REVIEW: Disney Store POP! Vinyl Collection, Series 1 by Funko

Last month, we told you about a new line of vinyl collectible dolls being produced exclusively for Disney Store by Funko. The line, whose first series consists of a unique take on twelve classic Disney and Disney/Pixar toons, sees its official release tomorrow, May 30, both at Disney Store locations and DisneyStore.com.

I suppose the first place to start with reviewing the POP! Vinyl line is with the unboxing process itself. There really isn’t much to it. The box itself is a thin cardboard with a plastic film window. It’s simply opened/closed with a tab and there is absolutely no glue or even tape involved, so it’s quite easy to cleanly open and close the box without causing any damage to it, if that’s your thing. On that token, however, I’ve noticed the boxes are very susceptible to dents and tears so if finding a box in mint condition is on your objectives list, you’ll want to scrutinize and take your time when purchasing them in person at a Disney Store. On a related tangent, it might be interesting to note that Sulley’s name is misspelled on the back of every box except his own.

Inside the box, the figure is held in place by a custom-molded tray which is made of a thin plastic and open on the front side, offering full protection. In fact, Tinker Bell’s thin and somewhat rubbery wand comes further protected in its own sleeve.

Retailing for $12.50 each, the figures themselves are what one might expect for the relatively low price in the market. On the whole, I have no real complaints although the paint is sometimes questionable, especially on Mickey Mouse, where it appears the white paint has been added on top of black paint and the black bleeds through every so slightly, particularly on his hands.

The only form of articulation they have is that their heads can rotate 360 degrees except for Cruella De Vil’s whose cigarette holder/faux cigarette gets in the way of her big head, restricting it to more like 180 degree movement, and Mike Wazowski whose head (and arms) doesn’t appear to turn at all.

The only potential negative is that due to their big heads and tiny bodies, Cruella, Tinker Bell and especially Woody have poor centers of gravity. What that really means is that it’s difficult to make them stand just by setting them down. However, I quickly learned that if you just press down on their feet using two fingers to make them stand, they generally remain standing when you let go.

On the whole, I’m very happy with the collection and am already eagerly awaiting Boo and the rest of series 2.

As mentioned, the figures are $12.50 each which means an entire set will run you $150, before any applicable discounts such as using a Disney Visa. Also consider yourself warned that Maleficent has already proven to be the most desirable and elusive of the bunch, so if you don’t see her on the shelf, make sure you ask a cast member to check the store room.

Below is our gallery of photos of the POP! Vinyl collection for Disney Store Series 1 by Funko where you’ll find front, profile and back images of each of the figures plus a few bonus photos. Click on any of the thumbnails to expand to see the larger versions.