Mickey Mouse Funhouse Vinyl Figures

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Dis-LEE

At first, I thought these Mickey Mouse Funhouse vinyl figures were knock-off items. But after a little research, they are related to an actual Disney property.

Mickey Mouse Funhouse is an animated preschool series which premiered on Disney Junior in the United States on August 20, 2021. The series follows Mickey Mouse and his friends as they travel to various worlds using the magic of a sentient, talking house named Funny. Okay. Moving on.

My confusion was based on the fact that Mickey and Minnie Mouse seem to be doing the Hot Dog Dance from another Disney show, the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, that ran from 2006 – 2016. It’s possible that much of the animation and gags from the first series was continued in the follow-up series, but for a younger audience.

The history of the Hot Dog Dance goes all the way back to 1934. If you want to learn more about it, please check out an earlier post that features a Story Book Album from that time period.

I did find something peculiar on the back of the packaging. There is a proviso in the fine print that says: “In the interest of better quality and value, we are constantly improving and updating our products. Consequently, pictures on this package may sometimes vary from the product enclosed.” In this case, they do not. But what a weird thing to put on a product!

To further the case for this being a licensed product we can also see the official Disney website printed on the packaging. So I think, rather than being a knock-off, this is just a very cheaply done piece of merchandise made in China for the dollar store markets. Which, in fact, is where I bought it!

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POP! Television Thunderbirds Vinyl Figures

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Dis-LEE

Funko pretty much rules the vinyl figure world. These wonderful Pop! Television Thunderbirds vinyl figures show why.

Thunderbirds is a British science fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, filmed by their production company AP Films (APF). It was made between 1964 and 1966 using a form of electronic marionette puppetry that was dubbed Supermarionation. This was combined with mind-blowing scale model special effects sequences!

So if you’re ready: Thunderbirds are Go!

The Supporting Cast

It appears that these three supporting characters are the only members of this line of merchandise at this time. If you want Mr. Tracy and the boys, you’ll have to settle for Matchbox mini action figures or Funko Wacky Wobblers!

Lady Penelope is a standout character from the series and I posed her above with her signature Rolls Royce supercar, in diecast form.

Parker was the faithful driver/bodyguard for Lady Penelope while Brains was the, er… brains, behind the marvelous mechanical machines used by the International Rescue task force.

Looking good in retro fashion from every angle!

These figures are very well made with only the usual flaw to complain about. With such big heads coupled with such small feet, the characters can be hard to pose in standing positions. With these three, it was only a problem with Parker. But I have had the issue with many other figures, even having to leave them in the boxes to display them.

International Rescue was always saving people from tragedy. But sometimes, failure was just something they had to deal with. How did Mr. Tracy help his boys deal with this part of the job? With a pep talk, of course:

“You can’t save everyone. It doesn’t matter how hard you try or how brave you are. It doesn’t even matter if it’s someone you love, someone you’d give your life in a second to save. You just can’t save everyone.” Truer words have never been spoken. But thankfully, the world has people, First Responders, who will never stop trying!

Posted in Animation, Characters, Collectibles, Figurines, Merchandise, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Winnie the Pooh Ceramic Platter

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Dis-LEE

Disney is the ultimate marketing machine. As a company they have made an artform out of placing their characters in just about every store on the planet on just about every kind of merchandise. With that, I give you the Winnie the Pooh ceramic platter.

It measures 7″ by 14″ and features both Pooh and Piglet, because…

Is this… a Pooh-Pooh Platter?

The pūpū, or Pu Pu Platter, is a tray of American Chinese or Hawaiian food consisting of an assortment of small meat and seafood appetizers. Typically the platter could include an egg roll, spare ribs, chicken wings, beef teriyaki, skewered beef, fried wontons, shrimp, or just about anything they had left over in the kitchen! Except… well, you know.

We have this in the center of our kitchen table.

You can find this at Home Sense in Canada, but I’m sure it can be found at other outlets throughout North America and elsewhere. I paid just under $15.00 CAN for it.

Posted in Animation, Ceramics, Characters, Decor, Food, Kitchen, Merchandise | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Incredibles 2 Jumbo Playing Cards

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Dis-LEE

The Incredibles sequel wasn’t all that I had hoped it would be. I spent years hoping for one as it is probably the most obvious franchise to have one, two, or even more sequels. But all it did was undo all of the progress that was made with the characters in the first movie, so… nah. No more please.

But we do have some interesting merchandise from the Incredibles 2 though, like these Jumbo Playing Cards:

GO BIG or it just isn’t INCREDIBLE!

But like the movie they are based on, there are some issues. Let’s get into them:

Cards 2 – 10 are simply numbered. They could have used some supporting characters, villains, and tech images, but they decided to cheap out. And why would Mr. Incredible be the ACE card, and not the KING?

In my opinion, Violet would have been the logical choice for the ACE because it is set as the lowest card in this deck, and not because she is insignificant or has no value to the team. But she did spend most of the first movie doubting herself. Of course, if we consider the ACE to be the highest card in the deck, then this could also fit Violet. Consider this: The Invisible Woman from the Fantastic Four could turn invisible and emit force fields, eventually emerging as the most powerful member of her team. As Violet gets more confident in her powers, she too could emerge as the most powerful Incredible! But placing her on the ACE card is also by process of elimination, as we shall see as we go on. Mrs. Incredible / Elastigirl is an obvious choice for the QUEEN, so they got that right. But Mr. Incredible should have been the KING, as I’ve already said. For Dash, I think he would be perfect for the JOKER card.

And who would be the JACK in Violet’s place? Why, Jack-Jack of course! Duh. But they waste him by placing him in the background of the KING card with Dash.

Using Edna Mode as the JOKER just doesn’t seem right. If they were going to use a supporting character, Frozone would have been ahead of her, no?

One last quibble: Why are the card backgrounds in colour, the costumes in colour, but the faces of the characters in black and white? It’s an odd design choice. But kudos for the graphic layouts.

This Jumbo Playing Card set would have been a licensed item. Disney would have had little to no involvement with the execution of the finished product. And it shows.

But hey, if you’re up for some Crazy Eights and have bad eyesight, these just may be the cards for you!

Okay, just one more nit picky thing: In the bottom corner of the back of the box, it has the five heads of the team. The first four are just heads, but Violet has an extended neck. It looks weird. Maybe they were going for the Roman double-‘I’ to denote the Incredibles 2? Maybe. But it still looks weird.

Posted in Animation, Characters, Games, Merchandise, Movies, Pixar | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Foodie Friday: Hidden Mickey Disney Bag Charm

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Dis-LEE

Oh no, no, don’t eat it though, it’ll make you ill! Cause there ain’t nothin’ real in this Hidden Mickey Disney bag charm! So seriously… don’t eat it.

At just 4″ in diameter, without the ears, this charming little bag is just the cutest thing! Let’s have a look at some of the details:

There is another Hidden Mickey used as the zipper pull. It has faux sesame seeds on the top bun. And a nice big piece of leafy lettuce sticking out all around. Oh, and some ketchup.

Of course, what would a Hidden Mickey bag charm be without a Hidden Mickey sesame seed? The back of the bag, or the bottom bun, has no seeds.

This bag charm would hang from a woman’s purse of course, and I thought it would be the perfect place to put her keys. You could also use it to keep moisturizer, lip gloss, or if you’re reading this when COVID-19 is still a thing, your face mask would fit in just perfect!

This has no specific brand name so it isn’t a partnership product with a famous design studio. It simply carries the Disney Parks logo. So likely this was originally bought at a North American Disney Park for $16.99 US. I picked it up from a local selling site for just $10.00 CAN.

I guess the ‘meat’ is the brown section that the zipper runs through.

You can see my wife’s Grape Soda bag charm featuring the iconic and heartwarming keepsake from the Pixar movie UP by clicking the link.

Posted in Characters, Clothing, Fashion, Food, Foodie Friday, Merchandise | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Funko Minis Pixar Shorts Tinny & Luxo Jr. Figures

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Dis-LEE

There have been many unlikely friends in the world of Pixar films: Buzz and Woody. Mike and Sulley. McQueen and Mater. Luxo Jr. and Tinny. Who? To recognize these last two figures from the Funko Minis Pixar Shorts set, you would have to be a fan of the company from 1986 and 1988.

Luxo Jr. was the first character to ‘star’ in a standalone Short from Pixar before he would go on to become the company logo/mascot. Tinny would come two years later when Pixar was becoming more confident. In his debut Short, the animators would try a human figure for the first time… and basically fail as they created perhaps the ugliest baby every seen!

Funko has better success in creating two very cute figures:

Two happier characters you would be hard pressed to find! The playful Luxo Jr. lamp (patterned after the iconic LUXO LS balanced arm desk lamp) and Tinny, the musical tin toy, would have a great time together if they found themselves in the same room.

The boxes for this set of vinyl figures are nicely designed. Although I am taking the figures themselves out of the boxes for display, I will be keeping the boxes as part of my collection.

Let’s take a closer look at Tinny first. There are two versions available. The one pictured below is simply called ‘Tinny’ on the box:

However, there is a variant called ‘Tinny (Metallic)’, which I also have. Can you spot a difference between the two figures other than the colouring?

If you remember the Short in question, Tinny was initially excited to play with a child… until he sees the monster baby, dripping with drool, heading right towards him! The expression on the metallic variant is a good representation of how Tinny felt at that moment.

Now let’s have a look at the Luxo Jr. figure:

I love this little guy! I’ve wanted a Luxo Jr. of my own for years and was delighted when I found a non-Disney version… sort of. You can see it here. But finally finding an official Disney version was just too much to resist!

Looking at the bottom of the Luxo Jr. figure, you get a better look at the squashed ball that has also become a symbol for the Pixar company.

All in all this is a wonderful line of merchandise! Other characters in the Pixar Short lineup are available (but of no interest to me) for those who are completists. At just under $10.00 CAN each, they are a deal that no collector of plastic thingy’s can resist.

I have two more posts about this set of Funko figures. One features the Day & Night characters from the Short of the same name, and the other features the Blue Bird from the Short simply entitled Birds. I hope you’ll check them out! Enjoy.

Posted in Animation, Characters, Collectibles, Figurines, Pixar, Shorts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Greenlight Diecast Hitched Homes 1961 Airstream Bambi

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Dis-LEE

“Heard the Bambi name before? For years, it’s been a nickname for our smallest single-axle travel trailers. But now Bambi is its own official family of lightweight, space-maximizing options ready to deliver a huge step up from the tent camping experience. Bambi takes care of all the little things you need, so you can get out there and have some big adventures.” The official Airstream Bambi Page describes the little metal marvel in that way.

Greenlight Collectibles has done a wonderful job of recreating a 1961 Airstream Bambi model trailer in diecast form:

I had the privilege of touring the Airstream factory in Ohio during 2018. This was the existing factory at the time but they were building a new one across the street, which should be open by now. Tours are not being conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We weren’t allowed to take photos or video of the factory operation, but I did get some shots from around the yards where there were some unusual things to be seen:

Did you know Airstream made full-sized RVs for awhile? How about GOLD Airstream trailers??? Me neither until I did the tour!

But this post is about the diecast model, so let’s get right to that now:

This is a Bambi model. You can see an actual one below:

The Real Thing

I like when backing cards are used within the packaging to give the diecast model an appropriate backdrop. In this case, it’s a shot of the wide open road with some trailers parked along the side:

The level of detail is commendable! The little copy looks just like the original:

This was part of Series 9 which had two more Airstream models, along with some other classic and iconic travel trailers. You can see them listed on the back of the packaging below:

I’ve always wanted an Airstream trailer! But the cost is well out of my present spending limit by many many thousands of dollars. But maybe some day!

Until then, this little replica that I picked up for under $10.00 CAN will have to do.

Posted in Collectibles, Die Cast, Limited Edition, Transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Photo Spot: Peeking Sheep at Greenfield Village

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Dis-LEE

You’ve heard of a Peking Duck. But have you ever heard of the elusive Peeking Sheep? I found one at the Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI.

“Here’s peeking at ewe, kid!” – c.2013

Sometimes you have to plan a shot. It can take hours, days, or weeks of patience. Or sometimes you can just be in the right place at the right time!

I like this shot because the snout of the sheep is almost dead center of the image. I also like that these kind of shots tend to be one-of-a-kind because the sheep is unlikely to pose at the same spot in the same way again. That gives me an image that no one else will have. So it gives me something special to share!

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Monsters Inc. CDA Agent Talking Figure

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Dis-LEE

“We have a 2319!” No scarier words have ever been spoken in the world of Monsters Inc. The CDA Agent talking figure that I’m featuring in this post says it… a lot! There must be an outbreak of child in Monstropolis.

Some have two arms, some have four. Some have two eyes and some have more. But what they all have in common is the colour yellow and a profound intolerance for human youth!

This is a talking toy from Hasbro dated from 2001. This is also the year that the first movie of the franchise came out, so what we have here is not only a ‘2319’ in progress, but an original toy manufactured to promote the film.

Simply push his buttons (middle picture, above, but not something I’d usually recommend with a law enforcement officer) and watch, and hear, him come to life:

Agent Spiel & Sounds

If you remember in the first film, George Sanderson got on the wrong side of the CDA (Child Detection Agency) when he came back through a scare door with a human child’s sock stuck to his back. You can see how that turned out for him by clicking the link.

In fact, I had to surgically remove George’s batteries (from his lower back) to delicately insert them in this CDA Agent’s butt. It wasn’t anyone’s finest moment.

You can also see the speaker that emits the voice and sounds in the picture above.

I’ll have to leave you now as Roz is yelling at me to file my paperwork on this post. She’s always watching, always watching!

Posted in Animation, Characters, Figurines, Merchandise, Pixar, Toys | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

History 101: Mickey Mouse Welcomes the SS Normandie

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Dis-LEE

Mickey was just over 5 years old when he first appeared in the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in 1934. One year later he would welcome the equally famous Ocean Liner the SS Normandie when it sailed into New York Harbor in 1935.

The Mickey Mouse balloon was 40 feet high, 26 feet wide, and contained 2,664 cubic feet of helium to make it float. 25 handlers were needed to guide it along the parade route.

Mickey Mouse Balloon in Macy’s Parade c.1934

Mickey was a very recognized character in the world in the 1930s and so was a natural representative of the people of New York to welcome a dignitary like the SS Normandie, shown below:

SS Normandie Ocean Liner in New York Harbor

Our last picture shows Mickey, looking somewhat dwarfed by the sweeping shoreline. But I think he would have made quite an impression none the less!

M. I. C. – Hey, Look at Me!

The SS Normandie was a French ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France, for the French Line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT). She entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship afloat, crossing the Atlantic in a record 4.14 days, and remains the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built.

No wonder all of New York, and Mickey Mouse, turned out to welcome her after such a nautical feat!

Posted in Characters, History, History 101, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment