I also just got that exact same reply so definitely looks like these products will be released as they seem pretty certain about the release date. Thank you Vivid Imaginations for giving us the information we asked for! 
Unfortunately a September relase date, makes it more likely they are UK exclusives…USA outlets would have word of them by now (toys r us posted hawaaian vacation stuff a month or so before). It’s possible they are released earlier to UK than USA though…but I don’t see why that would be…but then again, i understand little of what Thinkway does.
I emailed Vivid and got that same message today but my question was will your new Dolly,Buttercup & Mr. Pricklepants be UK exclusive and they just replied with that baloney…
Well Vivid is a toy distributor in the UK. So they probably didn’t understand the question. Vivid distributes Thinkway Toys, it doesn’t produce them.
Unfortunately the only people who know are thinkway…customer service says UK only…but have been wrong before
I emailed vivid asking them if they know what characters will be included, and if they are UK exclusives.
this is what i got:
Dear Matt,
Thank you for contacting our consumer services department and for your interest in our products. Unfortunately we do not hold information on the range at this stage as they have not arrived in this country.
Perhaps you could contact us again in a few weeks so that we can help you further.
Regards
Consumer Services
So they’re being released in september and they dont even know what characters there are?(other than dolly,pricklepants,and buttercup)
They obviously got info on those three…which begs the question whats special about those 3
Lee just tweeted again!!!
leeunkrich Lee Unkrich
@
@pixarnewsblog @bashford427
They will be available in several countries, including the U.S.
However, the manufacturers have told us otherwise, Vivid claims that the toys will be available in Sept, and no sign of them anywhere outside of the UK
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Maybe the UK is getting a different version, without electronics, and America will get ones with electronics later. In that case Lee just doesn’t realize they are two different versions.
I doubt this is true, I’m just throwing out another possible explanation.
To me there are only three possibilities:
-
Lee Unrich is mistaken: He should have insider info, as director of Toy Story 3, but is far from Thinkway’s spokesperson.
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Jenny from Thinkway is straight up lying to us…maybe to keep it more hush hush. When presented with the facts (thats thinkways distributor released images early), she deflects and makes up excuses to explain things away until the toys are ready to market.
-
Somehow Jenny is right, and Lee is right. For whatever reason, the toys will be released to the UK this fall, and to the USA in 2012. Therefore her saying both “fall of 2011” and “no new toys until 2012” are both in fact true. Fall 2011, the UK will receive toys, and they won’t make it to the US until 2012. The “limited release to the UK” is simply talking about the fall, and they will arrive in other countries later. Maybe at the UK toy fair, Vivid had already agreed to terms with them, but US distributors like TRU haven’t signed on yet. The more I think about it, this is plausible (although not terribly likely). Afterall, amazon.co.uk is getting the toys from Vivid, not Thinkway. It’s possible that only Vivid has officially signed onto the new wave 3 (and maybe jsut the three plush, and havent signed on for the rest of the wave), and although US markets will probably pick them up, its not official yet.
The only problem with US distributors not bein signed on yet, is that I saw the horrible Hawaaian vacation toys already on sale for over $10 off at my TRU. Even the Ken/Barbie set was down to $22.99. If TRU sees poor sales for those, then doesn’t want to sign on for new characters, then the US is still out of luck.
but I really feel those are the only possiblities.
Thinkway have got the lisence for marvel next year. i guess they are gonna spend most of their time making marvel toys rather than toy story Toys. But there’s still the many concepts of 'wave 4 ’ to come.
Anymore news on the upcoming wave?
Well, I just checked the Amazon pages for the three Wave 3 toys and it now says “Usually dispatched within 1 to 3 months.” “Usually dispatched” is the estimated time that Amazon will recieve the items from the supplier, so this means the toys should be in stock by next month, November at the latest
As sad as it is, it’s looking more and more like these will actually be UK exclusives. At the absolute very least, they will be released in the UK first. Lee Unkrich would probably have access to inside info, but Jenny told us UK exclusive and no new toys til 2012.
right now, those look like the only two choices…my money is on UK exclusives now
Just a question regarding the certificates of authenticity. Did anyone who bought the Buzz Lightyear with the utility belt get a certificate?
Just I’ve not got one. This might be due to me misplacing mine or something along those lines.
Cheers.
Another thing, just had an email back from Amazon.co.uk regarding Mr. Pricklepants, Dolly and Buttercup and I got this reply:
"Thank you for contacting Amazon.co.uk with your enquiry.
I understand that you would like to know if the following items are part of Thinkway Toys’ Toy Story Collection, Toy Story Mr. Pricklepants Action Figure, Toy Story Buttercup Soft Toy, Toy Story Dolly Plush Toy and you would like to know the release date of the items and the release date of the other Toy Story Collection toys.
I had a further look into this for you and the items are not part of the Thinkway Toys’ Toy Story Collection and if you type in " Thinkway Toys’ Toy Story Collection " under the search box on the Amazon.co.uk website you will be able to view all the items that is included in the Thinkway Toys’ Toy Story Collection. As per the website the following items, Toy Story Mr. Pricklepants Action Figure, Toy Story Buttercup Soft Toy, Toy Story Dolly Plush Toy will be dispatched within 1 - 3 months and any other information is unknown. The Thinkway Toys’ Toy Story Collection items are all in stock and has been released."
I’m not sure what to think of this and I’ve replied just to make sure and said that they use digital data from PIXAR and include a certificate of authenticity and are being distributed by Vivid Imaginations. So I’ll see what I get in response.
It sounds like a mistake on their half but what do you guys think of it?
You should of got a certificate with the Utility Belt Buzz, it looks no difference to the normal Buzz’s certificate. I know how you feel loosing a certificate, Ive lost my Lotso one. 
First of all, your UB Buzz should have the COA. It’s different than the normal buzz. It occassionally happens, and Thinkway will mail you one if you ask.
Secondly, they don’t have the actual TSC Rex even listed…much less in stock…so that statement about them all being in stock is bogus.
Secondly, the item description says:
Product Features
Film accurate details using original PIXAR Digital Data Files
All materials matching Buttercup in the film
Soft and cuddly
Highly detailed
Includes Certificate of Authenticity
If that’s not TSC, I don’t know what is.
The only thing I can think of, is if they are an exclusive release to the UK…maybe they are essentially making TSC items and not including them to the “TSC” line because of the exclusiveness?
That doesn’t make a lot of sense though. My guess is, Amazon doesn’t know whats going on, because Vivid doesn’t, and vivid doesn’t, because Thinkway rather BS everyone than just give the consumers, distributors, and retailers a straight answer about ANYTHING
Cheers guys, I’ll have to email Thinkway and ask them to send me one, would quite like to keep the certificates.
Yeah I copied in the product description and highlighted the essential facts that would surely make it TSC so I’ll see what they come back with.
I’m thinking the same as you though Slink, I’m not sure anyone really knows what’s going on. It’s a bit odd in the first place for Thinkway not to announce anything and then 3 new toys appear on Amazon seemingly part of the TSC wave 3. We’ll just have to wait until they are officially announced and all these questions and confusions can be resolved.
Hopefully within the next month, because if amazon.co.uk gets them in stock before thinkway gets their house in order…i’m just going to import them…and if they don’t turn out to be Uk exclusives…you can bet they’ll have a lot of angry, lied to folks out there
I know exactly what you mean, Thinkway just needs to confirm it as soon as possible so all of us know what to do when it comes to ordering. I live in the UK so it’s not so much of a problem but if I was in the US I would be really frustrated if I ended up importing them for a lot of money, then to find out they’re available there.