The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! March 2014 Photo Report of the Disney Outlet Store

We’ve made it to March, home of Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day, two of the biggest holidays of the year that involve adult beverages. Is it any surprise that with all that alcohol flowing that March is also home to If Pets Had Thumbs Day? While you ponder that existential question, we’re gearing up for our monthly trip to the Disney Outlet Store! This week we’ll be wearing our I Love the Lone Ranger t-shirt, applying our Stitch-in-a-bikini hat pin, and slipping our Mickey Waffle Air Freshener onto the rear view mirror. Now that we are geared up, it’s time to hit the outlets!

While the month of February had Valentine’s Day, there were almost no items related to the romantic holiday except this Be My Valentine Duffy Bear.

I thought these Bolt plush were really cute, and I don’t understand how these Crush and Squirt plush are at the outlets. I think they are a fantastic bargain.

If you’ve been to the World of Disney store or the larger gift shops at the parks, you’ve probably run into these Disney-Characters-as-Babies plush. Part of me wants to say it’s weird, but I grew up on Muppet Babies, so there is a bit of charm there for me.

Although I think she is hardly recognizable as “Boo” from the Monsters, Inc. movie, this “Baby Boo” has an adorable mini-monster plush with her.

Enough with the cuteness and on to the things nightmares are created from. Feast your eyes on this Rock ‘n’ Roll Roller Coaster shirt featuring Steven Tyler, himself. I’d say this was a nightshirt, but good luck trying to ever sleep again wearing this. Originally $36.95, it is selling for $ 19.95. I only got one thing to say to that: Dream On.

Believe it or not, there was another Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster shirt on the racks. This one was long sleeved and only $14.95.

Another WDW attraction shirt, this this one for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. I love seeing attraction merchandise at the parks, and it joins event-specific merch (like Food & Wine) and DVC stuff as my favorites.

This Buzz Lightyear photo frame was also available ($24.95 marked down to $11.99). Is the fact that it has four “screws” on supposed to represent the part of Buzz where you replace the batteries?

Another attraction piece as this photo frame comes from Splash Mountain. It’s semi-creepy, actually, but I love it. Like the Buzz Lightyear frame, it was originally $24.95 but it sells for $12.99, a dollar more than the Buzz one. I would love to know the reasoning behind some of the prices at the outlets.

I like the idea of the classic Mickey Ears hat, but I think rapid expansion is delivering some really weird stuff, including this Donald Duck version, complete with tail.

Among the Disney things that I collect are the Disney/Star Wars mash-up action figures, and seeing them at the outlet gives me the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. This month was all highs as I picked up a Goofy-as-Chewbacca for $4.99 (originally $8.95) and a Star Wars Weekends exclusive Bean Bunny-as-Wicket for $2.99 (reduced from $14.99). Great deals, and I needed both for my collection. The lows come from when I see the action figures I already bought at full price show up at the outlet, like Rizzo-as-Yoda from Star Wars Weekends 2012.

 

These Chip & Dale-as-Ewoks plush are also from last year’s Star Wars Weekends. Originally $27.95, now $16.95.

Speaking of Disney and Star Wars, this insanely priced “Return of the Mouse” poster was reduced to just under $200. You read that right: $200, and IT WAS REDUCED TO THAT PRICE. I’m a huge Disney fan and a huge Star Wars fan, and this poster doesn’t even make sense. I guess because “Jedi” and “Mouse” have almost the same number of letters? I do like the Hidden Mickey Death Star. In a previous edition of this column a reader speculated that Disney gigantically inflates the price of art so that it can dramatically cut the price and make it seem like you are getting a deal. And now I’m wondering why the print was limited to 95. Why 95?! I’m going too deep into this rabbit hole, time to jump out before I lose my mind.

Wait, what is this? A Lone Ranger coffee table book?!!!

I only have one thing to say about that…

Thank you to Andy Castro for the Big Al picture, as it encapsulates in two words what would take me literally a thousand to write.

Let’s go to something I love. Christmas! This Goofy sweater was fantastic.

A cute Mickey and Minnie one…

And then a football with ears. At least a dozen if not two dozen people had to “ok” this from concept to final product, and it still made it’s way into the stores. Inconceivable! At least we finally found an item that makes those old SI football phones look like a good idea in comparison.

If you like your Mickey Mouse dark and brooding, this sweatshirt is for you. Originally $46.95, now $32.99.

From Epcot’s World Showcase comes this shirt.

Here comes a line of shirts targeting the college sports crowd. I’m assuming they were originally sold at the Team Mickey store at Downtown Disney, which is thankfully being turned into a store worth going to, with the Marketplace Co op opening up this summer.

The shirts below are for women. A college co-ed who is into Disney and sports? Take my advice and put a ring on that finger.

But if you see a girl wearing this Darth Tater shirt, I don’t care how big of a Star Wars fan you are, run.

The longer you stare at this Mickey Giraffe shirt, the more you will become mesmerized. Originally $29.95, now $14.99.

The official shirt of the Disney Blogging Community is $21.99 (reduced from $54.95!).

Rare to see any Oswald products at the outlet. This women’s shirt was originally $29.95 and can be yours for $17.99.

Not sure the picture gets across the stunningly high quality in this soccer jersey. Soccer ranks somewhere between lacrosse and watching paint dry in my list of things to enjoy, but I like this jersey a lot.

Fitted NFL hats were half price. I picked up a San Diego Chargers hat and was surprised to find out my head was a “medium large,” as most who know me would surely guess my head was easily an XXL.

Women’s Mickey Jeans. $9.99. Get a load of these.

Eiffel Tower salt and pepper shakers. Seriously, who is the market for this?!!!

Some Mickey Kitchen items were available, including this serving tray. Originally $16.95, now $6.99.

And these hand towels. Is that supposed to Mickey running away from a fire on the stove? In my mind that’s what it is. Originally $16.95, now $8.99. And now I have an idea. Disney branded smoke detectors that scream “OH BOY!” instead of the loud beeping. PATENT PENDING.

Sometimes I honestly think I dream these items. Here are $100 champagne flutes reduced to only $50. I didn’t ask if that price was for one or both. The fact that it says “flute” makes me think it’s just one. I bet whoever is drinking out of this has an Eiffel Tower salt and pepper shaker on his table.

Anyone need a 3 foot by 5 foot flag of Mexico?

I’m honestly surprised to see all these “it’s a small world” items show up at clearance prices so fast.

Okay, what you see below is a Goofy-with-a-mohawk bandana. Like I could make that up.

Not to be outdone, here’s a Mickey Ears baseball cap with this weird afro. WHAT IS GOING ON?!!!

I mentioned before how much I like seeing DVC items at the outlet. Aulani DVC? That’s like the holy grail. These key rings were originally $12.00, now $6.99.

So many questionable things about this Miss Piggy figure, but the biggest is “why $41.99?” Interesting discount. From the Muppets Least Wanted collection.

This Rapunzel glowing lantern looked pretty cool. Originally $24.95, now $17.99.

Here’s an Old Tyme Mickey Mouse baseball shirt. I know it’s supposed to be the style of the early 1900s, but when I saw this shirt, the first thing that came to my mind was that even the Mickey Mouse baseball player is “juiced.”

Seriously, look at the Mickey baseball player compared to the Mickey basketball player. This Mouse has been taking some PEDs. Shirts were $12.99, reduced from $29.95.

Is it already time to go to my favorite part of the store?

Here’s the vinylmation that was for the 2013 Unleash the Villains event at Disney Hollywood Studios (a.k.a. #IgerWatch). If you can make sense of it, please explain to me in great detail. Imagine all the cool and great villains they brought out to the party (including Oogie Boogie, the Big Band Wolf and Pain & Panic), and this is the vinylmation that encapsulates all of them.

I remember when the Disney Parks Blog talked about this night terrors-inducing, super-size Mickey vinylmation and thinking quite honestly it was the scariest piece of merchandise I have ever seen in my life. Low and behold this figure, which had a limited run of only 500, has shown up at the outlets. I bought # 41/500. I spent $14.99 for it. Want to know the original cost? Take a look at the figure and make a guess. I’ll reveal the price after.

 

$49.95. Can you imagine?! $49.95!! I know that I should be concerned about Crimea, health care reform, and the pollution in China, but it’s stuff like this that keeps me up at night.

But that wasn’t even the highlight of the trip. I now present to you the ultimate piece of Disney Outlet Merchandise. An item that combines almost every element that leads to being unsellable to a human being. Please pay your respects to the runDisney “medal” for your Disney vinylmation.

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 Disney.

Previous editions of Magic, Memories and Merch: July 2013, August 2013, September 2013, October 2013, November 2013, December 2013, January 2014, & February 2014.

If you liked what you read here, you may enjoy THE SATURDAY SIX articles every week on the TouringPlans.com blog, as well as the Pardon the Pixie Dust podcast.