Welcome back to Disney Stuff. Thanks for the great response to last month’s McDonald’s Happy Meal article. I’ve increased that collection in the past 30 days, and my daughter and I are getting closer and closer to completion. This time, I’m going to talk about a collection of mine that’s both growing and diverse—Disney toy vehicles.
There have been Disney toy vehicles pretty much as long as there have been Disney toys. From the early cast iron and tin toys to the wood pull toys of the 1940s and 1950s all the way up to today’s modern die cast and plastic vehicles; this is a market that is ripe for any collector. I never set out to collect or accumulate Disney vehicles, but I can’t seem to help myself. There are so many different types out there, and some of them are exceptionally cool.
When I set out to research this article, a simple Google search of Disney die cast vehicles, or Disney toy vehicles for that matter, returned thousands of sites devoted to Disney/Pixar’s Cars die cast collection. The same goes for eBay. The monstrous popularity of Pixar’s Cars collection, put out by Mattel, is quickly evident all over the vast Internet. It’s been 2 years since Cars was released, and there’s no end in sight to the collectability of these toys. New models disappear pretty much instantly from my local KB Toys, and as I said the net is full of places to buy them, both at cost and at inflated prices for the more rare models. It’s a bona fide toy phenomenon, the kind that a toy manufacturer waits for. I’ve been hooked since the film’s release. My daughter’s “Cars” are displayed on a shelf, disproving the myth that this film’s toys are only for boys. Mine are in the original packages and packed away in a box, protected from my 6 year old twin boys’ potentially destructive hands.
Sure, he’s been recalled, but does that make him more collectable? Photo By Rosina Liquori.
If you search a little harder and a little more specifically, you can come across lots of different types of Disney vehicles. I’ve mentioned GoAntiques.com before. I’m set up to receive emails from them whenever anything Disney related comes up for sale and I have gotten several cool Disney toy vehicles from them, including this great Mickey in a car which always reminds me of Archie’s jalopy:
Azrak Hamway produced this little Mickey car along with many others in the 1970s. Photo By Rosina Liquori.
I’m particularly fond of this vintage-looking Donald in a car reminiscent of Benny the Cab from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Despite Donald’s vintage look, the plastic grill and seat make this a more recent toy. Photo By Rosina Liquori.
I found this little Mickey in his cool purple convertible at a local drug store. He’s made by Mattel and marked with the year 2000:
If you look closely, you can see the Hidden Mickey as this cars hood medallion. Photo By Rosina Liquori.
If you find yourself at The New Amsterdam Theater in New York to see Mary Poppins, hopefully this Corgi Routemaster Bus will still be available:
I hope this bus was actually in service in London. Photo By Rosina Liquori.
Walt Disney World is a great place to find some die cast vehicles, including the annual Matchbox bus…
This is the 2004 bus, most notable for NOT having the year emblazoned on it. Photo By Rosina Liquori.
…the collection of Disney transportation buses…
Have you been on all three? Photo By Rosina Liquori.
…and the collection of miniature ride vehicles:
This set also contains vehicles from Mission:SPACE, Big Thunder Mountain and The RockN Roller Coaster. Photo By Rosina Liquori.
I’m not particularly crazy about the Disney Racers collection of toys. I’m more of a classic kind of guy, but there are some exceptions:
Maybe it would be cool if the Monorail and Disney Transportation bus really looked this way. Photo By Rosina Liquori.
I’m sure many of you are familiar with the die cast Attraction Collection. This is a true Disney fan’s dream. These toys are based on all of the attraction vehicles in Orlando and Anaheim. They’re getting harder and harder to find at reasonable prices, but many are still out there and are some of my favorite Disney collectibles ever.
My favorite ride, and my favorite piece from the Attraction Collection. Photo By Rosina Liquori.
Once again, I’ve presented a vast array of Disney toy vehicles here, and, once again, I’ve barely scratched the surface. Nothing in my collection predates the 1960s or 1970s. There is a whole other world of collectable vehicles out there from Disney’s golden age. There are hundreds of Disney buses, attraction vehicles, Pixar Cars vehicles, and miscellaneous character vehicles available for you to collect. Pick something you like, hit the garage sales and the net, and reserve a spot on your shelf for some really cool Disney toy vehicles.
As for me, as I write this I’m four days away from a 10-day excursion to Walt Disney World with the family. I’m guessing the 2008 Matchbox bus might be on my shelf when I return along with a small suitcase full of more…Disney Stuff. See you next month!
