Anyone Else Collect the Olszewski Miniatures

[RweTHEREyet]

While down at WDW last week, I discovered the Olszewski miniature collectibles in the Art of Disney store. I fell in love with them. I understand Disney has not been carrying them that long, but the figurines have been around for quite a while. The detail on them is incredible. Took me all week to decide which one to buy, they were all very special.

Wondering if anyone has found these outside of WDW or DL to purchase?

 

[Mickey527]

I just did a search for Olszewski and found the website. They show how the miniatures are made etc... and you can order on line.
They do list all the collectables, but there is only one Mickey Mouse. I will look for these when I get back to WDW, they look really nice, and some are 1 inch. What a lot of work to put into a 1 inch statue. Peggie

 

[hopemax]

I love the Olszewski figures. I first met Mr. Olszewski at the NFFC convention in 2001. He is the sweetest man, who obviously takes great pride with his work. I'm collecting the Dumbo and Beauty and the Beast pieces. His rules are

1. No piece should ever cost more than $300.

2. No creating a series and then making the last piece outrageously expensive or extrememly limited.

3. In each series, he won't produce more than 3-4 pieces a year, because he knows his customers have only limited funds.

4. By the same token, he doesn't follow expensive pieces with more expensive pieces. A $295 piece, will more likely than not be followed by a $65 or $90 piece.

5. Each piece of the series, is a LE of 250 more than the previous piece. He does this so that the people who have collected the series from Day 1 have a better shot of finding the later pieces and not having to fight with the newer collectors.

The Storybook Collection is available at lots of places that carry collectibles. His studios recommends Decker's Collectibles in Southern California. They will ship anywhere and they offer free shipping for orders over $100. A list of authorized dealers can be found here

He is also doing Disneyland in miniature. The first piece just came out at DL in December. This series will ONLY be available at DL.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Mickey527--The incredible detail is what I fell in love with. Kind of like a lot of our pins, very small, but very detailed. They don't take up a lot of space, and while I cannot afford the entire collection at one time, I can get started on a series and perhaps catch up without having to mortgage the house.

Hopemax, thank you for the information. I like his philosophy, sure makes it easier on the collector. I decided to collect the series that you did not. I have Tinkerbell Trapped and Pinnochio I'm Going to Act. Would also love to do the Snow White series. Love the dwarves going over the bridge and the scene at the dining table. Also loved the Cinderella dress with the birds. I really loved them all, but cannot do them all.

I noticed from the website that there are a couple of retired pieces, one being in the Peter Pan line, and I guess I better go ahead and get that while it is still around. Wonder how many pieces he will do with each movie? Hope he gets to do Monsters and Lilo and Stitch on down the road.

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

Ok, so I started looking over the thread titles and I come across this one and I think, "I wonder of that is what they called those little people that Walter Brennen was chasing in hs Jaunting car in the Gnome Mobile movie?" So I open it and I have no clue what you are talking about but now I have that silly song stuck in my head...

Me Jaunting car,
Me Jaunting car,
Rolling along in me Jaunting car,
It's the happiest sight by far,
Jaunting along in me Jaunting car

Now there's a tune you just don't hear every day...

Jeff

 

[chef's wife]

I went to Disneyana on public day and got to meet Mr Olszewski. I have NEVER seen anything so beautifully detailed in my life. He was a lovely, soft-spoken man who took the time to explain everything about his figurines. He has license from Disney to do only certain story lines and he tries to tell the full story using the figurines. I kept the little story booklet he gave me with picture/postcards of all the Peter Pan pieces in the set. When the November cruise pins were released I commented on how several of them were exact replicas of the Olszewski pieces. (Tink in lantern and Kidnapped). I'm not into dust collecting "chachkies" of any kind (WDCC/snowglobes, etc.) but these peices were magnificent and very reasonably priced for the workmanship that goes into them. Here is an excerpt from his booket:
" Story-Time is a collection of personal interpretations of classic children's literature including Disney inspired miniatures. Each cameo represents memorable storytelling moments from the films and will be able to stand alone or be grouped to tell the story from beginning to end. The collections has been designed and produced so that collectors, children, parents and grandparents can enjoy and experience these stories together. To enhance this experience each figurine will be featured as a storybook page, allowing the reader and children to enjoy the story and figurine at the same time."
He is licensed to produce the following storylines:
Cinderella
Snow White & Seven Dwarfs
Peter Pan
Pinocchio
Winnie the Pooh & Honey Tree
Bambi
Sleeping Beauty
Beauty & the Beast
Dumbo
Goldilocks & the 3 Bears
Hansel & Gretel
All you Villains fans would die for the maleficent piece!! It is incredible.
The phone number for his California studio is 800-489-1646. You can call his wonderful staff with any questions or to send you a storyline booklet.
Hope this helps anyone interested.
Michelle

 

[NHMickey]

We saw these on our last trip as well. I am glad to hear they just started to sell these in WDW. I would hate to think I missed seeing these before. I will admit they are fantastic looking and I was tempted to buy one but I could not decide what to get. I will have to look at them again next time down and decide on a series.. The detail was outstanding.