Rafiki Help Line: Would a Rose by any other name, still smell as sweet?

Whenever we get a question we need your input on before giving an answer, we will post it here, in the VM Rafiki Help Line. Rafiki of course is very wise and the word Rafiki means friend. So we thought it an appropriate name when asking you to share knowledge with a fellow Vinylmation collector.

Several people have contacted us asking about a curious little difference in the way some of NOAH's Vinylmation pieces have been advertised. Check out these two ads...

The Vault 28 Online Maleficent reads "Hand-painted by renowned artist NOAH".

The one for Muppets says, "A NOAH creation". Not necessarily that different, but still technically a different word choice.

We wondered what that meant. We contacted NOAH several weeks ago for his input and have not received any info back, so now we put it up to you, Vinylmation fans.

Has anyone talked to NOAH about this and found out what the differences mean? Does anyone else know what this could mean?

DCL Key Chains to Release Jan 1

As the story goes, the captain of the Wonder kept loosing his keys. Guests where getting upset as their trip of a lifetime aboard a DCL ship would be delayed... for the ship could not leave port without the captain's keys.

The Disney team scratched their heads, "How can we stop this from happening," they asked. "What object so valuable to the captain can we attache to his keys that he would not dare leave them out of his sight?"

The captain then remarked, "I am quite the collector of those Vinylmation. Surely if you found someway to attach one of those to my keys, I would not loose them."

So they did. With a bit of Disney magic, a drill, tape and some scrap metal inexplicably left over from the building of the new Disney Fantasy ship, the team put together an amazing key chain. And guests would, without fail on every voyage, ask the captain and crew where they could get such key chains. Then a light bulb went off at the Disney Design Group. (and some say the sound of a cash register could be heard)

"Hey!" one bright designer said. "If we make souvenir Vinylmation key chains with the DCL logo and sell them on the Magic, Dream and Wonder in packs of 2 for only $16.95 per set on or around January 1, 2012, guests will surly buy them." And so this set was born.

(Actual events may differ from story told above)

Red and Black. A nice simple, standard DCL design.

Blue and White. A very nautical feel to this pair. The bow design on one and a wheel on the other.

Grey, Black and Yellow. I love the Mickey Captain head! The anchor is a fantastic design as well.

Pink and White. A little something for the ladies. Great take on the DCL logo.

2011 Year in Review: Zoe Picks Her Top 10 Figures

Each day this week, someone from the Destination Vinylmation staff will give their Top 10 list from 2011. The lists can include just about anything from figures to sets to headlines to personal moments. Please feel free to comment with your favorites and memorable stories from the past year as well. (Other lists: Nick, Annemarie)

Zoe

Writer/DLR Reporter

10. Tinkerbell (Park 7) – Casey Jones

I love Tink’s wings, her wand, and the glitter! The perfect Tinkerbell Vinylmation!

9. Mater (Cars 2 Pack) – Maria Clapsis
Mater is my favorite Cars character and this figure brings out all of Mater’s personality! He fits perfect on to the mold.

8. Marshmallow Snowman (Jingle Smells)
My favorite smelling one out of the bunch, and he is just so darn cute! LOVE that there is an actual ornament hook!

7. Simba (Animation 1) – Monty Maldovan

The tail is so cute! My favorite Simba figure!

6. Rafiki (Lion King) – Jim Valeri
I love the staff accessory! I totally predicted this accessory and all! It turned out perfect!

5. Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) – Thomas Scott
Love the tail!

4. Walt Disney World Road Sign – By Thomas Scott

This reminds me of taking trips to Disney World when I was younger! Watching the signs go by on the bus trip back to our hotels. LOVE that they made these (variants too!)

3. Aurora Jr (Villains 1) By Oskar Mendez
The first Princess Vinylmation!

2. Life is Sweet – Kidada
I love everything Kidada does! From Disney Couture Jewelry, to her new Disney Store collection!

1. Ariel’s Undersea Adventure – By Maria Clapsis

I don’t really have to explain myself here. My favorite ride, my favorite princess, my favorite Disney movie, hands down the best Vinylmation in 2011!!

Climb Aboard! Main St. Trolley Releases Jan. 6

Update: 12/29/11 New high quality pics of Horse and Trolley released. I am so very excited for the Park 7 and 8 LE sets. This one will be at a couple specific stores. At WDW: D-Street and Emporium inside MK. At DLR: D-Street and Disney Showcase inside the park.

Look at the detail in the Mickey heads! I can't stress how fantastic this horse looks to me.

Wow, already my lead nomination for Best Use of Clear in the 2012 Dee Vee awards. The wheels are perfect on the feet and the clear behind the conductor is brilliant.

On January 6, the Park 7 LE Horse and Trolley combo will be released at D-Street WDW and DLR.

This beautifully designed set continues the Park 7 tribute to 40 years of WDW. The price is $26.95 with an edition size is a robust 2,500, which I like, so it will be readily available to guests who want to grab one. We found out today it is designed by Eric Caszatt. The packaging also features the same WDW 40th collage that is on the blind boxes. The trolley is an unheralded mainstay on Main Street USA and Eric really did a great job designing the trolley with the conductor visible on the front.

The horse, a had design due to its length, has a well proportioned face and is decorated with many Mickey heads. Don't forget, the 9" Park 7 Goofy River Country and Various 9" Urbans will drop this day as well.

Annemarie: Furry Friends... Good but not Purrrfect

by Annemarie Brown

Update: 12/28/11 Chaser revealed, check out Annemarie's opinion at the bottom

Yesterday we got our first look at the (almost) complete set of Furry Friends. My initial reaction was "totally cute!" but then I thought about it for a minute and I find myself oddly disappointed with this set. Also, no Figaro? Huh?!

Individually, the figures are great looking, and well designed. But I'm not crazy about their choice of characters. I thought (especially with the ASPCA pet-friendly donations) this would be a cat and dog set. But there are only TWO cats, one of which is Marie AGAIN. I was perfectly fine with this Marie when I saw her last week; she's cute and I love her fabric bow accessory.

But unless the chaser is a cat, I feel completely cheated out of some possible great cat characters. I love dogs, but there are seven! Plus a raccoon and a Pegasus, which are again, both cute characters but I don't like them in this set.

I love Pluto, Tramp, Max, and Percy for the dogs. The expressions are great on them all and I love how their faces are shifted a bit to give them a cocked-to-the-side look. Paired with the new "paw" mold it makes them that much more adorable. But again, using this mold on any non-cat or dog character seems like a waste to me.

To sum up: No Figaro (yet). Too many pups. Plus the odd insertion of Meeko and Pegasus makes this set a tiny bit of a letdown to me *as a set.* (I feel I must stress this because individually they all look great.) Hoping for a Figaro chaser, and if not him, at least one more cat for the set.

Update: 12/28/11 Cheshire Cat chaser revealed
Still disappointed. "But Annie, it's a CAT, right? You wanted more cats!" Yes, but we already have a Cheshire Cat, and are expecting two more. I do like that they tried to stylize this guy a bit, and again, he looks great on the figure itself. I just have to admit, I was looking for more cats and better choices. There are plenty to choose from.

I won't be purchasing this entire set (even though I was planning to.) I'll blind box a few for sure, though. I'm most sad about Figaro. His omission has cost one case of Furry Friends, at least for me. (Although I'm sure you'll soon see a custom Figaro, which I'll definitely make for myself!)


For a look at the entire set, please visit our Furry Friends Explained page.

2012 New Year Vinylmation

We figured it would be just a matter of time until this set of four open window 2012 Vinylmation made it's way state-side. First released in Hong Kong, Disney has now announced an "early-January" release for these. No price point yet, but we do know Maria Clapsis designed them.

Pink with a purple cap. We still do now know if the "cap" is removable. The design features stars, park icons and Mickey and Minnie.

A clear blue with a cap as well. This one has some stars, but also Mickey heads and a few "2012's" all around.

This one is a shinny white with lots of stars and a few 2012's all around. With no characters or park icons, this one falls a bit plain.

I like the big character heads on this all black figure. It also has some stars and is the only one of the four to say Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

The packaging is your standard open window box.

Furry Friends Vinylmation Explained

Furry Friends
Release Date: January 9, 2012
Where: Disney Stores
Price: $10.95
Details: $1 from each purchase goes to the ASPC. Click here for January 7th artist signing and early release in CA info.

Update: 1/6/12 According to Vinylmation.com, Furry Friends will hit WDW and DLR in February.

Update: 12/29/11 Higher quality pics added below. Also, with the release of the turnaround pics, we don't see any actual tails. A bit surprising even though the hook for this set is certainly the paws. But it is nice to see that Pegasus actually has wings!

Update: 12/28/11 Chaser revealed on vinylmation vault page.

Update: 12/27/11 Pictures of the 11 figures have been released by the Disney Store Blog. Take a look below. Nick: "I think I have been turned around on my feelings about this set. The character selection, not just dogs and cats, is wonderful. The addition of Meeko and the Pegasus from Fantasia is so welcomed in my book. I also like the artwork of the faces. Percy the Pug looks spoiled and wrinkly. Patch looks happy and playful. With so many choices out there, it is odd to have 2 from Pocahontas and 2 from Oliver and Company."

They also released a picture of the packaging which I think is extraordinary!

This is why I have so much stuff piled around my house! I don't even want to toss out the packaging from the stuff I buy at Disney! Very innovative and eye catching. It almost doesn't look like Vinylmation would be inside.

Remember the artist signing and early release on Saturday, January 7 at the Costa Mesa, CA Disney Store from 10:30am-1:30pm.

After a tease a few weeks ago, we finally see whole figures of the Furry Friends. Unlike MC predicted, they have normal bodies and feet, only their arms are different from the normal Vinylmation.
It also looks like AnneMarie has been perfect in her predictions so far. Check them out at Vinylmation Speculation: Furry Friends.
Check out Marie's bow. I wonder what other cool accessories they will add for this set!?

	Percy Pocahontas Artist: Quincy Sutton I think he captured Percy's pug face masterfully. Am it biased? Maybe a little. But the slanted face, wrinkles, nose mouth and animated eyes are all done very close to the original. Side view shows Percy's collar.
	Meeko Pocahontas Artist: Jim Valeri Because Meeko's head is anglelar, its hard to capture on the round Mickey head, but it doesn't have the sharp defined characteristics the animated character has. The face looks too dog like.
	Tramp Lady and the Tramp Artist: Jim Valeri The face seem a little off to me. Tramp is a skinny dog and that is hard to capture.
	Patch 101 Dalmatians Artist: Gerald Mendez I really enjoy the playful look on his face and the placement of the mouth and tongue is perfect.
	Peter Pegasus Fantasia Artist: Quincy Sutton A wonderful whimsical look painted onto Peter's face. These wings make up for no tails.
	Francis Oliver and Company Artist: Oskar Mendez A well drawn face with wrinkles and a nice expression.
	Max The Little Mermaid (1989) Artist: Oskar Mendez Good job with the hair in the eyes and the huge black nose. The tongue could have used more slobber!
	Trusty Lady and the Tramp (1955) Voiced by: Bill Baucom Artist: Jim Valeri With no Tramp or Lady, this is an interesting but great choice for this series. He has the perfect droopy face and gold diamond dog tag.
	Oliver Oliver and Company (1988) Voiced by: Joey Lawrence Artist: Gerald Mendez This lovable cat is a must for this set. The artist captured the sad look and fur color and even gave him muddy, dirty feet.
	Marie Aristocats (1970) Voiced by: Liz English Artist: Matthew Chittavanichprapa In yet another Vinylmation appearance, Marie has an extra special accessory: a cloth bow. But unlike her Animation 1 figure, this one's top head bow is painted on.
	Pluto First appeared: The Picnic (1930) Artist: Enrique Pita This is one of the first two figures we saw from the series. I really like how he works on the figures. His big eyes and tongue give him a playful appearance.
	The Chaser The chaser was revealed on the Disney Vault site. Once again, before the release. I wonder why Disney keeps doing this? (Click on image to reveal chaser)