Finding Nemo: Disney Store Squirt Plush

For a "back to school present", my thoughtful wife Brita surprised me with this utterly adorable Finding Nemo Squirt plush; exclusive to the Disney Store!

This little dude measures a little over a foot long and is incredibly soft. His likeness (and cuteness) compared to the character in the film is "so totally" spot on and I'm really thrilled to have this as part of my collection.

By the way, when he's held up like this, I couldn't help but notice that his limbs dangle in such in such a cute way... just had to take note of that!

And here is how Squirt was given to me... I walked into the room and there he was! I may have even gasped - this was such a fun idea! Props to Brita.

Squirt retails for $19.99 and is still currently in stock at Disney Stores and on their website HERE. If you're an eBay type of person, visit this direct link to purchase: Disney Store Squirt Plush

Note: I don't have my new light box photography studio out here with me at school, which is the reason for momentarily reverting back to taking pics around my apartment for this post (rather then them being taken with my white or black background). All of my Christmas present photos were taken with the light box before I left to come out here, so those will continue tomorrow.

Up: Cuddle 'N' Talk Dug

In September of this past year, Disney/Pixar and Thinkway Toys released an amazing collection of Pixar products sold exclusively at Toys R Us. The line includes both new products and re-releases of old favorites which can still be easily found in stores.

Here we have one of my personal favorite items released in this fresh new line...the Up Cuddle 'N' Talk Dug plush! This quality toy is about 13" tall, is made entirely of an incredibly soft and cuddly material, retails for $44.99 and is recommended for ages 4 and up (although I'd say it's fine for kids even younger than that).

When you press is left paw, Dug speaks several phrases and sound effects from the film including:

• "I can smell you!"
• "My name is Dug. I have just met you and I love you." 
• "You are my master!? Oh boy, oh boy!"
• "Oh, I can bark." *barking sound effects follows*
• "And here's howling." *howling sound effects follows* 
• "Have you seen a bird? I want to find one, and I've been on his scent."
• "A ball! Oh boy, oh boy...a ball!" 

Yes, it's surprising that this plush doesn't say "Squirrel!", which I've seen is the biggest complaint about this toy. That doesn't bother me too much, but it was an interesting choice for sure for them to leave that line out of the plush (given that it's the most famous). Unlike the Cuddle 'N' Tall Nemo (also from this line, check out my review of that HERE), this plush has no moving parts that could break.

This Dug has one of the greatest likenesses I've seen in a plush. A lot of the time, the likeness is pretty "off" with these types of toys, but this design is pretty spot on (and gotta love his adorable dangly tongue). He also stands perfectly on his own when out of the package, which makes him great for display.

I've said it before, but I love the look of the packaging, it feels so fresh and new with a very clean and simplistic design. It's also very exciting to have new products and re-releases for many of the older Pixar films such as Up, Wall·E, The Incredibles and others. You just don't see much out there from them!

See my very brief YouTube video below to see him in action (Note: I forgot to turn it on from "demo mode" so I only captured about five phrases in the video. I would have taken another one, but I left this toy at my parents' home while I finish up college):

           

You can pick this up at Toys R Us, buy it on Amazon or eBay using this direct link: Cuddle 'N' Talk Dug

A big thanks and shout out to my generous parents in-law who got me this for Christmas!

Thanks for visiting and be sure to contact me with any comments or questions you may have. Come back daily for more from my Pixar collection!

Finding Nemo: Dory & Nemo Itty Bittys

Last Spring, Hallmark stores released an adorable exclusive collection of Disney & Pixar mini stylized plush characters called "Itty Bittys." Fortunately, since I was hoping they would, they have recently come out with a few more characters including Dory and Nemo (among others)! They are about 3"- 4" in size, retail for $6.95 and are just about as cute as can be.

The first Pixar Itty Bitty characters released were Mike and Sulley (see post HERE from last April). It's funny, looking back I see that I actually predicted (or hoped for) Nemo & Dory and Buzz & Woody (also now released) in that post!

A HUGE thanks to my amazing wife Brita for surprising me with these for Christmas!

 If you're an overall Disney (and such) fan, be sure to check out the other Itty Bittys at Hallmark. There are a lot of fun characters, such a Disney princesses, super heroes, classic Disney, Star Wars, Muppets, Winnie the Pooh, Peanuts, Wizard of Oz and more.

You can pick them up at your local Hallmark store, purchase online (HERE for Dory, HERE for Nemo) or on eBay using this direct link: Finding Nemo Dory & Nemo Itty Bittys

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog. If you're new here, welcome! Please take time to explore my collection and enjoy. Also, you can contact me if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

The Incredibles: Snowglobe

Another outstanding Christmas gift from my parents, here we have the 2004 Disney Store authentic The Incredibles snowglobe! The design and colors of this thing is just, well, incredible. I was so impressed when I opened it up and saw it in person.

I love the fact that it's really two snowglobes in one, with the small one surrounding Violet actually doubling as her "force field." What a brilliant design element!

This snowglobe stand close to 7" high, includes glitter "snow" (when tipped or shaken) and a light-up logo. Unfortunately, there is no music with this one, but it's cool enough on its own that I don''t even miss it too much. Would have been cool to hear The Incredibles theme - music box style - though!

Take a closer 360° look below:
 

 Light up logo feature:

If you're an Incredibles fan (or a Pixar fan and/or collector in general), I can't recommend picking this up enough! Since this product is 10 years old and obviously not sold anywhere anymore, your best bet is picking it up on eBay (it's surprisingly usually not very expensive at all) using this direct link: Disney/Pixar The Incredibles Light-Up Snow Globe

Cars 2: Henri Motisse

Wrapping up some of the last Mattel 1:55 scale Pixar cars from this past year, here's another fantastic new addition to my collection...Henri Motisse! He was just recently released and is #7/7 of the 2014 "Paris Tour" sub-series.

Henri is very briefly seen in Cars 2 (in fact, just half of him; screen shot above) during the, what I call, the "arrival to Paris" montage. He is a French street painter who paints a very flattering portrait of characters Geartrude and Lubewig (who were both also released last year - see their posts HERE and HERE respectively). Henri's name is based off of the real life French painter Henri Matisse, who lived during the late 18th/early 19th century.

I was really looking forward to this release all year and was so happy to find him at Target a few days back. I just love his design (gotta love his paintbrush and "concentrating" facial expression) and the fact that Mattel included his portrait and easel as an accessory! That was just brilliant to me; it will make for a great "movie moment" display when I open all three characters. 

If you're still trying to track this one down for your collection and would rather just purchase him online, you can pick Henri Motisse up on Amazon or eBay using this direct link: Cars 2: Henri Motisse

Thanks for stopping by! I really hope that you continue to enjoy reading about my Pixar collection and that I can help in any way possible with yours. Come back soon!

Toy Story: Buzz & Woody Itty Bittys

Last Spring, Hallmark stores released an adorable exclusive collection of Disney & Pixar mini stylized plush characters called "Itty Bittys." Fortunately, since I was hoping they would, they have recently come out with a few more characters including Buzz and Woody (among others)! They stand at about 3"- 4" tall, retail for $6.95 and are just about as cute as can be.

The first Pixar Itty Bitty characters released were Mike and Sulley (see post HERE from last April). It's funny, looking back I see that I actually predicted (or hoped for) Buzz & Woody and Nemo & Dory (also now released) in that post! Check back here soon for my write-up on the Nemo and Dory Bittys which I also just recently got.

A HUGE thanks to my amazing wife Brita for surprising me with these for Christmas!

If you're an overall Disney (and such) fan, be sure to check out the other Itty Bittys at Hallmark. There are a lot of fun characters, such a Disney princesses, super heroes, classic Disney, Star Wars, Muppets, Winnie the Pooh, Peanuts, Wizard of Oz and more.

You can pick them up at your local Hallmark store, purchase online (HERE for Buzz, HERE for Woody) or on eBay using this direct link: Toy Story Buzz & Woody Itty Bittys

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog. If you're new here, welcome! Please take time to explore my collection and enjoy. Also, you can contact me if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

Finding Nemo: Vinylmation Jr.

In July of this past year, Disney Parks and the Disney Store released this adorable set of Finding Nemo Vinlmations. These are the "Jr." size (Jr. Series 11), so they stand at about 1.5" tall and include key chains atop their heads. They retailed for $9.95 each (which isn't much different from the standard 3" price).

I remember being taken by surprise when these came out, since I never even knew they were even coming until the day they were actually released. For Christmas, I was so excited to have received the full set of 12 from my parents! They do not disappoint, I was really impressed when I first opened the box and saw them in person - they have such cute designs and such vibrant colors! My wife Brita was even a little bit (jokingly) "jealous" and said that they were actually hers because of their "cuteness." I got them loose (it was a killer eBay deal), but you can check out what the packaging was like in this image HERE.

The characters in this lineup include:
Top left to right: Blenny (the "chaser"; in the film he was the little scared fish at the shark's "fish are friends, not food" meeting seen HERE), Darla, Squirt, Sheldon, Anglerfish and Dory.
Bottom left to right: Pearl, Seagull, Bruce, Nemo, Bloat and Marlin.

Here's an image of when I first opened the box on Christmas morning...such a surprise!

They have since sold out at the DisneyStore.com and Disney Parks, so your best bet to track them down if you're interested is eBay. Visit this direct link to purchase: Finding Nemo: Vinylmation Jr. Series 11

If this is your first time here visiting the blog, welcome! If you like what you see, be sure to check out my homepage daily for many more items from my Pixar collection.

Toy Story That Time Forgot: Action Figure Collection

On December 2nd, 2014, Disney/Pixar released their second fantastic Toy Story holiday television special on ABC; Toy Story That Time Forgot. This 30 minute "Christmas" short (about 22 minutes without commercials) followed the successful "Halloween" Toy Story of Terror, which premiered in the Fall of 2013.

Here is the official Toy Story That Time Forgot synopsis:
During a post-Christmas play date, the gang find themselves in uncharted territory when the coolest set of action figures ever turn out to be dangerously delusional. It's all up to Trixie, the triceratops, if the gang hopes to return to Bonnie's room in this Toy Story That Time Forgot. 

To coincide with the film's TV debut last month, Disney/Pixar and Mattel released an outstanding collection of action figures based on some of the most memorable characters from That Time Forgot!

These were released as Walmart exclusives (see the television commercial HERE) yet have proven to be somewhat difficult to find in many areas. I was lucky enough to track them down early on, but I've been to two other states since (and many Walmart stores) and have yet to see them again. Interestingly, despite being advertised as being "Only at Walmart", they are also currently for sale on the Disney Store's website and Amazon.com. If you're an eBay type of person, visit this direct link to purchase: Toy Story That Time Forgot Action Figure Collection

While these figures aren't the same size as the "Battesaurs" seen in the TV special (why they didn't make a full size collection of them beats me), they are still very, very cool and nicely made. These are about 5" tall, are "fully poseable" and come with some sweet accessories (armor, weapons, etc.). There are eight figures total.

Lets get to checkin' these out!

 Battleopolis 3-Pack

First off...the Battleopolis 3-pack! What makes this 3-pack a must have is that "The Cleric" figure is exclusive to this set. He was without a doubt one of the biggest highlights from the film, so it's great to have him here - and with the accurate rolling wheels as well! Unlike The Cleric though, the ever so cool Reptillus Maximus and Buzz Lightyear with Battle Armor (not seen in the film, but works for me) were released outside this set in single packs.

Next up, the single packs:

Battle Armor Trixie

Card back seen below (same for all the single packs):

 Battle Armor Woody

(like the Buzz figure, this design is not seen in the film)

 Battle Armor Rex

 Raptorian Guard

And last but definitely not least...

Goliathon 

(deluxe sized figure with opening mouth)

I'm just so excited to have this amazing set of action figures. The Pixar shorts and TV specials rarely have any related merchandise released, so this is a real treat. A big thanks to my parents for hooking me up with them for Christmas! 

Would you like to see a wave two of these figures released? I really hope so! Here's who I'd still like to see made: Brutes (all three types), Elisian Guard (female guard, left side of image), Ray-Gon, the Acolytes (The Cleric's three minons), Angel Kitty and of course the Battle Arena Playset. How cool would that be? I also wish that they would release full-size figures like the ones seen in the film, but I know that's highly unlikely.

Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by today's post and be sure to check back daily for more items from my Pixar collection! Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Cars: Sally with Tattoo

  

"Hey...Do I spy a little pinstriping tattoo back there?" -Lightning Mcqueen, Cars

It seems like every time I walk into a store these days, I find yet another new car I've been looking for! I had some great luck over Christmas break as I've found 16 out of the 17 cars I needed to finish up my collection this year...not bad at all!

At Target just a couple days ago, I found Sally with Tattoo (one that I've been keeping an eye out for for quite some time). While not drastically different from the standard Sally release, she does sport the "tattoo" that Lightning points out under her spoiler in the film in addition to a new facial expression.

This Sally diecast is Mattel's signature 1:55 scale and is #15/15 of the 2014 "Radiator Springs" sub-line.

It was hard to get a good shot of the tattoo from within the package (mainly because of the shadow from the spoiler), but you can kind of see it if you look closely!

Note: This isn't the first time Sally has been released with her tattoo. She also had it on the "Sally with Cone" release from a few years back as well.

Good luck on finding this one if you're still trying to track her down for your collection! She's been available as of a few weeks ago and should be relatively easy to find, but these releases come and go really quick. As a Cars collector, you gotta be fast. If you'd rather just save some gas and time (I just personally like the thrill of the chase/hunt going from store to store), you can pick her up online on either eBay or Amazon.

Happy New Year everyone and hope you all had a festive, fun and/or relaxing holiday. Here's to a fantastic 2015!