kid doesn't? Not gonna lie though...I still love pop-up books! When I was home this summer, I went through all my old books trying to find anything Pixar related. I was thrilled when I found this one, I had totally forgotten about it! As soon as I saw it I remembered it and it brought back a ton of memories as I looked through it again.

This is my original 1995 Toy Story pop-up book that I got when the movie first came out. As I looked through the pages, I was amazed to find out this book is still in great condition after all these years. Pop-up books are hard to keep nice (especially how little kids handle them) and I found only very minor tearing on maybe a page or two. 

This book is so awesome. Here's a page example of what you can expect if you go track this down:
 

This book takes you through the story of the film in ten pop-up pages. Some pages even have some interactive tabs to make characters move and such. Very cool!

You can find this book NEW currently on eBay for an insanely good price HERE. Hurry though! There's only seven days left for the listing. 

To buy this book NEW on Amazon would be about $100, so I would snag it on eBay if you have the chance. Amazon does have some USED ones for sale but those are very questionable as far as quality-especially for a pop-up book that's this old.

This is a great book for you Toy Story fans out there. I would definitely get this if you haven't already.