Since Disneyland first opened in 1955, merchandise and collectibles have been a major part of the Disney theme park experience – much to the chagrin of parents worldwide.
In all seriousness, many categories of Disney souvenirs have stood the best of time over the decades, including plush characters, statuettes, and pins. However, others have been a bit more “flash in the pan” including our topic today, the rise and fall of Vinylmation.
The Vinylmation line, which first launched in 2008, combined two major trends of collecting into one product.
The first was the product itself: Heavily-stylized vinyl figurines, mostly in a small, 3-inch scale (though there were eventually 1.5-inch and 9-inch scale varian– ts as well) that appealed to everyone from children to diehard fans. Each figure was shaped like Mickey Mouse, complete with ears, however their paint job reflected everything from other Disney animated characters to live action characters to Marvel and Star Wars characters to Disney attractions, with the ears sometimes used as “parts” of the characters body and other times representing everything from backgrounds to stars to fireworks.
The second was the way the product was sold. Outside of some exceptions, Vinylmation figurines were sold in a blind box format. In layman’s terms, this means that those purchasing the product don’t know which figure from a given set they’re getting until they open it after their purchase.
This concept, long popular with collectible lines, encourages collectors to buy products in bulk to attempt to acquire each of the items they want, as well as trading or selling any doubles they acquire with other collectors. In addition, the blind box sales method allowed for the introduction of limited chase figures — those made in smaller numbers with a different paint job — for collectors to hunt for, further encouraging both sales and the growth of a brisk secondary market.
Vinylmation was a massive hit upon release, quickly becoming one of Disney’s most successful product lines. A strong and growing collector base scooped up sets at a feverish pace, with main and subsets themed to everything from special events, to The Mickey Mouse Club, to Star Wars, to The Muppets, to theme park attractions, to The Nightmare Before Christmas — and everything else Disney in between. In addition, there were special editions themed to spaces outside the parks like the Disney Cruise Line and non-Disney urban areas. There were even blank Vinylmation figures that Disney encouraged fans to decorate themselves.
The product line became so popular that Disney began allowing official trading of the figurines — similar to pin trading — in areas of their parks and Downtown Disney districts. Disney also began growing the line, adding a Minnie Mouse body type with a bow and skirt, as well as more figures in larger and smaller sizes than the typical 3-inch size.
However, by the mid-2000s — less than a decade after Vinylmation launched – the line had lot much of it’s momentum, eventually leading to the end of the line. So, what happened?
While we can’t point to one singular reason why the Vinylmation line fell out of favor, there are likely a few major factors that led to its demise. First, it can be argued that there was an “overkill” of the amount product on the market. There were hundreds of Vinylmations and variants, and many collectors became burnt out on seeking them out.
This ties into the second reason, the secondary market. While a healthy secondary market is a part of any collecting community, the high prices for many Vinylmations at the height of the fad’s popularity — especially those more limited in number — made it harder for new collectors to play “catch-up” with the line.
The third reason is a bit more opinion-based, though the amount of collectors who brought up the issue would indicate there was likely something to it. Specifically, some felt that the line gave too much focus to Marvel and Star Wars properties in its later years, creating a market glut and burning out interest for those who weren’t fans of those franchises.
The final contributing reason was somewhat outside of Disney’s control. Specifically, the explosion in popularity of Funko’s arguably similar Pop Vinyl property provided Disney fans a similar product, available everywhere at a slightly higher price-point, and without the blind box concept.
All of these reasons combined likely helped end the reign of Vinylmation as Disney’s hottest collectible. However, the brand’s not gone for good, as Walt Disney World did bring the concept back in 2022 as part of the resort’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Did you collect Vinylmation figures during their heyday? If so, have you held on to them? Let us know in the comments below.
No we didn’t collect Vinylmation but we did enjoy going into the shop on the West Side of what is now Disney Springs. There was a colouring table where children could sit & design their own Vinylmation characters in a blank outline. It was nice for our young son to sit for 10 minutes and be creative.