A Closer Look: The Cheshire Cat

What Cheshire Cat is your favorite?

Jr. Series 2

Bakery

Alice in Wonderland

Romantic Treats

Funko Pop!

Furry Friends

Alice LE Set

Paris 2 Jr.

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Custom Cheshire Cat Vinylmations:

Since the Park #1 Series of Vinylmations was released on December 19, 2008, over one thousand designs have been introduced in just three and a half years! During this period of time there have only been a select number of Disney characters that have surfaced multiple times. In this first article I will focus in on one of the most popular Disney characters of all time, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. AND you will have the opportunity to vote for your favorite design!
Did You Know? Alice in Wonderland was originally a children’s story written by Lewis Carroll, which was first published in 1865. Walt Disney made it into a full-length animated movie in 1951. The Cheshire Cat has already appeared in four Vinylmation series (the Bakery Series; Alice in Wonderland Series, appearing individually and as a set; Japan’s Romantic Treats Series; and Furry Friends Series, in which it was the chaser) There are a total of six different 3” Cheshire Cat Vinylmations. It has also appeared in the Juniors Series #2, Funko Pop! Series #3, Pairs 2 Junior Series, and twice as a Vinylmation pin. The following is a picture display of each of these figures, the Disney artists who created them, and their release date in chronological order. Later in this article, you will hear from artists who have chosen the Cheshire Cat for their own Vinylmation custom work and their inspiration for the unique designs.
Juniors Series #2 (& pin) Artists: Maria Clapsis & Tom Scott Released: June 2010
		Bakery Set Artist: Susan Foy Released: June 2011
Alice in Wonderland Series (& pin) Artist: Tom Scott Released: November 2011
		Romantic Treats Series Artist: Alex Sanso Released: December 2011
Funko Pop! Series #3 Released: January 2012
		Furry Friends Series - Chaser Artist: Enrique Pita Released: February 2012
Alice in Wonderland Set Artist: Tom Scott Released: April 2012
		Pairs 2 Junior Series Artist: Maria Clapsis Released: April 2012
Custom Artist: Christopher Avilos aka "Evilos" Cheshire Cat is one of those iconic characters in the Disney universe and I said to myself I cannot wait to make a custom Vinylmation of this character. So when I was working on the Movie Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland (2010), I was introduced to the new style Cheshire Cat and instantly fell in love with the character all over again. The first custom I made was the 3" figure in the new Grey/Turquoise color scheme, it took me a few versions to really lock down the look I was seeking.  Then I created the 9" custom figure because personally I prefer the larger canvas to work on, first versions had very solid colors, and later versions were painted to give the illusion of fur. Disney also asked me to create a custom for the 2011 D23 Convention; the theme was Alice In Wonderland. So I jumped all over the Cheshire Cat theme again creating an iconic scene in diorama form. The scene was when Alice was first introduced to Cheshire Cat in the tree. The piece was later sold to a private collector at the event. See more of Chris’ work at: http://evilosart.blogspot.com/
Custom Artist: Justin Marshall I have always had a love for Alice in Wonderland. In fact I yearn to think that a place does exist. I have seen so many renderings of Cheshire Cat but if you watch the film and it's landscapes, it has Mary Blair's signature written all over it.  Fulfilling a vinyl with solely the cat just didn't work for me and I wanted to pay homage to Blair by using those abstract leaves and shadowed tree he appears in. A lot of time went into studying the film frame by frame to get what I wanted. The tree is textured and has a particular look of bark that I hope Blair would approve. See more of Justin’s work at: https://www.facebook.com/justinchad82
Custom Artist: Alex Sanso While I was working on the Romantic Treats series for Japan, I was asked if I wanted to create a custom for the 2011 D23 Convention; the theme was Alice in Wonderland, for the film's 60th anniversary.  Cheshire is one of my favorite Alice characters, and at the time I was also working on two Alice-based paintings for the Disney Gallery: a Cheshire and a Mad Hatter.  Cheshire was all around me, so of course I decided on Cheshire for the custom! I was surprised at how challenging it really was to paint directly on the figure, with its slick surface and all its curves, but I had a great time with it. See more of Alex’s work at: www.artopiacreative.com
Custom Artist: Heather Kattelman In the 1951 Disney animated film, Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat is depicted as an intelligent yet mischievous character that sometimes helps Alice and sometimes gets her into trouble.  This is the Cheshire I have always loved and of course has that, oh so recognizable grin!  When I decided to create this little guy, I wanted to bring the original Cheshire look to the Vinylmation form.   At the time, we had not really seen many official Disney Cheshire releases (only the Series 1 Junior) so when I had the request for this design, I was excited to get started!  There are so many fun things to do with the Cheshire Cat as he is a wonderful creature - I don't know if there will ever be too many designs of this cuddly little fellow. See more of Heather’s work at: https://www.facebook.com/VinylmationCustomations
Other Custom Cheshire Cats by Unknown Artists: - Do you know who the artists are? Do you know of any other Cheshire Cat custom design?