Welcome to the latest edition of The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! the longest running monthly look at the Disney Outlet Stores in Orlando. In general, January brings one specific thing to the Outlets – Christmas Junk – and this month did not fail to disappoint. With me covering the Disney Outlet Store on I-Drive and Secret Shopper Ben Wszalek at Vineland (see end of every Outlet Report for more details on each location), we not only got to see a whole bunch of Christmas items, but a lot of other stuff featuring the Disney Cruise Line, the little Orange Bird, The Incredibles, and even Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a land that isn’t even open yet. Of course Christela McC is also here with a look at some Outlet items from California.

Enough jibber jabber! Ready to see what we we found? Alright, let’s go!

Longtime readers of this fine blog series know that we often joke about how fast certain items will go straight from the Disney Parks to the Outlet Stores. (We’re looking in your direction Pandora: The World of Avatar merchandise!) One of the items that came to the Outlets the quickest actually happened last year. If you remember, on January 22, 2018, Minnie Mouse received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To celebrate this, Disney created a “Rock the Dots” promotion. These items ended up at the Outlets less than two weeks later.

Records were made to be broken though, and now we have one that may hold up for a long time. The ever popular WDW Marathon Weekend took place from January 9-13, and by the next weekend the exclusive marathon merchandise was already at the Outlets. A lot of runDisney merch ends up on clearance, but usually not that fast. Anyhoo, first up is this Marathon Weekend glass. Originally $14.99, now $4.99.

A Marathon Weekend wine glass. Also originally $14.99, now $4.99.

Set of kid’s Mickey Ears. There’s just so many variations of Mickey Ears now that they’ve lost a lot of their “special-ness” for me, but this is a pretty fun for kids one I think because it’s a bit “comic booky.” Originally $17.99, now $4.99.

I’m not sure how many of these next level bonkers runDisney sneaker Christmas ornaments Disney actually sells considering how many of them always go to Outlets, but this Marathon Weekend one was originally $26.99, now $7.99.

To be fair, the weirdo running shoe Christmas ornaments make a lot more sense than this mini-snowglobe. Originally $24.99, now $7.99.

Need any Marathon pins? They’re all here. Regular pins were originally $14.99, now $4.99 while the ones like an actual runDisney medal were originally $19.99, now $5.99.

 

I’m beginning to the think my beloved Tsum Tsums are near the end of their run. My local Target store seems to be phasing them out, and it has been a while since any new offerings made their way to the Outlets. This set features “micro” Tsum Tsums and is themed to a 1950s diner. I didn’t see an original price, but it has been reduced to $9.99. As of this writing, the exact same set is available on ShopDisney for $12.99, reduced from the original price of $19.95.

Belle plush. Originally $24.99, now $12.99. This is what would be called a “rag doll,” right?

Ralph plush, originally $24.99, now $14.99. I got a chance to check out Ralph Breaks the Internet earlier this month and enjoyed it. I think I ended up enjoying the original Wreck-It Ralph more overall, although the scenes featuring the Disney princesses were pretty great. SPOILER ALERT in the caption of this pic with something that drove me crazy when Ralph Breaks the Internet ended.

Very soft Eeyore plush. Originally $19.99, now $9.99. Another movie I got to watch in the last month was Christopher Robin. I’m a HUGE fan of Ewan McGregor and thought this take on the Winnie the Pooh universe was pretty charming. Dying to see McGregor in a Young Obi-Wan film now.

Beshte the hippopotamus from Lion Guard plush.  Originally $19.99, now $9.99. It’s almost shocking how little Disney Junior is represented at the theme parks and overall within Walt Disney World resort. Maybe once Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway opens at DHS we can then populate the animation area over there with  even more characters from Disney Junior shows along with DuckTales. There were Lion Guard statues in Animal Kingdom for like, what, three months? Let’s make them a full-time presence there.

I was this close to biting on this Moana toy set. Originally $39.99, now $19.99. I would have definitely got it at $9.99. The next picture is the back side of the box which gives a better idea of everything in the set.

Some princess wands and sword. Tiana and Ariel’s wands were originally $19.95, reduced to $7.99 while Elena’s sword was originally $26.99, now $12.99.

Lots of iPhone cases available, including these two featuring a retro Mickey Mouse and various emojis. All the cases were reduced to $7.99. These were for iPhone 7 and 6s, which I think came out like two decades ago. On Spaceship Earth, I think one of the Cavemen drawing on the wall has one in his hand.

Mickey and Minnie Fleece Throw. Originally $39.99, now $9.99. The way Minnie is grabbing Mickey there is how I picture all of you, Dear Readers, when a new SATURDAY SIX INVESTIGATIVE REPORT comes out. (Hint hint, see you Saturday morning!)

Speaking of Minnie Mouse, lets start off our look at t-shirts with a pair featuring her. Both I would consider pretty ugly all things considered. The one on the left featuring a bow was originally $32.99, now $9.99, while the one on the right was originally $36.99, now $12.99. I always find it interesting that women’s t-shirts have like a built in $3-$8 surcharge because Disney knows a $35 t-shirt for men would sit on the shelf untouched longer than those weird Avatar monkey toys.

Seriously, here’s the Avatar monkey pile. Even the Outlet Store has given up trying to sell them and just threw them in a pile with other junk. You could literally be handing these out for free at the front door and I still think you’d have most left over at the end of the day.

Some kid’s shirts featuring Mike Wazowski. T-shirt on left was originally $24.99, now $9.99 while the hoodie on the right was originally $46.99, now $19.99.

Edna Mode shirt for kids. Originally $24.99, now $12.99.

That shirt might go even better with this SUPER CREEPY Edna Mode wig and glasses set. Notice it’s made for those 14 and up. Looks like I already know what Len Testa is getting for Christmas. Reduced to $4.99.

Ever since Halloween there has been a large variety of princess dresses and character costumes. Dresses (for both kids and adults) can be hit or miss, so not sure I would risk losing your sanity by taking an Outlet trip just to shop for them, but there have been some good finds. The dress in the center of this picture is Elsa’s dress from the Olaf’s Frozen Adventure short that played in front of Coco. Originally $99.99, it was reduced to $49.99.

If you look in the picture above with Elsa’s dress, next to it is a garment bag. That is actually a Disney Princess 10-piece wardrobe set. Originally a whopping $169.99, it has been reduced to $69.99.

Here’s what it includes.

My favorite part was the symbol they have showing that its not for young kids.

 

This dress is modeled after the “tightrope walker” in the Haunted Mansion stretching room. Originally $168, it has been reduced $49.99.

Speaking of the Haunted Mansion…. theme park blogging’s own “ghost host” Clint Gamache hosts the ThrillGeek podcast and this week I was a guest. You can listen to the episode by CLICKING HERE and we discuss all the latest park news from Disneyland, Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, and Universal. If you only listen to one theme park podcast today it should probably be the Disney Dish with Len Testa and Jim Hill, but if you have time for two, check me out on the ThrillGeek podcast (and don’t forget to leave a five star review politely asking for – nay – demanding more Derek Burgan).

How adorable is this Donald Duck outfit? We picked this up. Will post a picture once we get the kiddos into it. Originally $29.99, now $7.99.

Cute one for Baloo from the Jungle Book. Originally $29.99, now $7.99.

Adorable Captain America one. Same price as Baloo and Donald Duck ones.

Maybe it’s me, but this is a good week for baby clothes. This one with Baby Mickey and Pluto on a Main St. USA fire engine was originally $29.99, now $9.99.

A Soarin’ coat for young kids. Originally $59.95, now $34.95. Trying to picture how many alternate universes there would have to be for one to exist where 6 Year Old Derek’s parents would have bought him a $60 coat at a theme park attraction gift shop. I’m not sure 1000 different Earths would be enough. Maybe a million.

Boy if you want Christmas stuff on the cheap, January and February are good months to hit the Outlets. Here’s some solid shirts featuring Main Street USA (originally $24.99, now $4.99) and the Enchanted Tiki Room (originally $34.99, now $7.99).

This one is a little generic, but still cute. Originally $24.99, now $4.99. Also strange that part of Disney is going all-in on the Mickey Mouse design from the new Mickey Mouse shorts (such as the new attraction at DHS) but other Mickey designs (such as this shirt) are wildly different.

Donald Duck shirt. Originally $24.99, now $4.99.

Featuring the Fab Five. Originally $24.99, now $9.99.

This Minnie Mouse plush is a decent size and had her holding a small gift box. Originally $29.99, now $12.99.

“Nordic” Winter Minnie (or “Minnesota Minnie” as TouringPlans’s own Angela Dahlgren would say). Originally $19.99, now $9.99.

I actually bought one of these Mickey Mouse cookie tins. It holds shortbread cookies. I didn’t see a discounted price, but I paid $14.99. The cookies are good until February 2020, so maybe Len Testa will get this for Christmas instead.

I’m personally not a big fan of these Mickey Ear ornaments, but I can see the allure. They are generally over the top with designs on the front and back,” and I respect them for that. This particular one features the theme of “Steamboat Willie.” I wonder how many of these Ear ornaments Captain Cruiseline of the Disney Cruise Line Blog has on his tree? Reduced to $14.99.

Small Disney Cruise Line photo frames. Originally $29.99, now $11.99.

Couple of Marvel themed backpacks. I love the “THWIP!” sound effect that is attached to the zipper on Spidey themed backpack. That’s a great touch. Ol’ Web Head backpack was originally $29.99, now $9.99, while the Infinity War backpack was originally $39.99, now $12.99. If I was a teacher, I’d have to give bonus points for the kid who said “my homework vanished when Thanos snapped his fingers.”

A lot of people were shocked when Disney abruptly dropped the line of Disney Infinity video games. I always loved the style of figures they made for the game and that they all had a consistent look. For example, their version of Captain America looked just like the style used for Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean or Rapunzel from Tangled. I never played the game, but I liked collecting the figures. Long story short, with the game cancelled, Disney released a new series of figures with the same artistic design, just bigger, and under the “Toybox” brand. I hope they sell well because I would love to see this line grow. The Black Widow figure was originally $14.99, now $6.99.

I’m depending on all of YOU to support this line because at $15 a pop there’s no way I’m buying more than two or three of these unless they hit the Outlets.

Kinda regretting not buying this Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout! keychain for $3.99.

Emoji things that you can attach to your own keychain or who knows what. Now 99 cents each.

ESPN themed magnet/bottle opener. WHO IS THIS MADE FOR?! Who is that big of a fan of the ESPN brand itself and thinks “I wish I had a magnet with a pithy pun on it.” Originally $8.95, now $3.99.

Magnet for Luigi’s. Reduced to $3.99.

We’ve already seen a lot of 2018 branded items come to the Outlets but get ready for even more in the coming months. These pins feature Minnie and Donald in front of  the park icons. Not sure why the face from it’s a small world is up by Mickey. Pins were reduced to $5.99.

Plastic pin backs shaped to Mickey’s sorcerer hat, Goofy’s hat, and a Mickey head.

Here is a piece of artwork featuring sketches themed to The Reluctant Dragon. This was one of the craziest Disney movies I have ever watched in my life. The artist for this print was Costa Alvezos. Originally $39.99, now $19.99.

 

A while back I did a podcast about watching The Reluctant Dragon and pretty much go through every scene. I can’t imagine Disney lets people see an unedited version of  the movie because it is absolutely INSANE.

 

Metal Earth? Check. Disney Trash Can? Check. Reduced to $7.99 and I am ashamed to say I bought one.

 

I don’t understand this one at all. Rock ‘n Roller Coaster themed door hangers. I’m putting out a public plea asking a simple question:

“WHY?”

Why would people buy these? Apparently they are a growing trend as @Blog_Mickey just bought one for its a small world and apparently already owns one for the Haunted Mansion. I get “Do Not Disturb” door hangers for hotels. I don’t understand the use of them in real houses and apartments. Is this what kids use today instead of a sock on the door handle? Originally $6.99, now $2.99.

 

Okay, I need a sanity break. Let’s take a time out and join @ChristelaMcC as she reports in from CALIFORNIA with items from an Outlet Store located closer to Disneyland.

First up is this set of bowls themed to some Disneyland classics. There is a bowl themed to the Matterhorn, Sleeping Beauty castle, and the Alice in Wonderland ride. Originally $22.99, now $10.99.

This past weekend on the SATURDAY SIX we took a look at Disneyland Pressed Pennies. This included a machine for the Haunted Mansion that was shaped like a coffin and offered designs themed to The Nightmare Before Christmas on a seasonal basis. Here we have a Nightmare Before Christmas playing card set that also comes in a coffin. How great is that? Originally $9.95, now $5.99.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout! coffee cup. Originally $15.99, now $7.99.

For most Christmas and Halloween seasons, Disney puts out an absurd droid themed to the holiday. This R4-BOO18 (get it?) is holding large candy corn and is even painted like a candy corn. Krusty the Clown on the Simpsons was more discriminating on what merchandise could bear his name than Star Wars. Originally $12.99, now $6.99.

Look at this. Turns out Disneyland got all the same bubble blowers that we got down here except theirs were only reduced to $9.99. If you remember, the millions we had down here were all reduced to $3.99. Finally, Florida gets one in the win column! Yes, they may have more attractions, more parades, more seasonal churros, and better pressed penny machines, but our discounted bubble blowers are cheaper. SO SUCK IT DISNEYLAND!

These bags and wallets were made for the Star Wars movie Solo and produced by “Loungefly.” The bags were originally $60, reduced to $39.99 while the wallets were originally $50, reduced to $38.99.

Wasn’t expecting to see merchandise discounted for a land that isn’t even open yet, but here we are with a Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge t-shirt featuring DJ Rex. Originally $24.99, now $8.99.

Disney themed pajama pants. Originally $36.99, now $13.99.

Close up on the design.

 

This Outlet also featured a Mike Wazowski hoodie. It was originally $46.99, just like ours in Florida. However, ours was reduced to $19.99 while California was reduced to a completely bonkers $28.19.

We’ll close with a classic shirt featuring some great lands. Just as the President says, you gotta love this country from sea to shiny sea. Originally $34.99, now $10.99.

 

BACK TO FLORIDA!

Already you can tell the difference between Disneyland and Walt Disney World because our bowl sets are much more generic and instead of WDW attractions we have Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Boring. I would honestly like a set more in line with the Disneyland set above except for Animal Kingdom. A bowl set with Tree of Life, Pandora, and Expedition Everest. Like the Disneyland bowls, ours were originally $22.99, but the Disneyland ones were reduced to $10.99 while ours only went down to $12.99.

 

Maybe if you drink enough shots of Jägermeister in these ESPN Zone glasses you’ll consider buying one of those ESPN magnets above. Also interesting to note there are no more ESPN Zones in America. What we have at Disney’s Boardwalk is ESPN Club. The last official ESPN Zone to close was last summer in Anaheim, so this must be part of that store’s junk. Originally $9.99, now $2.99.

Nice coffee cup featuring the logos of Epcot Future World Pavilions. Originally $13.99, now $5.99.

You’ll be shocked, SHOCKED to find out that there were a ton of these Cup & Saucer sets featuring Edna Mode from The Incredibles. The original price was $27.99!!!!! Check out what it says on the saucer. “My Way or the Runway.”

WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!

These were reduced to $5.99 and safe to say they still weren’t flying off the shelves.

Much better coffee cups featuring Mr. and Mrs. Incredible. Each were originally $16.99, now $5.99.

A Star Wars coffee cup that is just about as bad as the movie it is supporting. It’s really hilarious in hindsight that the people in Lucasfilm thought – based on Solo: A Star Wars movie – that the characters of Qi’ra and Enfys Nest would going to become well known names like Princess Leia and Boba Fett. GET OUTTA HERE WITH THAT. Originally $15.99, now $5.99.

 

I like Star Wars as much as the next person, but I would have liked to see me try to get a Star Wars Logo ornament on my Christmas tree without my girlfriend repeatedly hitting me across the head with a cinnamon broom. This was originally $21.99. Imagine that. $22 to put a Star Wars logo on your Christmas tree. A STAR WARS LOGO. Do sneaker fans buy Nike Swoosh logos for their Christmas tree? Fans of Cap’n Crunch? Batman? Anything?!

And wait a minute, does that say… ORNAMENY?

Okay, the following two items would be really cute if you had kids young enough to wear them. L’ill Han Solo and Chewbacca jackets . The Solo one was originally $49.99, reduced to $14.99 while the Chewie one was originally $46.99, reduced to $14.99.

Chewie tank top, originally $34.99, now $9.99 and a Solo: A Star Wars Bomb SKIRT that was originally $78, now $24.99.

A Qi’ra tank top with a quote I’m not 100% sure she actually says in the film. In fact, I’m relatively confident she didn’t. Now I admit, I’ve only seen Solo once compared to the dozens (if not hundreds) of times I’ve seen every other Star Wars movie, but this quote makes actually no sense if you know the character. Okay, another SPOILER ALERT in the caption to this one. Originally $34.99, now $9.99.

 

See a lot of iPhone cases at the Outlets but almost never see Otter cases. These Star Wars ones were originally $44.99, now $7.99.

Star Wars flip flops. The logos are for the Empire and the Resistance. Originally $14.95, now $3.99.

The laziest of all themed socks. Originally $9.99, now $2.99.

Now these are themed socks that look sharp! Originally $9.99, now $2.99.

 

There was a whole bunch of these Dorfman-Pacific hats and purses. My girlfriend actually picked up one for herself and her mother as a birthday present. I had almost no interest so you’re only getting a picture of one matching bag and hat, although there were probably about 5-15 different types (that all looked pretty much the same to me when asked “how does this look?”). Purse was originally $49.99, now $19.99 while the hat was originally $39.99, now $11.99.

Goofy hats, like the one the Genie wears at the end of Aladdin. Originally $21.95, now $7.99.

Expedition Everest hat with a nice Animal Kingdom logo in the back. Originally $27.99, now $7.99.

This hat blew my mind. I had absolutely no idea what it was referring to. I consulted with both SATURDAY SIX editor in chief Megan Stump and Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders, and apparently I may be the only one on Earth who doesn’t know that this is a Tinker Bell hat. Originally $27.99, now $7.99.

You gotta love this trucker hat with the Orange Bird and a Citrus Swirl. Reduced to $7.99.

This monorail bag was originally $99! Reduced to $49.99. It’s nice but not that nice.

Colorful handbags featuring a carousel horse. Originally $65, now $34.99.

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). They do not ship. There are items at the Outlets that you can buy both in Disney stores along with the Shop Disney Parks app, but you will be paying full retail for the items.

I often get asked “which store is better?” That depends. Vineland is close to Walt Disney World, while the I-Drive location is a hop, skip, and jump away from the Universal Orlando Resort. The Vineland Disney Outlet Store is much, MUCH bigger than the I-Drive location. However, the Vineland outlets in general are much, MUCH busier than I-Drive. Each have their pros and cons, and ultimately they carry much of the same items. For a Disney Outlet Store FAQ, check out this SATURDAY SIX Presents: Everything You Wanted To Know About The Disney Outlet Stores (But Were Afraid To Ask)

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, August 2014, September 2014, October 2014, November 2014, December 2015, January 2015, February 2015, March 2015, April 2015, May 2015. June 2015, July 2015, August 2015, September 2015, October 2015, November 2015. December 2015, January 2016, February 2016, March 2016, April 2016, May 2016, June 2016, July 2016, August 2016, September 2016, October 2016, November 2016, December 2016, January 2017, February 2017, March 2017, April 2017, May 2017, June 2017, July 2017: The FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY special, August 2017, September 2017, October 2017 (tribute to the O.O.G.), November 2017, December 2017, January 2018, February 2018, March 2018, April 2018, May 2018, June 2018, July 2018 (FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY special with the introduction of the OUTLET HALL OF FAME), August 2018, September 2018, October 2018, November 2018, and December 2018.

We also did an edition of Magic, Memories, and Junk for a non-Disney owned Outlet Store, and for you merch addicts like myself, you may also enjoy a look at the official Disney merchandise available on the Disney Cruise Line, Castaway Cay, and at the Orlando International Airport. Want to see our favorite WDW resort-specific merchandise? Well, CLICK HERE!

If you liked what you read here, you may enjoy THE SATURDAY SIX articles every week on the TouringPlans.com blog and you can follow your humble author on Twitter (@derekbugan).