A shelf-by-shelf walkthrough of the Elemental merchandise ecosystem — from $12 Funko Pops to $42 art books — for collectors who still can't get "Hot Stuff" out of their heads.
Walk into any Disney Store in mid-2023 and you'd spot them immediately: a small army of flame-headed and water-bodied figures staring back at you from the front display. Pixar's Elemental, the studio's 27th feature film, premiered on June 16, 2023, and within weeks its merchandise had colonized shelves from Anaheim to Tokyo. Ember Lumen's signature flame-hair plush. Wade Ripple's translucent-blue Funko Pop. An art book thick enough to double as a doorstop. For a film that earned a modest $496 million at the global box office — respectable, but not Frozen territory — the merchandise lineup was surprisingly deep.
What makes the elemental collection ecosystem worth tracking isn't just the volume. It's the variety. Disney and Pixar rolled out products across at least eight distinct categories — vinyl figures, action figures, plush, apparel, accessories, art books, trading pins, and digital collectibles — each targeting a different slice of the collector spectrum. A parent buying a bedtime companion for a six-year-old and a vinyl hunter chasing a 1-in-6 glitter variant were shopping the same franchise but living in completely different price brackets.
This guide maps all of it. Every major product, what it costs, where it lives on your shelf, and whether it's still worth hunting for in 2026.
The Four Elements You're Collecting
Before cataloging products, it helps to understand what you're buying. Elemental is set in Element City, a metropolis where beings made of fire, water, earth, and air coexist — uneasily. The film's two leads, Ember Lumen (fire) and Wade Ripple (water), dominate the merchandise, but two supporting characters round out the collection:
- Ember Lumen — A fiery, quick-tempered young woman who runs her family's convenience shop, the Fire Place, in Firetown. Visually defined by her gradient flame-hair that shifts from deep orange to pale yellow at the tips. She appears on roughly 70% of all Elemental merchandise, often as the default "face" of the franchise.
- Wade Ripple — A gentle, emotionally open water being who works as a city inspector. His translucent blue body and tendency to cry at the slightest provocation made him an instant fan favorite. Merchandise often pairs him with Ember in "opposites attract" compositions.
- Clod — An earth-element kid, essentially a walking mound of soil and grass, who harbors an innocent crush on Ember. He's a supporting character but shows up consistently in multi-figure sets.
- Gale — An air-element and Wade's boss at City Hall. Depicted as a swirling, translucent cloud figure. Less common in merchandise but present in plush and figure sets.
Merchandise featuring Ember alone tends to move fastest — a pattern consistent with Disney's historical bias toward protagonist-focused product. But Wade's popularity among adult collectors has kept his solo items (particularly the Funko Pop chase variant) competitive on the secondary market.
Funko Pop! Vinyls: The Entry Point
Funko released two Elemental Pop! vinyl figures in 2023, numbered within the Disney Pop! line. They arrived in standard window boxes with the film's signature orange-and-blue split artwork, and both included a chase variant that sent collectors scrambling.
The Lineup
| Figure | Pop! # | Variant | Retail | Chase Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ember Lumen | #1757 | Common / Glitter Chase | $12.99 | 1 in 6 |
| Wade Ripple | #1758 | Common / Glitter Chase | $12.99 | 1 in 6 |
The Ember Lumen #1757 common figure is straightforward: a 3.75-inch vinyl with her characteristic flame-hair rendered in a layered orange-to-yellow gradient. The glitter chase variant, however, swaps the matte flame finish for a sparkly translucent effect that catches light beautifully — a small detail, but one that makes the figure pop (pun somewhat intended) on a display shelf.
Wade Ripple #1758 follows the same formula. The common version gives you a solid blue translucent-ish body with his signature soft expression. The glitter chase adds a shimmer across his water-formed body that, frankly, looks better in person than in photos. According to PriceCharting data, the Ember Lumen common has held steady near retail price on the secondary market, while the glitter chase variants of both figures trade at a modest premium — typically $18 to $25 depending on condition and whether the box is intact.
Here's the practical reality: if you're buying these in 2026, you're mostly shopping eBay, Mercari, or specialty vinyl retailers like Entertainment Earth. The original retail window closed long ago, and Funko has not announced a second wave for the franchise. That means the two-figure lineup is likely the complete Elemental Pop! catalog for the foreseeable future — small, but tidy.
Mattel Storytellers: Action Figures That Actually Pose
Where Funko went minimalist, Mattel went narrative. The Mattel Disney Pixar Storytellers line launched alongside the film with an "Exploring Element City" 3-pack featuring Ember, Wade, and Clod as approximately 3.5- to 4-inch articulated PVC figures. Retail price: $19.99 at launch, available through Target, Amazon, and Walmart.
These aren't shelf-sitters. Each figure has multiple points of articulation — ball-jointed shoulders, swivel waists, hinged knees — and comes with a small accessory or scene element. Ember includes a miniaturized version of the Fire Place storefront sign. Wade carries a clipboard referencing his city inspector role. Clod, in a detail that made collectors smile, comes with a tiny flower sprouting from his head, consistent with his film design.
The Storytellers line was Mattel's attempt to bridge the gap between playset toys and display figures. The packaging tells a story (hence the name), with illustrated backdrops showing Element City's districts. It's clever marketing, and it gives the box itself collectible value — something that matters if you're a "mint in box" person.
One catch: Mattel did not release additional Elemental Storytellers packs beyond the initial 3-pack. No solo Ember figure. No Wade solo. No "Firetown" or "Waterfront" expansion sets that fans hoped for. The single SKU limits the line's depth, though it also means completionists only need to track down one item. On the secondary market, the Storytellers 3-pack typically sells between $25 and $40 sealed, depending on condition and whether you're buying from a U.S. or international seller.
Plush Toys: The Soft Side of Element City
Disney's plush lineup for Elemental covered all four principal characters, with Ember and Wade receiving the most SKUs. The anchor product was the Ember Lumen Medium Plush, measuring 13¾ inches tall and retailing at $26.99 on the Disney Store (now shopDisney). Its flame-hair is constructed from layered felt-like fabric in graduating orange tones, giving it a dimensional quality that photographs well and feels substantial in hand.
Wade's plush counterpart matches in size and price. The challenge of making a water character feel plush-friendly was solved with a soft, rounded body in light blue minky fabric with embroidered facial features — less translucent than his film counterpart, obviously, but recognizable and, according to parents who've bought it, genuinely huggable.
The secondary characters got smaller, less prominent plush releases:
- Clod Plush — A round, earth-toned body with faux-grass texturing and embroidered eyes. Sold primarily through Disney Parks locations and the Disney Store at approximately $22.99. Less widely distributed than Ember or Wade.
- Gale Plush — The hardest to find of the four. A cloud-like form in white and grey iridescent fabric. Available primarily at Disneyland Resort's Emporium and select shopDisney drops. Secondary market prices have crept up due to limited production.
A 30cm (roughly 12-inch) licensed plush line also appeared through international retailers and AliExpress sellers, typically at lower price points ($12–$18) and with varying quality. These aren't official Disney Store products and tend to have looser stitching and less detailed features. If authenticity matters to your collection, stick to shopDisney or authorized retailers.
"The Ember plush is one of those rare movie tie-ins where the merchandise actually improves on the character design. The flame-hair in felt has a tactile warmth that the CGI version, for all its technical brilliance, never quite achieved on screen."
— PixarPost.com merchandise review, June 2023
The Art of Elemental: 176 Pages of What Could Have Been
For collectors who care more about process than product, Chronicle Books published The Art of Elemental in 2023 — a 176-page hardcover with ISBN 978-1-7972-1851-9, priced at $42.50. The book features a foreword by Pete Docter (Pixar's Chief Creative Officer and the director behind Inside Out and Soul) and is edited under the supervision of director Peter Sohn.
This is not a thin, glossy pamphlet. At 176 pages in roughly 10×10-inch format, it's substantial. The contents walk through the film's entire production pipeline: early character sketches of Ember that look nothing like her final design (she was originally conceived with a more angular, almost geometric flame pattern), concept paintings of Element City's four districts, and storyboards showing scenes that were cut during production — including an extended sequence set in an underground air-element speakeasy that never made it to the screen.
What makes this book valuable to collectors beyond its production content is its position in the "Art of" series. Chronicle Books has published these companion volumes for every Pixar film since Toy Story (1995), and early volumes like The Art of Toy Story (1995, originally $40) now sell for $150–$300 on the secondary market. The Art of Elemental is still widely available at or below retail, which makes it a low-risk acquisition for anyone building a complete Pixar art book set — a collection that, if you started from Toy Story, now spans 27+ volumes.
The book also includes interviews with production designer Don Shank and animation supervisor Gwendelyn Enderoglu, providing insight into the technical challenge of rendering Ember's fire-body and Wade's water-body simultaneously in shared scenes — a problem that reportedly pushed Pixar's render farm to its limits during production.
Apparel and Accessories: Wearing Element City
Disney's apparel push for Elemental leaned heavily on the film's visual contrast between fire and water. The lineup dropped across Disney Parks locations, shopDisney, and third-party retailers like BoxLunch and Hot Topic in mid-2023.
Key Apparel Pieces
- "Periodic Park" Tee ($39.99) — A graphic tee featuring the fictional Periodic Park from the film, rendered in earth greens and warm browns. Adult sizes S–3XL. This shirt references the scene where Ember and Wade share a quiet moment away from the city's chaos, making it a deep-cut pick for fans.
- "Opposites React" / Ember & Wade Tee ($39.99) — Split design with Ember on one half and Wade on the other, connected by a hand-reach across the chest. One of the more popular designs; it appeared across multiple retailers.
- Elemental Zip-Up Hoodie ($59.99) — The premium apparel item. Full-zip with an Element City skyline embroidered across the back and the film's logo on the left chest. Available at Disneyland's Emporium and shopDisney. Heather grey body with orange and blue accent piping.
- Youth Tee ($26.99) — Simplified Ember-and-Wade design in kids' sizes 4–14. Priced lower than the adult tees, consistent with Disney's youth apparel pricing.
Accessories
- Mickey Ear Headband ($24.99) — Element City-themed Mickey ears with flame and water motifs integrated into the ear shapes. A parks-exclusive item that sold quickly at Disneyland Resort.
- Water Bottle ($22.99) — A 20 oz. stainless steel bottle with an Ember-and-Wade wrap design. Functional, if not particularly exciting as a collectible.
- Elemental Sipper Cup — A souvenir sipper available at select Disneyland and Walt Disney World food locations, themed to the film. Pricing varied by location ($15–$22 with beverage).
The apparel line followed Disney's standard movie-merch playbook: release a burst of product at theatrical launch, keep bestsellers in rotation for 6–9 months, then quietly retire the rest. As of 2026, most pieces are available only through resale channels, with the hoodie commanding the highest premiums due to its limited initial production run.
Trading Pins and Digital Collectibles: The Niche Layers
Disney Trading Pins
Disney's pin-trading community got a dedicated Elemental series with multiple releases across 2023 and 2024:
- D23 Gold Member Exclusive Pin Set — Available only to D23 Gold Members (Disney's premium fan club, $99.99/year). Typically features Ember and Wade in a premium enamel format with gold plating. These are the most exclusive Elemental pins and trade at significant premiums.
- Korea Exclusive Pin Set (8 pins) — A regional exclusive released through Disney Store Korea. Features all four elements across eight pin designs, including character pairs and Element City landmarks. Extremely limited distribution; secondary market prices for the complete set run $80–$150.
- BoxLunch Limited Edition Pins — A series of individual pins released through BoxLunch (and later Hot Topic), including a Fern Groucho pin and a Mesa 2-pack pin. These were more accessible, retailing at $12.99–$14.99 each.
- Standard Trading Pins — General-release pins available at Disney Parks for pin-trading events. Typically feature single characters on a simple backing. The least expensive entry point for pin collectors.
VeVe Digital Collectibles
In a move that reflected Disney's broader experimentation with digital ownership, the Elemental Concept Art Series launched on the VeVe platform as limited-edition digital collectibles. The drop included five pieces of official concept art from the film's production, each released in editions of approximately 1,450 copies at a list price of $30 per piece.
The pieces covered key production artwork: early Ember and Wade character designs, Element City cityscape panoramas, and scene-specific concept paintings. Ownership is recorded on the blockchain (VeVe uses the Immutable X layer-2 network), and the collectibles can be displayed in VeVe's virtual showroom app or traded on the platform's secondary market.
Whether digital collectibles "count" as part of a physical collection is a matter of personal philosophy. For some collectors, the VeVe pieces are a modern extension of the art book — production artwork you can own a piece of. For others, they're a speculative asset class that happens to feature Pixar characters. Either way, the Elemental drop was one of the more accessible VeVe releases, with edition sizes large enough that most interested buyers could secure at least one piece during the initial drop window.
The Full Elemental Collection at a Glance
For quick reference, here is every major Elemental merchandise product, its original retail price, and where it was primarily distributed:
| Category | Product | Original Price | Primary Retailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funko Pop! | Ember Lumen #1757 (Common/Chase) | $12.99 | Hot Topic / GameStop / EE |
| Funko Pop! | Wade Ripple #1758 (Common/Chase) | $12.99 | Hot Topic / GameStop / EE |
| Action Figures | Mattel Storytellers 3-Pack | $19.99 | Target / Amazon / Walmart |
| Plush | Ember Lumen Medium (13¾") | $26.99 | Disney Store / shopDisney |
| Plush | Wade Ripple Medium (13¾") | $26.99 | Disney Store / shopDisney |
| Plush | Clod / Gale Plush | $22.99 | Disney Parks / shopDisney |
| Book | The Art of Elemental (176pp, HC) | $42.50 | Chronicle Books / Amazon |
| Apparel | Periodic Park / Opposites React Tee | $39.99 | Disney Parks / shopDisney |
| Apparel | Zip-Up Hoodie | $59.99 | Disney Parks / shopDisney |
| Parks Merch | Figurine Set / Magnet Set | $29.99 / $14.99 | Disneyland Emporium |
| Pins | D23 / Korea / BoxLunch Pins | $12.99–$99+ | D23 / Disney Store Korea |
| Digital | VeVe Concept Art (5 pieces) | $30.00 ea. | VeVe App |
| EE = Entertainment Earth. Prices reflect original MSRP at launch (2023–2024). Secondary market values may differ. HC = Hardcover. | |||
Building the Collection: A Practical Strategy
If you're assembling a complete Elemental collection in 2026, you're entering at an interesting moment. The film is three years old — old enough that retail stock has dried up, but young enough that secondary market prices haven't yet spiked into "vintage Pixar" territory. Here's how the math breaks down for a complete physical collection:
- Budget tier (~$80–$120): Both Funko Pops (common versions) + Storytellers 3-pack + Ember plush. Covers the display essentials.
- Mid-range tier (~$200–$280): Everything in budget tier + Wade plush + The Art of Elemental book + one graphic tee. A satisfying, shelf-worthy collection.
- Complete tier (~$450–$600+): All of the above + both Funko chase variants + Clod and Gale plush + hoodie + pin set(s) + parks-exclusive items. For the collector who wants every SKU.
The single biggest risk in completing an Elemental collection isn't cost — it's availability. Several items, particularly the Gale plush, the Korea-exclusive pin set, and the D23 Gold Member pin, had extremely limited distribution windows. Finding them requires patience, eBay saved-search alerts, and occasionally a willingness to pay 2–3x original retail.
One overlooked opportunity: the Art of Elemental book remains the most underpriced item relative to its long-term value. Complete Pixar art book sets are a recognized collector category, and this volume is still available new for under $40 from various booksellers. In ten years, that price will look absurd.
Questions Collectors Keep Asking
Is there going to be a second wave of Elemental Funko Pops?
As of mid-2026, Funko has not announced additional Elemental figures beyond #1757 (Ember Lumen) and #1758 (Wade Ripple). The franchise's moderate box office performance ($496M worldwide) makes a second wave unlikely, though not impossible — Funko has occasionally revisited franchises years later when streaming or anniversary milestones create renewed interest.
Which Elemental merchandise is most likely to appreciate in value?
The Korea-exclusive 8-pin set and the D23 Gold Member exclusive pin have the strongest appreciation potential due to their extremely limited distribution. Among mass-market items, the Ember Lumen glitter chase Funko Pop and the Gale plush are the most supply-constrained. The Art of Elemental book is a slow-burn appreciator — all "Art of" Pixar books appreciate once they go out of print.
Are the Mattel Storytellers figures suitable for display, or are they kids' toys?
Both, genuinely. The 3.5–4 inch scale and articulation put them in the same class as Marvel Legends or Star Wars Black Series figures — poseable, display-worthy, but durable enough for play. The illustrated packaging adds display appeal for boxed collectors. They're not premium collectibles in the Hot Toys or Sideshow sense, but they hold their own on a shelf alongside other Pixar merchandise.
Where can I still buy Elemental merchandise at retail price?
Very few places at original retail. The Art of Elemental book is still available new from Chronicle Books, Amazon, and most major booksellers at or near the $42.50 list price (often discounted to $28–$35). Everything else is secondary market: eBay, Mercari, Poshmark for apparel, and specialty vinyl retailers like Entertainment Earth or Pop Price Guide-affiliated sellers for Funko Pops.
Do the VeVe digital collectibles have any value beyond the app?
They exist on the Immutable X blockchain, so they can technically be transferred to external wallets, though VeVe's ecosystem is designed to keep them in-app. Secondary market trading happens within the VeVe marketplace. Their value depends on the broader market for Disney digital collectibles, which has been volatile. Treat them as a display item and conversation piece rather than an investment.
Where the Collection Goes From Here
Pixar merchandise cycles are predictable in one way and unpredictable in another. The predictable part: most movie merchandise peaks in availability during the theatrical window and the first holiday season, then tapers off. By year two, you're scavenging clearance aisles and outlet stores. By year three, you're on eBay.
The unpredictable part: which items become "the one" that everyone wants five years later. For Monsters, Inc. (2001), it was the Sulley plush. For Up (2009), it was the Russell Funko Pop, which now trades for over $200. For Elemental, the candidates are the Ember glitter chase Funko and the D23 exclusive pin — items that were scarce from the start and belong to a franchise that, while not a blockbuster, has developed a devoted fanbase drawn to its visual creativity and emotional storytelling.
If you're building an Elemental collection now, you're getting in before the scarcity premium fully kicks in. The film's 5th anniversary in 2028 will likely trigger a modest merchandise revival — Disney loves an anniversary excuse — which could drive renewed interest in original 2023-era items. Until then, the shelves are yours to fill. Just don't forget to leave room for the fire and the water.
