Wow.

The title says it all. Wow.

The last time I posted this was in February 2015. February 2015. To say that an innumerable amount of life changing experiences, trials, failures, triumphs, and ever shifting interests had occurred would be one hell of an understatement. But I'm at a loss of words at what to say about the state of this blog in the span of three years, mostly since I cannot fathom where to begin.

So I will pinpoint the last update from this blog, regarding the state of Vinylmation, as a reference point. The thing is, what state is there? True, the hobby is a lifeless corpse forcefully prodded at Pin Traders nowadays. Funko Pop has taken over the vinyl scene, the current selection of Incredibles 2 filling half a shelf stack. Star Wars Dorbz fills the other half. There are still Last Jedi Vinylmation lingering and collecting dust - after the controversy of the film 'destroying the Stahwah legacy' and in general being considered a plothole-ridden mess, who'd want Rose or Snoke toys? Park Starz and Spider-Man Jrs are still in stock, though yours truly witnessed the latter in the Character Outlet...and admittedly pocketing a couple. But that's it. Pin Traders is the only place on property to find Vinylmation.

People have moved on. Disney finally realized this. And I think the cow is too beat to continue on.

Funny thing really is I still love my collection. However, as most of these former collectors have done, I began reviving mild interest in Funko products, being the overarching monopoly of franchisee licenses to flaunt in a multitude of cheap vinyl items. Currently my Pop list draws past 50, though I intend to stop there. I have also began my exploration of other plastic collections of the action figure variety: Marvel Legends, Pokemon, Jurassic World, even a Figuarts Goofy. And it will not end there: in the coming months, the ML Venom wave is coming out. I have a desire to find Figuarts Donald to pair with Goofy. And as of this post, I'm considering to go tomorrow to Walmart to pick up either the Cyclops or Colossus that I surreptitiously hid in the toy aisles (did you know that's how you get what you want?).

The purpose of this post? Well there isn't one. Not unless you count this as a long-overdue update.

The funny thing? I don't. Not an update, but a catharsis.

A catharsis on my collecting habits and the inner realization that I have long accepted my indecisiveness as a gift of options, a gift of selection, a privileged gift that will soon no longer exist should future events transpire. So I will enjoy the remaining time with my spending habits while the eerie gloom of time tick away at the threshold of opportunity. And yet, I cannot let that slip by. I know what I must do. And the will be done.

Ed

So Long Vinylmation Trading

So in case you haven't heard, Disney released information about the annual Pin Trade event at EPCOT this September. Note that I said Pin Event. It appears that Vinylmation trading, previews, officially sanctioned trading with the big boxes or event exclusives for sale will not occur at the event. However guests are allowed to bring their own traders to trade with other guests.

Can't get worse, right?

And then on that same day, Vinylmation World received reliable information that as of February 5, all Vinylmation trading at all the merchandising locations at Walt Disney World will cease, the report claiming how "Guests who buy them tend to collect them as keepsakes". A fun part of the hobby since spring 2010, gone.

Terrible is an understatement IMO.

And as the last week of Vinylmation trading closes in tonight, I can't help but ask myself...why? Why the decision to remove vinyl trading? It seems that it will only happen at WDW but rumors persist that Disneyland will also foresee the trade box removals too. So as someone that likes theories, I concocted several explanations that could explain the 'why':

1. Dissatisfaction from guests and Cast Members

We've seen this over the years. We know that guests complain about the quality of vinyls in the trade box but we also buy them from the outlets to trade. Same basis with pins. It's unavoidable. With excess vinyls being discounted to crazy low prices (hey there Zooper Heroes at $1) or shipped to the outlets around Florida and California..., Suddenly you didn't have to trade in that expensive vinyl you bought in for a cheapo from the outlets. Just buy up on trade fodder in person or - hey they do phone orders too, isn't that neat!? - and BOOM you can now trade for nicer stuff while saving your hard earned cash. So easy!

And from my experience I've seen CMs that would rather do anything else than lug out the heavy box and listen to tourists pick numbers. I theorized in the past that the original 24 slot trade box was reduced to 15 because of complaints that it was too heavy to carry and would sometimes drop it, the repairs forcing the change to a smaller (and more manageable) box.

But what if the removal was due to management concern about efficiency, if that's the right word to say? What if it was cut in order to keep a certain level of standards, without distractions? It may not have been a lot of time wasted in trading with guests, but management probably doesn't care. From what I've seen, leaders that manned a trade box almost always were strict or hasty, in a rush to not stay and interact. This is compared to the lax attitude I've seen in your basic CM. It's somewhat biased but it does make sense. Why trade with a family of four not buying anything when you could ring up a customer waiting right behind with something to buy?

2. Abuse of the system

Now this was one of the supposed reasons that I read on Twitter. But no mention what kind. And this is theoretical on its own, for there were multiple forms of abuse I and others witnessed through the years. Maybe it referred to figure abuse, where Vinylmations that were scuffed, marked, scratched, blotched, dropped, eaten, disfigured (I still have a Aquaramouse with the back of the left foot actually dug in like someone carved a knife in it!!) and even missing its feet (poor Skiff Lando...the Mouse Gear CMs didn't even realize it had none until I pointed it out)! Maybe abuse referred to how the Vinylmations tend to not come with its accessory. Abuse could even referred to the treatment of CMs from obnoxious or unruly guests, who were angry about being forced to trade it in at D-Street - rare as it is, it does happen unfortunately.

And then there's the sneaky kind of abuse that no one likes to talk about but it's somewhat well known....this is a photo of the selection at Pin Traders. If you take a close look at it, you'll notice something unusual about the wide variety, especially if you're a seasoned park trader, someone who knows what's good or what's the UGLY clearance ones.

via Vinylamtion World

A good majority of the Vinylmations are decent! Older series, cute ones, recognizable characters, MONORAIL CAST CHASERS. Why is this? Every time I've ever traded at Pin Traders the selection was always terrible with the exact same rejects seen everywhere else, even on the last trip there January 24. The truth is, during the peak time Vinylmation was super popular a couple years ago, some CMs savvy enough to know what was valuable or not intentionally pocketed them to resell on eBay as a second paycheck or to help out their friends with finding a select vinyl. This is not allowed but being it's a unwritten rule, these CMs would take every opportunity to snatch the good ones from the trade box and refill with uglier ones.

Now I know this could be controversial but I have sources that confirmed this, one admitting they did it when they worked at Mouse Gear in 2012. So I'll be fair and talk about the sneaky guests that would perform what I call the Two Way. Simply put, one person would ask the CM to 'play'. The second person would stand behind or to the side of the desk and pretend to shop, but unbeknownst to the CM, would signal numbers to the first person so they can choose and pull the nicer vinyls. Over time, the CMs that manned the box would take note of it and would turn around when it happens, calling out the person. Another tactic, though very rare, was simply pulling the lid up from the back of the trade box and either sneaking a peek or blatantly taking out a vinyl and running. I've never seen that latter happen myself (a source saw it happened at Emporium in 2012 which explained how the Emporium CMs later placed it far back from the registers).

3. Plummeted interest = Plummeted quality

This is a no brainer for sure. After all with the changes to Vinylmation, many collectors dropped out, not wanting to bother with the brand again. Most like to pinpoint the mold change as a major reason, the idea that it's 'no longer Mickey Mouse', followed by the increase of prices from $9.95 to $12.95 and the increased LE quantity, intended to have enough to meet the constant demand of consumers at the peak of its popularity. Even though Vinylmation trading always had least favorite vinyls in its trade boxes, there was still a chance at pulling out desirable figures like chasers, variants or that one vinyl everyone wanted to get.

I mentioned earlier in the first theory about how people took the opportunity to buy and trade cheaper outlet vinyls for nicer finds. But as inevitable as it is, something happened. Nothing overnight, but as the years of outlet vinyl trading lagged on, the selection in trade boxes felt...stagnant. The same $4 vinyls were now found in every of the 15 slots and in the clear boxes. It would be pointless at times to wait in a line and take a chance, as you'd know that it'll be the very same vinyls from a series on clearance. And suddenly, the same people who stopped buying the figures also began to stop trading. Now there were still many people like myself who still checked trade boxes and traded. But it seems to me the eagerness to trade disappeared by 2015, where less people would wait and trade like the occasional family or lone wolf, compared to the groups of collectors and families that simultaneously traded in the parks, resort hotels and DTD back then. But of course it means there's still popularity with trading, no matter the decrease of traders, so decline in popularity isn't a good excuse.

via @Attractions

So one strange thought still lingers....why was the decision so sudden?

4. Intentional to observe the impact it'll have

That's right, my final theory proposes that the move was on purpose, the rumors behind why is all pure speculation when the real reason was simply just for experimentation.

First off, as said, it's a sudden decision. This move to stop trading in the parks was quietly announced the same week as the 2015 trade event at EPCOT was announced, almost like a brief afterthought. And as you see through the pictures in this blog post, notice how locations like Pin Traders, Mouse Gears and D-Street are displaying their stock of vinyls in the open? No mystery guessing, just pick and choose. Simple as that. I think this totally should've been how Vinylmation trading was meant to be, just sticking to the 15 clear box or even creating a clear 24 box to choose from. Now if this was at the beginning of the week I would've theorized it was to create an entirely different trade format that would debut later in the year as a surprise. But all of these pictures are from within February 4 and 5. A very short time period. So what's the reason for this theory to make sense?

via Vinylmation Exchange

What if it was to take note of how many of these traders in the final week came to the parks or DTD to trade? To get a final bit of data of all the Vinylmation fans that traded, looked at the merchandise, talked to CMs about it? After all, research is a major part of Walt Disney World in determining overall guest satisfaction, the mindset now, and I like this quote in a Twitter convo, "if it improves the overall guest experience then be open to discussing it". You're asking now, where's the satisfaction in taking away something that was fun? What if research discovered that the people who traded the most were the locals, not out of state tourists? What if the move to cater to the millions of guests that visit the Vacation Kingdom around the world yearly has now expanded to even the more simple things like vinyl trading?

And no that isn't speculation, there has been a shift in the past decade or so to the vacationers that spend 4, 5 figures on a once in a lifetime vacation at WDW - little magical moments, personal experiences with roaming characters, unique merchandise, disappeared in favor of generic quality stuff but the masses that visit once or twice ever would find "magical". Why would they care for vinyl trading? Why when they could be BUYING the little creatures instead? They have money. I've earned $100 bills in the past just looking down in a store. And even then there's other multitudes of merchandise to choose from. Vinylmation is just one of hundreds souvenirs to select, since its inception. It has always been about profit. Now, more than ever, thanks to the franchises like Star Wars and Marvel that Disney is trying to push to get them billions back, And if it means cutting back in the parks in order to increase revenue, so be it.

So the impact that I refer to? Most likely to compare the earnings of Vinylmation sold within the last year, and with these current changes, with the number of these things sold by this time in 2016. This will probably establish a timeline of any increase or decrease of profit and based off the results, will pinpoint a track plan regarding the future of Vinylmation. And this can be compared to past years too, along with sideline comparisons to other 'collectibles' like Tsums Tsums. OR a new collectible line not known at this time... See where I'm going with this? I mean, I've heard rumors since 2013 that Vinylmation won't last a decade. Let's see what will happen with these changes implemented.

~

Wow did I wrote a lot....

Look.

We've seen how Disney has mishandled the brand over the years, through price hikes, oversaturation, hundreds of series that wound up on clearance or at the outlets, and even with new ideas like Park Starz and Eachez, it is clear that the "glory days" of the hobby from 2009-2012 will probably never be attainable again.

But I don't believe this is the end of Vinylmation either.

via Vinylmation World

I firmly believe the rumor is wrong: Vinylmation will continue through the decade. But in the grand scale that was several years ago? Hell no. Not as sought after anymore, But it's still fun to take your chance to chase after what you like, regardless the price tag, like with Eachez. And after being a eyewitness in the hobby for six years (Six. Years.), people probably will never change when it comes to collectibles. There'll always be a supply and demand. There'll be great items and less desirable items. There'll always be a initial interest in new items until the next new item or the next big thing to collect. And most important, people will still buy and collect and keep what they love.

I know that I will be keeping my collection that I believe is 500+ strong, according to Chasing Vinylmation. But I've bought less and traded more. With trading gone, then I shall continue to buy less. Looking is free. And if I really want it, there's always eBay and when the vinyl is out after 2-6 months. However the one impact this has against me now is that I won't be posting Vinylmation selection updates from the parks anymore. If I do it'll be as pictures on Twitter under @VinylPup.

I truly enjoyed Vinylmation trading, Disney. I loved trading vinyls. I always made sure I took some time in each trip just to go trade, even taking multiple trips through the day in case the box was refreshed. I loved meeting other people trading and exchanging vinyls or talking about anything, as well as meeting Cast Members that were also enthusiastic about the hobby. Though half the time I declined a trade because the selection wasn't 100% great, it was the idea to take a chance that was enticing and fun.

I really hope that I'm proven wrong with any of these explanations that I thought up, and that it will return later in 2015, no matter how radically altered it'd be. Until then, I am glad that I was able to trade since June 2010 to February 2015. It really was fun.

RIP Vinylmation Trading.

Vinylmation Update - Week of 1/25 - DAK & DHS

I should be going back to these, and here I continue this series of updates at the Vacation Kingdom, this time at Disney's Animal Kingdom and at the Marketplace. No D-Street this time, as construction was a mess to drive through, and walking would've taken an hour or so, and I had to leave around 5 for work tomorrow Monday. So, onto the update!

Animal Kingdom:

Island Mercantile's main entrance was blocked off and the merchandise inside rearranged to open up the the store for easier access through to Africa and Asia. This rearrangement included the Vinylmation selection being moved to the kitchenware, and it is glaringly obvious how any 'sneaky' stuff is no longer possible to hide with the location literally five feet away from the registers.

Lots of Toy Story and D-Tour 2.

And if you look closely..... 101 Dalmatians! Apparently the series was stocked this weekend, which means these were released about a week earlier than its original posted date for D-Street (two weeks for the parks). Really liking the Dalmatians more than the humans honestly, good thing there's a 9/16 chance to get one. Maybe another time.

Needs more Dalmatians. At least 96 more.

No pictures, but I should mention trading at Animal Kingdom is always a hit or miss, but it's the one park in my observations where I always see a trader in the clear box that is more desirable than the vinyls picked from the slots. For example, the usual trade fodder filled the trade box but the clear box had Indiana Jones sitting between a Cutesters and a Redux vinyl.

Meanwhile, it appears Chester and Hester's Dinosaur Treasures's Vinylmation stock is back at that corner of the park, but now instead of directly in the middle of the shop, is situated near the back exit to Dinosaur. A strange location at first until you realize how...open it is. Somewhat glaringly obvious too.

Bet all but one of the 2015 Eachez are Pirate Donalds?

Downtown Disney:

Around 3, the insane crowd levels (a good chunk being Brazilian tour groups) took its toll and the fun of enjoying Animal Kingdom was lost amid trying to navigate through the sea of heads and strollers, so I took the opportunity to check out Marketplace.

Fun Finds is probably going to replace my (I'm going to hate saying this) former go-to Disney outlet for discounted Disney merchandise because sure enough, some nice mugs, hats and yes vinyls were freshly stocked that evening.

Not pictured to the right of this, more Indy.

I should also point out that it's $4 each regardless how many you buy, so the 5 for $20 sign is just an attention grabber and doesn't mean a thing. And yes, I'll admit I bought a few for future traders. Three out of four to trade (got a new one, the robot from Space Ranger Spin) is pretty good.

And then a quick stop at Pin Traders.

Gone are the trays.

The photo doesn't show the true invasion of Mystery Popcorns well, but yes they covered half the shelves. Also note no more Marvel series 2, as well as this being the first time I've seen the CYO Minnie mold outside D-Street.

~

And so this concludes my brief Vinylmation update. Thanks for reading, and happy collecting!

In Memoriam: Retired Vinylmation Series

It seems to me that in recent memory, with all the changes Vinylmation has seen, I've noticed series after series, some with potential sequel sets, not announced at the Imagination Gala four months ago at EPCOT. Now I must say it's likely that a couple of these series will return at a later date, but given the amount of time passed as well as how quiet the Vinylmation team has been in giving out the dates, I've decided to pay whatever respect I have had for these bygone series.

Here be my thoughts to the following recent series that have retired, perhaps for good:

Urban Redux

Oh Urban, how we hardly knew ye. It was a intriguing idea by Thomas Scott, introducing ratios, smaller case sizes, smaller number of figures in a set, and super chasers! All new to VM at the time. And yet something missed the mark. Was it the eclectic choices of vinyls, the lack of interest in the commons, somewhat okay chasers, or was having only 24 superchasers a turn off? Was it all of these? Honestly one of the few lines I think deserved a quick, peaceful death, moreso after Urban 9. But I'll admit several of the vinyls were cool enough to trade for.

Cutesters

This was indeed a series with a good long run, outliving the original Urban series. Without a doubt it was as the title says cute, the designs usually very creative and usually had a strong theme with each series. The initial series felt like a cutesy Urban mix that felt relevant to the interests of the urban community with pastel colors and minimalist artwork that simply fit with the old mold. And as the molds change, the designs became intricate, detailed, and more fun! While not expected to fetch value in the secondary market, they are a great starter set to collect for pure enjoyment.

Indiana Jones

Finally a Indiana Jones series! Truly a set that caught the attention of fans of the Raiders of the Lost Ark film because hey, it's Indy. He's a cool guy. And it is a great film. The chaser is also a clever one, being the Fertility Idol also chased after in the movie. And to have three Indys in the set, as a common, topper and variant, was great to also chase after. It's too bad the supporting cast, if you chose poorly from a blind box, were characters that didn't gained as much popularity unless you REALLY like that Belloq or Nazi, and continued to be found in trade boxes until February 2015, sitting at Fun Finds and Orlando outlets. Should a second series somehow arise, perhaps they should heed to the 'Limited Release' note literally and underproduce for higher collectability.

Silly Symphonies

I must admit I'm unsure if it was a stand only series, but given the number of Silly Symphony shorts produced, I wouldn't have been surprised if a sequel was planned. Despite the obscure characters, it was a different set that appealed to fans of the cartoon shorts, something with little merchandise of in the first place. A great thing was it having a mix of cutesy and not so cutesy characters from the more recognizable Symphony shorts, and they all were designed quite well. The Skeleton Dance chaser is of course a nice complement to the 9" from several years back too.

Muppets

One of my first Vinylmation was the Rowlf vinyl I unboxed back in 2010, from the very first series. I still have him too as I like the nerd. It was a challenge to produce these lovable characters on a Mickey mold but it was possible. And the designs just got better with the second and third series, with taking advantage of the ears and accessories more. For the Muppets fans, they were an awesome addition. For the casual collector, a real gamble. Near the end, the third series stocked and disappeared off shelves only to wind up in random places like at Image Works. Perhaps they thought the new Muppet movies would've brought interest especially with a Walter chaser, but it probably didn't in the end.

Whiskers & Tales

Now I'm aware that W&T (also known as Furry Friends 2) was released in 2013, but seeing how it's been almost two years with no W&T2/FF3 I feel like it must be included because these designs were adorable! I loved how it was a mix of recognizable and obscure Disney animals complete with the now traditional Furry Friends arms. Despite quality control challenges, these characters continue to be sought after as it appears these cats and dogs (and others like Peter Pegasus or Lambert the Sheepish Lion) will not be remade in another series for a while, like the time between W&T Lucky to the 101 Dalmatians series Lucky - two years! Definitely must haves in a Vinylmation collection and I'm sad another set won't be made, especially for villainous pets (to have Roscoe & Desoto vinyls would be incredible though!!).

Meet & Greet Mickey

Well he wasn't really a series per say, but it was an idea to have color variants of a extremely unique mold for certain events. I also applaud it bringing attention to the human hands Mickey sported back in the 70s. At $45 per vinyl however, I imagine it was a costly decision among the other unique collectibles to purchase at the events. It spent its last days in the outlets at less than $10 each. What's interesting is how low in popularity he was even though he was made for the exclusive events, so I theorize that the human traits Mickey featured confused collectors and probably turned them off (seriously...read the Parks Blog about the vinyl and you'll see all the comments about why he had those hands).

Duffy

It's been six months since the series featuring the Disney Bear was released, and I'll brazenly assume that it won't get a sequel series, and will remove this section if it does. But given the vinyls in the set, it wasn't as terrible as people complained about. The mold was unique and to see it revitalized with Urban like designs and colors, I believe it was a quiet hit with those that collect cute. The clear Duffy chaser was also a cool design and would look amazing as a night light. However I can see why this didn't appear to be as a hot commodity, as it clashed with vinyl collections and the designs could be a polar miss. Likely why the original open window Duffys are still available. Also, these should've been released at the initial reintroduction of the Disney Bear (and Shellie May to go with those unproduced vinyls) to American audiences.

Park Starz

Another Vinylmation series that could be removed in due time should it get a fourth series, but as December was traditionally its release month, I'll add it here. The original vinyl series for Disney that broke the mold and attracted even the most anti-Vinylmation persons with unique representations of park exclusive characters and icons. At $18.95, the tin blind boxes were a hard swallow but with luck (and weighing/shaking) had a 1/12 chance at a different vinyl if the original case on shelf wasn't shuffled with other tins. It had no chasers but a 'mystery' figure with the same 1/12 chance and usually represented what I assumed would be the artist's extinct park favorites (like how Mr. Funmeister was a early workplace for either Thomas Scott or Donald Ferro I forget). Can't forget the individually sold variants where most end up at the outlets simply because the majority were not worth $25 for - sepia toned Pirates? Party hat for Big Al? Granted there were awesome ones (clear Constance, Carnosaurus skeleton) but a general miss. Overall, a truly fun series that I'm surprised is no longer being produced.

Villains

A legitimately sad entry because it was the original Disney Store series that started out with classic Disney Villains that everyone loved to hate, that lasted into a rather dismal fifth series, ending with a whimper and a 50% off online sale. Being this was all about Pixar villains, it was a interesting selection of your atypical everyday adversaries to the downright bad. Some designs like Mor'du and Waternoose came out perfect. Additions like the fish bag with Nemo was clever. And the chaser was a nice way to spotlight Al in the chicken suit, complete with chicken head. And it did came a long way from the original series cleverly using the old Mickey mold for details like an apple on the foot, or Chinese writing on the back, to later series with controversial designs that split the face/head on the body or less interesting Villains like Mortimer. Nevertheless, it's a pity to see an awesome line snuffed out so soon.

Pixar

A series with great potential by introducing many popular Disney/Pixar characters in its first series only to be tarnished with a smaller second set with secondary characters and a chaser far underwhelming than the first set's awesome Pixar Ball. No seriously. Boo and her Mikey Jr, Alpha, Dory and Mr. Pricklepants were the saving grace of the second series because the other four were a total 180 degrees from the first set. I suppose this is what happens when you're stuck with limited characters to be approve to design. Then again, this set was one of the many released around late 2013 that would be moved to the outlets like Snow Day, Symphony and Redux. Probably came at the wrong time? Amazing how a stellar beginning was dashed with an awful sequel.

Robots

Now this was a series that kept reinventing itself since the second series, but despite the initial hype and viral marketing for the first series complete with a cool video introducing them, any interest did not last and dwindled past the third series which was chocked full of recognizable Disney characters. The fourth series did have a temporary spark of interest as they were released at the parks for the first time outside Stores, but the weird and (almost) ugly art styles for the Villains would kill interest wind up continuing the discounted trend. Personally, I loved the Robots series. Almost spending $100 on the whole Robots 1 set of twelve and trading for complete Robot 2 vinyls in the parks to taking drastic measures to feeling for Big Bad Wolf's awesome hat being he was the only one in Robots 4 I wanted badly, I genuinely loved the designs....but not everyone else for the most part. A necessary kill, per say.

~

But why?

What makes sense to me was (and is) the trend of waiting until they're reduced to $6 or less, something we've seen in the majority of these aforementioned series. Now it didn't mean there's not people who love every single vinyl in these series or was willing to even collect the ugliest of them....rather the idea that $13 per blind box could be spent on something else in addition to knowing how online auction prices would drop as time go by. Adding how various issues with the hobby forced a hefty chunk of collections leaving and selling their own collections, then it's obvious how long time series or revolutionary concepts for the Vinylmation hobby to branch off to was justified with a quiet takedown. Makes me wonder what's the next Vinylmation line to be discontinued - Star Wars and Marvel are too popular now...Animation? Parks? Toy Story? Theme Park Favorites?

7.2.15 EDIT: According to Vinylmation World's June interview with Thomas Scott, the Mike Wazowski and Minnie Mouse Theme Park Favorites vinyls will be the last of the TPF line, no other characters or merch styles will be reproduced as Vinylmation. My guess is the TPF vinyls simply do not sell as they first thought and want to get rid of them. I'm calling the whole line will be gone by 2016.
It's also important to note that the Park Starz variants for Disneyland 60 haven't shown up yet along with the Eachez, but what little speculation exists believe they will be released some time in mid July, in time for the actual anniversary date. The real question here is if they will sell out in some sort of special event at D-Street or just released without much fanfare and sit on shelves for ages.

Vinylmation of 2014: An Overview

2014 was an odd year for Vinylmation with all the changes.

The first observation about Vinylmation was the reduction of series and individual releases, a sharp contrast compared to 2011/2012. No more was there a new release every Friday at D-Street, or even the occasional update from Disney. It has spread out more through the year, with delays being made as to fill in the year with a certain amount of releases instead of all at once at the theme parks. The same can be said for the Disney Store website, where there's barely a page of vinyls to purchase nowadays. In stores, only a select few on shelves, and barely any announcements for future releases anymore. This of course traces back to the oversaturation of Vinylmations in both Store and Parks in recent years, where now the reduction saves time, money and provides collectors ample time to well collect. In a way it is good as it gives room to breathe between new releases, and this slowing down could be what was needed after the excessive series of unwanted vinyls.

Then there's the methods of reigniting interest in the brand by introducing new formats like the Eachez. It brought back the chase and didn't require collecting more than 2-3 vinyls, instead profit was made in multiple Eachez blox purchases in hopes you'd get the variant. However, much like other Vinylmation series of the past, it'll always be the rare or exclusive figure in a set that is most desirable, killing the value of the commons on the secondary market. Eachez was no different and seemingly is going the route where it'll be squeezed until its novelty as the cash cow it is wears out. And then there's the Reveal/Conceal format, a pin concept that attempts to reinvigorate buying combo toppers, and it has been met with positive regard for the Haunted Mansion with Mickey & Friends set, but mixed reviews with the Topiary set. Hopefully in the future there'll be more than two combo toppers vinyls in future Reveal/Conceal sets.

And finally, the varieties of series themselves has proven that in the end, it was for the best to change the old Mickey mold into the new mold, with superb designs that blows older series out of the paint bucket with all ranges of creativity, down to including extra accessories like a neck or hat that enhances the vinyl. And by giving smaller case and edition sizes, it means more attention to detail for the vinyls while increasing the chances for people to buy into with less to collect and the impression of a more valuable item. And honestly, I never really followed custom Vinylmation much, but when you see how expensive they can be, it hits how even the value of a unique custom isn't a major priority anymore. That being said, still a lot of great (and not so great) Vinylmations from this year.

This was a list originally I planned to submit for Vinylmation Kingdom's Hits and Misses column but felt I wanted to expand on it more with my thoughts about each selection. Here we go:

------------------------------------------

Hits:

Park 14 - Great designs for most part, with lots of creativity like RNRC and Soarin’. Though the chaser left little to desire it’s still nice to see a selection from HK and a continuation from Park 3 with Ollie Owl (thanks Annemarie!).

Topiary Reveal/Conceal – Despite only one vinyl as a topper, it’s wonderful to see a different kind of set with few to collect.  Simplistic but they’re cute representing the EPCOT topiaries. Donald is my favorite complete with the bee in his ears.

D-Tour 2 – This is what Urban should’ve been about. Liking the adult appeal with designs that throwback like to the 80s and vaudeville to a pretty unique (and underrated) chaser. I know this isn't the most groundbreaking series but I like them.

Haunted Mansion with Mickey & Friends – This is how to do a Reveal/Conceal set, with two toppers and that every design is worth wanting to get. Ears were well designed, and little things like the lantern to even including Pluto to Goofy’s backside was a fantastic touch.

Sleeping Beauty – Nice selection of characters, and I think does a good job to deliver with a colorful palatte and different molds. Dragon Maleficent is definitely one of the better Vinylmations in awhile. 

Marvel 2 – Though I did not collect this series, they were all well done regardless of obscure characters or not, and especially spotlighting Spiderman and his comic allies/foes. Liking the extra touches to the ears like newspapers or ooze. 

Imagination Gala – I thought the free Figment gift is one of the best Figment vinyls ever made, no joke. It’s just perfect. Having the chipmunks (with variants!) as chasers was different and put back the chase I think. And the Clarice Eachez was a top notch design for an obscure character stateside.

Ink & Paint – I think this is quite underrated as a spinoff to Classic Collection. The comic book style really does pop and they all look distinctively superb together. Also happy to see another Pluto vinyl especially as the filler, makes for a sassy army.

Toy Story 2 – Nice followup to the first series, with characters expanded from the sequels and even a couple nods to other less popular characters and variations. Buzz is definitely the favorite with grade A execution.

Mickey's Christmas Carol – I disliked this series at first but have grown to love it. The designs capture the feel and animation quite nicely, and the ears complement each figure well. Also appreciate little extras like a cane from Scrooge and a Jiminy Jr. as a chaser.

Villainous Duos – If only for Flotsam and Jetsam! Ahh they’re so perfect. Maria captured them on the mold so well and I’m still on the lookout for them poopsies. Even Pain and Panic are desirable enough with a classic, fun look. I like to think of these as an extension of Animation in fact.

------------------------------------------

Misses:

Trade Night 2014 Eachez - Love Stitch, Figment BUT as great as their collectability is, it was a turn off between them selling out so quickly only for handfuls to go on eBay (yay greedy eBay sellers you continue to be the worse), to how release dates were never given making it frustrating to predict when they’ll be released. I seriously hope this won't happen ever again.

Indiana Jones – Let’s face it. Indy and the Fertility Idol chaser were the two best vinyls from this forced set. Otherwise there was no real need to make a whole series as it only attracted fans of that one movie. Not memorable, not exciting except for the hardcore. Eh. 

Robots 4 – I only liked Big Bad Wolf. He’s awesome. Otherwise the rest were just not good looking, with a remarkable concept executed poorly. I doubt we’ll ever see another Robots series honestly, as in the end, the semi ugly designs of the Villains made it too vague to appreciate the details. 

Pirates 2 – The chaser was an improvement with being more desirable than the one from the first series, but despite some excellent designs, just didn’t hit its mark and continues to linger on shelves, and for good reason. The vinyls, in my opinion, just don't click as something I'd want in my collection. 

Star Wars 4 – Again, a couple designs like R2D2 and the trooper were fantastic, but to go back to Empire Strikes Back just for extras that probably weren’t needed in the first place? Eh. And like with Indy, only appeals to a certain demographic. I'm sure it's a popular set but not for me.

Park Starz 3 – I want to like them all but I'm not so attached with the execution of some of the molds like Dreamfinder, the Hitchhiking Ghost and Trixie, which look odd. Only liked the MSEP Turtle and even then it's something I don't feel would add much to my collection.

Duffy - Ahh yes, a series that came two years too late. This should've been up and front when Duffy was the rage then, but as his popularity fades, so did any interest in the vinyls. The Urban-esque designs also was a polar hit/miss for people as well.

Animation 5 - Yet another series where the designs were unambiguously plain and I loved some of them like Donald to complete the Three Caballeros, but I feel like the lineup should've been different with replacing Tuke, Flynn and the lukewarm Toad chaser with other characters.

Villains 5 - Honestly with all the Disney villains out there that aren't Pixar, this should've been Pixar 3 instead. I'd label this one of the worst series of the years for two reasons: 1) Poor selection with mostly secondary/obscure characters when it should've included more recognizable characters but were SDCC exclusives, another poor decision on its own, and 2) The designs just aren't good. I think Waternoose and Mor'du are fantastic but the rest are just ugly as sin.

Jrs - Not the Nemo Jrs themselves but the fact that much like 9" disappearing altogether, a honorable mention of a Miss of its own, Jrs have quietly disappeared with little fanfare, proving that $10 continues to be a hard swallow for an adequate design....I believe Troopers are next year's concept, and if it's like the Droids, will also be a polar hit/miss for Star Wars fans.

St. Augustine Disney Outlet Closing. - This is a personal Miss for me mostly because thanks to the closure, it has slowed down any Vinylmation trading that I would like to do at the parks, along with missed opportunities to get merch I had eyes on over the year at a steep discount. I did made a whole post about my thoughts and history with the place that you can read by clicking the hyperlink. I now rely on Fun Finds at DTD, and even then I hope the selection is worth taking the long trip on property for.

------------------------------------------

In the end, I feel like 2015 will be an interesting year for Vinylmation with all the changes, and I feel these changes will bring forth a new generation of collectors casual and diehard to replace the veterans of the hobby. It was simply trying to whittle down the problems of what was bringing down Vinylmation (in fact, these problems like Urban Redux, Cutesters and Robots do not appear to show signs of coming back in the new year) into a new experimental trial, reinvented and ready to go.

Now the question left unanswered now is... will history repeat itself? We'll have to wait and see.

Most importantly, Happy New Year!