Sunday, May 28, 2023
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Toy Story 2: Custom Wheezy Toy Replica by D-KOP
After almost 22 years...Wheezy the squeaky penguin, as seen in Toy Story 2, joins my Toy Story collection!! Now you would think just by looking at this that it was an officially produced and licensed toy by Disney/Pixar, but no—sorry to break it to you, but after all these years, Disney has still not released a full scale Wheezy squeak toy replica. Why? I have no idea. He would essentially be as expensive to make as a rubber dog chew toy and Toy Story fans young and old would go crazy for him. Seriously, load up a few bins of Wheezy toys and sell them in Toy Story Land for $15 each and they would be sold out in minutes.
Some of you might be thinking, well what about the "Toy Story On Ice Wheezy"? Yes, that one was technically officially released and sold by Disney Stores, but that was clear back in 2000/2001 (ish) and only in Japanese and European markets (from what I understand). It was also available at select Toy Story 2 Disney On Ice shows overseas, but that's it (I don't believe it ever came to the US in any way, but let me know if you have any further info). At any rate, it was never widely available to consumers and now sells on eBay for typically $200 or more (and oftentimes without any packaging + with scuff marks). Yikes! For a character as prominent as Wheezy, I'm shocked he does not have a proper toy out there.
Anyway, over the years (through the rise of home 3D printing), fans took the matter into their own hands and began making their own custom Wheezy replicas. I had seen a bunch, but I was never completely impressed with any of them (I certainly wouldn't pay over $100 for them)—that is until I saw this one a few weeks back on Instagram. As soon as I saw it, I knew this was the definitive Wheezy and it was an instant "must-buy". Even if Disney finally releases an official Wheezy after all this time, I can't see it being any better than this one right here.
This Wheezy is mostly modeled after the character in his "toy mode" (when he's not "alive"), with some small liberties taken to make this replica more appealing to collectors. For example, his flippers are a bit more open, which is great, because I think D-KOP assumed us fans would like to have him hold Mr. Mike's microphone in photos and/or when on display. I think that was a good call. Other than that though, I'd say this Wheezy is 97% accurate and truly looks like he jumped out of the screen and onto my shelf.
Wheezy is a movie-accurate size (about 5 3/4" tall), is a quality rubber material and he SQUEAKS! Not only does he squeak though—it's a loud, very impressive squeak. Don't mind me, I'm pretty much still in awe over here. Check him out in more detail below!
And how cool is this? Wheezy even comes with a Toy Story Signature Collection style certificate of authenticity. Really though, does this just not keep getting better and better? This Wheezy does cost some $$$, but he is worth every penny to me. You can tell D-KOP put his heart into it.
Here he is with Mr. Mike!
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Lastly, check out my brief YouTube unboxing video below to see (and hear) this Wheezy in action. You won't wanna miss it. What are your thoughts?? Are you as thrilled as I am? Be sure to share what you think and any questions you might have down in the comments.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Toy Story: Custom Andy's Room Troll Replica
I was five years old when Toy Story was released in theaters in November 1995 and I started collecting the toys immediately. I'm now almost 31. So for just about 26 years, I've hoped to have a movie accurate troll (as seen in Andy's room) in my Toy Story collection. As a kid, for the longest time, I did have a troll toy with pink hair displayed with my Toy Story collection just to have the character represented—but she was naked (see my post HERE). I didn't ever have the swimsuit she wears in the film because, like many toys in Andy's room, an official Toy Story troll toy was never produced/released by Disney·Pixar. I waited and waited...and nothing.
Years later (probably around 2010; Toy Story 3 really sparked a new love for Toy Story collecting from both original collectors and new fans), Toy Story customs really started booming online and shared in forums like Pixar Planet. From characters like Roly Poly Clown, Snake, Wheezy, Mr. Spell, Hockey Puck and so on, fans started to get really creative creating custom Toy Story characters that (for whatever reason) Disney refuses to release to this day. Basically the fans said if you won't release them, we'll make them ourselves. And that's exactly what many did. They were far from perfect, but impressive nonetheless.
Nowadays (especially with the rise of affordable 3D printing right at home), Toy Story customs have gotten insanely good and are plentiful (some are honestly even better than the real thing). Anyway, long story short, after all these years I FINALLY have a movie accurate Toy Story troll replica in my collection! I've seen custom trolls like this online for years, but they were always shipped from another country and way too expensive (or just not good enough looking to purchase). I found this one on eBay recently right here in the US (for just $27) and thought it looked GREAT. I couldn't imagine an officially released one looking too much better—so I went for it. SO worth every penny! She fits in perfectly with the rest of my Toy Story collection.
It's not 100% perfect, but no Toy Story toy is (even the Signature Collection toys have plenty of issues). I feel I could probably trim this one's hair down to be a bit shorter (would look more like the film version with shorter hair), but I don't want to mess it up. She has great hair and looks really good as is. The swimsuit is like 97% accurate too—it's all just very impressive. Overall I couldn't be happier with this purchase! A big thanks to this eBay seller who helped one of my collector's dreams come true. 26 years in the making.
This troll is currently out of stock from this seller, but keep checking if you're interested. She has come back in stock multiple times since I made this purchase, so you never know. What do you think though!? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you have a custom-made troll? Maybe you've made a custom-made troll? I want to see your personal favorite troll custom you've seen. How does this one hold up? Let me know and be sure to share any thoughts, photos and/or questions you might have in the comment section below!