Tip Tuesday: A new way to showcase character autographs

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

This week, I wanted to share a tip from the DisneyMommy!  She's pictured above in the red lanyard.  She's the pin and Vinylmation collector in the family and she came up with a neat idea for collecting and displaying character autographs.

Of course, the most common way to collect character autographs is by using an autograph book, but my wife came up with something even better -- using a create your own Vinylmation!

Simply go to any Disney retail store in the park that sells nine-inch Vinylmations and pick up a blank create your own Vinylmation, or just get one online at DisneyStore.com.  We've done one in white and one in yellow (seen above).  I don't recommend using black unless you have a white, gold or silver paint pen (but now that I think about it -- the gold and silver on black might look awesome!).

Next have several different colored Sharpies on hand and start getting your autographs.  I suggest getting the most important characters first -- the ones you want to be most prominent on the figure.  For me, of course, was Mickey Mouse, so he was first to sign.  As you go on, you can get more characters to sign on the front or back.  I had most of the princesses sign the back and the classic animated characters sign the front.

While Disney has created a three-inch Vinylmation with character autographs on it (gee, I wonder where they got thiat idea... ;) ), I perfer my method because you personally collected each autograph.  Of course it might take more than one trip to get all the autographs you want, but that's ok... it's just another excuse to plan another trip to Walt Disney World! 

When you're done you have a truly unique Disney collectible!

Tip Tuesday: Vinylmations™

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

My apologies for the late posting. Ever had one of those days when you had more to do than you have time to do it all?

Anyway, on to today's tip!

The latest collecting craze to come to the Disney community revolves around little figures made of painted vinyl. Naturally, it's called Vinylmation™ and practically overnight it's become a huge success.

Above you'll see just a portion of my family's Vinylmation™ collection. Yes, we're all into Vinylmation™. My kids enjoy collecting and trading (see my previous post about trading) Vinylmation™ figures.

According to the official Vinylmation™ Web site, Vinylmation™ is "a fun and affordable collectible designer toy created by Disney Theme Park Merchandise. At its core, Vinylmation™ is about creative expression and the mysterious thrill of the chase."

Vinylmation™ first appeared in mid-2008 as a pin set, and the highly-popular three-inch and nine-inch figures that are shaped generally like Mickey Mouse (though Disney says they specifically are not Mickey) were first available in late-2008.

From the beginning, Vinylmation™ was very different but similar to pin collecting. The major difference is that Vinylmation™ is a 3-D figure that can literally stand on it's own without the need for a lanyard, book or some other means to display like pins do.

Unlike pins, Vinylmations™ are far less diverse. There is a pin for practically everything you can think of, while Vinylmations™ come in different themed sets with around a dozen or so in each set. Most sets also include a mystery chaser figure that Disney keeps secret, at least at first.

An ode to Mr. Toad - this is an exclusive figure for Annual Passholders

When purchasing Vinylmations™, there are two types to look for. There's the more common three-inch figure and the less common (and more expensive) nine-inch figure. Most of the nine-inch figures are limited to some degree (some more limited than others) and they can and do sell out quickly.

Most of the three-inch figures come in sets (as I mentioned earlier). Each figure comes packaged as a mystery figure, so you really don't know what you're getting until you buy it to open and look inside.

To me, that's part of the major fun for Vinylmation™ - the hunt for those elusive figures that may be hard to find. If you don't have luck in buying them, there's always the option to trade.

So where can you find Vinylmation™ figures? Well, for most sets, they're everywhere you turn. The open edition sets are available in just about every store in every park. Most of the Art of Disney stores in the parks carry more limited figures.

But if you're looking for those really limited figures or new releases, then there's only one place to go and that's D-Street at Downtown Disney's West Side. D-Street is the official home for Vinylmation™ (at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland), so it really is the place to go for newly launched figures and really limited edition figures (like those nine-inch figures).

Disney does sometime release Vinylmations™ exclusively online as well, so the best place to stay in touch with everything happening in the world of Vinylmation™ is to keep and eye on the official Vinylmation™ Blog. As new releases are announced, it will be included on the blog.

Vinylmation™ is another fun Disney collection. For the most part, the three-inch figures are anywhere from $10-$15 each while the nine-inch figures can run anywhere from around $40 to $75 (some nine-inch figures also come with a three-inch figure).

What are your thoughts about Vinylmation™? Post a comment!

Tip Tuesday: Vinymlation Trading

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

I've just returned from a quick holiday trip to Walt Disney World and found a few new tips to share for you.

This week, I wanted to point out a new feature available at many stores all across the World. Vinylmation trading. I've talked at length about pin trading with cast members in previous posts. Well, Vinylmation trading is a similar option, though not as widespread. According to the Disney Parks Blog, Vinylmation trading really got started at the D23 Expo in 2009.

Here's how it works: There are two ways to trade Vinylmations, and which method you want to use depends on what available and how much you like mystery trading. In the photo above are both trading methods. Of course, you first must have a Vinylmation to trade.

I'll start with the large black box. See all those numbers (1-24)? Each number represents a door behind which is a Vinylmation. You can decide to trade your Vinylmation for one behind a numbered door. This is the more daring option because you have no idea what you're trading for. The "Mystery Box 24," as Disney calls it, is a little harder to find. Not all stores have a mytery box. Now if you don't happen to see a Mystery Box 24, or aren't interested in mystery trading, there's always...

The clear trading box! This trading option is pretty self-explanatory. If you see a Vinylmation you want to trade for, go for it! These boxes contain three Vinylmations that are ready for trading. This kind of trading box can be found all over the place, including at the resorts, so you can trade just about anywhere. With both options (clear or mystery box), the cast member is the only one who can open either box, so please don't try any self-trading.

Also there are a few guidelines to keep in mind with Vinylmation trading:

• Guests only can trade official Vinylmations - no knock-offs.
• No custom Vinylmations may be traded -- only standard editions.
• Guests can only trade like-size items (most trading is among the 3-inch size).
• Boxes and cards (that came with the Vinylmation) aren't necessary when trading.
• Only one trade per person, per location, per day.

We tried out Vinylmation trading during our last trip and it was a lot of fun. My younger son managed to trade for a Toy Story Vinylmation he was looking for.

Just one caution about Vinylmations: They're just as addictive as pins. Once you get started, you'll going to get hooked. But hey, what life without a bit of fun! Happy trading!