Coco/Toy Story Mashup Artwork (Featuring Buzz and Woody) by Jerrod Maruyama

What would happen if the worlds of Toy Story 3 and Coco collided? You would get this brilliant Pixar crossover art piece by the great Jerrod Maruyama! This brand new print (well, greeting card) is currently available exclusively at the Pixar Studio Store in Emeryville, CA and brings together both of director Lee Unkrich's masterpieces. On the front you have the hilarious and fantastically stylized Buzz and Woody in the style of Coco/Dia de los Muertos skeletons (along with some other colorful "Day of the Dead" skulls and floral accents) and on the back you have Miguel strumming his guitar in place of the Pixar logo's "I". The inside of the card is blank to accommodate your hand written messages.

I'm super thankful to Jerrod for sending this on over—and even signing it! He has been an amazing friend and I can't support his art enough. Jerrod consistently puts out some of the best Disney freelance art out there which continues to blow me a way and leaves me wanting more each time. If you're unfamiliar with his work, check out his blog HERE and be sure to follow him all over social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. He's literally one of the nicest and most humble artists you'll come across in the Disney community, so don't hesitate to reach out and say hello.

As a massive Toy Story fan and one who's greatly anticipating the release of Coco (which actually opens in the US exactly ONE MONTH from today!!), I couldn't have asked for a cooler mashup right now. Plus —we're close to Halloween as well and this makes for a very festive display piece for my desk currently. Thank you again Jerrod!

What are your thoughts? If you're lucky enough to get to the Pixar Studio Store, would you plan on picking this up there? Let me know your overall impressions in the comments below!

Final note: This design is also available to purchase on a Pixar Studio Store exclusive t-shirt, which is awesome as well! Check that out right HERE.

Toy Story: Buzz Lightyear "Buzzworthy" Statement Tee (Disney Store)

Hey Toy Story fans, check out this brand new Buzz Lightyear inspired "Buzzworthy" men's statement tee that I just picked up from the Disney Store! When I saw this come in stock a couple days ago, I couldn't resist it. From the play on words, to the minimal design, to the uniquely sweet mint green color...I just really dig it!

This is one of the softer Disney Store brand t-shirts that I own. They seem to be improving in that area, since most of them use to be a thicker (and stiffer) material. The fabric here is lightweight and super cozy! My only issue is that it's not fitted (like an athletic fit) and is a little "boxier" than I like. With that said though, it's not too bad. Maybe once I wash and dry it, it'll tighten up a tad.

You can find this shirt right now at the Disney Store or ShopDisney.com HERE, so pick it up if you're feeling it for your Disney/Pixar tee collection! Retail is $24.95.

What do you think? Is this shirt buzzworthy? Let me know in the comment section below!

Events: Monsters University In Store Toy Release (2013—FLASHBACK FRIDAY)

"Wait a second...it's 2017. Coco merchandise just came out, not Monsters University!" Maybe you're thinking that and your confusion is valid. I know this post may be random, but I've been focusing a lot on the Coco and Cars 3 merch lately—so I thought I'd mix it up today! It's getting late here and I'm down with a super bad cold, so ultimately I just couldn't get to taking pictures and doing a full review of anything new tonight. I figured it was the perfect night to type up a quick little "Flashback Friday" post.

With all the fun of toy hunting for the new Coco products this past week, it's brought back some classic memories for me of tracking down the Monsters University toy line back in 2013 (still one of my favorite collections—I can't believe that was almost 4 1/2 years ago). I then realized that I never did any documentation here of the MU stuff on store shelves back in the day! You know I like to do that. Anyway,  I went into my photo archives and found these few pics. This was the year I started this blog (in fact, the Monsters U toys were some of my very first posts), so this line is special for me in that sense too.

Here's me and the Monsters University toy section at Target back on May 10th 2013...

And then here are some pics I took at Walgreens around that same time!

What do you think? Does this bring back some good memories for you as well? If you have any related stories you want to share in regards to this release or any Pixar product release over the past few years, shout it out in the comments below!

Coco: 3-in-1 Motion Figure Collection (Push Puppet Toys)

It's finally time to review some of the newly released Coco toys from Mattel! I am so excited about this lineup and thrilled to be one of the first to give you a detailed look at some of the many amazing new products currently out there. To start things off, I'm taking a look at this trio of Coco 3-in-1 motion figures!

I absolutely love these—one of the reasons being that they're based on the classic and timeless collapsing push puppet toy. We've all played with those in our life at one time or another right? Traditionally they're made of wood, but these are essentially an upgraded modern take on the concept. I really enjoy simple, old fashion type toys; so with that and the overall awesome look of these figures, I considered them a must have in the realm of Coco merch. Their colorful bases look fantastic as well and really give these toys a great display quality to them.

With the base included in my measurements, here are the heights of each figure:

• Hector— 7" tall
• Miguel— 5.5" tall 
• Dante— 5" tall

Each motion figure retails for $7.99 (or at least that's the price at Toys R Us where I purchased these). Anyway, speaking of the motion, let's dive into how each figure moves!

For Hector, push down on the right lever and he will take off his hat and put it back on. Push down on the left lever and he still strum his guitar. Press down both levers at the same time and Hector will collapse in all sorts of funny ways! 

HECTOR

Miguel's actions are very similar to Hector's. Push down on the right lever and Miguel tips his guitar. Push down on the left lever and he tilts his head and strums the guitar. Push down both levers at the same time to, you guessed it, make him collapse!

MIGUEL RIVERA

For Dante, push down on the right lever and he tilts his head from side to side (and I have to note, the way his rubber tongue shakes is hilariously goofy looking). Pushing down on the left lever makes him lurch forward. Make Dante collapse in different ways by pushing both levers down at the same time!

DANTE

These are tons of fun and I can't recommend them enough to Pixar fans anticipating the release of Coco in theaters. And I have to give a shout-out to Mattel and their entire line of Coco toys released thus far...they've done an amazing job capturing these characters in all sorts of fun and different ways! The packaging for everything is so well done too (again, love all the vibrant colors).

Look out for a video up soon of these in action! I'll update this post once it's uploaded to my YouTube channel. UPDATE: Video is now posted below. Please like and subscribe!



 What are your thoughts on these motion figures? What Coco toys have you picked up/plan to so far? I'm excited to share with you everything else I purchased, so stay tuned right here. If you like these, you'll like what's to come!

Coco Merchandise NOW AVAILABLE— Page UPDATE!

This past weekend, Coco toys began hitting Toys R Us stores nationwide and on Sunday I gave you a peek at what's currently out there. Since then, I've gone back to several Toys R Us stores daily in search for more products and have found quite a few! Tonight I updated my original post with all my latest findings, so be sure to check it out HERE to see what I've found thus far!

Cars 3: Taken by Storm/How to be a Great Racer (2 Books in 1!)

From Random House Publishing, here's a pretty fun Cars 3 book that I got back on its May 2nd release date...well, actually it's two books in one: Taken by Storm AND How to be a Great Racer! This review has been a long time coming. I got behind in my Cars 3 book reviews because I actually didn't even crack them open until I saw the film in late June; by then I had so many exciting things to post about and this was one of them that unintentionally got put on the back burner.

What you can expect with this book (or books) is a full-color, fully illustrated storybook that essentially goes through the main storyline of Cars 3. If you read it starting from the Taken by Storm side, you get the story mostly from Jackson Storm's perspective. Then if you flip it over and read it from the How to be a Great Racer side, you of course get it from Cruz Ramirez's perspective. If you remember the 2015 Inside Out inspired Joy's Greatest Joy book, it's the exact same concept.

Both books within this book are written by Bill Scollon, who does a great job summarizing the film's story with simple writing that young kids ages 3-7 can read/understand. The illustrations are great too, however there's no artist credited. It only states, like a lot of these types of books, that it's "illustrated by the Disney Storybook Art Team." I wonder why that happens with a lot of Disney books?

Take a look inside both books below to see if this is something you'll want to pick up for your collection! Combining both books, this is about 46 pages in length.

"Taken by Storm"

 "How to be a Great Racer"

I'm sure your little Cars fan will love to read/be read to the story of Cars 3 here with these books. And with all these fantastic illustrations, you really can't go wrong— especially as they wait for the home video release! Look for this wherever Cars 3 books are sold (Barnes & Noble being a safe choice) or grab it on Amazon using the direct link below.

What do you think of Taken by Storm / How to be a Great Racer?

Cars 3: Cruz Ramirez as Frances Beltline

Here's another Cars 3 Mattel 1:55 scale diecast that I was super excited to find recently...Cruz Ramirez as Frances Beltline! Or as Miss Fritter calls her, Lem-o-nade. Again, this one has been out for a little while now, but it has just hit my area. I found this Cruz at Target over the weekend, but it wasn't in the normal Cars section. I just happened to be be wandering around the store after checking the toy isles and stumbled upon a big stand alone fixture near the escalators (over by the kids' clothes)—not even close to the toy section! And there she was.

That was an unexpected and random surprise. I'm so happy to finally have this version of Cruz! My collection of Thunder Hollow Crazy 8 contenders was most definitely feeling her absence. I couldn't complete/recreate the classic scene without this one. Now she'll go perfect with all the others, especially my "Chester Wipplefilter"! 

Check her out! Like always, look at that amazing detail. The dirty tires and splats of mud are just perfect. The only thing I wish was different is her facial expression. She's smiling when she should have a scared or worried look about her (as shown in the screen shot above)! I don't think she ever smiles during that scene, but I think what Mattel did was just repaint the normal sculpt of Cruz to cut costs. Not a huge biggie, but a little nitpick for sure.

If you're a diehard Cars collector, then you know there is also a "Super Chase" out there called "Cruz Ramirez as Crazy 8 Frances Beltline." What's crazy is is that it's basically the same as this one, so I have no idea why it was made in the first place, let alone released as a Super Chase. Not even the expression is different! That would have made sense. See the comparison of the two on Take5aDay's site HERE.

Other than this single pack release, this same Cruz as Frances Beltline is also currently available in a Walmart exclusive "Thunder Hollow 5-Pack" (seen HERE), and a "Derby 3-Pack" (seen HERE). Best of luck finding her in stores, but if you're still having trouble, be sure to check current eBay listings using this direct link or Amazon using the link below.

Happy hunting! 

Coco Merchandise NOW AVAILABLE— Mattel Toys & More!

It's finally here everyone! The merchandise for Coco has finally hit Toy R Us shelves in my area. Ever since this stuff hit in Mexico late last month, I knew it had to be almost time for the US release. I have gone searching for this almost every day this month and was thrilled today when I found a bunch of it. Not everything—but a good amount nonetheless.

Like I always do, I had to document what the merchandise looks like on store shelves as well as give you a sneak peak at what will end up being many blog posts to come! Most of what you see here (minus the book, art kit and Funkos) is from Mattel. You'll notice "Skullectibles" (mini figures/blind bags), mid-size standard poseable figures, motion/action figures, 12" figures and even a Pepita mask. Like I said, this isn't everything, but it's a decent start! I'll go back tomorrow to see if I can find more and update this post.

What a fantastic range of toys! So colorful and so unique. I cannot wait to dive deeper into all of this and more. Stay tuned and let me know your thoughts below!

UPDATE 10/18/17—
Hola! I'm returning to this post to add a few updates. It seems as though each time I go to my local Toys R Us or visit another Toys R Us elsewhere (there's a few within an hour of me), I find new products. Each store seems to have a different selection of merch (and one store hadn't even put the stuff out yet). It's been a very odd as far as merchandise releases go since it's all been so spread out, but regardless, here are some more toys I stumbled across...

First of all, the next day when I went back to my local Toys R Us, they had put up the official Coco signage! Very cool.

Here's the awesome Mattel Coco guitar in action! There's so many "cord" combinations you can play and there's even sheet music to learn the film's signature song "Remember Me"—not to mention the sweet lights and opening skull mouth.

And lastly, even though this isn't at Toys R Us, I did want to mention that Kohl's has a bunch of Coco inspired girls shirts and kids clothing. Unfortunately there wasn't anything for men, but check out some of what I spotted at the store below (seen more online HERE).