Dollars and Sense #31: Park Starz
The hype, the drama, the clues, the Z’s….seems like a long time ago, but the latest design offering from the Vinylmation team is now just a month old. This series has the privilege of having the #1 attached to it’s name, which automatically causes people to ponder deep thoughts..
- When will the next series come out?
- How many series will they make?
- Will Park Starz #1 be the next Park #1?
- Should I invest in some extra Park Starz in an effort to help better build my collection later on down the road?
Let’s take a look at the similarities and differences between Park 1 and Park Starz 1.
Similarities
- Great designs–I really think the Park Starz designers hit a homerun here. Most of these vinyls are going for more than retail (see below) with each drawing in their own fans. I would argue that Park Starz, collectively, are more attractive and representative of the actual attractions than the original Park 1.
- A second series–Park Starz 2 is on the way. One of the keys for a collectible to remain a collectible is sustained interest. Case in point is the fact that prices continue to drop for the once uber hot Designer Doll Princess series….. people tend to move on without a follow-up.
- Disney Marketing—Enough said.
Differences
- Time between releases–Park 2 came out about 6 months after Park 1. Reports are that Park Starz 2 is about a year away. The 6 month window between releases kept interest up and people engaged, which prevented people from moving on while waiting for the new series. A second series also not only keeps the original fans happy, but it brings new people into the fold as they may connect to the new vinyls better than the old. There is also something about seeing a series “2″ that makes you not want to miss out on the first. The one variable we can’t account for with this is the variants. Unknown how these will work at this point. If done right, they might keep people active in the hobby while we wait for Park Starz 2.
- Great Chaser–Park Starz lacks a true chaser which makes you feel less obligated to have them all. Picking and choosing seems reasonable when it’s not tougher to get one figure over the rest.
- Price–$18.95 vs $12.95/$9.95. I think collectors (especially those who have kissed the new mold goodbye) will dig these and swallow the price. But what about park visitors who are not familiar with Vinylmations. A $9.95 blind box fits into the souvenir budget, but $18.95……not so much. I really worry about Park Starz not being able to bring in new fans and that this will severely limit it’s growth.
Unknown
- Supply–The #1 factor in the world of collectibles. Good news is that these are well done and there is a definite market for them. However, if Disney wants these to be a true collectible, they need to leave people wanting more. When demand is more than supply, the secondary market gets hot. At this point, people are more likely to spend “investment” money on a collectible and not just “souvenir” money. It seems that most companies go for the golden goose right away and want to be sure they get every last dollar from every last fan out there. Make more vinyls, make more series, and make sure every dollar goes to the company and not to eBay. This may sound good to Joe-Business man, but in the long term, people will move away from hobby and spend less when things are no longer special or valuable. So only time will tell. Will Disney keep the fans wanting more or will they try for every dollar they can get up front. Personally, my spending on Vinylmations has dropped dramatically this past year and it has everything to do with the fact that Vinylmations proper seem to now be less of a collectible and more of a souvenir. I’m personally hoping that Park Starz can regain the magic of Park 1, 2, 4, and 5 and keeping us wanting more.
Will Park Starz 1 be the next Park 1? Probably not. There are some key differences that will hold it back. That being said, there is a lot of growth potential if Disney plays their cards right.
Current Park Starz Value Rankings
12. Abraham Lincoln–$17
Mr. Lincoln
11. Boy and Goat from It’s A Small World–$20
10. Squid from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea–$21
9. Butler from Horizons–$23
8. Skeleton from Pirates of the Caribbean–$23
Skeleton Pirate
7. Jose from Tiki Room–$24
Jose
6. Big Al from Country Bears’ Jamboree–$24
Big Al
5. Ice Gator from Blizzard Beach–$25
4. Yeti from Expedition Everest–$25
3. Figment from Journey Into Imagination–$26
Figment
2. Funmeister–Pleasure Island–$27
Funmeister (Moon Man from Pleasure Island)
1. Bride from Haunted Mansion–$40
Haunted Mansion Bride
Great article. I love the Park Starz molds and can’t wait until series 2 is released. what do you think about having the product available on ds.com and/orin the country wide/international stores? Do you think this would help grow the ‘starz’ brand or take away from it? Thoughts.
They have spoken about having it on Disneystore.com, so I’m sure that will happen. As far as international, I would guess that it is in the other parks. As far as regular disneystore, my guess is they will keep them out of these venues in order to make them more park special.
Looks like you were right, showed up on Disneystore.com last week. Placed my order, and got my package today, but unfortunately they oversold the Park Starz, and I didn’t get any
I guess I’ll have to hope they still have some at the parks when I go in January.
When I was at Disney last week, I saw a few things that bode well for Park Starz.
1. Every display I passed had tins missing from the box. This means that people are picking up one or two inside the parks.
2. Disney had what you could get displayed, and there were kids, and adults, excited about the designs.
3. Cases were being sold at D-Street. I was informed that I was not the first person to buy both a case of Park Starz and Park 7 that day.
4. Compared to the regular Vinylmation boxes, these tins are very colorful and stand out on the display.
5. For the extra $8 or so, I feel that some park guests will prefer a collectible that has a unique design over a Mickey. At least that is what I heard on one occasion at the Villains shop in DHS.
Since deciding recently to only focus on Park Series, with the occasional addition here or there, I am more than happy to get into the Park Starz, which could turn out to honor those iconic Disney attractions better than the Mickey mold.
That is great to hear. I couldn’t be happier with the three I have (Al, Yeti, and Jose).
while do like a few of these, i just dont feel theres the “buzz” like there was when Park 1 first came out..Lets face it, for many of us it was the “Mickey look” that drew us to this hobby in the first place. Without that, these are just kind of cool action figures… and at $18.95 price, they are pretty pricey action figures.
maybe its just me, but the term “Vinylmations” meant more than just any vinyl figures they choose to throw out there..it meant vinyl figures that were created on a Mickey canvas. But i guess thats something i’m going to have to get over..lol
I think Park Stars is a great line. I just think they were not released right. The whole Z project would have gone a lot better had they waited awhile and not marketed it so heavily to established vinyl collectors. It was too close to the change from old mold to the new mold. The community was still in too big an uproar. Z project gave some of us hope for a small while that maybe they would still offer some of the lines on the old mold. When it was revealed that it was a separate line of vinyl I have to say that I was displeased. I wanted it to have something to do with the old mold/new mold debate. It took me awhile as I’m sure it did for others for me to see past the the old debate and see this new line. I’m sure that had they waited and made a big production at the parks for the release for non vinyl fans and established fans alike to get excited over, they might have had a stronger beginning. I hope interest in the line continues to grow. I for one am looking forward to collecting this line!!