NEW San Francisco Vinylmation and Artist Signing at Stockton Street Disney Store

This past Saturday, August 27, San Francisco’s Stockton Street Disney Store had an extra special event!  Exclusively at the Disney Store on Stockton Street, we launched the newest city-specific Vinylmation, the 3” Golden Gate Bridge Vinylmation.  The fun didn’t end there; the store was graced with the presence of the designer behind the newest San Francisco Vinylmation Figurine, Gerald Mendez! Disney Store Vinylmation fans were waiting in front of the store as early as 10pm the night before the signing.

Check out the photos from the Vinylmation-filled day in San Francisco:

 

Gerald Mendez with the newest San Francisco Vinylmation Figurine

 

Look at the line before the signing on Saturday!

 

Gerald Mendez loves spending time with his Vinylmation fans

 

About Gerald Mendez – Senior Designer

 

After completing his Graphic Design education in Mexico City, Mexico, Gerald Mendez came to the US in 1986 where he undertook the challenge to master as many techniques as possible to improve the quality of his work, including Professional Airbrush and Digital Illustration. In 2006, Gerald joined the Disney Store team and today he creates VinylmationTM from the Robots and Disney Villains series, as well as City-Specific vinyl figures. A fan of fantasy art of all kinds, Gerald has an extensive collection of unique collectible figurines including custom airbrushed VinylmationTM. In his spare time, Gerald operates his art studio called “Aerografika” in Chino, California, where he keeps very busy as a creative automotive airbrush artist, and he even airbrushed an amazing snowboard with all the Disney Villains!

Check out our Vinylmation available on DisneyStore.com/vinylmation!

 

Congratulations to our Silver Edition Lightning McQueen Sweepstakes Winner!

We received more than 200 entries for our sweepstakes.  And the winner is…Mike Hanrahan from Carver, MA! Congratulations, Mike!

Here are the answers to the sweepstakes questions:

1.      What does 23 mean in D23?

    Answer: “23” represents 1923, the year that Walt Disney arrived in California and founded what was to ultimately become The Walt Disney Company.

2.     How many years were there between the release of Disney-Pixar’s CARS and CARS 2?

    Answer: 5 years (2006 & 2011)

Thank you to all who participated! Look for more CARS products on DisneyStore.com/cars! 

 

Presenting the Second Disney Princess from the Designer Collection, Ariel

It’s Monday! That means we have released another Disney Princess from the Designer Collection! Drum roll, please…

 

 

 

This week, The Buzz is thrilled to present to you Ariel. The Ariel Designer Doll features Ariel done up with dramatic make-up, rooted eyelashes and dramatic red hair that is accented with a shell hair jewel. She's wearing a strapless dress with rhinestones detailing on the bodice with a multi-colored pleated ruffle and flower. There is cord detail at her waist and she is finished with rhinestone accented gloves. 

The doll is sold as a special keepsake display case with intricate details on the base, including a golden plate with Ariel’s name. The Ariel Designer Doll includes a Certificate of Authenticity.

The dolls and accessories are available in stores and online at DisneyStore.com. Want to more about the collection? Read more about the Disney Princess Designer Collection here and see Cinderella, who we released last week here.

Which Disney Princess do you think will be released next week? Let your voice be heard in our new poll…we are listening!

 

Newly-Designed Disney Store Opens at Florida Mall in Orlando, FL!

Did you think any more Magic could exist in Orlando, FL?  Well, as you already know, Disney Magic is never-ending! Yesterday, Disney Store celebrated the opening of our newest newly-designed location at Florida Mall in Orlando, FL. Our Cast Members eagerly waited at the doors with free Mickey Ears for the first 250 guests.

Check out how the Orlando guests and Disney Store Cast Members unlocked their way into the new store:

 

Unlocking Imagination

Vroom! It’s Ridemakerz

Mickey ears for the whole family!

Magic Mirror for every Princess!

Fun in the theater

Orlando, you just got sprinkled with MORE Pixie Dust!

If you missed our soft opening, do not worry! We are having a Grand Opening Celebration this Saturday! Look out for more newly-designed stores coming to Cincinnati and Seattle next week!

 

Silver Edition Lightning McQueen Sweepstakes

Start your engines, Buzz Readers! 

We noticed how much you enjoyed our Lion King Vinylmation Sweepstakes, so we decided to give away another D23 Expo exclusive this week! If you missed out on a chance to purchase our Silver Edition Lightning McQueen ($99.50) at the D23 Expo, you’re in luck. But, this Silver Edition Lightning McQueen is SUPER special, as it is the car that the one and only, John Lasseter, picked out this weekend at the Expo during his stop by the Disney Store booth! There are only 250 units in the edition and you can be one of the lucky owners!

 

John Lasseter at the D23 Expo with his Silver Edition Lightning McQueen

Enter to win a Silver Edition Lightning McQueen! To enter, be one of the FIRST 50 GUESTS to correctly answer the Disney Store trivia question below. Sweepstakes ends August 28, 11:59 PDT and on August 29, one winner will be randomly selected from the first 50 correct entries.

Here are the BIG questions:

1.)       What does 23 in D23 stand for?

 

2.)      How many years were there between the release of Disney-Pixar’s CARS and CARS 2?

When entering in comments section, please be sure to include your first name and email address in the information fields (email address will not be displayed with the comment). This is our way of contacting you. Entries received will not be published to the public during the duration of the sweepstakes.

For sweepstakes rules, please click here.

Read more about the Silver Edition Lightning McQueen from last week’s post here. Want more Cars merchandise? Go to DisneyStore.com/cars. 

Ready, set, answer away!

Congratulations to our D23 Expo Lion King Vinylmation Sweepstakes Winner!

We received more than 750 entries for our sweepstakes.  And the winner is…Michael Jones from Tulsa, Oklahoma! Congratulations, Michael!

Here are the answers to the sweepstakes questions:

    1. What year did the first Disney Store open?

                    Answer: 1987

    2. Where did the first Disney Store open?

                    Answer: Glendale, CA

    3.  To what country is Disney Store expanding to next? 

                    Answer:  China

 

Thank you to all who participated and we hope you enjoyed all of our D23 Expo coverage! We can't wait until the next one already!

Lion King Vinylmation series launches in stores and DisneyStore.com next Monday, August, 29! Who’s your favorite character in the series?

Presenting the First Disney Princess from the Designer Collection, Cinderella

 

 

Hear ye, hear ye!

Today starts off the release of a new Limited Edition Disney Princess Designer Collection Doll ($59.50) every Monday until October 24.

 

 

This week, The Buzz is thrilled to present to you Cinderella. The Cinderella Designer Doll features a Cinderella done up with dramatic make-up, rooted eyelashes, an up-do topped with a rhinestone headband. Her dress is a strapless, fitted silhouette and made extra dramatic with a bow back drape detail. She is accessorized with a black beaded necklace, white gloves and carries a carriage-shaped clutch.

The doll is sold in a special keepsake display case with intricate details on the base, including a golden plate with Cinderella's name. The Cinderella Designer Doll includes a Certificate of Authenticity.

The dolls are available in stores and online at DisneyStore.com. Want to know more about the collection? Read more about the Disney Princess Designer Collection here.

What Disney Princess do you want to be released next week? Let your voice be heard in the comments...we're listening!

Kidada Jones Reporting from D23 Expo!

Hey Buzz fans!

I wanted to thank everyone who came to the D23 Expo today! I had such a wonderful time with you all at the meet and greet. I love that there are so many fans of Kidada for Disney Store, and that you all cherish Disney stories as much as I do.

As many of you know, I partnered with Disney Store to create the Kidada for Disney Store Charming Collection. I have grown up with Disney and it is such an honor to combine my childhood memories of my favorite Disney characters with my love for fashion and jewelry.

Today, I got to show off our latest Wish-a-Littles.  The newest members of our collection are Jasmine, Ariel, Tinker Bell and Alice, and each comes with her very own unique charm necklace inside. I loved designing jewelry inspired by these characters because they all tell a very different story and connect with us in different ways.  Each character evokes special memories from my past, reminding me of trips to Disneyland with my family and the sense of magic and whimsy I experienced while I was there; magical moments from my childhood.

The Wish-a-Littles figurines are designed in their own magical moment of making their very special wish. They are a fun way for you to keep your secrets, memories or wishes. Please write your own special wish and put them inside the Wish-a-Littles to keep them safe and sound until it comes true. Wishes are the secrets of our hearts and no one knows that the way the Wish-a-Littles do. 

The new Wish-A-Littles & a sneak peek of a new tee in the Spring 2012 line! :)

Meet & greet!

Ariel Wish-A-Little

Much love,

Kidada

 

Get your own Kidada for Disney Merchandise at DisneyStore.com/Kidada!

Live from the D23 Expo: Buzzing Behind the Scenes At the Disney Store Costume Parade

Coming to you live from the D23 Expo, the Buzz has the exclusive behind the scenes, all-access pass to today's Disney Store Costume Parade!

Ever been backstage at a real fashion show? Today, the Buzz got a sneak peek at the Disney Store D23 Expo Costume Parade, and we just had to share the experience with all of our readers! The Disney Store Costume Parade was a preview of a selection of the amazing Halloween costumes available at Disney Store this fall, so The Buzz was eager to get a first look!

Before the parade , we went backstage to see some of the models get ready. The process starts with hair and make-up:

 

Next, it was time to get dressed. And Disney Store head costume designer Jason Johnson and assistant designer, Julia Pita were stylists for the show!

 
Jason Johnson

 
Julia Pita

 
Mulan getting her crown!

 
Cinderella putting on her "glass slipper" (Disney Store role play shoes aren't real glass, but they do light-up!)

 
Buzz Lightyear's costume wouldn't be complete without his light-up goggles!

After getting dressed the costume parade models were ready to head to the stage for the show:

 
Don't they all look fabulous?! 

Before we knew it, it was showtime at the Disney Living Pavillion Stage. And what a show it was. The parade was hosted by Disney Store's own Jim Babcock, the ultimate fashion show emcee! Here are a few snap shots of the action:

 
 
 
 
 

It was such a treat for The Buzz to see the costume parade from behind the scenes come to life on stage. And awesome to get a preview of all the amazing costumes Disney Store is offering this Halloween and all year long.

Dying to get yours hands on these great role play costumes? Some of them are already available in Disney Stores and at the DisneyStore.com Halloween Shop now! Thanks for coming behind the scenes with us, Buzz readers! Stay tuned this weekend for more D23 Expo updates!

Disney Store Prez Reporting from D23 Expo!

Happy D23 Expo, Buzz Readers!

@DisneyStorePrez here! Today, as many of you may know, we kicked off the D23 Expo.  For those of you that weren’t able to join in on today’s celebrations, I wanted to share with you a snapshot of some of the surprises we have in store for the Magical weekend.  And for the guests that are at the Expo, here’s a recap of some special moments from today, because we had a blast!

We started off the day with a very special Disney Store Opening Ceremony! At 9am, we chose a lucky D23 Expo guest to “unlock imagination” at the Disney Store pop-up store, and our very special guest Mickey Mouse joined the magical moment.   We will begin every day of the D23 Expo by unlocking imagination at Disney Store, because it’s a favorite ritual of ours at all of our new locations around the world and we wanted to share the special moment with all of our D23 Expo guests.  

I couldn’t wait to make the announcement about Disney Store’s 25^th Anniversary celebration next year. Can you believe that 25 years ago we opened our first Disney Store at Glendale Galleria, in California? For the D23 Expo, we wanted to get a head start on the anniversary celebration, so we launched an assortment of exclusive 25^th Anniversary D23 Expo silver merchandise. I had the honor of unveiling sliver Cinderella which is only available at the D23 Expo--isn’t she lovely! If you are planning on coming to the Expo make sure you check out all the 25^th Anniversary products at our pop-up store!

 

 

The fun only started there!  A little later in the morning I attended the Legends of Disney Awards ceremony.  If you don’t know what the Legends Ceremony is, it’s where The Walt Disney Company honors those who have made a significant contribution to Disney’s legacy.  The actresses who’s beautiful voices brought to life many of the modern-day Disney Princesses including Jodi Benson (Ariel from The Little Mermaid), Paige O'Hara (Belle from Beauty and the Beast), Lea Salonga (singing voices of Jasmine from Aladdin and Mulan from Mulan), Linda Larkin (speaking voice of Jasmine from Aladdin), and Anika Noni Rose (Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog) were all being honored. Disney Store honored the Legends by presenting each of them with our glamorous, new designer dolls, launching at select Disney Stores nationwide on Monday (make sure you check back on The Buzz for more info on the dolls!). A limited number of complete sets will be available for pre-purchase at the D23 Expo.

 

The rest of the day I got to enjoy all of the awesome D23 Expo events with the entire Disney family, including Cast Members and fans!

We are so excited to share this wonderful weekend with you! Here’s what to look for from Disney Store over the next couple of days…

Saturday

-10 a.m. meet the Disney Store designers behind the Disney Princess Designer Doll Collection at the Disney Living Pavilion. 

-Join us at 1 p.m. for the Halloween Costume Parade and be sure to stop by our giant Ariel Wish-A-Little on the Expo floor and enter to win a Disney Store Halloween costume of your choice!

Sunday

-10a.m. Lion King Vinylmation artist signing

-1 p.m. Kidada meet and greet

Are you at the D23 Expo? Make sure to stop by Disney Store and say hi! And if you were unable to make it, keep checking into The Buzz for LIVE updates from D23 and follow us @DisneyStore and on Facebook.

Share your own D23 Expo highlights with us in the comments section – we’d love to hear them!

 

-Jim Fielding aka @DisneyStorePrez