The LGMs are at it again! Funko has released a new edition to it’s Remix line of vinyl figures with Russell from the Pixar movie UP.
Just don’t call him ‘Four-eyes’! He only has three:
Adventure is definitely ‘Out there!’ with this little vinyl figure. I’m amazed at how much detail the Funko team put into his uniform:
I’ve mentioned in other posts how the place of manufacturing seems to be changing from China to other locals around the world. Most popular for Disney merchandise seems to be Thailand, but Funko has chosen Vietnam. Still not much being made in the USA or Canada, unfortunately!
The Disney/Pixar merger seems to be producing some unique characters, and along with them, some really special pieces of merchandise.
To see many more of the characters that LGMs have dressed up as in this Remix collection, have a look at my Remix Pen Set. All four pens have images of the characters with some floating! You just have to check them out!
This Sleeping Beauty ceramic drinking stein should prove one thing: If Aurora had drank coffee out of this mug, she never would have fallen asleep! Ever.
But she didn’t and we all know how that worked out for her. We don’t need to make the same mistake, however, so let’s have a look at the vessel for our next cup of mead, er… Java:
I picked this up from a local woman for just $10.00 CAN. It has a nice weight to it with some very beautiful sculpting work! The image is a bit generic, but you can’t have everything.
Kudos to the Disney Store for commissioning this mug with castle motifs sculpted all around the ‘sides’. The ‘gold’ trimming is a nice touch as well.
I’m finding more and more items that are Made in Thailand. Usually you find mostly China or Japan as a place of manufacture.
If you’re still awake at this point, I’m impressed! Even Aurora would have nodded off by now. Perhaps you are drinking from one of your own royal goblets a stimulating mixture, so tasty?
For a much less regal stein, check out this Thermo-Serve plastic offering featuring none other than Mickey Mouse himself along with other characters and attractions from Walt Disney World.
Most wine glasses traditionally have a stem with a base. But this Disney Mickey Mouse Stemless Glass Set does not… obviously, hence the name. So with the stems missing, I assume one could be forgiven for drinking other beverages other than wine.
Regardless of what you choose to imbibe, Mickey and Minnie will make it a romantic experience!
These glasses hold 9 ounces of liquid. If this liquid is wine, than this size is in keeping with the perfect pour. The standard white wine glass holds between 8 to 12 ounces. The standard red wine glass holds between 8 to 22 ounces. The extra space in red wine glasses allows for two things:
Older, full-bodied and high-tannin red wines aerate better by being spread out across a larger surface area. And wider, bulbous glassware shapes can help trap and funnel complex aromas more effectively. With those two facts in mind, these glasses would be best for a white wine.
To get the perfect wine glass pour, regardless of the size of your glassware, a standard wine pour is 5 ounces. But to get the perfect kiss, it would be best to face each other!
These glasses are paired so that Minnie is facing to the right, and Mickey…
… is facing to the left. One would imagine that the sound of them meeting in the middle with a smooch would make a clinking sound.
Silver Buffalo is the manufacturer of these glasses. If you visit their site, you’ll find they produce a vast range of IPs including all of the Disney brands. Silver Buffalo is a trend setting manufacturer and distributor of licensed home décor and housewares. They are a creative think tank working in collaboration with the world’s top entertainment companies and most recognized consumer brands to develop unique, creative and ground-breaking products.
If you’re into IP-themed products, you could do much worse than perusing the Silver Buffalo website! They have a lot of amazing and fun things.
Some day, I hope to get a kickback for all of the plugs I provide!
In modern times, Hallmark and the Disney Store cornered the market on ornaments. But we don’t want to think that either company had the best or cutest ornaments! As these vintage Disney character felt ornaments will prove, sometimes ‘old school’ is the best school!
Prepare to go ‘Aww’:
These are feather-lite but pack a cute punch! Dumbo is in full flight and wearing his circus clown attire. And he looks so happy!
Walt Disney Productions was used as a trademark from 1929 to 1986. The fact that these ornaments were Made in Hong Kong likely dates them to the earlier side of that date range.
He’s got no strings, except for the one coming out of his head. Pinocchio sports his wooden arms and legs but his human face. Is he in mid-transformation? Is he back on Pleasure Island? What’s happening here?!?
I was surprised to find this character in the box of ornaments. He is the Walrus from Alice in Wonderland. Not a popular fan favorite and probably not a character most Disney fans would quickly identify. But the level of detail in his felt clothing is impressive!
I’m not a holiday kind of guy, but I like these types of ornaments because they aren’t directly linked to the season. So you can display them anytime of the year.
Please enjoy this earlier post by our contributor Nick about the Hallmark Ornament Premier Weekend. I don’t think they do this anymore, at least not in Canada, but it looks like a good time and a great way to get the jump on the best ornaments!
Grenada is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique, and several small islands which lie to the north of the main island and are a part of the Grenadines.
Benjamin Franklin published his almanack annually from 1732 to 1758. It included weather forecasts, household hints, puzzles, and other entertaining items. Disney characters are enlisted to act out some of the more famous sayings from the book on this set of stamps produced to mark the 1989 World Stamp Expo.
Some of the sayings are better known than others. But each are rendered in quite a funny manner with an appropriate Disney character.
Benjamin Franklin was active as a writer, scientist, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher. On his days off, he invented things. Among the leading intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, a drafter and signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and the first United States postmaster general. It’s this last fact that makes this series of stamps a logical one!
Do you have a favorite quote?
FUN FACTS: Franklin adopted the pseudonym of “Poor Richard” or “Richard Saunders” when publishing his almanack.
It’s an alien. It’s a superhero. It’s a POP! Remix vinyl figure of Elastigirl from The Incredibles! And it’s just weird enough to join my collection of Funko figurines.
This is a FYE Exclusive. FYE stands ‘For Your Entertainment’. The first FYE store opened in 1993 at the Trumbull Mall in Trumbull, Connecticut. It seems to have a primarily online presence today.
Elastigirl had a great career going before marrying Mr. Incredible. Her costume was simple and elegant. I like it better than the red Incredibles suit the whole family wears now. Apparently the LGM agrees with me as he has chosen to wear the vintage costume for his cosplay.
In the first Incredibles movie, Helen worries about how big her butt looks because of her new uniform. With this figure, I think she needs to worry about her head!
As is the case with all of these Funko figures, only the head moves.
The Remix line of merchandise also includes plushies. I have several versions, all of which are contained in my Pixar Limited Release REMIX LGM Plush series, Part One and Part Two. Part One even has an Incredibles figure!
Aladdin is a well-known manufacturer of beverage containers. This Mickey Mouse Vacuum Bottle, or thermos, is a nice example of an inexpensive and simple way to carry your… coffee?
Being as this would likely be carried by a younger person, I’d say you’d be more likely to find hot chocolate in this thermos. And that’s not a bad thing!
Pre-1987
Most thermos bottles that you see are much smaller and designed to fit into a lunch box. You can see an example of one that I have in my collection that features Mickey at Walt Disney World by clicking the link. This model was obviously meant to be carried separately.
Striking a pose
Although this thermos was likely sold in the early 1980s, Mickey is depicted in his most iconic pose, one that was first seen in the days of the Shorts. Some things are timeless!
Now if you will excuse me, it may be time for some hot chocolate and cookies. For me. Not you.
Joe Don Jackson appears only in the sequel Cars 3 where he is depicted as a vintage racer who competed in the Piston Cup Racing Series with the number 7, during the famous race where Doc. Hudson crashed. He was sponsored by Po’Tater’s Garage & Gas and Southern Special.
This die cast model is being sold as a new release in 2021. And it shows that they are definitely digging deep to find characters to promote!
I like the name of the sponsor! A bit more of the history on that garage would be fun. I don’t buy every die cast model that comes out (who could?) but I focus on the unique ones. So when I see a character based on a vintage model of car, that’s when I pull out the old wallet.
Any guesses what the license plate represents?
Mattel does a good job of crafting this line of merchandise. I like the level of detail in the undercarriages and the heft of the cars themselves. They are not cheaply made!
Roller Blades have replaced the old Roller Skates in modern culture. But back in the day, there was no cooler way to hit the boardwalk or the local roller rink than with four wheels and a skate key. And if you had Mickey Mouse smiling on the fronts, you were doubly cool!
Let’s have a look back to the Disco era:
Meet me at the roller rink!
Disney is good at capitalizing on trends. So when roller skating became popular, they licensed Mickey and friends to a skate manufacturer. Eventually, that trend passed. The license lapsed. And the product ended up in a yard sale, at a charity shop, or years later… in an antique market, as these did.
Roller skating originated in the performing arts in the 18th century. Yup, that far back! It became very popular in North America from the 1930s to 1950s, but really came into its own in the 1970s when it was associated with disco music and roller rinks. But all good things (?) must come to an end, and so during the 1990s, inline skating became the next popular thing.
But all is not lost, Roller Skating fans! You can still buy these shoes on wheels today. If you’d like to see what styles are available, check out RollerGirl.ca for all of the latest and greatest offerings.
Pressed Pennies are unique little collectibles that are fun to create and cheap to obtain. For just 50 cents and an old penny, you can own one of these brass beauties. I did a post covering some of the offerings from Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure already. Now it’s time to spread our wings and travel to other places outside the Disney Parks to find other pressings.
First, we aren’t going to travel too far outside Disney proper with a Resort pressing from Walt Disney World:
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort offers you the chance “To be surrounded by artistic quality, enchantment and the magic of Disney and Pixar films. Stay at a Disney Resort hotel that invites you to explore the sets of classics such as Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King,and The Little Mermaid.From beautifully decorated family suites to wonderfully detailed courtyards, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort invites you and your family to be a part of some of your favorite animated movies.”
And the chance to get this wonderful pressed penny with the Resorts official logo.
Next we have two vertical pressings:
Generic GoofyNavy Pier
I can’t remember where I got the Goofy penny, but he is my favorite character, so I likely just had to have him! The second vertical penny was obtained during a trip to Chicago some years ago. Navy Pier “is where you go in Chicago for events, free public programs, attractions, culture, dining, shopping and more. It’s where fun lives large, whether you’re a visitor or local, with family or friends.”
We attended a toy and game convention in the facilities of the Navy Pier and found the location to be quite interesting and entertaining. But you can’t claim to offer it all unless you have a machine that makes pressed pennies!
Veering to another Disney property next, we have:
While staying at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, you can “Relax on warm sand and play in… sparkling blue waters. Just two hours southeast of Walt Disney World Resort, this elegant old-fashioned hideaway is located on Florida’s scenic Atlantic Treasure Coast near the charming community of Vero Beach. Get away from it all in spacious lodgings that provide the comforts of home with an idyllic beach practically at your doorstep.“
And you guessed it, they have a way for you to spend 51 cents!
Next to last we have another Disney venue:
In the 1920s, real estate developer Charles Toberman and Sid Grauman built the Egyptian, Chinese and El Capitan theatres. The El Capitan Theatre went through many changes until the Walt Disney Company joined forces with Pacific Theatres and launched a two-year, museum quality restoration in 1989. I attended the launch of the Disney Infinity gaming platform at this location and was blown away by the beauty of the structure! And yes, of course, I obtained a pressed penny.
Finally:
Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum is bizarre, strange, weird, at times sick, grotesque, and twisted. But at all times wonderful! In a nutshell (and I do mean ‘nut’) it contains dozens of coin-operated machines from the last 100 years. So don’t just take your 51 cents for the pressed penny, you’ll need dimes and quarters aplenty to fully enjoy this place/attraction/destination/experience!
It just goes to show that when an idea works, everyone uses it. Pressed pennies are here to stay. And I bet you won’t be able to stop at collecting just one, but you’ll never own every one ever offered!
FUN FACTS: Pressed Pennies are classified as exonumia. This is something that resembles money but that is not legal tender, such as subway tokens or wooden nickels. Yes, they actually exist! For the top Ten Interesting Facts about Pressed Pennies, check out the link.
Disleelandia 