Monsters Inc.: Sulley Art of Pixar Mug

I'm back everyone! It's good to be home, but It's always enormously sad to leave a Disney World vacation. I can't wait to share all of our phenomenal times with you this coming week!

Here we have another monstrously fun concept art mug now available exclusively at the Disney Store UK and Walt Disney World (I'm sure it will be on US Disney Store shelves soon enough as well). Featuring various sketches of Sulley from Monsters Inc., this mug is part of the new "Art of Pixar" collection (which debuted at the 2015 D23 Expo with concept Buzz and Woody mugs and continued recently with Wall·E, Eve and Mike Wazowski).

This ceramic mug is 4 1/2'' H x 3 3/8'' Diameter (5'' W at handle) and holds 12 oz. of your favorite hot beverage. It's both microwave and dishwasher safe. Check it out in more detail below-

I was absolutely thrilled to have spotted this in Walt Disney World this past week. I had seen this only on the Disney Store UK's site HERE for months and hoped that it would come to the US eventually. I had no idea it could be found in the parks! It's still not sold at the normal US Disney Stores, but I'll be sure to update this post when/if it pops up there.

You can find this mug at almost every single main gift shop anywhere at Disney World, so it shouldn't be hard to find if you're going there looking for this. I purchased mine in Downtown Disney (I mean, "Disney Springs") at the World of Disney Store as seen below.

I hope this helps those trying to track this down! Best of luck on the hunt. 

Break- Disney World Vaca!

Hello there everyone! Yes it's true, another break from the blog is upon us. We've just left for our [relatively spontaneous] Disney World vacation and will be there in Orlando until late next week! Blog posts, including full documentation of our trip, will resume on Monday the 25th.

I'm so looking forward to our magical times ahead. Be sure to join in on the fun by following me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, where I'll be posting some updates on where we are and what we're up to during the week!

Thanks so much for your continued support- stay tuned!

The Good Dinosaur: "Run with the Ranchers" Men's Tee

Hee-ya! Here we have a pretty neat looking The Good Dinosaur men's tee featuring everyone's favorite cowboy T-Rex family! This was released last fall exclusively at the Disney Store.

I really like the minimal designs of Ramsey, Nash and Butch riding off into the western sunset with the phrase "Run with the Ranchers." It captures nicely one of my favorite moments from the film! 

I had seen this around for months, but I honestly wasn't completely sold on paying full price for it. However, when I saw it for $4.99 in my Disney Store's clearance section recently, there was no question about it. I thought it would be perfect for our visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom this coming week!

This T-shirt has a nice cotton feel and fits well (the standard Disney Store fit of not too fitted but not too boxy, if you know what I'm talking about). If you're interested in grabbing this one for a steal of a deal, get it while you can! You might be able to find it at your local Disney Store still (like I did) or you can pick it up online HERE.

Have fun out on the prairie, but watch out for them rustlers! 

Finding Nemo: Hasbro Fishing Boat Escape Play Set

Almost two years ago, back in August 2014, I purchased and posted about Hasbro's really fun 2003 Finding Nemo Figure/Play Set collection. Though I had almost the entire line (the two figures packs "Aquarium Gang" and "Ocean Gang" as well as the "Aquarium Adventure" Play Set seen HERE), I was still missing one item; a second play set called "Fishing Boat Escape."

Well as you can see, I finally got a hold of it- and for a decent price on eBay! This one was a bit more rare and harder to find, so I'm thrilled to have snatched it at last. The collection is now complete!

Let's take a detailed look at everything out of the box. I couldn't resist opening this one, since all the other sets I have are also loose. I definitely wanted to see how it all looked together, as well as test the features.

This play set comes with everything you see here: the main boat/ocean play area, a shell, a sea star, an anemone, a piece of coral, a Nemo figure and a Pearl figure. The cool looking jellyfish is actually removable as well (which I thought was a nice touch).

Nemo can be removed from the anemone.

Pearl's tentacles are suppose to spin when you roll or on a hard surface, but this feature doesn't work well at all unfortunately. The wheel that activates the spinning motion doesn't have enough grip and it mostly ends up just scratching any surface you push her along on. On a positive note, the figure itself is adorable!
 

The fish can hide from enemies in the ocean cave.

And here's a look at the backside of the set! Really nice details all over.

 The boat's crane/net can be swiveled around.

Oh no! The fishermen have captured Nemo. Push him down with your finger and tell him to "just keep swimming" to help him escape the net!

He made it! Watch as Nemo zooms down the "water slide" back into the ocean.

Also, if you want to play with them separately, the boat can be removed from the ocean structure.

And here we have all the sets and figures together! It looks so awesome right? I love all the bright, vibrant colors and the wide variety of characters in this collection.

As a side note, I also love how Pearl now completes Nemo's school friend group. Sheldon, Tad and Nemo were missing her for years!

Again, if you missed my original detailed post featuring the Aquarium Adventure play set and the two figure sets, check it out HERE.

There we go! I think that's just about everything. If you're now interested in tracking any of these Finding Nemo figure/play sets down, keep checking eBay regularly and hopefully you'll hit the jackpot. Best of luck!

Please, feel free to comment with any thoughts or questions you might have. What do you think of this collection? Did you grow up playing with these at all? I'd love to hear from you!

Cars 2: Stefan Gremsky

From Disney·Pixar's Cars 2, here we have yet another brand new, never before released Mattel 1:55 scale diecast...Stefan Gremsky! This character has just just hit shelves and is part of the 2016 "Oil Rig Getaway" sub-series (#4/8).

As shown in the screenshot above, Stefan is one of the "Lemons" near the beginning of the film who pursues Finn Mcmissile on the top of the oil rig.

I always love getting new Lemon releases (for scene building) and I especially like this one. The details and colors here are just super cool! I was able to find Stefan at Walmart just last week, so make sure you head to your local stores soon to check for availability.

As usual, best of luck on the hunt to all my fellow Cars collectors!

The Good Dinosaur: Action Arlo and Spot Figure Set

Here we have one of the newest additions to the TOMY The Good Dinosaur toy line up: Action Arlo and Spot! This figure 2-pack includes a never before released Arlo (with sounds and running action) and a brand new Spot figure. Really fantastic stuff! Let's take a closer look at some of the details.

Your first question might be, "are these figures in conjunction with TOMY's main Good Dino action figure line?" The answer would be yes. Though this Arlo is a little bigger than the standard, non electronic "large" Arlo, this is just to better accommodate the running feature. Other than that, this Arlo goes great with the rest of the collection. As for Spot, he's the exact same scale as the other two Spot figures released so far (see Spot with Lizard and Spot with Giant Beetle).

The included Spot was one of the main aspects of this set that I was really attracted to. The only two Spot figures released previously (as seen in the links above) both had biting and chomping expressions, which was fine, but I was really hoping for a Spot with a more "pleasant", neutral look. I got my wish here! And it's a really great looking figure.

Let's dive into some of the features. Note- I didn't fully take Arlo out of the package, but I did open Spot up. With Spot out, all the features can be tested right there in the box (so I figured I'd keep this one nice for future play).

What's really cool is that both Arlo and Spot have magnets inside them. Just place Spot on Arlo's back (you'll feel him stick right on him) to activate the various sounds! Remove and replace Spot to hear more (different howls, laughs, grunts and giggles), or just move him back him back and forth.

Pulling the trigger under Arlo's tail [repeatedly] will activate even more sounds (Arlo foot steps and dialogue) and "running action." Here's a list of the different phrases you'll hear:

• "Good boy Spot!"
• "I sure appreciate you lookin' out for me."
• "Spot can sniff out anything."
• "We're almost there Spot!"
• "How'd you get your scar?" 

See and hear it for yourself in my brief video demonstration below!



This is an extremely cool toy set that young Good Dino fans (or the young at heart) will love and appreciate. Both characters feel durable and well made (not to mention the sculpts have near perfect likenesses) and the sounds/action features are super fun. I have no complaints here! Definitely pick this one up on Amazon using the link below or visit your local Target or Toys R Us stores (in store, retail is $29.99).

Have a blast! 

UPDATE 11/25/20- I finally took this toy out of the package to photograph it for the film's 5th anniversary today! I wanted to share the the shot I captured for Instagram here:

 

Cars: Eugene Carbureski (Tank Coat)

From Disney·Pixar Cars, here is the newly re-released Mattel 1:55 scale diecast of Eugene Carbureski , better known by his sponsor Tank Coat (No. 36)! This character has been released a couple other times over the last 10 years, but this particular single pack release is from this year's 2016 "Piston Cup" sub series (#11/14). I've been waiting for this one to come back for a long time! I'm that much closer to finally having all the Piston Cup racers.

As shown in the screenshot above, Tank Coat is briefly seen speeding by the camera in the film's opening Motor Speedway of the South (Dinoco 400) race. He is one of the 36 race cars competing for the Piston Cup.

You can find this one in stores now (I just found him at Walmart this past week), or be sure to snag him online by visiting eBay HERE using this direct link or Amazon using the link below. Best of luck on the hunt!

The Good Dinosaur: "A New World of Adventure" Postcard by Joey Chou

Here we have an outstanding The Good Dinosaur postcard that was recently sold exclusively at the  Wonderground Gallery in Orlando, FL (Disney Springs) and Anaheim, CA (Downtown Disney)! Over the past couple years, I've been drawn to a particular minimalist style when it comes to Disney·Pixar art (see work by some of my favorites like Jerrod Maruyama, Dave Perillo and Tom Whalen); so I was thrilled to have discovered another talented artist recently, Joey Chou, who really caught my attention with this beautiful Good Dino art. It's 100% my taste.

Joey's use of straight lines, texture, basic geometric shapes and pastels makes for a really unique looking and beautiful piece. This print is called "A New World of Adventure" and was available late last year.

This was the most affordable way to purchase the print, but there was a larger size (ideal for mounting/framing) at the gallery as well. Unfortunately, this piece is currently sold out there at this point, but you can still find it on eBay HERE using this direct link.

Joey, you've officially made it on my shortlist of favorite Disney artists! I greatly look forward to checking out all of your older designs as well as what's in store for the future.

Find out more about Joey Chou and his art on his Tumblr, blog, and Facebook page. 

Cars: Sedanya Oskanian

My luck continues! From Disney·Pixar's Cars, here we have yet another brand new, never before released Mattel 1:55 scale diecast...Sedanya Oskanian! This character has just just hit shelves and is part of the 2016 "95 Dinoco Daydream" sub-series (#3/9).

As shown in the screenshot above, Sedanya is briefly seen in both of versions Mcqueen's Dinoco daydream (the version with himself and the one with Chick Hicks). She is one of the cars in the "Autobahn Society" which, according to the World of Cars Wiki page, are the "three cars who travel around the world with some of the most popular names in racing, placing bets on various aspects of their careers." Honestly though, I can't tell which one there is Sedanya- but she's there!

I was able to find this one at Walmart just today; so make sure you head to your local stores soon to check for availability!

As usual, best of luck on the hunt to all my fellow Cars collectors.

Toy Story: "Made in the 90's" Men's Tee

Early last month, I was browsing the Pixar section of the whole sale site Zulily.com and stumbled across this absolutely fantastic Toy Story "Made in the 90's" men's t-shirt! Without hesitation, I snatched it right up. Toy Story was a HUGE part of my childhood and, since I was also "made in the 90's" (I was born in 1990 to be exact), this was a must. The bright colors, the classic 90's style font and all my favorite characters make this tee a real trip down memory lane for me.

This shirt is made of a soft material and is nicely fitted. The overall design is incredibly unique and Buzz Lightear, Woody, Jessie, Rex, Hamm, the Aliens and Slinky are all adorable as well! No complaints here.

I have so much love for the 90's given that it was my childhood decade. So many amazing memories of a simpler time! Sorry, getting a little nostalgic over here. 

If you too love Toy Story and have a fondness for the 90's, then this might be the shirt for you! You can still find it on Zulily HERE or on FifthSun HERE.

Enjoy! Let me know in the comments below what you think.

Cars 2: Justin Partson

From Disney·Pixar's Cars 2, here we have Justin Partson... yet another brand new, never before released Mattel 1:55 scale diecast! This character has just hit shelves and is part of the 2016 "Paris Parts Market" sub-series (#4/6).

As shown in the screenshot above, Justin is briefly seen in the streets of Paris when Mater and Finn arrive at the [car parts] black market; a funny and clever little scene!

I was lucky enough to find this one at Walmart just today! I was super thrilled. This is a really cool looking car that I had been anticipating. I love the overall look, the color and the dirt/mud detail. Make sure you head to your local stores soon to check for availability.

Best of luck on the hunt to all my fellow Cars collectors!