By Derek Burgan
Have we reached the end of August already?! What a month. We saw a new hard ticket event - Villains Unleashed - have its first ever party (and possibly last ever considering all the refunds that were given out to unhappy guests). Speaking of hard ticket events, Disney announced the first ever hard ticket event during a hard ticket event with the Sinister Soiree experience during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. We said goodbye to the American Idol Experience and hello to Falcon’s Fury at Busch Gardens Tampa, which finally allowed human beings on months later than expected. The “busy” season is finally over, and with kids back in school, we Florida residents can finally enjoy the slow days at the park where Anna & Elsa only have only a two hour wait!
With that out of the way, who is ready to hit the Outlets?!
Our first find is FRONTIERLAND PLUTO. I bought one of these as I enjoyed the elaborate theming. From the ‘coon skin hat, the various supplies being carried on his back and sides, and the moccasins on the paws, this is one plush that stands out from the rest. I’m also a sucker for the big tongue sticking out in in pure puppy happiness.
This Stitch plush stands at over 2 feet tall and was originally almost $55.
Not much else new for plush outside of this one with Minnie Mouse in a tutu.
As part of the upcoming TouringPlans #Everywhere promotion I will be taking my first ever Disney Cruise in October. I have been doing a lot of research on the upcoming trip, and one of the things I’m really looking forward to experiencing is Castaway Cay, so imagine my surprise when out of nowhere a whole bunch of Castaway Cay merchandise appeared at the store. I’m pretty sure these are the first pieces of Castaway Cay merch that I’ve seen at any of the outlets since beginning my monthly photo reports over a year ago. First up is this hoodie that original retailed for $44.95. It has been reduced to $17.99.
How cold does it get on a tropical island in the Bahamas that you need a hooded sweatshirt?
This Mickey on a chaise lounge chair shirt was originally $19.95, now $7.99. If you look closely, you’ll see this is one of the very rare pieces of Disney art in which you can see Mickey Mouse’s toes. (if you click on any picture in this article it brings up the full size version)
The following shirts ranged from $7.99 to 11.99 after being discounted.
I believe this is a “sun shirt.” We didn’t have sun shirts when I was growing up. When we became as red as lobsters we were told to get out of the sun. Yes, mistakes were made.
Let’s hope Mike Love doesn’t find out about this shirt.
I love a good logo, and Castaway Cay has a great one.
Castaway Cay flip flops: Beagle Boys edition. Originally $14.95, now $3.99.
This shirt was for little kids and I’m guessing it is supposed to represent when little girls put make-up on themselves and over do it? Either that or its referencing to the brief time that Minnie Mouse spent as a Juggalo following around the Insane Clown Posse. (Originally $24.95, now $6.99)
If that’s not weird enough Minnie, get a load of this shirt. This may be both the best and worst Disney shirt I have ever seen. First look at the front and back.
The Front
The Back.
Pros: Pixar characters (The Incredibles! Wall-E!! Remy and Emile from Ratatouille!!!), Muppets, Goofy in Tower of Terror bellhop outfit, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, silhouettes of the Earful Tower and Hollywood Tower of Terror, and capped off with a frustrated Donald Duck with a “Take 5″ clap board.
Cons: The gigantic Sorcerer’s Hat on both sides. the Cars characters are completely out of scale on the front compared to everything else on the shirt, and then there is Minnie Mouse…
Whaaaat?! Even Poochie is rolling his eyes seeing this one.
Is this supposed to be Mickey Mouse with tire treads running over him? ($9.99)
I hate soccer, but I actually like this soccer themed shirt quite a bit. ($9.99)
I know tie dye is for some, but it’s not for me. Originally $27.95, now $12.99.
The only time I’ve ever liked tie dye shirts in my entire life was during a brief stint in the mid ’90s when the Dudley Boys rocked them in the original ECW.
It appears that several of the Disney resorts are getting an overhaul on their logos, including the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We’ve seen the old AKL logo shirts show up at the Outlets over the past few months, and here is another one.
With Star Wars Weekends now long gone in the rear view mirror, some generic Star Wars items that were sold in Darth’s Mall have appeared, including these Halloween outfits. Interestingly enough, all were for girls.
This Donald Duck-as-Darth Maul bathrobe had “Join the Duck Side” all over the inside of it. Originally $49.95, now $19.99. If you decide to buy one of these, you definitely need to get the Donald/Darth Maul coffee mug that has a horn on the handle.
Tag says this bathrobe is “reversible,” and I believe that is referring to the fact that the drawstring belt can also be used as a noose.
Here’s something we haven’t seen at the Oulets recently. Vinylmation Jrs. These are even smaller versions of Vinylmations and come 5 in a pack. Originally $29.95, these have been REDUCED to $14.95. Man, we live in a different world than the one I grew up in, where I had to beg, plead, or outright threaten a Code Red Public Meltdown just to get my parents to buy me a pack of M.U.S.C.L.E. figures for less than $5.
The award for Strangest Star Wars related item goes to this Minnie Mouse-as-Queen Amidala statue. Originally $95.95, this can be yours for the low, low price of just $56.99.
This box of Tim Horton’s green tea (originally $9.95, now $6.99) is pretty unremarkable, but seeing it did remind me that Burger King recently acquired Tim Hortons, and BK is now on the clock for delivering us a fast food burger sandwiched in-between two donuts. Put a kiosk in the Canadian pavilion at World Showcase selling those, and I’ll sing “O Canada” all day long.
This is an interesting one. Earlier this month I went to the World of Disney Store (you can read the report by clicking HERE) and saw this Phineas and Ferb/Jungle Cruise sign in the automotive accessories section (you can see a picture of it in the photo report). I was considering buying it then, but of all the available choices, that was the one which was sent to the Outlet stores about a week later. All the other signs similar to this were still available for full price at World of Disney. Originally $12.95, now it has been reduced to $4.99.
As far as magnets go, this one isn’t too bad.
Here’s a deal you don’t even see in the Outlets much: buy one, get one free.
For the most part the styles weren’t that bad including a stylized Jafar and “the original Angry Bird” Donald Duck.
However there was also a Turkey Leg one. I’m pretty sure the Turkey Leg has almost as many pieces of merchandise dedicated to it as anything in Disney canon outside of Mickey Mouse. WHO IS BUYING THIS STUFF?!!
Shelves of Alice in Wonderland items.
I liked the “This Way” and “That Way” cup set, except it must be decoration only as you can’t separate the cups. Originally $19.95, one of these was marked down to $13.99 and the other to $4.99, even though they were exactly the same. I was going to bring them to the counter and find out what is what, but then I realized I didn’t really care. (Wait, am I speaking out loud again?)
Queen of Harts ceramic cups. $19.95 marked down to $4.99. As a person who owns an abnormally large amount of souvenir drinking cups, I may not be right in saying this, but these cups can be referred to as “china,” right?
White Rabbit pillow.
We’ve seen the Haunted Mansion “toothpick holders” before, but this Ghost Mickey car topper was $1.99. It’s strange to see this at the Outlet just days before the Halloween parties begin at WDW.
Let’s take look at some Christmas themed items. I’m ashamed to admit this, but I debated buying this ornament set of Disney transportation vehicles for longer than I care to admit. Originally $39.95, it has been reduced to $16.99, and seeing it right now I think have talked myself into buying it if it’s still on the shelves when I go back. It has a Disney bus, a monorail, a tram car, and a Jungle Cruise boat all done as if they were in the Cars universe.
Last year in this very column we confirmed the existence of “Halloween trees” that
weirdos
perfectly sane people decorate, and here is a bunch of Mickey Ear ornaments to put on your Halloween or Christmas trees. Let’s start with ones themed to other holidays, including Thanksgiving, Easter, and New Year’s. (These were all $6.99 each)
Now some Halloween themed ones, including a neat “Mummy” Mickey Mouse.
These “Steampunk” ornaments were insanely detailed, and I’m sure each corresponded to a specific Disney character. Off the charts design work on this collection. Very impressive creative-wise.
Christmas shot glasses. Originally $24.95, now $9.99.
A Cars brand “Tail Light” glow necklace. Talk about next level bonkers. This is one of the items that you see for sale once it turns dusk at the parks and they bring out the carts with all those glowing items that draw kids to them like flies to a bug zapper. I can tell it’s from those type of carts because the original price is “ORANGE.” It has been marked down to $3.99.
I love seeing DVC merch, and this Saratoga Springs tote looked sharp. Originally $34.95, now $19.99
Disney Princess photo frame. Something about their faces just doesn’t look quite right. Is it just me?
These character tins were like mini lunch boxes. Tons of Disneyland boxes available but only a single Walt Disney World one.
I bought one of these cups. Thye had a lot of weight to them and seemed to be made out of ceramic with the straws made out of glass. Originally $19.95, now $9.99. Cup is about 8 inches high and holds 20 oz.
A big display of character mugs was in front of one of the entrances of the store.
Several types of coffee mugs were available for $5.99 each, including these ones themed to Jessica Rabbit and Oswald. We covered an awesome Roger Rabbit shirt in the June photo report, and I’m wondering what store is selling these Who Framed Roger Rabbit items? Wherever it is, I need to go to it.
Not much new on the Vinylmation front, but more from the Phineas and Ferb collection arrived. $3.99 each.
Here’s a quick pin round-up, including some limited edition ones from the Flower and Garden Festival.
A pin from runDisney.
Speaking of runDisney, I’d like to send a huge shout out to Babycakes NYC’s own Emily for completing the Disneyland 10K run this weekend and getting one of the coolest race medals Disney has ever given out, one themed to Stitch as a Tiki idol. For those that don’t know, BabycakesNYC was a vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free bakery that used to be located at Downtown Disney. It is now located offsite, but items are still being sold at several Disney resorts and the Animal Kingdom at the allergy kiosk. You can also call them directly at 407.938.9044 to have items (including cakes) brought directly to your on-site hotel or have them shipped nationwide. Why not follow them on Twitter (@DTDBabycakesNYC), too, so I can end this unpaid ad?
Ok, next order of business…wait a minute…. is this a Turkey Leg pin?!!
That’s it. We’re done. See you next month!
There are actually two Disney outlet stores in Orlando. Both are in Orlando Premium Outlet shopping complexes, and they are called Disney’s Character Warehouse, presumably because The Land Of Misfit Toys was already trademarked. There is one Character Warehouse located on International Drive close to Universal Studios (4951 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819), and the other is on Vineland Avenue, right across I-4 near the exits to Disney World (8200 Vineland Ave, Orlando, FL 32821). For this edition of MMM, we went to the location near Universal.
Previous editions of Magic, Memories and Merch: July 2013, August 2013, September 2013, October 2013, November 2013, December 2013, January 2014, February 2014, March 2014, April 2014, May 2014, June 2014, and July 2014.
If you liked what you read here, you may enjoy THE SATURDAY SIX articles every week on the TouringPlans.com blog, the Pardon the Pixie Dust podcast, and you can follow your humble author on Twitter (@derekbugan).
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The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! August 2014 Photo Report of the Disney Outlet Store is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.