Disney·Pixar 2021 Luca McDonald's Happy Meal Toys—Complete Set of 8! REVIEW

Hey all! Welcome back to the blog. A few weeks ago I uploaded my video review of last month's Disney·Pixar Luca McDonald's Happy Meal toys and have been meaning to get blog post up here as well. Tonight I'm finally getting to it! This is a pretty awesome and (surprisingly quality) set of toys for being Happy Meal toys and there's a lot of play value here. I've seen it first hand since my 19 month old son (who loves Luca) absolutely loves these and plays with them in the bath, pool and around the house every single day! They're hard plastic, so they're sturdy and resilient when played with and are a nice, decently big size perfect for toddler hands. Some pretty impressive sculpts to boot (again, for McDonald's toys).

The characters available in this collection are: #1 Luca (Sea Monster), #2 Monalisa, #3 Alberto (Human/Sea Monster Color Change), #4 Giulia Marcovaldo, #5 Alberto (Sea Monster), #6 Machiavelli. #7 Luca (Human/Sea Monster Color Change) and #8 Massimo Marcovaldo. I love the variety of characters here, especially the inclusion of Monalisa. The best part is they're all some kind of water toy, each with a fun little gimmick (which I demonstrate in my video below).

A huge thanks to "ScottsTikiRoom" on Instagram for reaching out to me and hooking me up with this full set! That was extremely kind and generous and we appreciate it so much.

And here's my video showing off all the action! Each toy falls under the category of either wind-up swimmer, water squirter or color changer. 

Even though the Luca toys are no longer available at McDonald's, you can still track them down on eBay (direct link HERE) as there are plenty of current listings. If your little one loves Luca (or even if you're an older collector), I can highly recommend these. I'm not usually one to collect many Pixar Happy Meal toys, but since there really aren't many Luca toys out there in general (and these are so different compared to any others considering the water play aspect), these were a welcome addition to my collection.

Let me know your thoughts below! Did you pick any of these up?

Disney·Pixar Toy Story 2021 Hallmark Keepsake Army Men Recon Plan Charlie Ornament—with SOUNDS!

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas in July, everyone. Tonight I’m taking a closer look at the brand new 2021 Magic Sound "Recon Plan Charlie" ornament inspired by the classic army man birthday party reconnaissance scene in the original Toy Story. This was released just a couple weeks back—on July 10th to be exact—as part of Hallmark’s Keepsake collection.

Like a lot of you I'm sure, I look forward to Hallmark’s yearly Keepsake ornaments release every July (and then again in the fall) mainly to see what new Disney/Pixar ones get made. Even though my wife and I don’t really put many (if any) Pixar ornaments on our actual Christmas tree (as I've mentioned here before), there are some like this one here that are SO cool that I can’t resist getting them even if it’s just used as a display piece on one of my Pixar shelves. And what’s really fun for me is that Hallmark’s keepsake release always seems to happen when we visit my in-laws in Maryland every July and, since they have a hallmark right down the street from them, I’ve made it a tradition to pop over there to document all the new Disney Pixar ornaments in person and snag a fave or two. And that's exactly where I picked this one up! Good memories.

The ornament is all plastic and, while the green army men are pretty much perfect and look just as they do in Toy Story, you probably already noticed that the baby monitor itself is only INSPIRED by the one seen in the film and isn’t completely accurate (due to rights issues with Playskool, I’m sure). It’s like the Hallmark team was tasked to come up with a generic design that captures the overall vibe of the monitor seen in Toy Story without totally replicating it and I think they did a really good job. I honestly didn’t even notice right away and then I was like...wait a second. The main differences are this monitor doesn’t have the gray speaker area, the little red right is on the opposite side, there’s no blue tip on the antenna, the blue power on-dial has been replaced by grey button and obviously it doesn’t have the Playskool logo.

Now for the best part—press the grey button on the side to hear the sounds! There are five phrases from Sarge, who's audio is taken directly from Toy Story (hear it all in my YouTube video below). The ornament requires two LR44 button cell batteries, which are included but not installed.

As far as size, the baby monitor itself measures 5” tall (that’s including the antenna), the crouching army man is about 2” tall and the standing one is close to 3” tall. So yah, even though the army men are basically movie scale (or even bigger), don’t expect the monitor to be movie scale cause it’s definitely not even close. This is a relatively small ornament. Overall the sculpt is awesome for what it is as it really captures the moment, the sounds are fantastic and I highly recommend picking this up for your Christmas tree or as a display piece for your Toy Story shelf. 

Retail price is $19.99. You can pick this up at your nearest Hallmark store or online HERE while it's still available! I highly recommend it. What are your thoughts? Did you pick this up for your collection?

Luca Deluxe Figurine Set REVIEW (Disney Store/ShopDisney)

Hey everyone, happy Monday and welcome back to the blog! Today I'm sharing some quick thoughts on this absolutely stunning Disney·Pixar Luca Deluxe Figurine Set from the Disney Store (ShopDisney). If you've followed my content for a while now, you know I'm pretty big into collecting Disney Store's figurine sets (at least the Pixar themed ones)—even if, at least in the past, some of the figures haven't been the most quality when it comes to their sculpts or paint (they have been getting better though so I'll give them that). Honestly most of the figurine sets these days have been pretty impressive and I appreciate that the Disney Store has been improving them over the last few years, at least with the Deluxe sets, but this is the best one in ages—no question! 

This is probably my second favorite Pixar Deluxe Figurine set ever following the original Up one from 2009. Each character's likeness is spot on, the sculpts are extremely well made/well designed overall and the paint application (at least on mine) is very consistent and on point. My favorite aspect though is how all the sea monster characters' bases are translucent swirling ocean water. It's super creative and magical! My hat goes off to the designer of this set.

There are nine figurines included with this set and it's a fantastic selection of characters: Luca (sea monster), Alberto (sea monster), Luca (human), Alberto (human), Giulia, Massimo (with Machiavelli), Ercole (on his vespa), Daniela (Luca's mom) and Lorenzo (Luca's dad). Really my only slight complaint (which isn't even really a complaint, more of just wishful thinking on my part) is that I wish that Uncle Ugo was included. He would have looked great in this style (he totally would have been a mostly translucent PVC) and there isn't a single figure of him out there. His absence is certainly not a deal breaker though. Ciccio and Guido would have been amazing to see as well, but I know only so many figures can fit in one of these sets.

Take a close-up, detailed, 360 degree look at each figure in my video review below! Figures stand [up to] 4 1/4'' H and, while they don't have any articulation, they're still perfect for play or display.

This set retailed for $26.99 at the Disney Store and ShopDisney.com, but it has unfortunately already sold out. I'm shocked it went that fast! I'm not sure if it will get restocked, but keep your eyes peeled. All in all, this gets a 10/10 from me. What do you think?! Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for more from my Pixar collection every week.

Pixar Luxo Ball Silk Tie— Disney Parks / ShopDisney

From ShopDisney (also available at the Disney Parks), check out this awesome yellow Pixar inspired Luxo Ball Silk Tie! This was a Father's Day gift from my wife and 18 month old son last month and I couldn't be happier with it. It's fun, yet subtle and minimal—just how I like it! If you're interested in adding this to your Pixar/tie collection, it's currently available on ShopDisney.com HERE for $44.99.

Here are all the official "magic in the details" from Disney Store's site: 

Animate your outfit with our Pixar Ball silk tie featuring a single color rendering of the famous sphere woven into a solid background. You're sure to have a bounce in your step knowing you've completed your look with this stylish necktie.

Created especially for Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort

• Silk necktie
• Allover Pixar Ball design
• Tuck loop

The bare necessities

• 100% silk
• 3'' W x 58'' L
• Imported

Toy Story "THE CLAW" Inflatable Pizza Planet Space Crane Ball Pit (Disney Store/ShopDisney)

The claw is his master, the claw decides who will go and who will stay. Check out this crazy cool inflatable Toy Story inspired Pizza Planet "The Claw" Space Crane Ball Pit from the Disney Store (ShopDisney.com)! This was given to us as a gift earlier this year from one of my old Disney Store cast member friends/coworkers and we finally took the time to inflate it recently for my son Aidan to enjoy in his new playroom. He loves the Toy Story aliens and "the claw" scene in the original film, so he was incredibly excited to see this all blown up. 

This thing is pretty huge, measuring at 60" tall x 36" deep x 42" wide. It comes with 100 bright green balls (very lightweight), which may sound like a lot, but really isn't once you put them in the ball pit area. The 100 balls don't even cover the bottom of the rocket, but I expected that. If you want to fill it up to be more of a true ball pit, I'd suggest picking a bunch more up on Amazon. We left it as is right now, since my 18 month old doesn't know any different. He thinks it's awesome! Maybe we'll add more when he's a little older, but for now the amount it comes with works just fine. The original retail price was $49.99, but it ended up getting some pretty deep markdowns in the end.

 

I used a basic electric pump to blow this up (any one you'd get to pump up a pool float) and it was quick and simple! In the end it look less than 15 minutes. Other than the main rocket (which has several inflation valves), there are five other pieces to inflate and assemble (so six pieces total in the box total): the four fins (that velcro on) and "the claw" hoop to toss the balls through (which also uses velcro to attach). 

Check it out in more detail below! The Toy Story Alien costume sleeper/hat set my son is wearing was also from ShopDisney thanks to another Disney coworker friend of mine, but has since sold out.

 

Aidan loves the wall of Aliens!

This really is a super neat item and it's been fun seeing Aidan enjoy it so much. I know it didn't originally get the best reviews, but really no complaints from me! It works just as intended, I just feel it could have included maybe 100 more balls just to at least cover the bottom of the bit area. I don't think I would have picked this up on my own (just cause it's so big and we don't have very much space), but it's so great to have as a gift! I'm sure it will be a hit for years to come. 

Unfortunately this isn't available at the Disney Store or ShopDisney anymore, but keep your eyes open online as it may pop on Amazon or eBay every now and then. Let me know your thoughts down below! Did you pick this up for your little one?

Toy Story Evil Dr. Porkchop & Rocky Gibraltar—Mattel 7" Scale Pixar Action Figure Collection

 

Two exciting figures, one review—Today I'm finally taking a closer look at the new for 2021 Evil Dr. Porkchop and Rocky Gibraltar action figures that were released earlier this year as part of Mattel's ever-expanding Pixar 7" scale figure line! First things first, I have to give another huge thank you and shoutout to my friend hayleytoystory on Instagram for sending these over to me all the way from the UK. Since these two characters are STILL only available in the UK for whatever reason, I really appreciate the help. Hayley picked them up at Smyth’s Toys, but I'm sure they're sold elsewhere there in the UK as well (it doesn't say they're Smyth's exclusives; let me know if you've seen them anywhere else). I honestly thought for the longest time that these two would eventually come to the US and I held out hope all year, but ultimately I didn’t want to risk them selling out or getting even more rare then they already are at this point; so I decided to just pay the extra money and had them shipped to me from overseas. Let me tell you though, it was so worth it! Both of these are amazing figures and probably some of my favorites that Mattel has done so far.

 

Hamm as Evil Dr. Porkchop is such a fun and unique figure. I love how his sculpt is him sitting upright just as he is at the beginning of Toy Story 3 when he's piloting his spaceship—his pose and facial expression are right out of that moment! He's 6" tall, has a little articulation in his arms, his head can rotate all the way around and his cork can be removed (however, this figure doesn't come with any plastic coins like the 2019 7" scale Hamm did.

 

EVIL DR. PORKCHOP

 

Alrighty, moving onto Rocky Gibraltar now! Oh Rocky, how fans have wanted a full scale replica of you for over 25 years and... this still isn't it, but it's the closest we’ve gotten. First things first, Rocky’s posability is awesome. He has all the points of articulation he has in the film—all the working joints are here. We’re talking the ball jointed shoulders, the elbows, the wrists, the waist (can't be spun all the way around), the legs, the knees and his head of course (which also doesn’t turn a full 360 degrees, just side to side). Now as far as his likeness, I’d say it’s SO close to being absolutely 100% perfect. He’s just missing a little red paint above his boots, but other than that his face and overall sculpt is insanely spot on. And again just to be clear, this Rocky is not intended to be a full-scale movie accurately sized replica, so don’t expect that or you might be disappointed. Mattel produced this Rocky to be in scale with their specific line of 7” action figures and he stands just under 7” tall. However, this is—I believe—the biggest Rocky toy out there (it’s certainly bigger than Mattel’s small Rocky figures from years ago), so if you do just want a really good Rocky to fill the hole in your full scale Toy Story collection, this is your best option right now even though it’s technically too small. 

 

ROCKY GIBRALTAR

Well I think that about covers it! These are two phenomenal figures and I can’t recommend them enough if you’re able to get your hands on them through help from a friend in the UK, eBay, Amazon, or however you might go about it. And who knows? Maybe these will finally get a stateside release as well. Time will tell. You can see them in even more detail in my video review below, so be sure to give that a watch (like and subscribe too if you enjoy my content ;). 

Let me know your thoughts and any questions you might have down in the comments! 

 

 

 

Monsters Inc. Sulley "Interactables" 7" Scale Talking Action Figure (from Mattel)

A couple weeks back I shared my review of the Mike Wazowski and Frozone "Interactables" figures from Mattel and mentioned that Sulley was also being released at the end of this month... well what do you know! He's here right on time and looks so, so great.

Again, for those who may not have heard of these before, the Pixar Interactables line is an offshoot/extension of Mattel's basic/core Pixar 7" action figure collection. They're the same size, make and style as the basic figures, but these ones talk and, as the name suggests, even interact with each other! Besides the aforementioned Mike and Frozone, there are five other Interactables figures out there as of this post: Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, Mr. Incredible and Syndrome. There's even more coming later in 2021, including Zurg!

Though I've decided that I'm not purchasing all of the Pixar Interactables figures (at least for now; most of them are just too similar to the original basic/core figures that I already have and I just don't feel the need to get them again), I am picking up the ones I feel are the most unique. Sulley here made the cut since I love his brand new "scaring face" facial expression! It's a totally new look compared to last year's basic/core Sulley figure and this year's "Getting to know Boo" Sulley.

As far as the talking feature, I counted 16 sayings total (you can hear them all in my YouTube video below). Just like with the other Interactables, press the button on Sulley's tummy to cycle through all his phrases and hold down his button for two seconds to hear additional phrases. Stand/hold him near other Interactables figures (I demonstrate this feature with Mike in my video below), press their buttons and that will activate the interactive feature (the conversation goes back and forth typically three times). The conversations aren't super coherent (seems like it's more like they say a random selection of phrases to each other), but it's fun either way. I will also also note that once again Sulley's voice is not done by the original actor John Goodman (which is my only main gripe with this figure; the voice is very off), but at least the sound works loud and clear.

This is a fantastic looking figure overall and he fits in with the rest of the line perfectly! The sculpt is really solid and he stands up really good on his own. Sulley measures 8" tall and there's some nice articulation as well, like usual (9 points—head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, legs). Take a closer look at Sulley out of the packaging below!

 

Each Interactables figure retails for $14.99. They're mainly available on Amazon (some Nordstrom Racks have them too), so I'll link those below for your convenience. For all you Pixar collectors out there, I highly suggest picking up some of your favorites of these—especially if you already collect Mattel's 7" line of action figures!

See Sulley in action in my YouTube video and please feel free to like and subscribe to my channel for more content like this! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments.

 

 

Disney+ Monsters at Work Toys & Books Revealed—SNEAK PEEK!

 

Now available from Mattel, check out the brand new line of Disney's Monsters at Work toys as part of Mattel's ongoing Disney/Pixar 7" action figure collection! The series premieres exclusively on Disney+ next Wednesday (a week from tomorrow, July 7th) and it looks like we're gonna have some amazing merch to go with it.

Pictured above, so far as part of this line we have 7" core figures of the show's star Tylor Tuskmon, Mike Wazowski with Gary Gibbs (Mike's workplace rival and his doppelgänger), Sulley, Val Little, Katherine "Cutter" Sterns and—last but not least—a deluxe Tylor Tuskmon "The Jokester" electronic talking figure (who tells 20+ jokes) with 8 comedy prop accessories (seen below in the package)!

You may have noticed a couple of the M.I.F.T. team members are missing in the lineup above and on Mattel's site. Have no fear! They're coming. As seen below, Duncan Anderson (with his little pet Roto) can be spotted in these photo that I found on Amazon and Fritz will be coming soon as well as a Target exclusive. 

Also coming from Mattel is this really cute "Monsters Mealtime" lunchbox role-play toy! How fun?

Lastly there are five books for kids inspired by Monsters at Work up for pre-order right now on Amazon (two of them don't have cover art yet). They look super cute! They'll be releasing in September—I'll include links below if you'd like to reserve them for your collection.

Well that covers it for now everyone! Unfortunately, for all you Mattel Minis fans out there, I was told that Minis have not been developed for Monsters at Work. I'm not sure if there will be plush, but as of right now, it seems the main toys coming out (at least from Mattel) are the 7" figures and the lunchbox. It's a small line, so that may be it for the time being. Maybe if the show and the toys do well, there will be more later on. 

Let me know all your thoughts down below! Are you as excited for the series and toys as I am?

 

 

 

Pixar Animation Studios Luxo Jr. 1.5 oz "Mini Glass" (Boxlunch Exclusive)

Hey all! Tonight I just wanted to quickly share this really cool Pixar Animation Studios 1.5 oz "Mini Glass" (in other words, a shot glass) featuring the famed Luxo Jr. and Pixar ball! I picked this up from BoxLunch last month on sale for just $4.83 (original retail $6.90). Even though I don't drink, I had to snag this strictly for display in my Pixar home office. Some other fans I've talked to let me know that they get some practical use out of this and use it to hold paper clips or other small office items like that (not bad ideas). The sketch-style design here is so cute and simple—I just couldn't pass it up. You know I can never resist any Luxo Jr. merch! 

According to the official description on the website, just as a heads up, this should be hand washed only. Other than that, there really isn't much to go into here other than that it's awesome and you should get it! Snag it for your collection before it's gone on BoxLunch's site HERE and let me know your thoughts down below. 

Cars 3: Team 95 And 51 Mater

Another day, another Mattel 1:55 scale Disney·Pixar Cars diecast review! This one will be real quick, since this version of Mater didn't even actually appear in Cars 3. When I purchased this, I thought he was in the film (or at least in the end credits), but I found out after that "Team 95 and 51 Mater" never appears on screen whatsoever. In fact, he's was totally made up by Mattel and was originally suppose to be released as part of the 2019 Target exclusive "Fan Favorites" side-series. Who knew? 

This Deluxe size Mater was released back in March in Deluxe Case M. All in all, he looks great (love the expression), but yah— just wish this appearance was canon to the film. There are still some other really fun versions of Mater in his different fan hats seen in Cars 3 that Mattel still hasn't made into diecasts, so why make one up?

Well, that's really all my thoughts on this. Told you it'd be short and sweet! If you're still looking to add this one to your Disney·Pixar Cars collection, you can pick it up on Amazon using the direct link below.

Toy Story 4 Gabby Gabby Full-Scale Doll (by Baby Brink)—REVIEW!

Straight out of Toy Story 4, here we have this fantastic [officially licensed] full-scale replica doll of Gabby Gabby! This was an interesting release as it was made by Brazilian toy company Baby Brink—a company I had never heard of before—and was only ever released in Brazil. Pretty random actually, but hey, it's cool that Gabby Gabby was at least made regardless. Since this was never released in the US (not sure why), I had to resort to eBay for it and paid around $60. I purchased this a long while back, so I'm excited to finally get this review up for you all. 

I'm happy to say that the final version of the doll is much more screen accurate compared to the prototype image shown on the back of the box. I'm so glad Baby Brink recognized the issues and went ahead and improved the design. She ended up looking great and has a very impressive likeness to the character! She stands at about 16.5" tall (with 5 points of articulation: head, arms and legs), has her signature yellow polka dot dress that's very accurate to the film and feels quality made overall. Of course the Gabby Gabby in the film is an actual antique doll, so this isn't 100% accurate (no weighted glass/acrylic eyes and no pull string/phrases), but it comes very close and is a must have addition to any Toy Story collector's full-scale collection. Since I'm not confident Thinkway Toys will ever release a "Signature Collection" version, this is probably the best we'll ever get (at least for the foreseeable future). I'd go ahead and secure this while you can.

Right out of the box, the very first thing you'll notice (I think) is the strong smell of baby powder. I'm not sure why, ha! Was it intentional because it's kind of in character for Gabby Gabby or is the smell just a result of however the doll was produced and packaged at the factory? Not sure! I definitely had to make a note of it though. 

My Gabby Gabby's hair came a little crazy and lopsided, but fixing the pigtails is something that can certainly be done so I'm not too worried about it. Other than that, it's all pretty spot on. They even got the lace detail that hangs below the dress accurate!

Ultimately I'm very satisfied with this release and I have no regrets getting it. Obviously I do wish she spoke phrases and had a pull string (or at least a pull string just for show even if it wasn't functional) and some weighted acrylic eyes would have really put this doll over the top. Those are really my only two main criticisms though—other than that, she's super well-made and will look awesome on display.  

What are your thoughts? Have you ordered this Gabby Gabby doll from Brazil? What do you think of her? I'd love to read any comments and/or questions you might have down below. If you're interested in ordering her from eBay, check out current listings RIGHT HERE.

Catch you in the next post!

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Finding Nemo "I Have the Best Dad Ever" Baby Onesie (by Jumping Beans)

Happy Father's Day, everyone! I just wanted to jump on here real quick tonight and share this adorable Disney/Pixar Finding Nemo inspired "I have the best dad ever" onesie/bodysuit we picked up from Kohl's a while back— specifically for our son Aidan to wear today. I'm actually surprised it's still available...and on sale for just $6.99! You can pick it up from Kohl's website HERE.

This onesie is made by Jumping Beans, who did a fantastic job. It's soft, super cute, a great price and true to size (this one we purchased is size 18 months and that's exactly how old Aidan is). You can't beat it! Here are the official details from the website:

His daddy will love when he wears this boys' Jumping Beans "I have the best dad ever" graphic bodysuit, featuring Disney's Finding Nemo. In gray/blue.

PRODUCT FEATURES

• Crewneck
• Snap-back closure
• Raglan short sleeves
• Inseam snaps
• Finding Nemo graphic

FABRIC & CARE

• Cotton, polyester
• Machine wash
• Imported

I can't wrap up this Father's Day post without sharing my love for Aidan. I'm so grateful for him and feel so blessed to be his dad! He truly is the best son any dad could ask for and is everything I dreamed of. And of course I'm so, so grateful for my own dad and grandad and everything they've done for me. Words can't even express.

Anyway, thanks for dropping in and taking the time to read! Be sure to let me know your comments down below and stay tuned right here each week for more from my every expanding Pixar collection.