Trading Disney Vinylmation!

Have you seen or heard about Disney Vinylmation?  All of the Vinylmation creations are the shape of Mickey Mouse and then created to look like various Disney characters.  Vinylmation comes in a variety of sizes for collecting, trading, or designing yourself.  On our last Disney trip, the boy had planned on trading Vinylmation, which is done with the 3 inch size.

We purchased our first 3 inch Vinylmation in one of the shops on board the Disney Dream.  Then it was time to start trading.

In Disney stores—on the ship, at the parks, and at the resorts, Vinylmation traders will find either a mystery box or clear box or both for trading.

The boy would begin with the mystery box that had a range of numbers based on the size of the box.  He picked a number and was presented with the mystery Vinylmation that was behind that number.  If he liked it, he traded.  If not, he moved on.

The clear box typically contains 3 Vinylmation characters and guest can trade one from the clear box.

The only differences are that you can see what you are trading for with the clear box and you have fewer choices than with the mystery box.

The boy traded is Vinylmation daily throughout our trip, typically before dinner.  What was great is that it was like having a new toy each evening!  So, after our initial $10 investment in the first Vinylmation purchase, the rate on return for newness was incredible.  Parents who have witnessed the affect of a new toy on a child can relate.

Here’s what we discovered: 

• Mystery trading has much more thrill than clear box trading.  There is an element of surprise that was just right for an 8 year old and still thrilling for his dad.
• Not all stores have Vinylmation trading.  Our resort shop did, but at some parks, we had to go to several stores before finding Vinylmation trading, especially at Hollywood Studios.  Keep asking, as some Cast Members may not know where Vinylmation is located in within the park.  Or the trading boxes are out in the shops during certain hours--say noon, for example.  Again, just keep asking.
• Those little 3 inch tall figures can get lost in the bottom of a bag, but are a bit bulky to carry in a pocket.  Frequently throughout our vacation, we would be asking about the location of our current Vinylmation figure.
• Decide before you start whether you are going to trade or collect.  The boy was ready to trade and the husband wanted to keep some of them—it’s the collector in him!  This was the boy’s thing, so trading won out, but it could be a conflict if a decision isn’t made before you start.
• Vinylmation trading, just like pin trading, allows for and lends itself to interaction.  We love that part of our Disney vacations!

We came home with a Lotso Vinylmation and he is ready to return to Walt Disney World when we do for even more Vinylmation trading.