Pixar Collection: "What's My Name?" Mystery Pin Set

Last month, my wife Brita and I had the awesome opportunity to go to a Disney cast members only store called the Company D-Team Center (a big thanks again to our good friends Adrianne and Kristin). While browsing, I stumbled across an awesome set of Pixar mystery pins that I hadn't ever seen before! They're called "What's My Name?"

It turned out that the pins were only available to cast members in 2014, hence the reason they're the iconic shape of a Disney Cast member name badge. There are 10 pins total in the series representing six Pixar films: Cars, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Toy Story and Brave. While I'm not really an avid Disney pin collector, this set stood out because of its rarity and exclusivity.

Our friends Adrianne and Kristin there saw how much I loved these pins during our visit, so they actually surprised me with a set while we were there (I couldn't actually buy them since I'm not a cast member)! It was very generous and beyond awesome of them.

I excitingly opened up the blind box to see which two pins were included with mine. I ended up getting the very awesome Ratatouille and the Brave ones. While I liked the Brave pin perfectly fine, they actually had the Finding Nemo one there in the trading box available...so I ended up trading for that one which I liked a bit better!

Now, knowing the completist in me, I'll probably end up trying to track down the rest. They're just too cool! Wish me luck.

If you're interested in collecting this set as well, be sure to check out eBay. There's a few on there right now and more seem to pop up every now and then. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments and I'll do my best to help!

Events: Meeting Artist Dave Perillo

For years now, I've seen the brilliant art of Dave Perillo here and there online as I've searched for minimalistic art related to some of my favorite films. Unexpectedly, I recently got a chance to meet him in person while attending this past Philadelphia Wizard World Comic Con- May 7th through 10th!

Dave is a fantastic pop culture artist who also is officially licensed by Disney. I first saw his work when he released his stunning limited edition "25 Years of Pixar" print that sold exclusively at the 2011 D23 Expo (seen below). Unfortunately, I've never been able to obtain that piece, but I've come across it countless times (and envy all those who have it hanging on their wall at home).

I was attending the Comic Con with my Brother Rob (of Herofied Art) helping him run his booth at the show. When I had time to take a break, I would walk around the convention floor searching for any cool merch that stood out to me. While wandering in the "artists alley" section, I recognized Dave's style from a distance and made my way over, not even thinking too much of it. When I got there, I realized how much of this guy's art I actually recognized and we started up a great conversation about the work he does for Disney and so much more! It was definitely the highlight of the trip.

During the four days I was there, I was able to get over to Dave's booth to chat quite a bit about his art, all the things we love in common (like Disney and Pixar of course) and what it's like to be officially licensed by "the mouse"- really good times! He's a super nice, down to earth guy and a very talented artist; if you ever have a chance to meet Dave at any of the conventions he travels to, don't miss out!

You can check out his portfolio on his blog Montygog (as well as all his upcoming shows he'll be attending). If you like what you see, be sure to hit him up on Instagram as well!

And by the way, if you're also a Star Wars fan as I am, you have to check out the Star Wars pieces he's done. I couldn't resist buying a few myself! Really quality stuff...can't wait to see what's next.

Monsters University: 24-Hour Monstrous Summer Event Button Pins

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Hope you all have a fun, festive and safe holiday.

Exactly two years ago today, Disneyland and Walt Disney World held a Monsters University themed 24 hour all-nighter event at the parks (from 6 a.m. on May 24, to 6 a.m. on May 25) to kick off that year's "Monstrous Summer." In Disney World, just the Magic Kingdom was open for those 24 hours straight, while in California, both Disneyland and California Adventure stayed open.

During these 24 hours, there was extra entertainment, characters wearing their pajamas and (of course) some exclusive merch...including these Monsters U buttons/pins that were given out to guests!

From what I understand, there wasn't just one way to get a hold of these pins; some were given out to attendees in the parks, some were given out to those that carpooled with three or more people, some were given randomly to those parking in the Disney parking lots, etc.

In addition to these four buttons, there was a JOX fraternity one, a PNK sorority one and one that said "I Had a Monstrous Summer with Disneyland [or Disney's California Adventure] Today" as well. One additional button that I know I'm missing is the Mike and Sulley pool party one seen HERE. I might just have to track that one down (along with the other three mentioned above) since I have most of the others.

A big thanks to my good friend Adrianne for snagging these for me during the 24 hour event! Since I wasn't able to attend at the time, he was nice enough to hook me up and got them to me recently (when we met up at the Star Wars Celebration). Really cool stuff!

UPDATE- 9/18/15

Remember that Monsters University "pool party" button I mentioned above, but didn't have? Well it has now been added to my collection of the 24-Hour Monstrous Summer Event button/pins! A huge thanks to blog reader Paulina (Twitter @HeartDisney10) for hooking me up with this. She was able to find me at the D23 Expo and handed this over as a fun little surprise (among a couple other items I'll be posting soon). That was so awesome and thoughtful- again, thanks so much! It looks great. 

A Bug's Life: Heimlich & Hopper Funko Mystery Minis

Brand new for 2015, here we have the Disney Heroes Vs. Villains Mystery Mini blind box collection from Funko! In this line, you'll find 12 individually packed mini vinyl figures- six heroes and six villains from a variety of different Disney films. Like Vinylmations, you don't know who you're gonna get until you open it! They stand approximately 2-2 1/2 inches tall.

As soon as I saw some Pixar characters were represented in this line with Hopper and Heimlich from A Bug's Life, I knew I had to track them down. I was instantly drawn to the adorable and stylized designs.

Lets take a closer look!

And I have to say, they're even better in person and a bit bigger than I thought they'd be! Yes, they're still small, but I was expecting smaller. Here's a size comparison next to a quarter so you can better grasp the size of these guys.

You can find this assortment of mystery minis online at Amazon, eBay and many other online stores (Google shopping link HERE). For all you Disney·Pixar fans out there...I can't recommend these enough! You'll love 'em.

Cars: Pit Crew Member Guido

From Mattel, here we have the latest re-release of Pit Crew Member Guido from the original Cars! This version of the character has been available a few times over the years, such as in the "Race O Rama" and "World of Cars" series, but this is a most welcome return for me since I had missed it the first few times around.

He is #3/8 of the 2015 "95 Pit Crew" sub-series and, as usual, is a 1:55 scale diecast.

As I've mentioned before, I really enjoy when the cars come with accessories that help you re-create scene specific moments- and this one is no exception. The tire stack, screw drive in hand and the tool chest are all great additions!

This has just been released within the last few weeks, so head to your local stores soon to check for availability. If you're not having any luck within in stores, or would just rather save some time, you can easily snag him online on eBay right HERE or Amazon using the direct link below:

Inside Out: Band-Aids

With Inside Out hitting theaters in just under a month, merch from film is finally starting to trickle out! Books have been showing up at various stores, fruit snacks were released not too long ago (seen HERE), Funko products just hit stores last week and of course the massive amount of great items that were released May 4th at the Disney Store. Amongst all that, even Inside Out Band-Aids have arrived. 

Does getting cut or burned make you sad, angry, fearful, disgusted or even all of the above? Like most people, I'm sure you feel at least a couple of those emotions when you get hurt. Well, look no further than these great new Band-Aids from Johnson & Johnson to cheer you up!

This boxed set includes 20 Band-Aids (assorted sizes) with 12 unique designs based on the emotion characters from the film- Sadness, Anger, Fear, Disgust and Joy.

I really enjoy how they've included two different styles of images printed on these. For example, the Band-Aids on the top row use the more minimalistic/simplistic designs (seen on a lot of the merch out there), while the ones on the bottom row are basically the digital renderings of the characters straight from the film.

I can't help but favor the minimal designs...that's exactly the artistic style I'm drawn to (that wasn't supposed to be a pun, but I guess now it is) and I love how they've incorporated that style into much of the film's merchandise. 

Definitely check your local stores for these. If you're already a fan of the film (or of Pixar in general) then these are a must! I found mine at Target, but I'm sure you can find them at other stores as well (such as Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, etc...). Let me know if you have any questions or comments and thanks for dropping by!

Cars 2: Lights & Sounds Mater

In 2011, as a part of the original Cars 2 line, Mattel released a sub-collection of 1:55 scale diecasts with lights and sounds...one of them being this here Spy Mater (part of the Walmart exclusive "Mater's Secret Mission" series)!

I didn't actually collect any of the lights and sounds cars back in the day (since I had all the characters as standard releases and getting them all again with sounds would have gotten a little redundant for me), but recently this Spy Mater one caught my eye. The reason? I realized that Mattel actually still hasn't made a standard diecast release of Mater with any spy gear/weapons! Since this one comes with his spy guns and his turbo boosters on the back, I figured at this point it was a must have. Plus, admittedly the lights and sounds are pretty cool.

By pressing the button on the front of Mater, he'll say one of these eight phrases while his one working headlight emits flashing lights at 5-32 cycles per second.

"I'm back fellow bad guys"
"Right, right! Now left!
"And now...shoot! The second kind, not the first!"
"Gotchyou.."
"Dad gum lemons!"
"What's goin on? Where are we?"
"Deactivate, deactivate!"
"Wait wait! I didn't mean that kind of shoot!" 

I was lucky enough to find this one recently at a Mattel outlet store that we went to in California (on sale for just a few bucks), but you can also find it online such as on Amazon or eBay. As usual to my fellow Cars collectors...good luck on the hunt!

Events: Our Visit to the Real Up House (2015 Road Trip Part 5)

Today I'm wrapping up writing about our 2015 Disney road trip with part five of five (if you missed the others, be sure to check out part one, part two, part three and part four).

After an amazing whirlwind of a time at Disneyland, California Adventure, Star Wars Celebration and a couple of nights in Las Vegas, our California Disney trip was coming to end. However, there was still one last thing on our agenda to look forward to...our scheduled visit to the famous Utah "Real Up House"!

Since we were driving through Utah on the way back to Idaho, and also since my wife's family would all be out there as well for her sister's wedding that was happening that weekend, I thought it would be the perfect time to finally schedule a full-on photo shoot visit to the Up house. We had been meaning to for quite some time, but since we were moving back east to Connecticut after this trip, this would be our last chance. Needless to say, everything went according to plan and I look forward to sharing all the magical details of our visit with you!

ABOUT THE UP HOUSE

In 2011, this full sized, fully functional replica of the iconic house from Pixar's Up was built by Bangerter Homes as part of the "Utah Parade of Homes." During that summer, the house was opened to the public for touring. In November of 2011, the house was sold to Disney·Pixar mega fans Clinton and Lynette Hamblin who are the current occupants today with their family.

While the neighborhood's homeowners association did initially make quite a fuss regarding the house's bright, whimsical colors, the Hamblins were ultimately allowed to keep the color scheme (rather than have to comply to the standard earth tones) in order "to preserve the charm of the house."

The Hamblins also decided to keep the inside of the home decorated in the style of Up (with all the custom made replicas, props and furniture that came with purchasing the home) and have brilliantly and seamlessly incorporated their own family's photos and personal items as part of the decor as well.

The house is located in Herriman Utah (about 27 miles outside of Salt Lake City). It's 2,800 square feet with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a finished basement, a beautiful kitchen, two marvelous living rooms and even some "secret" spaces (more on that later in the post). Details from the film's house are everywhere, from the outside weathervane to the inside mantel pieces. As a massive Pixar fan, this was a sight to behold.

SCHEDULING A VISIT 

What's really cool to me is that Clinton and Lynette have made it possible for people to still come and visit the house, despite being years after the Parade of Homes. As magical as it is on the inside and out, it's still their private residence; so I find that very generous of them that they give people the opportunity to come and enjoy some time there on their property.

To schedule a time to visit for a 45 minute outdoor photo shoot, all you need to do is visit therealuphouse.com and contact the owners with a specific day and time you're looking to come. They'll work out a final time with you and that's it! It was seamless. Note: Scheduling a photo shoot  doesn't include a photographer, so if you would like a professional there, I'm sure the Hamblins could give you some local options.   

The outside photo shoot is $50, while going inside for pictures is an additional charge (you can check out their pricing on the website). You can also rent Up themed props from them to use in your photos such as the iconic hand print mailbox, Carl's cane, Ellie's painter palette with brush, "adventure hats and goggles", a bow tie, the grape soda pin, Carl's balloon cart and more. It's really neat!

Lynette is also kind enough to let guests know where the closest Walmart is in their town prior to coming...picking up balloons for a photo shoot there is an absolute must!

OUR VISIT

As planned, we got 10 balloons at the nearest Walmart (it's about six-eight minutes away) and headed right over to the house for our 11:30 a.m. shoot...and of course Brita and I came in some Up attire! We both wore our Up Hot Topic Tees (read the post on my shirt HERE; find Brita's at Hot Topic's website HERE) and Brita even got an Up grape soda bow for her hair (also found at Hot Topic HERE). Balloons- check. Themed clothes- check. We were good to go!

We met the rest of Brita's family there at the house including her mom, dad, brother Johnny, sister Kersti and her sister's [now] husband Michael. We met the very kind Lynette and Clinton, and after signing some papers, the place was ours to do the photos for the next hour or so!

Though we were worried since it was very windy when we got there, we feel that the pictures still came out just about perfect. They told us it was pretty consistently windy in that area, so don't be alarmed! Your photos will still be great. In fact, having the balloons flow in the wind as they did probably even made the pictures better! 

Speaking of the pictures...let's get to them! A big thanks to Brita's mom for being our photographer.

The whole crew!

Here we are all together before the engaged couple had to run off to finish some wedding stuff. And yes, of course we had to fork out to rent the mailbox prop! How could we not? Such a crucial element.

Brita, me, Michael and  Kersti

The two love birds- now happily married!

Me, Johnny and Michael. Brita's dad in the background is of course trying to pull off a grumpy old man :)

Brita and her mom

SQUIRREL!!

Dan the jumping Pixar fan strikes again!

After our amazingly fun photo shoot, we were getting ready to head out...however we were actually given the opportunity to go inside which was so unexpected and extremely appreciated! I can't even tell you how exciting it was.

So many awesome movie details were all throughout the house. The pictures don't even do the place justice! Which ones can you spot?

Fun fact: Lynette actually makes that wonderful Disney glass art seen on the shelves above! She even sells it right on the Up house website (visit the page HERE to purchase).

They also had a couple cool custom "My Adventure Books", which was fantastic since I've always wanted one. Not only was the one seen below an extremely movie accurate one, but it filled with the names of hundreds of people who have visited the home!

I was also thrilled and felt very honored that Clinton wanted to show me something that he doesn't always pull out and show guests...but because he knew I was such an avid Pixar collector, he knew how much I would appreciate it!

It was a surprise gift from Pixar as a house warming gift to them...an Up teaser poster signed by director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera (with little doodles of a balloon, Carl, Ellie, Dug and Kevin)! It also says "Enjoy your new house!" SO COOL.

I loved the retro style kitchen. It was really nice! Even though the kitchen isn't seen in the actual film, you can imagine it may have looked something like this.

The kitchen table, however, is seen in the film...so they tried to find a similar style.

Before we left, Brita actually asked if we could see the stork themed nursery they have upstairs (which looks exactly like the one in the movie, wall painting and all)...and I'm glad she did! The Hamblins were kind enough to let us take a peak up there. Clinton even gave us a cool insight that we had never noticed before. In the stork room painting (both in the film and in the house there), there is a little blue cloud and a little pink cloud near the bottom middle; meaning of course that they didn't know the gender of the baby yet. It's nothing crucial, but we thought it was cool since we hadn't noticed it before!

Just when I thought we saw it all, Clinton shows us one last little detail. See those shelves at the top of the stair? Well, to our surprise, they actually opened up to reveal a secret play room for the kids! Just when you thought it couldn't get any cooler...wow! 

When it came time to leave, we definitely didn't want to. We just had so much fun! I could have spent hours longer there exploring all the details and work that was put into this house. I'm so glad we were able to have this experience and so grateful to the Hamblins for the magical memories we now look back on and cherish! They were so kind, warm and welcoming to us and we appreciated everything they did to make our time there that much better. A HUGE thanks to them!

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Up house for yourself, don't miss it! I can't recommend it enough. We will be looking back at these fond times for years and years to come.

Be sure to follow the Up house on Instagram @UpHouse, on Twitter @PixarUPhouse and on Facebook HERE!

UPDATE 6/04/15: I'm honored to have been a part of PixarPost.com's most recent podcast where I talk more about my experience. Visit their site HERE to have a listen!