Tag: Disney

Unboxing 100 FUNKO POPS!

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Yeah, you read that right! Jason and I decided that it was far past time for us to work our way through the MASSIVE backlog on Funko Pops in our collection, so we recently unboxed ONE-FREAKIN’-HUNDRED of them in one go! Grab some popcorn before you check out this video! It’s a bit of a marathon. o.O

I Don’t Wanna Grow Up…I’m a Disney Kid!

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I was definitely the very definition of a Disney kid, growing up. I lived and breathed the movies and TV shows, some of which I watched so much so often that I can still quote giant chunks of the scripts to this day. In fact, I can still sing every word of every song from The Little Mermaid – on key, thank you very much – no problem. You might say that Disney was a rather large part of my childhood.

Of course, now I’ve got a kid of my own and I can honestly tell you that things haven’t changed very much. I still love watching all that good Disney stuff. I’ve seen Tangled at least a dozen times (half of those by myself), and I can sing almost every word from all the songs in Frozen (the repetitiveness of the kid helped a little on that front, as you can probably imagine).

Anyway, long story short, it’s totally unsurprising that I’ve got a growing collection of Disney Funko Pops, and I recently added a few to that collection. I thought I’d share the haul video with you guys today because I know that lots of you are big Disney fans yourselves. Oh, and do try to make it right to end of the video, because there’s one helluva cute little guest star peeking in to show off her newest Pop!

“Pop in a Box” Unboxing and Review

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I’ve been subscribing to Pop in a Box for a few months now, but I haven’t been doing “unboxing and review” posts (except for this comparison post), which is actually a bit unfair to the service since I do a post for every other subscription box I receive. So, okay, no sense in talking about it…let’s just start doing it! I’m not going to go back and do the previous boxes I’ve received, but I’ll start with the most recent one and go from there.

So, first of all, since this is the first of this kind of post that I’m doing for this service, what is Pop in a Box? Well, as the name suggests, it’s a service that sends you Funko Pop figures…in a box (presumably). The service originated in the UK, but has also been running out of the US for several months now, which makes it significantly more affordable for Canadians. You can choose the number of Pops you want to receive each month – from one to twelve – and there are methods to ensure that you don’t get anything you already have, or don’t want. First, you build your collection on their site so they know what you already have. Then you give a “thumbs down” to anything you do not want, which creates a “graveyard” list of Pops that they’ll never send you. Finally, you give a “thumbs up” to things you want, which creates a “wishlist” that they’ll attempt to pick from if those Pops are available at the time. Anything that you haven’t given a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” is considered fair game; you’re basically saying that you don’t mind if they send you those Pops. Keep up with this easy system and you should always be happy with whatever comes in your box.

So, on to the actual fun bits! Here’s the unboxing video from my most recent Pop in a Box:

So, I like to be able to give you a sense of the value of the box, so for the sake of these posts I’m going to set the “value” of each Pop based on the value that is currently listed on Pop Price Guide. Keep in mind, of course, that these values are based on what kinds of selling prices are currently occurring around the internet, and are therefore subject to change. They also don’t reflect retail value, which is normally between $12 and $25 depending on the type of Pop and where it was purchased. At the end of the list I’ll give you the total based on Pop Price Guide, as well as the approximate retail value.

Luke Skywalker (Hoth) – Star Wars line #34
I love Star Wars, and I love Star Wars Pops, which is quite convenient since Pop in a Box seems to love sending them to me. This one particularly amuses me because it adds to an awesome little “Hoth” collection that I’ve got going on. Although when he’s standing alone you might not immediately realize that this is Luke, I’m certain that he’ll look perfect  standing next to my flocked, 6″ Wampa. Definitely an awesome start to the box!
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $10

First Order Stormtrooper – Star Wars line #66
And another Star Wars Pop comes out on the heels of the first, this one from the newest movie, The Force Awakens. I’ve collected several Imperial and First Order soldiers at this point and there’s not too much that I can say since they’re so similar, but I’m quite happy to be able to add another one of the “bad guys” to the collection.
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $10

C-3P0 – Star Wars line #64
Aaaaand, one more Star Wars Pop just for good measure. This version of our favorite golden protocol droid is almost identical to the original versions, but he’s sporting his snazzy red arm from The Force Awakens. Unfortunately, this also happens to be a Pop that I picked up in stores recently, which is one of the hazards of continuing to purchase Pops while waiting for your Pop in a Box shipment to arrive. That’s my bad though, and not something I can really fault the service for. It would have been a good pick if I hadn’t bollocksed up.
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $9

Agent Coulson – Marvel line #53
This is definitely one of the plainer Pops in the Marvel line. To be honest, if you didn’t already know who he was you probably wouldn’t be able to guess, and that’s why I never picked him up…there’s just nothing special about him, other than the teeny badge on his coat. That said, I’m perfectly happy to have him because I do actually love Phil, and he’s part of the Marvel Universe, which is my jam.
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $6

Mulan – Disney line #166
I may not have gotten this across in the video, but I really like this Pop. I think her hair and outfit are very nicely done, and I love that she’s holding Shan Yu’s sword instead of just standing there looking pretty like most of the princesses. She makes an excellent addition to my growing Disney collection.
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $8

Princess Celestia – My Little Pony line #8
I’ll be totally honest: I was a little disappointed to pull this one out of the box, not because I don’t like it, but because it’s basically a lesser version of a Pop I already have – the Hot Topic exclusive with sparkly hair. I didn’t want to give this one a “thumbs down” on the website though, because it would be nice to actually complete the entire line, although it’s not really a big deal to me to have both. I’ll probably let my daughter add it to the mini-collection she’s been gathering. 🙂
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $10

Petyr Baelish – Game of Thrones line #29
This was an unexpected (but not unpleasant) Pop to pull out of the box. I haven’t been actively looking for Game of Thrones Pops – simply because there are so many other lines that I’m focusing on – but this is an awesome one to add to the group. I love the character on the show, and although his Pop is one of the more plain, human ones that I tend not to like, it’s also one that is extremely well done. All the little details of his hair and outfit are spot on, making him instantly recognizable to any Game of Thrones fan.
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $8

Lumpy Space Princess – Television (Adventure Time) line #30
Adventure Time is one of the oddest shows I’ve ever watched, but also tons of fun, and the Pops are excellently done. This particular one doesn’t have a huge amount of detail because the character is basically a purple blob with arms, but she’s also very unique-looking in the world of Pops. Personally, I think she’s adorable, and she’s definitely going to look great with the rest of the crew from the show.
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $9

Capt. Apollo – Television (Battlestar Galactica) line #228
This is the first Pop that I’ve gotten from this service that means absolutely nothing to me, but I am hoping that won’t be the case for too long. I purposely left the Battlestar Galactica Pops open-ended on the Pop in a Box website because I’ve never actually watched the show, but I believe that I will probably love it when I do eventually get around to it. In the meantime, this little guy will have to hang out by himself, being under-appreciated.
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $6

Mushu and Cricket – Disney line #167
I’m really glad that these two little guys came in the same box as Mulan, because all three are going to look so cute together on the shelf. Mushu is an adorable little mini-dragon whose design is very loyal to the movie, and I just love that he came with a teeny Cricket Pop. Funny add-on in case you didn’t watch the unboxing video: there was an actual dead but in the Pop box when I opened it up. Maybe he was trying to rescue his buddy from the plastic.
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $10

Cogsworth – Disney line #91
Okay, I have to admit that I was pretty excited to see this Pop because, although I haven’t been actively collecting them, I think the Beauty and the Beast Pops are super-cute. I loved the movie as a kid, and I think they did a really great job on Cogsworth’s mold and paint. Now if I could only find a Beast to stand him with!
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $7

Ariel – Disney line #27
And last, but certainly not least, we have the princess of the sea. I feel like I didn’t express nearly enough joy when I pulled out this Pop (I think I was having an off-day during filming) but believe me, I was super happy to see this little mermaid. Ariel was my princess when I was growing up, so if I was going to collect any Disney Pop, she is definitely the must-have. I had previously gotten the human Ariel and the hipster Ariel Pops, but this is one I hadn’t seen around and I absolutely love her. I especially love that her fin is covered in pretty green sparkles. Magical!  ^_^
Pop Price Guide Value as of March 3 2016: $10

Total approximate value on Pop Price Guide: $103 (US) / $140
Total approximate retail value: $156 (CAD)
Total cost to me: $154 (CAD)

So, that was the whole box, and although there were a few negative points, I thought it was pretty great. I’m always happy to get Star Wars Pops, and I’ve been enjoying getting the random Disney Pops that I don’t normally look out for. I was a little disappointed in the MLP Pop since I much prefer the version I already had, and I don’t really have any feelings either way about the Battlestar Galactica one yet, plus there’s the accidental C-3P0 double, but the awesomeness of the Petyr, Lumpy Space Princess, and Cogsworth make up for those three. I also absolutely love the Luke Skywalker, Mulan, and Mushu and Cricket. And, of course, there’s Ariel, my all-time favorite princess in the history of Disney princesses.

The value is a little bit subjective, depending on how you look at it. I provided the Pop Price Guide values mainly because it gives you an idea of whether the Pops are common or rare, but personally I prefer to think about it in the sense of how much I would have paid for them if I’d bought them in store. Either way, the numbers work out so that I’m basically paying almost exactly the same amount of money, without having to actually go out and search for these Pops, some of which are impossible to find in Nova Scotia. So in that sense, the cost is definitely worth it; otherwise I’d have to order some of these Pops online and pay individual shipping costs every time. Plus, if the Canadian dollar ever does go back up, I’ll actually be paying a good bit less than retail value for each Pop, which would be awesome (fingers crossed).

There are downsides to Pop in a Box that I should mention. For one, their shipping to Canada is painfully slow (although half of that might be the idiocy of customs in recent months). In addition to that, their shipping is very basic, so for people who are very concerned with pristine packaging, you have to realize that your Pops may not come in perfect condition. And finally, while it is possible to receive exclusives in your box, there is no guarantee that they will come with the sticker that proves the exclusive status.

That said, if you’re not terribly concerned about a dent or two or a missing sticker, and you’re patient enough to not get upset with the slow shipping, it’s an awesome service.

So yeah, basically, long-story-short, I love this service. 🙂 And if you’re interested, please use this link, which gives you 20% off your first order, whilst also giving me a percentage toward a free Pop. Win-win!

A to Z Challenge Day 2: Buffy Summers (the Vampire Slayer)

TraceyLynnTobin20 Comments

BBuffy

You wouldn’t know it by looking at the types of books I read or some of the scenes I, myself, have written, but when I was younger I was quite a wuss. I was a Disney kid who liked puppies and kittens and was too shy for her own good, so scary stuff wasn’t really my thing. To explain to you just how much of a wuss I was, it took several years for me to make it all the way through Pinocchio because I was scared half to death of Monstro the whale. I had more than a few nightmares about that devil-whale.

Yet, despite the adrenaline that would kick up the second something even began to consider being scary, there were a few ghosts-and-monsters related shows that I loved to watch, most of them on YTV on Friday nights. One such show was Buffy the Vampire slayer, which I began watching right from the very beginning. At this point in my life I’d never seen the original movie version of Buffy, but I took immediately to the show, and to Buffy in particular.

There have been many arguments on both sides of the fence when it comes to this particular show, but all I can say either way is that I’ve loved it from the moment I first discovered it, and Buffy immediately became one of my favorite characters ever. She was created by (in my opinion) a brilliant writer in Joss Whedon, and brought to live by (in my opinion) a wonderful actress in Sarah Michelle Gellar, but neither of those things were the reason why I took to Buffy so well.

When I was a kid things were starting to sway, but it was still the “way” of things for the guy to be the hero. The handsome jock would lead the team (Power Rangers), the men would be responsible for the most important battles (Luke Skywalker and Han Solo), the charming prince would rescue the damsel in distress (so many examples I couldn’t possibly list them all). In a world where, for the most part, the girls were the background characters or constantly being rescued, here was a female character who was front line and center. She was the main character, strong and powerful and could totally kick ass, and she was the one doing 99% of the saving. And for all her strength and Chosen One-liness, she was at the core just a regular girl. Her strength didn’t come from size, nor her abilities from super-intelligence. She was just a girl. She had been a cheerleader. She had been totally full of herself, as many teenage girls are. In other words, she could have been anyone. She could have been me, or my best friend, or that really quiet girl in my class who was sweet but shy, or the loud-mouth popular girl who everyone secretly hated.

That appealed to me as a kid. The idea that any random, completely typical teenage girl could just up and become a superhero was a huge thing.

But – and here’s the important part that Whedon and Gellar had a huge influence on – even though she was the center of the monster-slaying universe, and was the most important character, and was the kick-ass female hero, Buffy was not by any means infallible or invulnerable. She made huge mistakes. She got her butt handed to her on multiple occasions. She fell into deep depressions. She hurt the ones she loved and then made herself miserable trying to fix things. She saved the world, but she couldn’t always save all the victims. And that just made her that much more real, that much easier to relate to, that much easier to care for. Buffy Summers is one of those characters whom I became so fond of, so invested in, that it hurt me physically to see her in any kind of pain.

It’s been 17 years since the first time I watched a Buffy episode, and over the course of those 17 years I’ve watched every Buffy episode at least three or four times. Some episodes were better than others, and I will readily agree with some that the first couple of seasons were leaps and bounds over the last couple, but in the end I loved them all. Buffy was one of the first fictional characters to make me bawl like a little girl, something I am none too embarrassed to admit, but as crying for a fictional character is not exactly a common occurrence for me, I think that just goes to prove how awesome Buffy really was.

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