Archive for November, 2011
Marvel Slingers™ Are the Hit of the Chicago Toy & Game Fair
Posted by: | CommentsUpper Deck recently shared news about the exciting launch of Marvel Slingers, and since then it has been talked about on a number of popular entertainment sites including MTV and ICV2. It really is a product that consumers need to get into their hands to appreciate, which is why the Upper Deck team took the show on the road for the official debut of Marvel Slingers at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair. Once kids got the product in their hands, they couldn’t stop slinging.
The Marvel Slingers Battle Packs were big sellers at the show and have everything players need to get started with the game.
Situated in the center of the hall, the Slingers booth was one of the most sought after destinations at the show. Many consumers saw Slingers on the local news before the show even opened, and had to check out the new product for themselves. Kids and parents alike filled every inch of the booth, practicing their Slinging technique and skills. An enthusiastic group of girls set up camp in the Slingers booth and worked on their trick shots, while the boys battled it out for a cool new Slingers shirt.
Tournament winners were thrilled with their prizes.
The tournaments had wait lists and the sales counter was a flurry of activity. The show exclusive – The Slingers Battle Pack (2 Slinger box set) – sold out just 5 hours after the show opened. Slingers Starter Packs flew off of the shelf, with Captain America selling out first – he was a clear favorite with the girls – and Spider-Man and Hulk close behind. Thor, Wolverine and Iron Man were also popular choices. Parents stood in line to purchase 2 Starter Packs and a Medallion Booster, since more medallions equal more fun.
The scouts all went crazy over Marvel Slingers!
On Sunday morning, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts took over the hall. They battled each other and then protested when their troop leaders tried to get them to move on to see the rest of the show. The weekend went by in a flash, and even as the lights were dimmed as an indicator the show was over, folks rushed over to buy the last few Slingers we had left and play with them for just a few more minutes.
Media loved it when the beauty queens started slinging!
Local Chicago press, including WGN, CBS Chicago, ABC Chicago and The Rosie Show previewed and promoted Slingers during their TV newscasts starting on Friday before the show even opened.
Derrick Young from CBS Chicago proudly wore his Slingers “VIG” (Very Important Gamer) badge during all of his interviews, and at the end of the day personally called to ask us if he could “Please Please Please” have a Slinger for his nephew. It was the one and only toy he wanted from the show. Another newscaster from ABC came back to the show on Sunday with her boys, just so that they could play with Slingers and sign up for tournaments. She wound up purchasing Slingers for all of the boys in her family.
Mommy Bloggers loved the idea of putting Slingers under the Christmas Tree.
ChiTAG also attracted close to 200 Mommy Bloggers for the event. We presented Slingers to this incredible group on Saturday morning, and offered up a challenge for the Fastest-Slingin’ Mom at the show. The moms loved it and they posted some great Tweets about us over the weekend:
”Holy cow, my kids went to sleep with their Slingers last night! You guys were a big hit with the bloggers too!”
“It’s gonna be really hard 2 keep Slingers hidden until Christmas – mostly bcuz I wanna play with them!”
“Looking for the hottest new game this season? Check out Slingers and remember you saw it here first!”
Even the Emperor sent his Imperial Storm Troopers to seize some Slingers for him.
So how do you get your hands on the must-have toy of the holiday season? You can pick the Slingers Starter Pack and Medallions up exclusively at your local Toys “R” Us retail location, or order the Battle Pack, in addition to these 2 other products, direct from Upper Deck by clicking here. And if you are already a fan, make sure you “like” the Slingers Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.Slingers America is now on YouTube as well where we are challenging our fans to show us your best trick shot. Check out some our team put together recently:
Popularity: 2% [?]
Collector of the Month: The UNC Tar Heels Drive Joel Phillips’ Passion for Collecting
Posted by: | CommentsEach month Upper Deck spotlights one of its valued collectors to showcase their collection or pursuits. The great thing about sports collectors is that they are all very different in what they collect, how they collect. And that is exactly what you have with Joel Phillips. His love for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels is greater than just trading cards or memorabilia. When it comes to his collection, there is just one thing that revs his engine; and that coincidentally enough is his truck. I’ll let him explain.
“My name is Joel Phillips and I live in Gaffney, South Carolina. Back in 2005 my father and I were operating our own trucking business. We were hauling cards and trucks at the time and started transporting vehicles for American Specialty Trucks out of Danielsville, Georgia. One day when my dad was down there getting a load of trucks, he called me and said they were now customizing vehicles for college teams. I called them immediately to see if they could customize a UNC Tar Heel truck for me. I was thrilled to hear that they would be able to and that it would be licensed and certified by the NCAA.
“As I worked more with them, I found out that my vehicle was the first and currently the only truck they ever made. The truck actually is numbered #UNC 001. It took them over four months to customize it since the NCAA had to approve everything done to the truck. When it was completed, I just loved how it turned out, but felt it was missing something.
Here is the one and only officially licensed UNC Tar Heel truck!
“As I started to share it at games and with fans, I realized what that was; autographs from UNC Tar Heel players and coaches. As my Tar Heel truck has made the rounds, I’ve been able to get quite a few great UNC players and coaches to lend their signatures to my vehicle like Dean Smith, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Al Wood, Buzz Peterson, Jason Capel, Derrick Phelps, Larry Davis, Tyler Hansbrough and many others. As I spoke with them, they all indicated this was the first time any of them had ever autographed a truck.
Jason Capel (left), Joel Phillips (middle) and Buzz Peterson (right) pose in front of the Tar Heel truck.
James Worthy signs the UNC Tar Heel truck.
Coach Dean Smith signs the UNC Tar Heel truck.
“My ultimate dream is to meet the greatest Tar Heel of all-time; Michael Jordan. Hopefully one day my dream will come true where I can show him this truck and hopefully get him to add his signature to it.
Will MJ ever add his signature to the UNC Tar Heel truck like he does for UDA memorabilia? Only time will tell.
“Coach Buzz Peterson said, ‘There’s no telling how much this truck is worth.’ He’s right. I personally have most of my life savings tied up in this truck and would be hard pressed to think of a day where I would part with it. But I’m curious what Upper Deck’s core group of educated collectors may think a vehicle like this is worth. Let me know by commenting here.
“It has been a lot of fun to work on the truck and add more signatures to it as time goes by. I encourage fans to check out my Facebook page for the truck and also our website. Thanks so much for taking a look.”
Thank you Joel for sharing with us. I’ve been in this industry a long time and have never seen a collectible quite as unique as that. In my opinion, for a UNC Tar Heel fan that truck is priceless!
Popularity: 1% [?]
What Happened to Landon Donovan’s Uniform from the 2011 MLS Cup?
Posted by: | CommentsHe got the ball, he shot and he scored. Another brilliant goal by one of the best American soccer players of all-time helped deliver the Los Angeles Galaxy a victory in the 2011 MLS Cup. He battled hard that game and ultimately helped his team win in another memorable match. But after the game, after the flash bulbs stopped popping, what happened to his uniform? Well, he sent it to us.
Landon's game-used jersey from the 2011 MLS Cup has proven to have a unique aroma to it...
Upper Deck Authenticated is the leader in providing our worldwide collectors with the most premium authentic memorabilia in the business. We received in Landon Donavan’s complete game-worn uniform from the MLS Cup with a special note from his team:
“I apologize in advance for the smell and I would recommend airing it all out somewhere given the champagne, beer, sweat and rain stench that surrounds it. There’s no doubting the authenticity, that’s for sure. As an added bonus, we even threw in his socks.”
Next up for this memorable uniform is to have Landon add his autograph to it where UDA will authenticate the signature and then offer it up through our exclusive Suite One-of-One program. This serves as just another way Upper Deck helps bring fans closer to the game.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Brag Photo: 2011 Parkhurst Champions Fossils & Artifacts Cards Begin Production Process
Posted by: | CommentsWhen we shared some of the fossils and artifacts we had acquired for the 2011 Parkhurst Champions product, people were pretty excited. With all the items in house and a vendor selected to cut many of these unique items for us, we have now started the production process and wanted to share with you what some of the cards will look like. Enjoy!
While it is certainly good news that production has started on these cards, please understand that because we are working with extremely delicate items, it is a very slow production process. These cards are basically hand made and the cutting process can take some time as well since the cards are so thick. There are a variety of situations that can occur during this process that can extend the timetable to completion of these cards. At this time we are not confident with sharing an exact date when these cards would be available. We felt it was important to keep our fans updated on their status so you knew they are moving along and look great. When we have a firm date for completion. In the meantime, check out the finalized checklist:
| 2011 Parkhurst Champions Artifacts Checklist | ||
| Card # | Subject | Size |
| FA-BC | Auroch Brain Cavity | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-HN | Auroch Horn | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-AU | Auroch Skull Large | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-CBJ | Cave Bear Jaw | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-CBT | Cave Bear Tooth | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-MA | Mastodon Toes | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-MO | Mosasaur Teeth | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-SP | Spinosaurus Teeth | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-MF | Wooly Mammoth Femur | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-WR | Wooly Rhino Molar | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-RC | Roman Coins Large | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-GC | Greek Coins Large | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-AB | Aztec Blade Obsidian Large | 2.5″ x 3.5″ |
| FA-ABM | Aztec Blade Obsidian Small | Mini |
| FA-RC | Roman Coins Small | Mini |
| FA-GC | Greek Coins Small | Mini |
| FA-RA | Raptor Tooth | Mini |
| FA-AUM | Auroch Skull Small | Mini |
Popularity: 2% [?]
Video Memories from the 2011 Fall Sports Cards & Collectibles Expo in Toronto
Posted by: | CommentsWe love getting up to Toronto for the semi-annual Sports Cards & Collectibles Expo and you’ve likely seen pictures of our last trip, but you didn’t see the video, until now. We definitely saw some amazing cards at the Upper Deck booth throughout the weekend, including these two beauties:
Things were busy all weekend long with our popular Priority Signings wrapper redemption program and UDA sales. We were also thrilled to partner with Cards2Kids for a donation drive at the show. Check it all out as reported by our friends at Beckett Media.
We also love to see fans open up the most premium of all Upper Deck NHL products, The Cup. Check out these two pack breaks:
We had a private event Saturday evening at the Clouts N’ Chara retail store which was a lot of fun where we had two NHL Hall-of-Famers on hand to spend time with our loyal fans. Take a look at some of the action as Johnny Bower and Red Kelly interacted with fans at the event:
Things got a little more exciting when fans decided to get Johnny and Red’s help opening Upper Deck’s most premium NHL trading card release; The Cup. Check out how they did:
One of the best parts of the evening is when one fan in attendance mentioned to Johnny that he saw his album “Johnny Bower Signing Honky the Christmas Goose” in the Hockey Hall-of-Fame and asked him to sign a few bars. Johnny laughed, recounting that they were looking for someone to do it and he was the last guy to hit the showers that day so he was stuck. The rest was just pure magic, check it out:
Bless his heart, Johnny Bower actually gave us a few bars of this song he sang for charity from 1965!
And lastly, we have a tradition of challenging some of the kids at the show to a decoy tossing challenge towards the end of the show. It’s a lot of fun and the kids get a kick out of usually beating us. This time though Upper Deck’s Ryan Farner proved to be too much for two youngsters (who had previously beaten us all several times over).
All in all it was a great time in Toronto with our fans. We are looking forward to doing it again in the Spring. Hopefully we will see you there!
Popularity: 1% [?]
