FROM: Vinylmation 360 Published Mondays
Vinylmation Q&A - June 2011
Kelly gets questions all the time. Fortunately, at least for us, most of them are about Vinylmation. In this monthly 'special installment' of her column, Kelly reaches deep into the mailbox and pulls out the questions you asked.
It's that time again! Let's dive into the mailbag for the June Q & A.
How long do you think Vinylmation will last? Over 10 years like pins have done? -- Laura
The collectibles industry is fickle. It's hard to make predictions about the long term shelf life, popularity, or value of any given line. Vinylmation could last as long as pins or it could die out in half the time. It could peak in a Beanie Baby-esque way, or continue to grow every year. There's no way to know.
If I were to guess, I think Vinylmation has a longer shelf life than many collectible lines, simply because it's a Disney product. The Disney Company and the Disney name in general have been around for a very long time, and are loved by a wide range of people around the world. Particularly with the Park Series, vinyls have the added upside of often being the only current memorabilia you can get for some attractions or locations.
An example is the new Park 6 Alien Encounter 9"/3" combo set, released this past Friday. Good luck finding any new products dedicated to that attraction, other than the occasional flashback-type pins.
Park 4's Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater 9" is one of my all-time favorite vinyls, partially because there's no otherr merchandise readily available for that restaurant. Of all the Vinylmation products, the Park Series will be the one that lasts the longest, even if Disney were to discontinue all the other lines.
The real test for the future longevity of this product will be the switch over to the new Vinylmation shape, which is very different from the original Mickey shape and which removes the uniformity of each new vinyl.
When I was in WDW in May, I saw the new shape used for the Sea Creatures series. Unfortunately, the reservations I had about the new shape were magnified upon seeing it in person. The head literally looks like a blob with mouse ears stuck to it, and the body is no great shakes, either. I was very disappointed to the point where I likely will buy fewer vinyls when the new shape becomes standard across all series. I will stay loyal to the Park Series and perhaps my absolute favorite characters from the Animation and Villains series, but all others will become a 'no go' for me.
How many collectors decide to stick it out despite the new shape will determine how long vinyls lasts. There will always be new collectors, but the new shape has the potential to turn off a lot of folks.
Also affecting the longevity of the line is the difficulty of storing vinyls. You can't put them in bags or pin them to corkboards as you can with pins. Eventually, we'll run out of display and storage room, and have to either sell or trade off some vinyls, or quit collecting altogether.
However long Vinylmation lasts, I am confident pins will outlast them. That said, I hope neither line ends!
Were the Animation and Big Eyes series sold out when you were in WDW? I didn't see them mentioned in your column. -- Steve
Sorry about that!
Animation Series 1 blind boxes were almost everywhere in WDW last month. I spotted the Simba combo pack at the Animation Gallery in Hollywood Studios and I believe at all of the other art stores, as well. D-Street also had multiples.
In terms of the Animation 9", D-Street had a few of the Pete the Dragon and Elliot 9"/3" combo set and the 9" of Beast. The Willie the Whale 9" was over-abundant, and if I were to guess, he might become rather Urban-esque in that he will take a long time to sell out.
The Hyacinth Hippo 9" was nowhere to be found the first few days of my trip, but I finally spotted two at Downtown Disney's Art of Disney store over in the Marketplace. By the 28th, D-Street had her in stock. They had several, but not as many as they had of Willie. The Merlin 9" and Bolt 9" are not scheduled for park releases until later in the fall, and as far as I know, there has been no further word on the Genie 9" figure.
Big Eyes were available in most locations as well. I don't remember noticing any particular vinyl missing, so I believe all were in stock. Pie Eyed Mickey, which had been very hard to find in May 2010, was available at most locations that sold vinyls.
That's it for this month! Check back next week for the start of the picture-heavy columns. We'll start with an in-depth look at D-Street in WDW.
Until then: Happy trading and collecting!
Mark Your Calendars
Friday, July 1: Pirates of the Caribbean scheduled for release at D-Street WDW and D-Street DLR. 3" blind boxed series. Limited Release. Retail price: Unknown.
Friday, July 1: Artist signing at WDW D-Street featuring Vinylmation artist Casey Jones. The signing is for the new POTC series. 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST.
On the last Sunday of every month, I'll devote this column to your questions and my answers. You can leave questions here as comments or else send them directly to me.
More: VINYLMATION 360
On the last Sunday of every month, I'll devote this column to your questions and my answers. You can leave questions here as comments or else send them directly to me.
More: VINYLMATION 360
Stuff Not to Skip
- Disney's Vinylmation
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/static/vinylmation