Animation Vinylmation Released Tomorrow in UK

Due to the withdrawal of the Furry Friends series from Disney Stores worlwide there has been much hysteria on ebay, facebook and twitter with collectors seeking to finish their own collections in case of the series not being released again in future.

In order to compensate for the unavailabiliy of Furry Friends, Disney Store UK are bringing forward the release date of the Animation 2 series in order to fill the gap left by everybody's favourite Disney dogs and cats. The series was already scheduled to be released in America tomorrow (Friday 13th January), so this news will please Vinylmation collectors in the UK. The UK collectors often feel overshadowed by their US counterparts when it comes to new releases and choice.

Earlier today, this banner temporarily replaced the Furry Friends banner at the top of the www.disneystore.co.uk vinylmation page. However, the Furry Friends banner is now back for the moment.

This series follows on from the successful Animation series 1 which was released last year. There are 11 revealed designs in the series and 1 mystery chaser. The series will be sold at £8 per figure, and they will be concealed in mystery blind boxes until they are opened. Which one will you get?

The series features:

-Jose
-Tigger
-Dopey
-Kim Possible
-Chicken Little
-Donald
-Flower
-Tinkerbell
-John Henry
-Baloo
-Sebastian
-Headless Horseman Mystery Chaser (Highlight to Reveal)



The choice of characters being represented in the series has been widely criticised. The argument is that many series have already featured Donald and Tinkerbell. The choice of Kim Possible and John Henry has gone against the idea that this series was going to represent characters from the 50 Disney animated classics.

Finally, Disney Store must be praised for their quick decision making and allowing UK vinylmation collectors to have access to a new series on the same day as they are released in the US.

Have a magical day!!

Furry Friends sent to the pound!

The sight of freshly opened trays of Furry Friends vinylmation occupied shelves in Disney Stores across the country on Monday. Although it does appear that the London Disney Stores released the series on Saturday in order to capitalise on potential sales over the busy weekend period.

Instead of a few Have a Laugh or Urban 5 vinyls being crammed on to the ends of displays with PEZ dispensers or  being thrown in to a transparent tube by the till, there were boxes of Furry Friends prominently displayed in stores which clearly drew attention to the vinylmation concept and this series in particular.

The Disney marketing department really hit bullseye with the concept of this series, and the style of the tray and boxes, it certainly generated interest amongst cast member and guests alike. It is just a shame that when the marketing department at Disney exceeded expectations, the operations department failed miserably.

I am saddened to say that Furry Friends have now been recalled in the USA, UK and France. There are widespread reports of poor quality issues, with figures appearing to be carelessly painted, and defects also including chipped hands and ears.

Disney said that they were recalling the series, to prove that they cared about vinylmation collectors.

The whole statement read:

Dear Disney Store Guests:

It is our commitment to offer high-quality merchandise and unfortunately the application of the Furry Friends Vinylmation artwork did not meet our standards. As such, we are no longer selling the product.

We have not yet decided whether or not the collection will be re-released in the future, but we are offering a full refund to any Guest who is dissatisfied with his or her Furry Friends Vinylmation purchase. If you would like to return your Furry Friends Vinylmation figure(s), please return the merchandise to the nearest Disney Store or via DisneyStore.com and we will happily provide a refund for the full amount (or we will exchange your Furry Friends figurine for a Vinylmation figurine from any other series, if available).

Disney Store is still committed to supporting ASPCA’s work and will donate $1 for each Furry Friend Vinylmation produced, for a magical donation of $60,000. We apologize to our Guests for any inconvenience.

The figures can be taken back to stores for a full refund or exchanged for another vinylmation figure from another series. However, many people are holding on to the figures after it emerged that Disney may not re-release the series, and therefore people are frantically trying to complete their set in case of the unthinkable happening.

It is such a shame that this series which promised so much for the UK vinylmation cause is being discontinued. However, we must remember that we can look forward to the release of Animation 2 in the UK on 27th January 2012.

Did you manage to get any of the Furry Friends? What was the quality like on your figures?

Have a magical day!!

UK Vinylmation - Furry Friends are coming!

Some fantastic news emerged concerning the #saveukvinylmation campaign today.

Disney announced that Furry Friends, the adorable 3'' vinylmation series comprising of 11 revealed designs and 1 mystery chaser design are coming to UK Disney Stores on 9th January 2012.

The revealed designs include:

-Meeko
-Percy
-Francis
-Max
-Trusty
-Patch
-Pluto
-Marie
-Oliver
-Pegasus
-Tramp
-Cheshire Cat  ( Chaser - highlight to reveal)

The collectible figures will retail at £8 each, with £1 per vinylmation sold going to Disney's official charity partner, Great Ormond Street.

As per usual, the figures will be concealed in mystery blind boxes, with each Disney Store guest having no idea which figure they will be buying until they open it.

An unusual twist on this series is the unique box design, which reflect a cardboard pet carrier as opposed to the usual standard box design.

This series is sure to appeal to non vinylmation collectors as well because of the adorable boxes, trays and artwork that appear externally. Let's hope this series is the injection that Vinylmation need to help them cement a permanent position on UK Disney store shelves.

Have a magical day!

UK Disney Fan