How Many Wilton Character Cake Pans....
Decorating By kjgjam22 Updated 15 Jan 2015 , 3:46am by canoewoman
I have one large plastic bin full of holiday pans and one with character pans. Plus all of my rounds and sheets and miscellaneous stuff. Maybe, 50-60 in all? My mom loves to thrift store shop, so she's always bringing me new pans she got for a buck, and she usually gets me something I've been wanting for my birthday or Christmas. Like, last year, I got 2 large sheet pans for my birthday and 3 airbake cookie sheets for Christmas. Love ya Mom!
I also swap pans with a friend, so on the shaped pans that saves us $$. I just borrowed the flower power pan last week!
My website has pictures of all my character cake pans, and at the moment it says 608
in the Cake Pans album. But that does not include wedding cake sets (they are in the wedding section on my site) nor does it include the 15 or so new pans waiting to be photographed and added to the pan gallery. I guess including all the wedding cake sets, new pans, and 50 (or so) duplicate character pans, I have over 700 now. 
In case you are wondering, my DH installed floor-to-ceiling shelves on 2 walls of my laundry room. Each shelf holds 4 large Rubbermaid storage bins, each bin holds 20-25 character pans, with 4 bins holding many, many singles (examples are hand and footprint) and multi-cavity pans, like the mini train engine or ball. In addition to the laundry room, my "former" dining room is now the storage room for all my wedding cake stands, pillars and plates, etc etc etc. All my cookie making stuff is also in with the wedding cake stuff, as are the duplicate character pans.
I use plastic Rubbermaid storage boxes instead of cake boxes(flipped so the lid is the base)... the large ones (I have 12 or 15) will hold a 12x18 half sheet or large character cake, and the small (10 or 12 of these) will hold a 9x13 quarter sheet cake or small character cake. Both those sizes are about 6" high. I do have a few taller boxes for stacked cakes, in the same dimentions as the large box, except they are about 16" high. I also have six 16x16x6 square plastic storage boxes (also flipped so lid becomes base) from Office Depot to use to transport wedding cakes tiers. These are all also stacked in my dining room.
I should buy stock in Rubbermaid, as well as Wilton...
A person can amass a lot of stuff in 20 years, huh?
hi..how do you decotate the barbie cakes when you dont have the face maker? i thought i has a lot of character pans but have them all. 
20 years is long yes..i have been baking for about 11.
I only have about 125 now. I sold alot of pans on ebay...running out of space 
Me too.....I used to have about 300 but never used about 85% of them so I sold them on ebay also.Now I have about 100 just the major characters like Sesame Street,Barney,cartoon characters which never go out of style.
Since we're talking about the character cakes, I've been wondering about something for a while.
I saw someone mention once that it was illegal to sell character cakes, is that right? So you can't make and sell any licensed character whatsoever? What does everyone do with the character pans if you can't sell the character cakes?
Or do you just sell them anyway and hope no one says anything?
Since we're talking about the character cakes, I've been wondering about something for a while.
I saw someone mention once that it was illegal to sell character cakes, is that right? So you can't make and sell any licensed character whatsoever? What does everyone do with the character pans if you can't sell the character cakes?
Or do you just sell them anyway and hope no one says anything?
i have also read that it is illegal. the thing is that they want royaties. if you make money from the pans they want some. (greedy if you ask me)
you are not supposed to sell them but people do.
ok.. what about the bakeries that make character cakes, i know most of them use the edible image things.... are those liscensed and acceptable?
heck ive even seen elmo cupcake cakes at our local walmart bakery... so does it really matter or not?
Until I saw what SugarFrosted had I though I had alot at 350. This count also inclueds rounds, squares, etc. I also have all the Wilton yearbooks from 1972 till now. I am going to start carving cakes to get more variety, but will always use my wilton pans. They are always insperation and some are very versitile (sp?)
I have more than 550 wilton cake pans. It started with one that I wanted to make for my son and it just blossomed. There are a few of the pans that I can't find instructions for. If anyone is willing to share them please let me know as I will be willing to return the favor if I can.
I have lots of instructions for older pans, but sadly, not all. Many are available on the Wilton website. If anyone needs one for a pan I have, send me your email address, I will be happy to see if I have the instruction sheet and will email it to you. I already have emailed the Jolly Elephant and the Liberty Bell instructions to some people. Let me know
When I first started decorating I bought character pans, I probably have 40 or50, I stopped buying them. I do more sculpting and making my own patterns and drawings. Besides I prefer originality of design. I use my pans now for chocolate moldings and food presentations.
I have 96 Character pans plus another 58 Small and Mini Character pans, then add in hearts of all sizes, rounds, squares, rectangles etc.
I keep hearing people say that once you have done that character it is not likely that you will use the pan again, for me it is the shape I am interested in and not the character, in fact aside from 3-D pans I have not made a character cake from a pan of it. I use the pans all the time for their shape as bases for other cakes and to help with 3-D cakes, I love the creativity these pans give you to take to a whole different level. I look at these pans and invision what I can create with their shape regardless of the imprint in them.
Like Cupcake I have about 40 or 50 (afraid to count) because I dont use them--never have. I do like what Freddie is saying about using them in different ways..as bases etc. Freddie can you explain a little some of the things you've done or point me to a gallery (maybe I can get some use out of these yet!)
Well cakearoni, I will use the cakes I have put in my photos for examples:
Dolphin cake: used Smurf pan for body, Bunnyhead pan for tail, Bell pan to widen head, Mini heart pan for fins.
Baby Dragon: Mini foot pan for feet, Small Bat pan for Snout & Nostrils
Tiger Cubs: 3D Lamb pan
Wolf: 3D Bear pan
Over the Hill Couple: Horse Shoe pan for legs, 3D ball pan for heads, small Stocking pan for feet.
Princess & Frog: Smurf pan for base cake to give a cooler shape.
Unicorn: 3D lamb pan and Mini bowling pin pan for legs.
These are some of the versatile uses for these pans, have also made a penis cake from the Dora pan, made bread in several different pans to make shaped family sized sandwiches for parties, made a nude man using the bumblelion pan and have used several other pans for base cakes and to make 3D cakes. The old Wilton Yearbooks also gave alternative uses. Just look at the shape and get those creative juices going !!!
Sorry, camera was not working, and no cameras were allowed in the club party was held at so no picture of that penis cake but it turned out great !!!
Do have a Man hanging a moon cake and a lingerie torso cake in the Naughty gallery.Please do look in my photos although I have not been doing cake decorating for long and am a amateur next to your incredible cakes, haven't braved fondant yet, I would love some feedback. I enjoy the creative side of doing cakes esspecially 3D cakes.
(Guess I am not the only one up late tonight !! )
i have about 20 or so and most of them i have never used and were gifted to me... the ones i have used were purchased by customers who said "can you make THIS cake? you can keep the pan". I dont like making character cakes... i HATE star fill ins.... 
ANyway, my cake pans adorn my walls in the kitchen. It saves on storage and its pretty! I also collect antique cake takers and those are lined up on top of the cabinets.
and now that i am looking at my Dora pan hangin on the wall, all i can SEE is a penis!!! Thanks alot! i may have to take that one down!!!
Over a dozen and I hope less than 20, because I've only used 2 of my own! 
I've just started baking and all of my pans so far were collected secondhand. The first was an R2D2 pan for the birthday of my son who loves Star Wars. I was surprised how easy it was, his friends were so impressed, and one sweet little girl asked me to make her next birthday cake, which wasn't for about 10 more months! Yes, I'm still decorating with a star tip, but I'm learning and I'm having fun. I'm trying to cut back on buying more pans and just get the more versatile pans. I also found a library in a semi-nearby town with a cake pan collection, but by the time I make a trip to borrow and another to return, it costs about $15 in fuel, so I only go when I can combine at least one of the 2 trips with something else. I've borrowed 3 from them so far.
Too funny about the Dora/penis pan! That's one I bought, too, but I saw an elephant a young relative would love.
in case you guys are interested,
Selling off Cake Decorating supplies etc... due to health reasons...
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