Wherein you will find information on my growing collection of Disney Trading Pins, and the obsession that's directly proportional (plus, even) to the size of said collection.
Today I have realized the true magical nature of Figment.
This comes in the form of a gift. For you. For me. For Figment, himself. A bank error in your favor. A way out of the fun house.
I was going through my pin collection, when it hit me that I don't have enough Figment pins to give you a full week of happy, smiling, winged, betailed, and bepurpled (you can tell me they aren't real words when you can argue the etymological existence of words such as "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "Imagineer" - so ferme la bibbidi bobbidi bouche) dragons.
Figment and I both have come to an accord. How do I feel about not having to post more about Figment? Oddly enough, the same way Figment feels about my daily harangues.
In a word:
He's even sparkling at the notion!
This particular pin is part of the 2011 Cast Lanyard series, and features a Hidden Mickey. Actually, there are a number of pins with Disney characters holding the word "Good," such as Goofy and both Chip N' Dale, but I'm saving those characters for week-long celebrations of their own...but those posts are for WAY in the future.
As always, special thanks to PinPics.com for the factual information on this pin.
This pin arrive the other day, along with a bevy of others from a trusted seller (which were not Figment related):
I had no idea what any of this meant at first. Were there very narrow age ranges for creative activities at Walt Disney World? Is Figment a misguided Polk supporter with a poor sense of geography? Does the C stand for "citrus," and is that a scary orange in the background? Were those the numbers of the local growers unions?
A little research has shown me that this cryptic pin denotes a parking area at Walt Disney World. As in C-section (the C is for "Create" in case any of you are getting apprehensive about the qualifications for going on vacation), parking rows 38 thru 42. Oh, and that orange thing in the background? It's Spaceship Earth. There are no conspiracies to be had, save for those intentionally looking for them.
This pin is part of the Cast Lanyard Series #3, and contains a Hidden Mickey.
If you've been with me in this celebration of Figment, stay tuned for tomorrow's special entry!
Thanks to PinPics.com for the non-speculative information on this pin.
A recent search has shown me that not only does Figment have a voice, but he also plays the foil against Eric Idle (slightly older than his role as Paspartu in Around The World In 80 Days, but younger than his last round of Watney's) in the Journey Into Imagination (with Figment) ride at Walt Disney World's Epcot.
Yup. That's Figment. Here be...mascots.
In watching the video, the veteran humorist (Google thinks it's a word, so I'm not arguing) reacts very well with the animated Figment - to the point where one cannot help but being reminded of Mr. DNA:
But Figment isn't just a perky yet informative character. No sir. Figment has an entire range of emotions:
This is Figment when he is confused.
This is Figment feeling lonely.
Here is an angry Figment.
Why? BECAUSE YOU ARE TOO EMOTIONALLY DEAD TO READ THE SUBTLETIES OF HIS EXPRESSIVE NATURE!
These are part of the Figment Expressions Set, and each has a Hidden Mickey. They were released in 2008, and, if you do further research, you'll discover that there were at least two series of pins with Figment showing various emotions.
In short, Figment is infinite. One cannot know the whole of Figment, but one can know aspects of Figment. Figment, Most Confused. Figment, Most Lonely. Figment, Most Angry.
I think Figment, Most Merciful is the completer pin - so if anyone has that one, please drop me a line.
Special thanks to PinPics.com for this enlightening journey in letting Figment into my soul.
Figment seems to be very popular with EPCOT visitors and Disney fans who have been to the parks, and I think because of this, I have very little attachment to this character. I don't know it from a movie. I don't know it from a book. I thought I knew it from something outside of the parks, but I was wrong. Figment seems perky. Figment also seems "clever" in a special or savant-type way.
That being said, I'm appealing to you to tell me exactly what Figment is, beyond the "Two tiny wings, eyes big and yellow, horns of a steer, but a lovable fellow. From head to tail, he's royal purple pigment" description. He's not a dragon - well, certainly not a dragon that any other dragon would admit to (and I'm including the creature from Pete's Dragon in this), so what is he?
I have more attachment to O.L.D.Bob, as far as Disney characters go, and even I forget who he is at times.
To give you an example, the above picture is of O.L.D. Bob. Odds are, you don't know who he is - and that's not a bad thing - I worry that one day I'll meet the person who really identified with this character, and has built up an impressively scary collection of O.L.D. Bob merchandise, as well as homemade O.L.D. Bob action figures, costumes, an O.L.D. Bob encasement for a Segway, and possibly an O.L.D. Bob RealDoll (link not provided, and research not done for everyone's safety). I barely know who he is, and I only found a decent picture of him on MySpace (stop and think about that, because it'll save me a lot of time in explaining why this is funny). That's how much less relevant Figment is to me - I prefer the Disney equivalent of a hipster band. "I know this really cool Disney character, but you've probably never heard of it."
I have a bunch of figment pins, and this is just the first that I'll be showing this week. If you have a real interest in this character, make me an offer, or wait until I list a few pins this week.
Now for the pin trading facts:
This pin was released in 2010 as part of the Figment Collection of Hidden Mickey Pins. This is 4 of 6 in a set, and is a Cast Lanyard only pin.
Thanks again to PinPics.com for information regarding this pin.
Stay tuned for Part II, wherein Figment gets all emo on us.
"There's nothing on Earth like genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car monorail!"
I may not be a big fan of the color orange, but I am a fan of the Disney monorail, Tomorrowland, and this pin's sleek, futuristic design. This pin, while not part of a numbered set, was released in 2010 as part of the "Mini-Pin Collection." I have other pins from the seven-piece collection, but this one is my favorite.
This is Hop Low. He's one of the dancing toadstools featured in Disney's Fantasia. To me, it's always a wonder to see characters from movies/cartoons/television shows/et cetera given names - especially when they don't have speaking parts, or who aren't even addressed in any way. It's sort of like what Star Trek and Star Wars (feel free to direct your hate at my inbox, regardless of which camp you favor, for my digression in naming both franchises in one sentence) are doing to give a name and story to every Bothan wearing a red shirt in the background (I know what I typed). The only difference here is that (despite some Freudian and ethnic overtones I'm willing to overlook because, well, it's Disney) he's cute. He was also a very unexpected arrival in my collection.
Now for the history:
Hop Low was apparently released to the public at Walt Disney World in 2007 (October, to be precise), as part of a Disney Character Collection. He has a Hidden Mickey on the bottom of his...foot? Stalk? Stump? How do mushrooms move around?
Anyway, he's also 1 of 4 in the set (as stamped on the back of the pin), but I'll be darned if I can find what the other three are. I'm assuming they are either from Fantasia, or they are lesser-known Disney characters from other animated features (like the Bit from Tron, or Pink Elephant #4 from Dumbo). So if anyone knows, or has any additional information, please send me an email at d.pintrader@gmail.com so I can update this entry.
I'm sure everyone has memorable firsts - a kiss, a home run, talking one's way out of a traffic ticket - but today I'm going to tell you about my first Disney pin, and how I came to be a fanatic. For those of you who are more visually oriented, and would rather not read through my mental meanderings, you can scroll down and look at the picture. For those of you who like stories, lazy verbal rides, or want to humor me while you plan your intervention, please read on...
I grew up in a household that didn't really care for Disney. It's not that Walt or his legacy were despised by my family, it's that what Disney offered wasn't considered up to snuff. Sure, I saw a few Disney features - heck, when my folks got a VCR, I rented all sorts of Disney movies! Being ten years old, and having the best taste in fantasy of adventure of anyone inside my own mind, I indulged in Disney greats such as Condorman, The Three Caballeros, and The Devil and Max Devlin.
So, given the available options...
...my outlook may have been a bit skewed...
I was about seventeen when I first watched Fantasia, and later studied Disney as the disgruntled, anti-corporate, retail manager I was - which, if I'm being completely honest, was just me crying sour grapes at never having gotten the chance to be the "It's A Small World" conformist who got to go to a Disney theme park as a child.
There were a bunch of other things that happened as well (I'm fairly certain, anyway), but I'm trying to stick to the relevant points of why I am now obsessed with The Mouse, and why I get silly each time I have new pins to catalog and organize in my personal collection.
Last January, I decided to treat myself to a gaming console. For the past few years, I'd relegated my personal gaming to my computer, or with friends who had the latest and greatest of hardware, but all I wanted was a Wii. Graphics and processing are all well and good, but I just wanted to have fun, and that's something Nintendo has always been able to offer me.
Along with this console, I decided to order one game - Epic Mickey. I'd casually glossed over articles about the game before it was fully into production, and even a few humor sites that poked fun at how much "darker and more serious" this game would be compared to other offerings featuring Mickey Mouse. When I saw the first in-depth video of the game - how you could wander around the theme park, see detailed attractions, and even old animation clips - I knew I needed this game.
I used to spend Friday nights relaxing with glass of wine (or more) and playing Epic Mickey. I loved the colors, the tone, the detail, playing not only through park attractions but old animation clips as well, and the in-game movies reminded me very much of things I'd seen as a kid in school (Donald Duck In Mathemagic Land comes to mind)!
I don't care if you think you've outgrown it, watch it anyway - from an adult's perspective.
Well, work and winter (I lived in the frozen north at the time) started to take precedence, and I never really got past the second or third stage of the game. As a matter of fact, I didn't really put much time aside for any leisure activities.
Hitting the fast-forward button, a bunch of things took place. My work life is less hectic. Wine still tastes good on Fridays. Most importantly though, I've moved to a warmer climate to be with my wife and revel in our adventures and idiosyncratic life. This is where my personal Disney obsession picks up...
My gateway drug of choice!
One day, she happened upon me playing Epic Mickey and decided to watch. What follows is a paraphrasing of the conversation that took place:
My wife: What did you just find?
Me: A bunch of E-tickets. They're like money in this game.
My wife: You know, they don't have E-tickets anymore.
Me: They don't?
My wife: Nope. What's that?
Me: Oh, I just found a gold pin. They're just things you collect in the game...
My wife: Just like at the real parks!
My controller: Thud (that's the sound it made when I let it fall to the floor so I could hear more)
Finding out about pins opened up a whole new string of questions. This was followed by my beloved telling me tales of having family gatherings and birthdays at Club 33 - which only brought about more questions. I was suddenly a kid asking "Why?" and "What's that?" at the mention of every little thing.
Being a patient and smart (and beautiful - being married to an editor has its advantages) woman, she gathered books for me to read and documentaries to watch. Suddenly, this entity known as Disney started to seem not only like one of the smartest corporations, but like the most magical thing one could experience in this reality - let me scratch that - Disney is its own magical reality, and one I am embracing fully.
The worst part about this obsession is that, unlike many kids and adults who consider it "just another vacation" or something everyone does, I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO A DISNEY PARK IN MY LIFE!
There. I said it. I have perceived the Disneyland and Disney World experiences as much as a spoon perceives the taste of food.
NOTE: We're planning a trip to Disney World for next year, and saving every penny to have a blast!
But it's not like I'm only dipping my toe into the crazy pool of Disney magic. And my wife, being smart, patient (did I mention beautiful and an excellent proofreader?), and an enabler (partly because I think it amuses her to see me bouncing through the house and giggling maniacally at everything related to Disney) only encourages my lunacy. As such (and not by my doing), I am now a D23 member, and (this is where the ride nears the destination, folks) the owner of hundreds of Disney Trading Pins!
"It's a good start," says my wife, who has been very methodical in encouraging my madness.
She scouts out pins by the lots, or by individual coolness (it's a subjective, but very accurate scale), and when I go to get the mail, I find packages filled with little gleaming pins to catalog and research. She looks at them with me, and tells me what is rare and what ones people are looking for out of my collection, and then she leaves me be to my research. (It should be noted that "research," as defined by this blog involves smiling and laughing like a kid who just had to eat his way out of being trapped in a candy store and marveling at the shiny, colorful pins as if tearing open a plain brown envelope was like Dave Bowman going to Jupiter and beyond the infinite.)
So, without further tangents, here is my first pin:
Fun is very serious business!
It's a Minnie Mouse skull & crossbones pin! According to PinPics.com (one of the places I cross-reference when researching my pins), this was issued in 2009 to the public at park locations. The original price was $12.95 (USD) and that there was a Mickey Mouse pin of similar design. I've yet to get that one, but the above pin will always be my first (though I have so many yet to post here).
But that's why this blog exists. I figure if I post (at least) one pin a day here, along with what information I can find on it, I'll have enough content for a few years (until next week's shipment arrives).
If you find that any of the information is incorrect on my pins, or if you have additional info, please tell me! This is a brand new world to me, and any help is appreciated!
Most importantly, if you see any pins on this blog and you want to trade, let me know! You can reach me at d.pintrader@gmail.com (clever, eh?), and even if I don't respond immediately, I do respond to each and every message I get.
