By Derek Burgan
It’s the end of September and the streets of Orlando are still wet from the constant rain during the month. Or maybe it’s the tears of the fans of Off Kilter, Mo’Rockin, Spirit of America, or the World Showcase Players, all of whom performed their last shows this week. We also saw the closure of the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the first attraction in recent memory whose demise was met with almost unanimous support from theme park fandom. Oh, and we also had the start of a little something called the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, which has at least two items this year (a Duffy bear wearing a chef’s outfit and a new shirt featuring Figment) that we just may be covering in this article sooner than later.
With that out of the way, who is ready to hit the outlets?! Remember, you can click on any picture to see it in full size (although that’s actually more of a warning than a reminder.)
A water bottle filled with so many rare characters it should be sold during a hard ticket event.
First up is this aluminum bottle that blew my mind the longer I looked it at. So many great characters. Mary Poppins. Figment. Lightning McQueen (in scale with the other characters to boot!) Marie from the Aristocats. Russell from Up. Pete’s Dragon. Mushu. Eve. The Rescuers. This cup is amazing. Originally $9.95, it was now reduced to $4.99 and you better believe I bought this.
Mr. Toad?!!
Merlin from The Sword in the Stone.
You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have The Facts Of Life…
Speaking of Duffy the Disney Bear, you may remember the Aulani Duffy doll we saw back in July. Well check out this new iPhone case that has arrived. Originally $34.95 this was $4.99. Bought it. I think sometimes I buy things just to prove to myself I didn’t imagine them down the road. Is there a Duffy Polynesian Village Resort iPhone case? Duffy Pop Century? Duffy Port Orleans French Quarter? I want them all.
This is one iPhone case you want to bend in half. Or burn.
Aulani merchandise actually had a large section this month including this scrapbook. Originally $35, now $14.99.
Aulani scrapbook.
These Aulani ceramic cups were originally $20, reduced to $7.99. I bought one of these as well. Either outlet store merchandise is getting much better or I am mainlining pixie dust because now I can’t spend less than $100 when I go to the stores. That’s $100 after 50-80% off. At this rate I’ll be collecting those $400 Disney figurines one day. Forget the Outlets, if you need me I’ll be the Arribas Bros. store at Downtown Disney.
Aulani cups.
This Aulani notebook I did not get.
Nothing says the understated beauty of Aulani like a personal journey that looks like it came out of
Greg Brady’s apartment when he was Johnny Bravo.
Aulani post-it notes, now $2.99.
A sticky note pad when you want to write a note but don’t have much to say.
I almost had to rub my eyes seeing this next one. I believe this is the first piece of Frozen merchandise that has ever hit the outlets. The catch? It’s full price. $29.95. No discount. There are about 10 items in the store which offer no discount, almost all of them being food items or coloring books.
The rarest of all birds, Frozen merchandise at the Outlets.
I liked this sign because I think there was maybe a total of five shirts.
Another really sharp set of
shot glasses
toothpick holders featuring the four park icons. Originally $24.95, now $10.99 and of course I got this.
Disney is driving me to drink, but in a good way this time.
A photo frame from the Be Our Guest Restaurant. I got this because my family had a great time when we went. Originally $29.95, now $10.99.
I have a couple action figures in front of my picture frame to simulate the guests being turned away for lunch.
These goblets are also to represent Be Our Guest Restaurant, or maybe the home of the Yellow King from True Detective. Originally $24.95, now $12.99.
Who exactly was the audience for these? Twitter user Drunk@Disney?
Let’s go to something more cheerful. This Minnie Mouse plush is a must for anyone who likes Marie from the Aristocats.
Then there is this Minnie-as-Cinderella.
This rabbit plush is from the Sophia the First cartoon.
I had to Google who this rabbit was. At first I thought he was from Watership Down.
Sparky from Frankenweenie. Originally $16.95, now $6.99.
Lots of Disney Babies still available. Originally $22.95, now $12.99
It was neat seeing a character from Hercules here with Pegasus.
Remember last month we had the two foot tall Stitch? This month smaller ones have joined him.
This is what happens when you get them wet. They multiply. Oh wait, wrong movie.
They still have some of these awful Mickey Mouse-as-Iron Man plush. Captain America probably would have been a better character to start these mash-ups with..
A couple more pieces of Marvel merchandise made their way to the store including this Hulk shirt. Originally $32.00, now $15.99. 1) Who was buying this shirt for $32?! 2) When I see “Hulk Rules” there’s only one shirt I think of.
That’s gimmick infringement, brutha.
Captain America and Disney coffee cups. $5.99 each.
In August I did a photo tour of Downtown Disney and saw this RIDICULOUS kitchen set with used Minnie Mouse and the phrase “Desperate Housewife.” I don’t think anyone would accuse me of ever being a prude, but this is just absurd from a character integrity standpoint. Originally $16.99, now $8.99.
The fact that at least, what, a dozen people had to approve that Minnie Mouse/Desperate Housewife set is just incomprehensible.
Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on Disney, when I went to create a shirt for our Universal Social Club I also gravitated towards the most inappropriate show possible.
This shirt is not available to purchase at the Disney Outlet Store. It can only be obtaining by “patching in.” – Club President Derek Burgan
Some more Chevrolet t-shirts arrived, I’m assuming straight form the Test Track gift shop. Is Synergy the name of this car?! I think they designed these shirts to make the ride seem better in comparison. Bravo Disney. Bravo.
Smooth finish. WHAAAAAAAT?!
If you stare at this shirt long enough you’ll be able to figure out what’s on it. And if you do figure it out let me know what it is. I gave up after 10 minutes.
I kind of like this one, although it seems like it came from a Disney store in 1978. Originally $49.95, now $19.99. I bought this for my girlfriend.
“What’s this pocket for? You put your weed in it.“
Another unfathomable shirt, this one for kids. I’m not a big “What Would Walt Think?” think type of guy but I’d be hard pressed to believe he’d be proud of this shirt. Originally $32.95, now $14.99.
If you are buying this shirt for your small child you get deserve whatever you get.
A rare Wilderness Lodge appearance at the outlets. Originally $31.95, now $14.99. That’s right, the Tinker Bell shirt above originally cost more than this adult sweatshirt. Mind blowing.
The following shirts were originally $24.95, reduced to $12.99. I have to say, I don’t mind these soccer ones at all.
This Mickey shirt was originally $21.95, now $9.99.
More of this please.
I think we may have covered this Oswald the lucky rabbit shirt before but it sill makes me amazed every time I walk by it. Maybe it’s just me. Originally $21.95, now $9.99.
This is pretty much the exact shirt someone who was against America would design, right?
I really loved this shirt. Originally $24.99, now $12.95.
I love that there is a carnotaurus on this shirt for the sole purpose to troll Matt Hochberg, host of the WDW Today podcast.
These Splash Mountain photo frames look spectacular and have been around for a while. Originally $26.95, now $14.99.
These Splash Mountain frames are new. Originally $16.95, now $5.99. That’s a great deal. This looks sharp.
A Mickey head photo frame. Originally $16.95, now $8.99.
A park icon photo frame. Originally $26.95, now $14.99.
Artwork from the bottle which started off the report has been moved around to form this photo frame. Originally $26.95, now $14.99.
Good news, Duffy the Disney Bear made the cut. Exactly how is Nemo riding the Monorail?! #story
Here’s a bunch of magenta and keychains.
Including this one for, I think, Minnie Mouse.
Looks like I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue.
No strange enough for you? How about Disney branded DUCT TAPE.
Minnie Mouse themed Duct Tape. I’ve lived long enough to see it all.
Some bookmarks for when you are reading the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2015 (maybe keep page 10 bookmarked, just sayin‘…)
Goofy eating a turkey leg. Of course.
Speaking of Goofy, here is a couple souvenir Goofy Glaciers cups. Goofy Glaciers are Disney’s version of Slurpees, and I got a pink lemonade one in an Olaf themed cup earlier this month at Downtown Disney. These were $1.99 each and as a fan of souvenir cups, I got one.
I didn’t get one of these travel mugs but they were really cool. The handle was really nice. Originally $19.95, these were just $6.99. One of the best deals in the store.
Anyone looking for a Chewbacca flashlight whose light comes out the mouth?
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Speaking of Star Wars, this Goofy-as-C3P0 comes with a limited edition pin and was $59.99. It was labeled as a “Medium Figurine” and I’m terrified of how big the large one is.
I’m just a couple weeks away from my first ever Disney Cruse so it was nice to see this Steamboat Willie inspired Christmas shirt from the Disney Cruise Line. Originally $21.95, now $6.99.
I liked this Christmas shirt as well. Originally $29.95, now $13.99.
Speaking of Christmas, if you remember last month I regretted not picking up a set of ornaments that featured Disney transportation vehicles. I was going to pick them up this trip, but alas they were all gone. There was this Matchbox Disney Bus from 2013 though.
“And the upcoming fifth gate will be focused on Disney’s villains….”
Let’s take a look at some pins, shall we? First up is this one for the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Here’s a bunch of Disney characters inside letters. Kind of strange.
Oh yeah, Darkwing Duck. More Disney Afternoon merchandise please.
Here’s a pin of a weird looking skateboard with actual wheels. Pin aficionados, I just have one question: why for?
Here’s a pin set from an alternate universe in which Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were characters on Jersey Shore. Originally $29.95, now $14.99.
This pin caught my eye. It’s a Mickey head design using buttons.
And then I noticed a whole bunch of them, all slightly different from each other. Were there people that had to complete a full set of stuff like this?!
Here’s pins based on Vinylmations, a whole new level of insanity.
Now here’s a Vinylmation I can get behind, the Park Starz series. This is the only Vinylmation series where the artists aren’t handcuffed by the Mickey Mold and can do whatever they want. This set came with two characters and was originally $49.95, reduced down to $9.99. I bought this as I try to get a Park Starz figure every time a series comes out. I want to collect them and then I see they cost $17.95 each and end up just buying one a year.
SPECIAL BONUS!!!! We are going to try something out this month and if you enjoy it please let us know in the comments. At the end of every article I explain that there are two Disney Outlet Stores in Orlando and over the course of the last year I have tried my best to alternate between the two of them to give you, Dear Reader, a sense of each of them. However, to be honest I found myself going to the one closer to Universal much more often because, well, I enjoy going to Universal after battling the outlets. However, I was contacted by Daisy Lauren, of Daisy’s Best Week Ever fame (a weekly article focusing on the WDW parks that you all should be reading) and she offered to stop by the outlets closer to Disney and send us some pictures. So the following is what she found this month:
Looks like my store wasn’t the only one bursting with photo frames, these Haunted Mansion inspired ones were originally $26.95, now $10.99.
999 Pieces of unsold merchandise Happy Haunts.
Disney themed ice buckets. Originally $19.95, now $9.99.
Rebrand these as official Disney Ice Bucket Challenge buckets and you can sell them out at $39.95 a piece.
A wall of pillow pets. I actually got a family member of mine the Cheshire Cat one about a year ago. These are huge in size and look fantastic. Originally $32.95, now $14.99.
Flower & Garden Duffy Bears, originally $35, now $9.99.
These princess dolls were originally $29.95, now $12.95.
And finally, Precious Moments dolls. Originally $49.95, now $29.95. Last year I was in Once Upon A Toy at Downtown Disney and caught my first glimpse of the Precious Moments collection. This Jasmine doll could be the first of many more to come.
I would like to personally thank Daisy for having the strength to battle the crowds and parking situation at the outlets near Disney to provide this coverage for us. Be sure to check out Daisy’s Best Week Ever series on the blog and follow her TouringPlans #Everywhere adventure as she goes to the Vero Beach DVC property.
Let’s take one last look at the outlet store closer to Universal to go out with a bang. I’m going to need some help figuring out exactly what it is. Is it supposed to be a scaled down version of a human Minnie Mouse outfit?
And yet people still wonder why I need a whole box of Uni-som to fall asleep at night.
DJ Pauly D meets Mickey Mouse. I’ll be right back, need to go throw up.
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, July 2014, and August 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! September 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.