Cars 3: Fabulous Lightning McQueen & Dinoco Cruz Ramirez Tsum Tsum 2-Pack

Just last month on November 7th, not one, but TWO Tsum Tsum sets were released at the Disney Store and ShopDisney.com. Not only was it the anticipated street date for the Coco Tsums, but also this lesser known Cars 3 Fabulous Lightning McQueen & Dinoco Cruz Ramirez 2-Pack! This was a big surprise for me as it was only subtly announced a couple days prior on the Shop Disney site—which was really just a statement under their new and upcoming/calendar page that "Cars 3 Tsum Tsums" were to be released that Tuesday in correspondence with the Cars 3 Blu-Ray release (no photos or description were provided). I had no idea what to expect, since Cars 3 Tsums had already hit back in June.

I was definitely not expecting this awesome 2-pack! But now I can't picture a better way for a Tsum Tsum set to commemorate the home video release of Cars 3. And what about that collectible scenic Radiator Springs inspired packaging and satin handle? Classy. As an avid Pixar Tsum Tsum collector and Cars fan, this was a must have. Though not described as such, this feels like a special edition or limited release. I love it!

These plushies are part of the Tsum Tsum "mini" collection and are the standard 3 1/3" size. Like usual, they're soft with super great embroidered features and printed details. Retail for this 2-pack is $12.95.

Grab these for your collection while they're still available at your local Disney Store or pick them up online HERE. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Coco: "Deep Eyes" Art by Francisco Herrera

Here's a piece of very interesting Disney·Pixar Coco art, sold now exclusively at the Disney Springs/Downtown Disney Wonderground Gallery! What we have here is entitled "Deep Eyes" and was conceived by artist Francisco Herrera. This happens to be the postcard version, but there are other standard size prints available as well (from what I gather).

Herrera is an artist I knew nothing about before seeing this. It's definitely not my usual style, but I can totally grasp the beauty and uniqueness of this particular piece. It's different than any other Pixar art I have, that's for sure! I really like the whole concept of Miguel there in the center of the skull with Ernesto's guitar and the candle lit eyes. Love the choices in color as well (such a cool purple)! Everything really pops.

Herrera has been in the character art/animation business for a LONG time and has worked on a ton of well known projects. Learn more about him and his impressive resume and portfolio on his site HERE. If you like what you see, be sure to give him a follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter as well.

A huge thanks to my friend Paulina who surprised me with this a little while back! It was super kind and thoughtful of her to send this my way. This is certainly a most welcome addition to my Pixar art collection. And the best part? She even got it signed for me by the artist! Extremely cool.

Again, you can pick this up at either the Disney World (Disney Springs) or Disneyland (Downtown Disney) Wonderground Gallery shops! Get it while you can as this type of art release tends to come and go very quickly.

What are you thoughts on this piece? Have you picked it up for your collection? Shout it out in the comment section below.

Cars 3: Scott Tiller

The "Radiator Springs Classic" series is back and exclusive to Toys R Us once again...this time featuring new characters from Cars 3 and updated packaging! Here we have Scott Tiller, a "blink and you'll miss him" character seen in the background of Cars 3 during the "trip to the Rust-Eze Racing Center montage". As shown in my screen shot above, he's one of the three industrial tiller vehicles seen, well, tilling the field (though it's not known exactly which one he is).

Scott is a standard "Deluxe" size 1:55 scale diecast (though actually 95% of him is made of plastic, which was a tad disappointing) and comes in two pieces that easily connect. I'm not sure why he's in the Radiator Spring Classic sub-series when he's not a classic (yet) and not seen in Radiator Springs. Oh well!

Check out my loose pics below! He does have some pretty good detailing (love the mud splats) and a very unique look. This is the first Cars tiller style vehicle we've ever gotten in a diecast, so that makes it a pretty fun and different release.

I found this at Toys R Us back in October and have seen him a few times since. Be sure to check your local store for availability if you're still trying to track this one down for your collection! If you don't have any luck there, you can always visit this direct link to eBay for current listings.

What do you think of this release? Have you found him yet? Shout out your thoughts in the comments below.

Video: Coco Skullectables Hacienda Playset Review

Tonight's post is a video update to my YouTube channel featuring my review of this awesome Coco Hacienda Playset—as part of the Skullectables mini figure (blind bag) line! Look for my full written review tomorrow. In the mean time, you can check out the post I did a few weeks back covering the whole Skullectables figure collection (series 1).

 Let me know your thoughts!

Cars 3: Fabulous Lightning McQueen

Following yesterday's post on Dinoco Cruz Ramirez, tonight I'm taking a look at the Cars 3 Mattel 1:55 scale diecast of Fabulous Lightning McQueen—also from the film's epilogue! Of course if you've seen Cars 3, you already know that McQueen gets this new design and blue color scheme at the end of the film to celebrate the memory of his mentor "The Fabulous Hudson Hornet." As spoken by Cruz, subtle.

McQueen keeps his 95 racing number (as well as his Rust-Eze sponsorship), while Cruz inherits Doc's number 51. On his back of McQueen are the words "For Doc Hudson." This diecast got all the details right!

Note: If you missed my post last week on the Fabulous Lightning McQueen diecast precision series version, you can check it out HERE. While this standard version is pretty amazing looking (one of my favorite diecasts for sure and one of my all time favorite looks for McQueen), the precision series one is even more detailed.

You can find this diecast in stores now. He was super hard to find in my area for the longest time, but I finally found him at Target a few weeks back (I have also since seen him at Toys R Us and Kohl's). Finally, you can also get this same version in a 2-pack combined with the regular Cars 3 [red] McQueen—which I've spotted at Toys R Us and Target as well.

Good luck on the hunt out there my fellow Cars collectors! Let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions.

Cars 3: Dinoco Cruz Ramirez

I'm back with another Cars 3 Mattel 1:55 scale diecast review and this time I taking a brief look at Dinoco Cruz Ramirez! This version of the character was released clear back on May 1st and was part of the exciting initial launch of the Cars 3 diecasts. To this day she can easily be found on store shelves.

As shown in the screen shot above (I'm so glad I have Cars 3 on home video now so I can get these stills so much easier), Cruz appears this way during the film's epilogue. After she shows her chops as a fantastic racer during the big Florida 500 race, Tex Dinoco sponsors Cruz and buys Rust-Eze. She even sports Doc Hudson's number 51 in honor of his legacy!

This diecast looks great overall. No complaints here! You can't really tell from my photos, but I especially love her metallic (almost glittery) yellow paint job and shiny blue rims. This is one that looks even cooler in person, so be sure to pick this Cruz up if you spot her in stores.

Something I thought was crazy (I still don't understand it) is why this diecast was revealed and released almost two months before the film hit theaters. It's a total spoiler! No pun. Seriously, it gave away the ending/twist that Cruz becomes a racer and gets to live out Lightning's old dream of being sponsored by Dinoco. I do wish this design hadn't been so prevalent in the film's marketing and toy line before the film's release, but oh well. It's not like it ruined my experience, but I thought it was odd and wanted to bring it up.

If you still need to add this one to your Cars collection, you can find this diecast currently in stores at your local Walmart, Toys R Us or Target! If you'd rather shop online, I also included a direct link to Amazon below.

What are you thoughts?

Coco: "Remember Me" A Lotería Game

Last Thursday (Thanksgiving) I was feeling ambitious and thought I would be able to get a post written, so I put it out there on social media that this would be that day's blog post. Boy did that not happen as it turned out to be a crazy busy day from early morning till night —then with my insane retail work schedule and family gatherings, I ended up having no time the entire Black Friday weekend to get this post up. Today I finally have the day off and things are a bit calmed down over here, so here it is....only four days late. Thanks for your patience! Daily posts will resume as normal throughout this week.

Here we have something fun that I've been excited to introduce you to...this Disney·Pixar Coco inspired "Remember Me" Lotería game! Lotería (which is the Spanish word for lottery, if you couldn't tell) is essentially the Mexican version of bingo (which has been being played there for generations); only instead of calling out plain numbers and then having them correspond with the numbers on your board, Lotería uses images on a deck of cards and on the "tablas" (boards). So yes, in short, it's bingo with pictures.

This boxed set comes with 54 cards, 12 tablas (each with a different selection/arrangement of the 54 images—16 on each board in 4x4 grids), 100 cempasúchil (marigold flower) cardboard [punch out] tokens (though traditionally, pinto beans "frijoles" are used as markers if you want to try that) and instructions. What's cool is that all the images are done by a variety of artists, so you'll see many different styles here. You'll notice that some are directly based on Coco (like Ernesto's guitar, Mama Imelda, Pepita, etc.) and some are just inspired by Spanish words/general Mexican culture.

Here's a fun fact: My friend Danny Arriaga (Pixar character artist— character art director for Coco) actually designed the Dante image used in this game seen on the card below! It was a blast playing this game with him and his family when I visited them earlier this month. It was so much fun learning more about the the meaning of the artwork here and the Spanish words I was unfamiliar with (as well as what the traditional version of this game is like).

Here are the sheets of cempasúchil tokens that I've yet to punch out.

To Play: One player acts as the caller for the round. The caller shuffles the deck the deck of cards, draws from the top of the deck and announces it to the players. Players with the image called then place a token on the corresponding place on their tabla. The first person with four tokens in a row (winning patterns seen on the instructions below) wins! And don't forget—the winner needs to shout "Remember Me!" in this version (traditionally you shout "¡Lotería!"). When we played, we actually changed it and decided the winner shouts "Coco!", so you can really do whatever you want (we thought it rolled off the tongue better ;)

This is a very simple game of chance, but that's bingo for you! There's really no strategy (virtually any age can play), but it's good old fashion fun. It's also very quick (about 10 minutes per round). The Arriaga family also taught me about a longer version you can play called "blackout", which is, rather than the winner only needing four in a row, is about filling the entire board. That was fun too!

For fans of Coco and those who have been enjoying (as I have) learning more about Mexican culture, I can highly recommend picking up this game. It's something the whole family can have fun with together! This is a Toys R Us exclusive, so be sure to pick it up at your local store or online HERE for $14.99.

Have you played this? Did you grow up playing traditional Lotería? Shout out your thoughts in the comments below.

Coco: Family Skull Graphic Tee (Art by Stacey Aoyama)

It's finally here everyone! At long last, today is is the official US release date for Disney·Pixar's newest film, Coco. I just got back from seeing it a third time and it was just as rich and beautiful as it was the previous times. It's such a special film and I encourage all of you to go out and support it this week with your families and loved ones.

To celebrate, I thought it would be fun to post on this amazing Coco inspired graphic tee that I picked up at the Pixar Studio Store while visiting there a couple weeks back! The artwork featured here on the front is by the fantastic Stacey Aoyama, who also worked on the similar Morelia International Film Festival poster for the premiere of Coco in Mexico last month (AND yet another variation of this design for the film crew t-shirt seen HERE). I had seen this art circulating online for a while, so when I saw it was available on a shirt there at the Studio Store, it was a must have for me.

Just look at this art. It's vibrant. It's gorgeous. It's intricately detailed and perfectly designed, yet minimal in its style. It's completely stunning how all the pieces (characters and all) are formed together to create the overall signature sugar skull look and shape. Having Mama Coco there in the middle is such a sweet touch (and makes sense if you've seen the film) and I like seeing some of the other main cast represented here as well (love Pepita on the bottom).

On the back you'll find the film's logo—another great touch.

Though this particular version of this shirt is exclusive to the Pixar Studio Store (completely out of reach for most fans out there), the good news is that the ShopDisney website has this same Stacey Aoyama graphic available on one of their Coco customizable t-shirt options (in both men and women sizes)! Check out that page HERE. Also, though it's out of stock right now (it may come back), BoxLunch Gifts also has a similar tee with this graphic on it (visit HERE). So there's options for you if you want to get your hands on this design!

Lastly, the Cyclops Print Works website just released this design on an officially licensed 18" x 24" poster as well—limited edition of only 200 produced (hand-signed and numbered)! You can purchase that poster HERE for $60.00 (as well as an alternative tree variation of the print HERE). Get yours before they sell out!

See more of Stacey's beautiful art on her site HERE and be sure to follow her on Instagram and Twitter! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Coco: Pixar Studio Store Exclusive Greeting Card (Art by Jerrod Maruyama)

Coco finally hit US theaters nationwide tonight at 7pm and I just got back from viewing it for the second time. I loved the film just as much, if not more, this time around! To celebrate this long anticipated release, here we have a bit of fantastic art from my friend—you know him, you love him— Jerrod Maruyama! This stunning artwork features Miguel surrounded by six of his ancestors who he meets in the land of the dead: Mama Imelda, Tío Oscar, Tío Felipe, Tía Rosita, Papá Julio and Tía Victoria (all in Jerrod's signature and unmistakable "cute" stye).

The only way to currently get this artwork is here on this greeting card, which is available only at the Pixar Studio Store in Emeryville, CA. The inside is blank for your own sentiments and on the back is the classic (and simple) Pixar Animation Studios logo with Miguel cleverly in the place of the "i". I'm not sure if this design will ever get a wide release (like at the Disney Parks) or printed any bigger than this, but for now I'm going to go with no. Time will tell though.

Jerrod has hit yet another home run with this Coco art he created. The stylized designs of the characters, all the fun fillers (skulls, flowers, bones, etc) and the eye popping colors make this piece up there with some of his best. I'm a huge fan!

A BIG thanks to Jerrod for sending this on over to me for my Pixar collection—and for signing it as well! It's perfection. It will surely be cherished as the beautiful and rare art piece that it is.

What are your thoughts on this Coco art? Pretty awesome right? Shout it out in the comments below and be sure check out Jerrod's blog HERE to learn more about him and is work. If you like what you see (how could you not), you can also follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Flickr, Dribbble and Twitter.

Cars 3: Fabulous Lightning McQueen Precision Series (Mail Away)

Clear back in June of this year, Kmart held a "mail away" promotion for a FREE Precision Series Fabulous Lightning McQueen diecast! This exclusive offer lasted until July 31st and the car was finally shipped in late August (after several delays). I received mine on August 31st, so I've been meaning to get to this post for a while. To read about all the original details of the promotion, check out my post HERE.

As it is with all the Precision Series releases, this 1:55 diecast truly lives up to the name. The overall make is top quality and every last detail is precise—from the authentic deco to the rubber tires to the opening hood/metallic engine (not to mention the sleek acrylic case/simplistic outer packaging). It's all really stunning. This is a true collector's item for the adult Cars fans out there. Like usual, a removable diecast license plate/tag with the character's logo (plus stats on the back) is included as well.

Note: A screwdriver is needed if you're looking to remove the car and the plate fully. 

The back of the package also lists the character's stats—in this case Lightning McQueen with his new "old school" blue paint job. This is one of my all time favorite looks for McQueen.

I didn't completely remove Lightning from his base, but you check out my otherwise detailed photos of him below! This thing is perfect.

All the Precision characters come packaged with their hoods propped up, but here he is with it down for the full effect. Just look at those details! I just love the overall clean presentation of all the cars in this series, with this one being no exception. So slick!

Unfortunately, the only way to have gotten this was to do the mail away promotion over this past summer. If you missed out on that, you're out of luck for now (unless you're ok with the steep eBay prices which currently range $80-$90). This thing is, at this point, pretty rare I guess you could say! There is no word yet if this will have a wider release later on.

Were you able to get your hands on this? Which is your favorite Precision Series release so far? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Coco: Complete Tsum Tsum Collection

Tuesday, November 7th saw the release of the brand Coco Tsum Tsums collection at the Disney Store and ShopDisney.com! As a Tsum Tsum fan, I was so excited to see another Pixar based series come along—and just in time for when the film hits on the 22nd (just FOUR days away)!

In this collection there are seven fantastic characters: Dante, Miguel, Mama Imelda, Hector, Ernesto de la Cruz, Mama Coco and Pepita. Interestingly enough, there was also suppose to be a Non-Skeleton Miguel and a Skeleton Ernesto de la Cruz (seen HERE). I wonder what happened? Were they straight up cancelled or will they show up in some future collection? I guess time will tell. UPDATE—See end of post.

These plushies are part of the Tsum Tsum "mini" collection and are the standard 3 1/3" size. Like usual, they're soft with super great embroidered features and retail for $5.95 each.

Take a closer look at each one below!

Dante & Miguel

Mama Imelda & Hector 

Ernesto de la Cruz & Mama Coco

Pepita

Standouts for me include Dante (that tongue!) and the colorful Pepita—though they're all really well done. I also have to note the superb embroidered designs on the skeletons/Miguel and the great use of fabrics/materials across the board. So detailed! Lastly, I love that Mama Coco is included in this collection as this is the first piece of merchandise I've seen released of the character.

Pick these up at your local Disney Store before they're gone or snag them on their website right HERE. Have you purchased any of these yet? Which one is your favorite?

UPDATE 1/03/18:
Well guys, the mystery is solved! As mentioned in my original write-up above, a Non-Skeleton Miguel and a Skeleton Ernesto were originally revealed as part of the main Disney Store Coco Tsum Tsum collection, but never hit stores as part of the lineup. Surprise! While still no sign of Skeleton Ernesto in the US (turns out he's an exclusive to Mexico and the UK; not sure which stores, but he IS out there), the Non-Skeleton Miguel Tsum is now being sold exclusively at Toys R Us. Not only that, but he is accompanied by a previously unrevealed Tsum...Non-Skeleton/Alive Hector (complete with goatee)! How cool right? You can find both of these in the Tsum Tsum section of your local Toys R Us.

Once again, I love all the little touches/details with these guys. I especially love Miguel's look, notably his mole, the guitar on his back and the way his hood is up! I'm so thrilled that these ended up being produced and released...though it was in a strange roundabout way. I wonder what happened and why these got a random Toys R Us release after the fact?

And one question remains: Will Skeleton Ernesto ever get released in the US? Or will he remain a rarity for those outside Mexico and the UK? There is one currently on eBay, but the asking price is WAY to high.

FINAL UPDATE 8/09/18:

I was finally able to get Skeleton Ernesto de la Cruz! My Coco Tsum Tsum collection is now officially complete. And no, he unfortunately was never released in the US. I forked out for this guy on eBay for about $30 and free shipping. I couldn't let there only be one missing piece to my collection, especially since the Tsum Tsum era seems to be coming to a close. Once again, this one was only available in Mexico (not sure which store though, honestly) and the UK (at a store called Clinton's—which is a card and gift shop). If you're in the UK, you're in luck since he's still available on the Clinton's website HERE!

I'm so happy I decided to go for this. He's awesome and will look so good with the other nine. I love his overall design and especially the shiny fabric used for his hat and outfit! Nice embroidered detailing as usual. Perfecto!

What are your thoughts? Shout out your what you think of this collection and any questions you might have down in the comments below!