Previously, on the Disney Outlet Store Photo Report:

Rumors were abounding that the Outlet Stores were banning photography. The discount stores, now being overrun by eBay resellers and YouTube vloggers like zombies overtaking cities in World War Z, had possibly had enough. But your intrepid Outlet Reporter had a plan. A plan so crazy, it just might work…

 

 

Welcome to the latest edition of The Magic, The Memories, and Merch!, the longest running monthly look at the Disney Outlet Stores in Orlando.  We have “Bargain” Ben Wszalek covering Vineland and myself – Discount Derek – at I-Drive (addresses are at the end of every report) and we are here to give you the Outlet Report you really want totally deserve. Of course Christela “Clearance” McC is also here with a look at some Outlet items from out in California.

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

This week in Disney news it was revealed that the company possibly has no idea who their target audience is when they announced $600 Heidi Klum Mouse Ear Headbands are on their way. Well, speaking of mouse ear headbands, a metric ton of them came to the Outlets this month and caused a feeding frenzy. First up we have the Buzz Lightyear headbands.

Sully (from Monsters Inc) headband. Reduced to $4.99.

Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas headband.

Okay, this one is next level BONKERS. It’s a headband, but on the headband is a small Mickey Mouse ear hat. The tiny mouse ear hat is tilted to the side, so you – as a human – can take a picture where you look like one of those weirdos who dress up their pets for photos.  The Mousketeer Mini headband has been reduced to $4.99.

Haunted Mansion’s Bride headband.

You may have noticed that Disney recently is trying to make “Arendelle Aqua” happen. This joins a long list of colors pushed upon the public like an unwanted glow cube you have to buy with a drink. Below we have “Millennium Pink.” When I pass this mortal coil and am standing in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, what kind of story am I going to have to concoct to explain myself writing that last sentence? Anyway, headband was reduced to $4.99.

Plenty of these pink sequined Minnie Ears headbands were available, reduced to $4.99.

When I say plenty, I mean PLENTY.

Various Minnie Mouse themed headbands.

At the Vineland location they had a weekend sale where some of the “HEADS BANDS” (WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!!)  were all reduced to under a buck.

Okay, that’s enough of headbands. Let’s move on to some cooler stuff, like this deck of Haunted Mansion playing cards that comes in a coffin-themed box.  These were originally $9.95, reduced to $5.99.

Here is a glow-in-the-dark magnet set featuring the Haunted Mansion’s hitchhiking ghosts and the hatbox ghost. Originally $19.95, now $9.99.

Speaking of the hatbox ghost, here we have a coffee cup featuring him. Originally $14.99, now $5.99.

Travel mug featuring cartoony versions of the hitchhiking ghosts. Appropriate characters for a travel mug, I like it. Originally $19.99, now $5.99.

Last month we saw an insane Dole Whip die-cut beach towel, this month we get a Dole Whip swirl tumbler. Originally $22.99, now $4.99. I got one of these.

Toy Story-themed container that looks like a bottle of Voss water. Originally $19.99, now $7.99.

I would do ANYTHING for an interview with the person who created these princess-themed coffee cups that are the most impractical drinking devices made in the history of mankind. We’ve seen some examples in previous editions of the Outlet Report, but check out this Little Mermaid one! The “shell” curves inward.  Picture yourself trying to drink ANYTHING out of this. Even better, these were originally $27.99!!! Now $2.99.

I would say this Cinderella-themed cup is more ugly than impractical.  It does not scream “elegance.” Also originally $27.99, now $2.99.

Jack Skellington mug. Originally $22.99, now $9.99.

Mickey Mouse 90th birthday celebration cups. Originally $19.99, now $5.99.

The following Mickey cup is one of the rare items at the Outlets that isn’t discounted at all. Even rarer for them to have a sign showing the full  retail price.

The once-in-a-blue-moon snow globe offering. This one features Mickey’s 90th birthday celebration. Reduced to $14.99.

The next glass may not seem weird at first, but just you wait. Here is a glass for the China Pavilion in World Showcase. Originally $13.99, reduced to $5.99. By itself, nothing too noteworthy…

But for whatever reason, this China glassware was put directly in the middle of a display that was literally all “USA! USA! USA!” products. This was genius and reminded me of that incredible moment in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas when Jim Carrey’s Grinch dresses up Max the dog.

Here’s a look at some of the USA branded products, including this Salt & Pepper set. Originally $19.99, now $7.99. I’ve seen some pretty neat Disney themed salt & pepper shakers over the years. These are not one of them.

Okay, you love bags, so here’s some bags! First up is this purse, which reminded me of the time on Seinfeld when Elaine feuded with the Putumayo store (with Kramer as “H.E. Pennypacker.”) It was originally $44.99, now $24.99.

I have absolutely no idea of how a person could actually use this Enchanted Tiki Room bag in the Real World, but I thought it was cool. Originally $65, it was reduced to $29.99.

Wow, a Marie fanny pack! I bet you would NEVER guess the original price ($45!!!). It was reduced to $21.99. A fanny pack at half price STILL over $20. Maybe we deserve a recession.

This “thing” is a plush from Pandora: The World of Avatar. It’s called a Thanator. I’ve seen the movie Avatar over 20 times and I had no idea that was its name. Originally $16.99, now $7.99.

I like this style of plush! Nana from Peter Pan. Originally $27.99, now $14.99.

Okay, these plush were called Snuggle Snappers and had slap bracelets as their arms so they could “hug” you. Each were originally $19.99, now $7.99. Not sure if Lotso  – a character who was a bad guy through and through in Toy Story 3 – is a character I would have gone with. Baymax is a great choice though.

Sully was also available and pretty adorable.

You could also get Mickey emoji slap bracelets. I bought several for the kiddos in our family.

Speaking of 99 cents, how about these Rivers Of Light totems?! I think they were $29.99 at the parks. They have the “Glow With The Show” feature built into them. Bought some of these for the kiddos too, but these I’ll save until our next park trip and pull out when they beg me to buy something expensive.

For a while now Disney has been unloading Cinderella bubble wands on the cheap. Here is a photo of the display area where they are sold out, but some cases about to be opened to refill them.

There were a whole lot of cases ready to fill shelves too…

Let’s look at some Star Wars items, including this BB-8 up. Originally $19.99, now $5.99.

I’ve seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi several times but don’t remember these droids. Originally $19.99, now $9.99.

Boba Fett keychain.

I liked this Animal Kingdom 20th Anniversary keychain. Reduced to $5.99.

WDW 1971 pennant-style keychain.

Did pick up one of these EPCOT 35th Anniversary keychains.

This Mickey Mouse pen had an interesting feature built into it. Here is the before…

And here is the after, with a tiny body that pops out. They say “the pen is mightier than the sword,” and after this pen we can also add “creepier” as well.

Before we go out to the California Outlets, its time for…

an official Disney Outlet Store Special Investigation!

Now, for the past few months we’ve been reporting on Note Pad Sets showing up a the Outlets that make absolutely no sense. This month we finally broke down and bought a set to see if everything we suspected was true.

However, we had to get the best investigative team on the case, so we got one with experience. That’s right, we got the ace detectives who cracked the mystery surrounding the Disney Tagalong.

 

In a controlled environment, we carefully inspected our Note Pad Set. It contained four separate  note pads, each themed to an attraction in Magic Kingdom, including: Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Carousel of Progress, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

CONFIRMED: Each individual note pad is the exact same throughout the pad.

As a person who has written on many notepads, it seemed illogical to me that anyone would want a notepad where there were other words on the pad that would make the note YOU would be writing harder to read. So we thought maybe the top sheet of the note pad would have the Disney-themed phrases on it, but underneath be blank ones you could actually use. During the special investigation we discovered this was not the case.

CONFIRMED: These note pads may be the cheapest quality ever created.

After we wrote a note, we discovered the mere act of removing one note from the pad almost ALWAYS damaged the actual note. Notice in the picture below that the “hand” of Peter Pan is already ripped. This tear happened even when removing the top note slowly from the pad.

Also, the “stickiness” of the note pads scored a “9” on our ranking. This was out of a possible score of “1,000.” As you can see, even when pressing the note down firmly on a flat area, it tended to “peel up.”

WHAT THIS MEANS: If you are a possible serial killer trying to leave taunting clues for the police, you may want to also carry a roll of scotch tape so that you note will be seen.

Walt Disney Imagineers are warned not to leave your important notes on these pads, as the words intended effect may be somewhat lost.

Here is what the Pirates of the Caribbean note pad looked like after slowly removing the top note in the picture above.

FINAL RESULTS: Do not buy these notepads.

Okay, it’s time to head out to California and see what Christela McC has found out an Outlet closer to Disneyland.

A large amount of ear headbands also showed up out in Cali, all reduced to $4.99 each. Note the Donald Duck “butt” headbands at the bottom.

Light-up pen with a 1:1 scale model of Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle on top. Originally $12.99, now $4.99. Try imagining yourself trying to write with something that has a giant plastic decoration at the very end of it.

Haunted Mansion travel mug, just like we got in Florida. Same price too, originally $19.99, now $5.99.

Haunted Mansion throw pillow. Originally $34.99, now $9.99.

LOVE the old timey style drawings on this Haunted Mansion purse. Originally $39.99, now $14.99.

Also a big fan of this stained-glass like effect for a Beauty & the Beast iPhone case. Originally $29.99, now $4.99.

Countdown to Christmas calendar. Originally $39.99, now $18.99.

Absolutely adore these Christmas ornaments themed to its a small world. Originally $24.99, now $9.99. Not a big fan at $25, but love it at $10.

I wonder if Disney puts out t-shirts like this to make it impossible to bootleg anything they do. No offense to the original artist, but this looks like I drew Mickey. That’s not a good thing. Originally $39.99, now $10.99.

I do love this cute little suitcase though.

A more professional looking version of that style of shirt, with Mickey walking into DCA. Originally $39.99, now $10.99.

Thanks Christela! Now let’s head back to FLORIDA…

Earlier this year Disney put out a bunch of products and packaged them like food. Below you’ll see a box for “delicious glazed doughtnuts” in what looks like a box  you’d get from Dunkin’ Donuts. However there is actually a t-shirt inside. Originally $29.99, now $7.99.

Here is a similar gimmick with a t-shirt packed into a slice of pizza box. This is so crazy.

Speaking of pizza, how about Mickey Mouse pizza socks? Not sure how they fit, but I bet they taste better than the slices served at Boardwalk Pizza Window. Originally $16.99, now $3.99. Bought some for the kiddos and they loved them.

More SOCKS!

AND EVEN MORE SOCKS!!!

Disney’s Love Comes In Every Color tank.

Big fan of this Loves Comes In Every Color shirt design.

Some Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique merchandise showed up this month. The shirt on the left was reduced to $7.99, while the tutu/shirt combo on right was originally $34.99, now $12.99.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique pink tutu reduced to $7.99.

This is a Princess Jasmine outfit. Originally $99.99, now $39.99. For those who missed it, a couple weeks ago we had a SATURDAY SIX looking at the various Easter Eggs in Disney’s live action Aladdin.

Jasmine shirt and coat combo. Originally $69.99, now $19.99.

This shirt had one of those deals where if you brush the sequins in the middle it gives a different appearance to the shirt. Originally $39.99, now $9.99.

Magic Kingdom shirt for kids, originally $24.99, now $9.99.

Another MK shirt for the younger set. Originally $34.99, now $12.99.

I kinda like the Haunted Mansion shirt on the left (originally $34.99, now $9.99) but the hatbox ghost one on the right is a bit goofy for my taste (originally $24.99, now $9.99).

This Haunted Mansion shirt was originally $24.99, now $9.99.

Very rare piece of merchandise featuring Tramp. Originally $24.99, now $7.99. Speaking of cute pups, did you read the recent SAT 6 on Taking Your Pet with You on a WDW or Universal Vacation? It features Bacini, the official dog of DisTwitter.

Timothy J Mouse shirt, originally $34.99, now $12.99.

Wow, look at this! A Robin Hood and a Figaro the cat shirt! Robin Hood was originally $39.99, now $12.99, while the long sleeved Figaro shirt was originally $44.99, now $12.99.

Baloo the bear shirt was originally $34.99, now $12.99 while the Zazu shirt was originally $24.99, now $7.99. Doesn’t seem like the best bird character Disney has for that type of Millennial phrasing.

Up themed long sleeve shirt, originally $34.99, now $9.99.  For reasons known only to Disney, the “I’m just here” shirt on the right was originally a whopping $39.99, now $9.99.

You’d think the Disney Cruise Line stopped selling shirts with how many arrived at the Outlets. This was like when Disney banned gun toys from the parks and the Outlets were filled with Star Wars blasters, Pirates of the Caribbean pistols, and Buzz Lightyear laser blasters. Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders of the World Famous Disney Cruise Line Blog must have been in heaven.

I was THIS CLOSE to buying a Lightning McQueen car window shade. I just couldn’t picture myself actually taking the time to unfold it and actually put it up in my car. Originally $24.95, now $4.99.

Disney car magnet. Originally $9.99, now $3.99.

Jack Skellington magnet? Reduced to $2.99.

Minnie Mouse pillow. Reduced to $12.99.

Sully and Pua pillow pets. Reduced to $14.99. This may be the new Outlet Report record for appearances by Sully in one month.

Magnet from Pandora: The World of Avatar. WHO IS BUYING THESE FOR FULL PRICE AT THE PARKS?!!! Originally $7.99, now $3.99.

Hat from Pandora and a “famous” hat referring the Unicorn from Inside Out.

Here’s the back of the “Famous” hat.

And speaking of the unicorn, here she is on a patch. Originally $9.99, now $1.99.

The Disney “Patched” logo is made up of one letter from various Disney attractions and “Walt Disney script.” Here’s the breakdown:

Here’s a patch featuring Cinderella Castle. Originally $9.99, now $1.99.

Minnie Mouse bow patch. Originally $9.99, now $1.99.

Mickey Mouse Club themed patch. Originally $9.99, now $1.99.

A four pack of princess themed patches. Originally $19.99, now $4.49.

Four pack of Nightmare Before Christmas themed patches. Originally $19.99, now $4.49.

It’s hard to tell the scale of this patch, but it was HUGE. It was originally $19.99, now $4.49.

Before we go, one last glamour shot from the Outlets, showing an ad for the Food & Wine Festival. This was located in the food court of the Orlando Premium Outlets.

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. For our CALIFORNIA OUTLET trips, @ChristelaMcC goes to the Las Americas outlet in San Diego. It is located right off the last U.S. exit.

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, January 2019, February 2019, March 2019, April 2019, May 2019, June 2019, and July 2019 (SIX YEAR ANNIVERSARY) and August 2019 (major changes come to Outlets.)

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).