Disleelandia

Funko Rides Disney 100 Mary Poppins Figure

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Dis-LEE

Disney is heading into yet another special anniversary with exclusive merchandise galore. And of course, my wallet is taking a hit! 2023 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Walt Disney Company which basically had its official start in 1923.

I can resist many of the offerings, but not this Funko Rides Disney 100 Mary Poppins Figure:

Notice anything weird about this figure? Why is Mary nose to bar? It would seem to be a fairly uncomfortable way to ride! But don’t worry, I helped her to reposition herself later.

Let’s start by looking at the great box graphics. Note the rainbow foil accents:

It was nice to see the return of the Backing Card with this figure. Most Funko figures no longer have a picture in behind the figure when it is displayed in the box (insert Sad Face here).

I may be the only man on earth to have turned Mary’s head:

Now doesn’t she look more comfortable with her head turned askew? And so much more photogenic. In fact, one might say she looks ‘Practically Perfect’!

Over the years we have run into Mary and Bert in the Disney Parks. Below are two such occurrences. The first features my wife posing with the duo on Main Street, and the other features them in a parade that used to be showing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

Bonus points if you remember the parade that paired Disney characters with… cars. Yup. It was a strange parade but a fun one!

Be sure to check out the Funko Rides Disney 100 Bert Figure. Of course I bought both!

Posted in Anniversaries, Characters, Collectibles, Figurines, Movies, Parades | Tagged 300, Anniversaries, Carousel Horses, Characters, Collectibles, Disney 100, Figurines, Funko, Funko Rides, Julie Andrews, Made in Vietnam, Mary Poppins, Movies, Parades, Vinyl Figures | Leave a comment

Funko Soda Pan Am Stewardess Collectible Figure

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Dis-LEE

Another five dollar find from The Dixieland Flea Market in Waterford, MI. They have a large indoor selection of vendors as well as outdoor vendors in the summer. I always see something that I can add to my collection!

I had a good reason to pick up this Funko Soda Pan Am Stewardess Collectible Figure:

I have just recently acquired three POP! Ad Icons Pan Am Stewardess figures and just couldn’t resist adding another lady to the group!

There are 5,000 regular figures and 1,000 additional Chase figures. I got one of the regular ones, of course. The Chase figure is an identical body sculpt but a Redhead.

The history of the Pan Am airline is long and storied with the iconic fashion of the stewardesses being the legacy that lingers.

They’ve lasted almost as long as it takes to get through customs!

Posted in Characters, Clothing, Collectibles, Fashion, Figurines, History, Limited Edition, Transportation, Travel | Tagged Characters, Clothing, Collectible Figure, Collectibles, Fashion, Figurines, Funko Soda, History, Limited Edition, Made in Vietnam, Pan Am, Stewardess, Transportation, Travel | Leave a comment

Photo Spot: Horse on a Break at Greenfield Village Farm

Posted on April 20, 2023 by Dis-LEE

It may seem like I used a sepia filter to take this shot but that’s not the case. The natural patina of the wood just matched the horses colouring perfectly!

Even though the colouring is monotone I thought the various textures in the wood really added the interest for this shot. And the horse ignoring me was classic!

“Hey buddy. I’m on a break!”

Posted in Attractions, Museums, Nature, Photo Spot, Photography | Tagged Attractions, Greenfield Village, Henry Ford Museum, Horses, Museums, Nature, Photo Spot, Photography | Leave a comment

Funko Bitty POP! Disney Character 4-Pack Figures

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Dis-LEE

Into the world came MINI Brands. We ended up with really tiny versions of all our favorite toys, candies, and whatever they could shrink and sell us! Would Funko take that sitting down and allow someone else to enter their plastic paradise of lucrative vinyl merchandise?

Behold the Funko Bitty POP! Disney Character 4-Pack Figures:

True Story: I was with my wife in a store and saw Funko Bitty Pop! packs featuring an IP I wasn’t particularly interested in. I said, and I quote: “Good thing they don’t make Disney versions of these things!” Sigh.

On the other side of the same display stand were, yup, Disney versions of these things! My wife immediately went into “You don’t need those!” mode and I immediately bought a pack. We have good communication, if nothing else.

Each 4-pack comes with three characters you can see and one Mystery Bitty. None of the characters showing are Mickey but all four of the Mystery Bitty characters are Mickey. So you will always get him no matter which pack you buy. In a strange twist, they show you on the back of the packaging the four available Mystery Bitty figures, you just don’t know which one is in the box you have. You also get a plastic display case as shown in the pictures above. I will be putting them in my MINI Brands Disney Store display instead.

Otherwise, these mini versions of the regular Funko Pop! figures are packaged much the same way with graphics on all sides:

The difference with Bitty POP! figures is that they are permanently attached to the base, which doubles as the bottom of the ‘box’. You pull the base down to remove the figure from the ‘package’.

Due to the small size, the figures are crudely rendered. Many imperfections to both sculpt and paint are obvious but not really a big deal. They are super cute and collectible!

Will I purchase all of these figures? No. The cost was $17.99 US which I thought was very high for what you get. But I had to have at least one box to share on the Blog!

Posted in Animation, Characters, Collectibles, Displays, Figurines, Toys | Tagged Animation, Bitty Pop!, Characters, Chip, Collectibles, Conductor Mickey, Disney, Displays, Figurines, Funko, Goofy, Made in China, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Mystery Bitty, Toys | Leave a comment

HotWheels Premium Spiderman Spider-Mobile Diecast

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Dis-LEE

Yup. Spiderman had a car. Why? Because he needed money. Let me explain: Corona Motors, in an effort to promote their new non-polluting car engine, hired the advertising firm of Carter & Lombardo to approach Spider-Man about building a Spider-Mobile. Of course, Spiderman initially turned down the offer as a dumb idea until he realized they’d pay him to do it! With the aid of the Human Torch, they completed the construction of the Spider-Mobile.

After a crash course in driving, and some other hijinks, the Spider-Mobile ends up in the river, lost seemingly for all time. Until it came back and tried to kill Spiderman. It’s complicated.

And now we have the HotWheels Premium Spiderman Spider-Mobile Diecast model:

The Spider-Mobile is basically a Dune Buggy. A dune buggy is a recreational vehicle with large wheels and wide tires. It’s designed for use on sand dunes, beaches, off road or desert locations. The design is usually a topless vehicle with a rear-mounted engine.

The original story appeared in The Amazing Spider-man issue 130 where he had to fight the villain Hammerhead. The cover is reproduced on the backing card.

Mattel partnered with MARVEL comics to produce this HotWheels version of the Spider-Mobile in 2017. It was manufactured in Indonesia.

No one will ever be able to answer the question: “Why would a guy who can cross the city on a web in 2-seconds flat and literally climb up the walls need a car?!?”

Posted in Animation, Characters, Die Cast, Marvel, Television, Toys | Tagged Animation, Cars, Characters, Comic Books, Comics, Die Cast, Diecast, Dune Buggy, Made in Indonesia, Marvel, Mattel, Spider Mobile, Spider-Mobile, Spiderman, Television, The Amazing Spiderman, Toys | Leave a comment

Funko Soda Incredibles FROZONE D23 Expo Figure

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Dis-LEE

I was on the hunt for new acquisitions to add to my collection and came across this Funko Soda Collectible Figure for just $5.00 US. It had been opened previously.

The Incredibles was a breakaway hit for Pixar when it was released back in 2004. But beside the main characters was a super cool dude by the name of Frozone, played by Samuel L. Jackson:

This was a D23 Expo Limited Edition exclusive from 2022. Many of these Funko lines have special releases tied into an event or Retail Store. I don’t think this necessarily makes them more valuable as they seem to have the same number runs as regular releases.

There are 6,250 regular figures and 1,250 Chasers. The Chaser has Frozone creating a large snow crystal in front of his outstretched right hand.

My regular figure has no snow crystal but plenty of cool:

I guess you could also say that he is pretty Chill. Okay. He’s probably heard just about every snow and ice-related joke! So I get his drift and I’ll stop before I have to dig myself out from a blizzard of…

See? I told you I’d stop! Dance us out, Frozone!

Posted in Animation, Characters, Collectibles, Exclusive, Figurines, Movies, Pixar | Tagged Animation, Characters, Collectible Figure, Collectibles, D23 Expo, Exclusive, Figurines, Frozone, Funko Soda, Incredibles, Limited Edition, Made in Vietnam, Movies, Pixar, Superheroes, Vinyl Figures | Leave a comment

Photo Spot: Greenfield Village – Progress?

Posted on April 16, 2023 by Dis-LEE

We recently had a nice outing to Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. As always, there was no shortage of beautiful things to photograph!

When I look for a subject, I like to find something that tells a story. What story would you say the picture below is telling?

Industrialization certainly changed the civilized world. Whether it was for the better or for the worse is a matter for great debate! When I framed this shot, I felt that the upturned, woven, basket (in shadow) and the horse, symbolized the old way of utilizing the land. And of making a living.

The factory in the background, under the light of a beautiful blue sky, represented the change to a more urban way of life and livelihood. Most times a farm would be hundreds of miles away from a city and its commercial approach, but in this shot, they are a mere acre apart.

How would a farmer feel if he had to look upon ‘the future’ every day?

Posted in Attractions, Museums, Photo Spot, Photography | Tagged Attractions, Farming, Greenfield Village, Industrialization, Museums, Photo Spot, Photography, Progress, The Henry Ford Museum | Leave a comment

‘The Muppet Show 2’ LP Soundtrack Record

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Dis-LEE

Well, once again, it’s time to ‘light the lights’ and ‘start the music’ as we look ‘once again’ at another wild and wacky piece of merchandise from The Muppet Show!

I present for your pleasure The Muppet Show 2 LP Soundtrack Record:

This wonderful vinyl treasure was released in 1978. It wouldn’t be for another 26 years in 2004 that Disney would acquire the Muppets from the Jim Henson Company.

But before we go on, let’s hear the familiar intro to the famous show, but with an LP record twist:

And here is the record that Kermit is talking about, er… with. Or…

Nothing makes sense with The Muppet Show! But we wouldn’t have it any other way, would we? I always say that half the reason to add these old vinyl records to a collection is because of the artwork. This cover and inner record sleeve prove the point:

The inner sleeve pays homage to the opening of the original show with the iconic arches. It’s fun to see so many of the Muppets depicted here. But I have one nit-picky point: Some of the characters are repeated. There are enough individual Muppets that this shouldn’t have been necessary. Also, Miss Piggy is depicted in her earlier not-so refined form here, but in her later form on the record cover itself. This inconsistency is always irksome with such releases.

But such irks fade away when the humor starts, and so let’s join the Muppets At the Dance for some fancy footwork and frenzied jokes:

I do appreciate that this isn’t just a straight soundtrack in that they didn’t just lift segments from the show and paste them on a record. They have spent time adding record-themed segues between some of the tracks to keep the LP schtick going.

Some of the tracks from this LP have been re-released on other forms of media. For example, I have most of them on a CD. Remember those?

Now it’s time to say goodbye as Kermit promises to “see us all next time” on The Muppet Show, again, with an LP twist:

But before we go, let’s give a great big round of applause for our special guest star – The back of the album cover:

It’s interesting that a Star Wars Storm Trooper is pegged to the information board on the back of the record cover. Disney would go on to acquire Lucas Film in 2012.

If you love vinyl, why not check out a post by my friend and fellow contributor to the blog, Nick, as he shares The Muppet Movie Soundtrack LP with us!

Posted in Characters, Humor, Muppets, Music, Records, Soundtracks, Television | Tagged AB 4192, Arista Records Inc., Capitol Records, Characters, Humor, Jim Henson, LP, Muppets, Music, Peter Harris, Records, Soundtracks, Television, The Muppet Show, The Muppet Show 2 | Leave a comment

The World of CARS Checkers Game Tin

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Dis-LEE

Pixar created a Marketing Monster when it released the original CARS movie back in 2006. Kids will do anything for something with Lightning McQueen on it!

What could be more fun then The World of CARS Checkers Game Tin, other than the game inside:

Checkers is a two-player game, where one player is assigned black checkers and the other red. Each player has 12 checkers to start the game. The object of the game is to capture the other player’s checkers or make them impossible to move. The red player moves first. Then each player takes a single turn. In fact, a player must move in turn. In other words, a move cannot be skipped. Single, double, or multiple jumps are all part of the fun. Make it to the far side of the board and your piece will become a KING! Capture all of your opponents pieces and you win the game.

This would have been released after the first movie as it features Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks, the main ‘villain’ of that race around the track.

McQueen is the red game piece while Hicks is the green. I was surprised to find that this game was complete being as I bought it second hand for a few dollars.

The board is a cloth material and features many of the characters from the first movie. There are eight rows with four rows being repeated twice (= 8).

I’m not sure if you are supposed to put the game pieces on the blank squares or over the characters because the game came with no instructions. But I couldn’t bring myself to cover up even one eye-popping windshield!

So who’s up for a game of Poor Man’s Chess? (That’s actually a different thing, but I thought it sounded good!)

Posted in Animation, Characters, Games, Pixar | Tagged Animation, Cardinal Industries Inc., Cars, Characters, Checkers, Chick Hicks, Games, Lightning McQueen, Pixar, Racing Series, The World of Cars | Leave a comment

Disney Mania in Concert – Video DVD

Posted on April 13, 2023 by Dis-LEE

The MANIA gets even CRAZIA!

Disney Mania is a series of compilation albums featuring Disney songs covered by mainstream pop stars or Disney Channel artists. Each singer is allowed to sing their own rendition or version of the song, and do it ‘their way!’. As of 2010, nine Disney Mania albums have been released but no more are being produced.

This DVD concert video is a companion to the second CD released in 2005.

All of the stars used on this disc are from the Disney Channel or are Walt Disney Records recording acts. Raven-Symone serves as Master of Ceremonies as well as one of the acts. It takes place in an undisclosed venue in Disney’s California Adventure Park.

Obviously this was made for tweens and teens. Everyone in the audience footage were from those demographics.

It was interesting to see and hear some of the performers interviewed before they took the stage. We are even treated to some behind the scenes footage of the video filming for key songs.