snausages

If you pre-order The Princess & the Frog on DVD ($19.99) or Blu-ray ($34.99) at Toys "R" Us with a $5 deposit this week (2/21-2/27), you will get an exclusive jewelry box when you pick up the movie:

Trevor

^ How sad is it that I really want one of those? I could use it to store lots of other little Disney exclusive trinkets I've acculmulated over the last ten years.

hindolio

if it was on-pack, id grab one myself. is that sad too?

Ajay C

Not sad at all, fellows.

Despite the fact that I'm an adult heterosexual male, I'm still upset that I missed out on a similar TRU-exclusive jewelery box that shipped with "The Little Mermaid" back in 2006.

I honestly don't know which question vexes me more -- "How on earth will I ever find one of those?" or "What the hell am I going to do with it if I ever do find one?"

Hmmm... maybe it IS a little sad after all... for all three of us...

Oh, and thanks to you both for the welcome back, and to snausages for the post of that Transformers button! I'm still not sure whether this fuels or diminishes my desire to actually own one!

It's the damnest thing. Put a price tag on something and stick it on a retailer's shelf, and I can gladly pass it by. Tell me it's an exclusive freebie and I absolutely, positively MUST have it... whether or not I have any valid need or use for said item. In the case of that Little Mermaid jewelery box mentioned above, I have NO NEED for that whatsoever. And if I do miraculously come by one someday, it will likely just end up getting placed in a box with all kinds of other knick-knacks I don't really need (like the TRU exclusive Little Mermaid III photo album, and the Best Buy exclusive Little Mermaid III plastic cup, to continue with the theme). Not that I don't collect other things, mind you, buy my compulsion to acquire retailer exclusives seems unusually powerful. And whenever I miss one, it gnaws at me like unfinished business... as evidenced by the many sticky-note reminders to that effect ringing my computer screen.

Trevor, I'm actually rather intrigued by your statement that you seem to have weened yourself from your own compulsions. How is it that you've been able to quiet those voices? Based on your writings, it seems like you and I are similarly inclined in this respect. Though I've always been able to resist exclusives for titles I would not otherwise be buying, I've been so far unable to do so for those which I do buy (resulting in 3 purchases of the recent Planet Hulk release, for example). Mercifully, it seems that there has been something of a slowdown in the quantity of exclusives I've wanted to buy over the past year, but that's mostly a matter of what's been made available, as opposed to me resisting any urges.

Anyway... what's your secret?

Oh, and if you do end up with one of those Princess and the Frog jewelery boxes, you likely won't be able to fit much of anything inside it. It looks to be of the same configuration as the Little Mermaid one I'm looking for, which was only about 3" x 5" x 3" (though admittedly it's hard to gauge scale from the photo).

Trevor

Ajay, yes, we are very similarly inclined, although I think I am?/was? worse. To try to be somewhat brief, I think my compulsion on these exclusives stems from my lifelong collector (hoarding?) hobby. When I got into films/DVDs, I knew that I could never afford/store every DVD, so I buy as much as I can/want to own, but complusively collect certain small niches, including exclusives. And my compulsion even extends to titles I have no desire for otherwise. I own several Barbie exclusives. For most of those though, I end up keeping the exclusive part and giving the DVD away.

But as much I would like to own them all, I've realized that I'll never come close. There are dozens of exclusives that I know I've never seen, and probably hundreds, if not thousands that I've never even known about. I must own over 2,000 different exclusives.

That, and the fact that I'm running out of room in my condo and storage site, are the two main reasons why I can sort of claim that I have weened myself off the addiction. Knowing that I'll never find that Williams-Sonoma demo disc makes it easier to skip pursuing the current exclusives.

Now, I'm really not 'cured', I still collect all the easy to find and free things that I can, and still go out of my way for the exclusives on titles I really want/collect. So overall I'm maybe on step 3 of 12

Ajay C

Dude, you are my brother from another mother.

I can relate to much of what you say, especially the collector mentality. I'm also in for comic books, action figures and other things most people outgrow by their teens. Space is not a pressing issue just yet, but I'm beginning to see how it might get there if I don't figure out a release in the coming years. I think your decision to focus on all the things you CAN'T have is a critical realization to make. Again, this is something I too think about when trying to make sense of it all. Hmmm... dare I ask what the elusive Williams-Sonoma demo disc is? Or does that open up a whole other can of worms?

So as not to drag this thread any further off-topic, I'll end by saying that I certainly understand where you're coming from and I'll meet you at step 4.

thethedew

Speaking just for myself, the exclusives I pursue are in this order: Exclusive bonus disks (DVD's) / Exclusive Content (i.e. alternate versions of disks, not online content) / Exclusive Packaging (assuming it doesn't take up much room, or is otherwise fragile (I'm looking at you, transforming Transformers packaging)). Bonus disks seem to be getting produced less often than they had been previously, and the dropoff might have happened roughly the same time as Circuit City closing (and the Recession starting).

I avoid exclusives that are, well... (with great respect to other posters here)... just stuff to me.

With all that said, I cherish this forum and this thread in particular; it gets checked several times a week in my household. Thanks everyone!

ProfessorEcho

I really enjoyed that exchange between Trevor and Ajay, not because I can identify or even sympathize or empathize with them, but because my major collecting addiction for years has been to collect COLLECTORS. In other words, I absolutely love being around and hearing about and reading of people who collect and all the why, what, where, when and how of it. I have a library of books about collectibles, yet I collect very little myself, I just enjoy knowing all the minutia of people's "must have stuff." That's why I linger in this thread every so often.

Now I would like to get back on topic somewhat and ask both Trevor and Ajay and anyone else who wants to chime in what is the prize DVD EXCLUSIVE in your collection?

Also, of all the IRON MAN stuff that came out, which one did you like best? I didn't get any of them, but almost went for the Costco Bobble Heads, which were too cool for the room.

Trevor

When I get home away from these work filters, I'm going to link a video of a great Little Caesar's Pizza commercial from the 90s, the punchline being "I have a brother?" It is a line I repeat to myself whenever I have unexpected luck. Here is the link, maybe. commercial

Yes, focusing on the fact that I'll never be able to have them all allows me the possibility of giving the obsession up and moving on to something else, hopefully something not involving collecting stuff. Right now, I'm trying my best to get obsessed with watching/using the stuff I have, instead of buying more stuff. Things like the Challenges and checklists here at DVDTalk are helping me with that, although I guess 'help' is debatable. But basically, I'm realizing that one only has so much time to fully enjoy life and make contributions to others, and I'd rather not waste too much time accumulating stuff that I'll never fully enjoy.

I'll never completely give up collecting, as I do really enjoy it, but I think I'm getting to point where I can give up much of it. Quick example, but why do I need or even want to keep two boxes of Circuit City free music CD samplers? I haven't even listened to most of them, and likely never will. The allure of wanting to own them just because they are rare or collectible is slowly waning. At least that's what I try to convince myself of. That and that ending sentences with prepositions is fine.

That Williams-Sonoma DVD was just a sampler of CBS TV shows or something, strangely given out at that chain a few years back. I have verified with employees there that it did exist, but have never seen it.
(Belated?) Welcome to the forum Mountain!

And yes, I'm trying to avoid the exclusives that are just 'stuff', and someday hope to only collect the ones that have actual digital content on films I like, or are really cool to display items.

ProfessorEcho

Everytime my gf tells me that I will never have enough time to watch all my DVDs, so why am I buying more, I always respond:

It's not about watching everything, it's about watching what you want when you want.

End of discussion.

Trevor

I'd have to think about that one. I literally have two or three closets worth of exclusives (many duplicates and just silly freebies), so most of it is out-of-sight-out-of-mind.

Off the top of my head I'd say the Alien Legacy disc that you had to mail away for. Typical of me, I'm not sure if I've even opened it yet. But I love the franchise, mainly just the first movie, and like you say below, I'm glad I have it for when I want to watch it.
I prefer actual filmed content usually, so whichever exclusive had the most of that. Though I probably bought Iron Man at least four times if memory serves. Exclusives kept, three extra copies given away.
Yep, I use this argument for the 'why do you own so many movies? you should just rent" argument. That and the fact that I buy for less than many people pay to rent.

snausages

I love that statement! I will have to remember that next time I get that question.

Hmm..my favorite Iron man exclusive will have to be a tie between the SteelBook or Iron Man red/gold + silver mask cases. The best freebie was a Stark Industries poster tube which is of course stuck in my closet now gathering dust. But I am happy to know it is THERE.

Best exclusive of all time...I couldn't answer that one..if I had to chose then that would mean to me that everything else I can pass along to others. Every one of them is special in their own way. Or at least that's what I tell myself when I wonder why I am buying it LOL ;D

When I got into SteelBook collecting I went a bit overboard and now have 500+ SteelBooks sitting in my place. I've long given up on displaying them as I really do not have enough room and they are quite delicate. I would be so mad if I damaged any one of them. I do display some of my other exclusives such as Watchmen Owl ship, Hellboy bust statue and some of the The Dark Knight exclusives. I also had a thing for collecting free stuffed animals that come with movies ...and those are kept in a bag to be dust-free.

I guess I try to limit to films I will like or something really cool like figurines, stuffed animals, bonus discs or special packaging.

Hope all this rambling makes some sense.

hindolio

its better when you realize that it never makes sense

i recall that commercial and it is damn funny. pizza pizza forever!

wow. now ive heard/read it all. and coming from a weirdo like me, you sir, are weird

they are like children. yeah, some you care less about prolly. but all of them have the ability to make you smile.

ya know, i dunno if this sounds weird. but imho, not being able to collect everything is part of what keeps me in it. specifically, i think i sincerely believe that if i were able to collect every single exclusive, that is the point i will stop. if that makes sense?

id like to chime in here too. imho, collecting does not work well with the shotgun approach. rather, use a bb gun. focus on one or two or twelve things. try this or that too if you like, but do what YOU do. but you must do it well

ProfessorEcho

Haha. I'll take that as a compliment, sir. Thank you.

There is some method to my madness, but not much. In addition to working as a film historian, I have also taught and written about pop culture history, including collectibles, but really, this is only masking for my genuine and very sincere weirdness in being fascinated by collectors and coveting their company.

I have a bit of the collector's gene in me, but probably due to the fact that I never seem to have enough money or space to really indulge myself, I have never allowed much by way of exploring and exploiting that gene. Being exposed to the collecting passions of others provides me with enough vicarious enjoyment to keep me satiated for the most part.

As such, I appreciate this thread and love reading responses like those from Trevor and Snausages and everyone else who share their collecting adventures.

snausages

Glad my ramblings made sense to hindolio & ProfessorEcho.

I don't usually collect T-shirts and I won't be getting the jewelry box for Princess and the Frog. I did get the Frog plush that came free with Prince and the Frog video game, but since I didn't buy the video game..I had to pay full price for the frog. And since they had two of them displayed kissing each other...I had to get 2...of course when you think about it in reference to the movie...hmm...

Trevor

We should start a club/support group.

This is 'our' thread, so I think it's fine to go slightly off-topic whenever we want.

I can talk/write about this stuff for days. Here's some soul searching for you Professor:

Honestly, I must confess that my collecting is pretty much more like hoarding some of the time. Collecting is fine and healthy, hoarding is not. For me, I think part of my hoarding comes from my family going through a couple of borderline poor stretches back when I was a kid. Not really poor, but lower middle class just another bad break or two from losing our house. We got through it all fine, and never really had a right to complain (even the poorest American is better off than 95% of the planet). But being at a point where I couldn't buy the toys and comic books that I wanted, almost none at one point, has created in me this unhealthy need to accumulate as much as I can, so that I'm prepared for potential hard times. One thought that is always in the back of mind is that, yes, I have more DVDs than I'll likely ever watch more than once each, but if I ever go near broke and can't afford more than rent and food, I have enough entertainment to last me and my friends/family for decades. I can look at it logically at times like this and realize that I should be accumulating financial security instead of material possessions, but it's hard to put into practice.

Ajay C

Did anybody have any luck actually finding the Target exclusive Justice League: Crisis with the bonus disc? I hit 3 locations and none of them had it, even though I hit them early in the day. The rep tried to feed me the usual "quantities limited, while supplies last" cop-out, but I'm inclined to believe they never even got any in the first place (a la the earlier Target exclusive Batman/Superman: Public Enemies, which was also supposed to ship with a bonus disc, but none ever seemed to materialize). WTF?

Having said that, the sign with the new DVD covers of the week showed what the "exclusive" sticker should have looked like, and it specified that the bonus was to have been 2 episodes of the Justice League Unlimited cartoon. If that is indeed ALL that's included, this might be an easy thing to pass on, since those episodes would also be available in the various season sets of that series.

I checked at Wal-Mart for an exclusive, but found nothing. This is actually a first for them, since they have ALWAYS had an exclusive lenticular slipcover on the single-disc editions of every DC animated feature. Did anyone find differently? I also saw nothing at Barnes & Noble, Blockbuster, Toys "R" Us, Costco and K-Mart. I even checked with FYE and they said they'd gotten nothing, but I'd like to hear what others have found there, if anything. FYE seems to always get a poster with these releases (as recently as the Bats/Supes title mentioned above). Also, has anybody been able to check Borders for exclusives on this title? To the best of my knowledge, they only ever had one for Wonder Woman, but I always like to check.

Interestingly, the rep at my local Blockbuster is now insisting that they had an exclusive comic book with Planet Hulk a few weeks ago... even though a different rep at that same location had no knowledge of it when I asked on the day of the title's release. According to the rep today, the comic was shrinkwrapped to the outside of the case, and naturally they didn't have any more in stock. I find it odd that another retailer would have a comic book with this release when Wal-Mart already had one, but this fellow was fairly insistent. As ever, I don't put much faith in the accuracy of things these people tell me, so I'm posting the news here to see if anyone can provide confirmation one way or the other.

Trevor, thanks again for the further insights into what makes you tick. With every revelation, I see another little bit of myself. Kinda creepy, actually. I'm stuck on dialup at the moment so I can't check out the YouTube clip, but I'll endeavor to do so soon. BTW, that Alien Legacy disc you mentioned sending away for... was that the same one later made available for individual purchase? I missed buying The Legacy Collection when it was first released, so I missed out on the whole mail-order dealy. I do recall purchasing an Alien Legacy disc at retail a few years ago, do you know if this is the same as what you sent away for?

Snausages, from the sounds of your collection and the way you meticulously store and care for it, it sounds like you and I have some similarities of our own. Maybe there's a whole clan of us, separated at birth and scattered around the globe? You know, kind of like the mess that was Highlander II. Yikes! Anyway, I hear you on having too many to display and wanting to keep things free of dust. Oh, and tell me about that Stark Industries poster. What did that come with? I though I was up on all the Iron Man exclusives but this one is not ringing any bells...

ProfessorEcho

I agree with you, Trevor, and completely understand your perspective. It reminds me of my Dad, who was a kid during the depression and to this day puts a high value on "stuff" simply because he grew up without it. He's not a pack rat by any means, but what he does have he treasures because such things seemed so impossible and unreachable when he was at his most impressionable ages.

Of course, we should all prioritize and not allow our passions (i.e. those we allow to transcend being more than mere distractions, for better or worse) to overwhelm common sense. Yet how many of us can live our lives that way or even have the best of intentions to make a conscious choice to live our lives that way? I suppose there are some truly pragmatic people out there, but it seems to me that one of the joys of being an adult is to consistently eat dessert first. Outside of sex, there really aren't a lot of other pleasures or advantages in being an adult as opposed to being a child.

So providing we don't inordinately lose control over this pursuit of stuff that makes us happy, or even just momentarily brings us some peace with all the clamoring responsibility of surviving each day, I think it can be a healthy thing to collect/accumulate/hoard. Just always keep it as you should your own personality and character, make it a constant work-in-progress, rather than becoming a slave to it. In other words, keep drawing new lines of where to start and stop.

That PRINCESS AND THE FROG jewelry box may not make any sense in the long run, but there is something to be said for embracing that moment when you had to have it.

hindolio

i saw one copy of justice league on blu at a local tarjay today at noonish. indeed, easy to pass as it is two episodes of unlimited. and the sticker specifically stated the episodes were on standard definition, so i guess it is a separate sd bonus disk.

i did not see any exclusives for the sd release though, which i thought was curious. im skeptical it exists now.

interesting notion. but i would state that one of the pleasures/advantages of being an adult is being able to be a child every now and then

hey teach! why not start a separate thread re this mushy stuff? something like, "what exclusives do you collect and why?". maybe a poll? im sure you can draw out even more fodder for your vicarious ways

snausages

I think there probably is a whole clan of us enslaved to exclusives and DVDs and Blu-rays and who knows what else. In some ways it is part of a collector's mentality...needing to hoard and enjoying it. Though similar to a drug...we are fiending for the next hit. LOL

As for the Stark Industries, it is a poster tube. Gosh...I remember posting a pic of it a while back somewhere here. Anyway, I can't find it now but here's someone else's photo:


Credit: Collider.com

To some extent I agree Even the best exclusive can at times be more hyped up than it is LOL

xage

WMAangel

I did!
But only on Blu-ray Disc, not DVD...I'm not saying they didn't also have any copies their exclusive version DVD, but since I am almost completely BD exclusive at this point (other than a few TV shows I have left to finish completing), I didn't bother to look and see if they had any of that format on the rack....when I got there early yesterday morning, they only had two BD copies, and only one of them indicated it was a Target exclusive version (with a sticker on the front of the slipcover).....

Yes, it is just two extra JLU episodes, "Legends Parts 1 & 2"....

For the bonus disc included with their exclusive version of the BD, it is just the second disc of what I figure is their exclusive version of the 2-disc DVD special edition....I'm pretty sure that Target's "bonus disc" just means that they had a specially manufactured bonus disc for their exclusive that added these two bonus episodes to the regular second disc content from the standard 2-disc DVD edition, but not an entirely separate disc itself....the disc also includes the featurette about Crisis and the two JL episodes that are regularly included with the standard 2-disc DVD edition (and are already on the BD itself)....

darmok

my local Target didn't have any copies with the bonus disc either early Tues morning. oh well, at least i got the BB one with the figure.

Liontamer

I don't suppose anybody could manage to get their hands on an extra copy of the Target Exclusive Justice League Blu-ray with bonus disc for a fellow exclusives collector? I can't find any stickered copies at any of the 4 Targets in my area. If anybody is willing and able to help, please PM me.

Trevor

My local Target only had one copy of the BD exclusive, and none of the SD. As above, appears to be not a bonus 3rd disc, but just the extra content on the regular disc 2.