Our good friend Cindy Russell has a passion for all things Disney. But perhaps her biggest interest (literally) is for the fan favorite collectible - Big Figures or Big Figs as they are more commonly known. So today, she’s sharing some of the information on them with us from a series of articles that previously appeared on Jim Hill Media.

(For the record, Cindy owns a Disney gifts and collectibles store called “Where The Magic Begins” in Livermore, CA. While many of her personal collection of Disney Big Figures are on display at the store, she does not sell or re-sell them. For more information, you can contact her by e-mail.)

One of the older and now increasingly popular lines of Disney collectibles is the Big Figures or Big Figs (as they have become known by their fans). If you recall the original décor of the Disney Stores, oversized figures were a prominent and popular decoration. Each store had a different display featuring characters in scenes recreating many of the Disney classics.

Recreations of Disney characters have been popular with consumers for many years. A quick glance through the Tomart Disneyana guides offers a wide variety of characters in all kinds of media from china to PVC plastic. In small scale, it's been possible to enjoy your favorite at home. Larger sizes were usually limited to plush characters.

I began collecting Disney Big Figs a number of years ago when I came across the first three of them -- Mickey in his Air Plane, Scrooge McDuck and Donald on the Sea. Originally, these were produced overseas (in the Philippines) in very small production run. The materials used were a combination of paper mache and resin. They were not available in the states but as with many other Disney Collectibles, someone brought one home, and then shared it with other collectors. Thus began the retail market for these large-scale recreations of our favorite characters.

The first three...

Mickey Mouse

Donald Duck

Scrooge McDuck

Disney then began making them in the states out of resin with bases that displayed the character names. The first series produced were the Classic Fab Five with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Pluto in 1989. They sold out quickly at $125 each at the Disney Stores and in the theme parks. Now they are among the most highly sought after Big Figs in the secondary market.

Classic Mickey

Classic Donald

Classic Pluto

Classic Goofy

Somewhat surprisingly to folks in Marketing at Disney, these were a BIG hit. For a true fan and collector, what could be a greater thrill than creating your own display of the Disney characters? Before the Big Figs hit the market, guests often asked Disney Store cast members where they could get ones like those in the store displays. I have decorated my home with the Big Fig characters from my favorite movies.

They have done quite a few since then. I am now up to over 125 (so far!) with a few more I would love to own. Some of the rarer ones are Two-Gun Mickey, Dumbo, Daisy, Dopey, Scrooge McDuck, and Pinocchio. The Classic Pooh characters of Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet were sold exclusively at the Disney Stores. They have now become quite prized with collectors and I have seen some of them go for upwards of $2,000.00.

Pinocchio

Dumbo

Scrooge McDuck

Tinkerbelle on a Thimble

There are many to choose from with exclusives from Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Catalog and Disney Auctions. As with all collectibles, they produce many of them in open editions. Disney Auctions tends to produce smaller editions that you can bid on. The Holidays always seem to bring special themed characters. The desire and demand for attaining these large characters from your favorite movies is growing.

The popularity of these reproductions of our favorite characters led to a special event in 2003 for Mickey's 75 th birthday. Disney created 75 Mickey's with each one 18 inches tall; one of a kind themed from a movie or a theme park memory and each was dressed in hand crafted clothing. There were displayed in the windows of Anaheim's World of Disney store for 75 days to be auctioned off on November 18, 2003. Some of the themes included Steamboat Willie, the Mad Hatter (from "Alice in Wonderland"), the Band Leader (from "The Band Concert"), The Sorcerer's Apprentice (from "Fantasia"), Pie-eyed, and Rock Star Mickey (which sold for $3,750).

There were almost 1,000 people present for the auction. It was an event to behold that shows the following of the Big Figs. a surprise announced at the end was a special Mickey number 76 with a stunning design of Silver Tuxedo Mickey. I wish I could have been there; although I don't think my pocket book was up to it! And there was another series of Mickey's traveling back to Disneyland for the 50th anniversary that are 5 feet tall -- all designed by different artists and celebrities -- that were also auctioned off at the end of their display period. Talk about Big Figures!

I have created a web site with information on Disney Big Figs - www.bigfigs.com. It will eventually have information on all of the figures in this product line (including the dates and where they were produced). This site is a work in progress as new figures continue to be produced all of the time. I am happy to share this information with you.

Just to name some of the collections that this includes are the Mickey's, Princesses, Villains, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tinkerbelle and the Disney Cruise Line Exclusives (with Captain Mickey and Shipmates Mickey and Minnie). Added special features now include lighting, animation and sound. Below are some pictures of the different characters for you to enjoy. Disney Big Figures sell from $125.00 to $195.00 depending on the piece size, the sound or lights and the locations producing them.

Princess Minnie

Lady Liberty Minnie

Canine Caddy

Cruella de Ville

Halloween Pooh

Maleficent

Shipmates

Steamboat Willie

So whether you have a favorite character that you need for your collection or you are a die-hard fan like me that loves them all, there truly is magic for you to bring home in these replicas of characters from our favorite Disney animated movies or theme park experiences.The fact they are so sought after has led Disney to develop more products with many different designs, movement, light and special detail or themes.

I have a feeling we will be seeing some great items ahead in this collectible market. The future of the Big Fig seems to be another part of the magic that has captured the hearts of the Disney collectors. It is a pleasure to be able to share that with all of the people who have enjoyed my information and who share my passion for collecting these great friends.