Welcome to the latest edition of The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! the longest running monthly look at the Disney Outlet Stores in Orlando. Outlet Intern Julia Mascardo (when she’s not training for the Olympics) and I found a whole bunch of neat items this month including a $300 Food & Wine bag, the highly anticipated 2018 attraction poster calendar, and some stackable Star Wars meal sets you gotta see to believe.

Ready to see what we else we found? Alright, let’s go!

January means one thing at the Disney Outlet Stores, CHRISTMAS CLEARANCE. First up is the Countdown to Christmas Calendar. This advent calendar has 25 pieces of chocolate candy and our family makes a tradition of getting them for the kids every year before December. We buy them at the original $12.99 price, but at the Outlets they were only $1.99 each.

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Light up Mickey ears headband with a “retro bulb” design were all reduced to $4.99.

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These Christmas Tree cookie containers were filled with shortbread cookies and actually worked like a music box in that they would spin while music played. Look how cute some of those characters are: Robin Hood. Flower. Meeko. Just a fantastic design. I wanted to get some for Christmas presents when I saw them at the World of Disney store last year, but the original price of $35.99 was a bit steep. I liked the reduced price of $12.99, but all of the trees had dents in them so, so didn’t end up buying any.

A three pack of Christmas Cocoa. Absolutely love the art on all three of them. Originally $12.99, now $5.99.

More Magic Kingdom 45th Anniversary merchandise made it this month, including this glass Christmas ornament. Originally $16.99, it was reduced to $4.99 and I bet a lot of them ended up broken when people opened up their suitcase upon returning home from vacation.

A Christmas ornament for the Happily Ever After nighttime spectacular. I believe these were released when the show made its debut at the Magic Kingdom last summer and are one of the few pieces of HEA merch to make it to the Outlets. Originally $14.99, these were reduced to $3.99.

Hard to believe Disney goes through with the effort of making a Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party antenna topper, but here we are. Reduced to $1.99 each.

I usually end up buying all these special Star Wars action figures once they go to the Outlets, no matter how goofy they start to get. This one features an R2-D2 like droid with gold, green, and white coloring. The droid has an arm extending from its head that is holding a piece of mistletoe with a red bow. Often time these Droid characters have “cute” names, like last year’s R2-B00 for Halloween, but “H17” probably just stand for Holiday 2017. Originally $12.99, now $8.99.

This Disney Holiday Dress seemed to very popular when it made its debut at the Dress Shop at the Marketplace Co-op in Disney Springs last year. It was deeply discounted here at the Outlets.

Here’s the actual dress.

Incredible Clarabelle Cow shirt. Originally $29.99, reduced to just $3.99.

At the gift shop at the American Adventure last year in EPCOT a whole bunch of “state” shirts showed up featuring Disney characters. Not all 50 states were being sold at the store, but a lot of them were and many ended up coming to the Outlet this month including Virginia, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Massachusetts among them. Originally $29.99, this were reduced to $8.99 and I’m still waiting for my New Hampshire shirt Disney…..

Jasmine shirt. Originally $27.99, now $9.99.

Some Marvel t-shirts showed up this month. Possibly from the Superhero store at Disney Springs. Iron Man shirt on the left was originally $24.99, reduced to $9.99 while the Hawkeye shirt on the right was originally $39.95, now $14.99. $39.95 for THAT shirt. Can you imagine? (And that’s coming from a HUGE fan of Hawkeye!)

Incredible Hulk shirt featuring artwork by – I believe – John Buscema. A long-time artist on the Hulk comic, Buscema is just one of the comic creators that is referenced in the queue for the Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal). Shirt was originally $24.99, now $9.99.

Trying to imagine which possible timeline or episode of Black Mirror we would be living in where a person could justify spending the original price of $39.95 for this shirt featuring Loki. It has been reduced to $14.99.

Hatbox Ghost t-shirt from what looks like the 28 and Main line of shirts. Originally $29.99, now $9.99. The Hatbox Ghost was the ORIGINAL animatronic at Disney in which the head came off the body, and certainly has a case of gimmick infringement on Little Mermaid’s Ursula and Pirate’s Auctioneer this week.

Master Gracey “tombstone” t-shirt. Originally $34.99, now $14.99.

Cute it’s a small world shirt for kids. Originally $21.99, now $9.99.

I liked this monorail shirt too, but it kinda looks like that door is open at the front… (reduced to $9.99.)

Turns out, those Marvel shirts above were the “cheap” t-shirts as this 2017 Food & Wine offering was originally $49.99. It was reduced to $8.99. Maybe they pulled these out at like 9PM when you have a higher percentage of drunk inebriated World Showcase guests feeling wonderful.

Not to be outdone, here is a Food & Wine bag that was originally $308 and has been reduced to just-about-giving-them-away price of $149.99.

Yes, you may decide to place your food on top of a garbage can at Food & Wine, but you could have also bought a pack of these placements to make the meal feel a bit more classy. Originally $9.99, these were reduced to $1.99.

Food and Wine Festival buttons.

A Food & Wine branded wine bag. Originally $16.99, now just $1.99. I’m starting to get the feeling Disney thinks Food & Wine guests have way too much money on their hands.

Here are some Food & Wine shirts. Originally $29.99 each, now $8.99.

Like I wasn’t going to buy this. C’mon now, you know me better than that.

Buying a Figment Chef Hat is, of course, a ridiculous thing, so I only got one.

Haunted Mansion fidget spinners are still $5.00, but the other Disney-related character ones are down to $3.99. The bottom fell out of the Disney fidget spinner market faster than you can spin one.

Here we go. This is an annual tradition for Florida theme park bloggers as, for reasons known only to the Disney Outlet Store, they offer the annual Disney Attraction Poster Calendars at a discounted price while they are still being sold for full price at places like the World of Disney. This is the best calendar Disney puts out every single year and is a must buy.

Here is the front of the calendar.

And here is the back featuring posters for things from Disney parks across the globe including: Journey to the Center of the Earth, the Sky Way, Adventure Thru Inner Space, and the Country Bears Jingle Bell Jamboree. It’s awesome. You’ll also see a bag of Chip & Dale pretzels I got at the Outlet. These are not discounted and cost more than a bag of Rold Gold pretzels approximately 20 times the size.

Here is the regular 2018 Disney calendar. Meh.

The Sorcerer Mickey 2017 antenna topper.

2017 Disney Bus toy. I would buy a Disney Bus Driver action figure at any price. Especially if you pulled a string and he would just spout nonsense rumors.

I haven’t seen one of these pens that have the multiple colors in a long time. I used to love them as a kid. They were reduced to $2.99.

2017 Mickey tote.

Several new Tsum Tsums this month including Doc Hudson from Cars. All were reduced to 99 cents.

From the Star Wars prequels here are annoying Anakin Skywalker, Count Dooku, and Mace Windu.

Here are four more Star Wars characters, all of whom I had to Google just to find out who they were.  Silver one on left is “2-1B,” which apparently is a surgical droid like the one who was helping treat Luke Skywalker on Hoth after the Wampa attack. The white droid next to it is “K-3PO” who was apparently in Empire Strikes Back as well. The blue one is “Aayla Secura”  and the last is  “Plo Kloon,” both of whom are jedi that were in Revenge of the Sith. I need a documentary on the guy who comes up with all these Star Wars character names. The story he must be able to tell.

Read an interesting article on Star Wars toys having a major drop in sales over the last year, starting with Rogue One. One of the issues people seem to have is overall quality control. This character featuring “sergeant” Jyn (despite her never being a sergeant in the movie) was originally $24.99 and part of a more high-end action figure line. Unfortunately the sculpt of the face doesn’t exactly nail what the character looks like, something you definitely have to have at that price point. Figure was reduced to $6.99 at the Outlet.

These Star Wars Stacking Meal Sets were so bonkers I almost bought one just to eat out of. Here are Yoda and Darth Vader. Originally $16.99, they were reduced to $6.99.

And here are BB-8 and a Storm Trooper. Forget the documentary on the guy who comes up with Star Wars character names, I want a documentary on all the merchandise that was so ridiculous or off-brand that Star Wars said “we can’t do this”.

Speaking of things that should have been on the afore-mentioned documentary but instead are here for sale, check out this STAR WARS SNOWFLAKE PIN SET. Originally $29.99, now $14.99. When I was growing up, to establish someone was crazy in a movie like Se7en the police would discover notebooks filled with crazy notes and drawings. If I were to create a thriller and wanted to get over my killer was next level insane, I would just have him wearing pins like this in everyday life. The audience would be in right away, “Yes, we get it, this guy is crazy. That girl needs to RUN!” They can start engraving my Oscar for Best Original Screenplay right now.

We’re not even halfway through all the crazy bags this month, but here’s a Star Wars one that was originally $64.95, reduced to $19.99.  This is what we would call “busy.”

This is a shirt that is like if Boba Fett ran his own gas station I guess. Originally $59.95, which is a perfectly sane price, and reduced to $19.99.

Storm Trooper backpack. Originally $34.99, now $14.99.

Let’s get into some Disney Cruise Line merch! First up is this photo frame. Now most people shooting on their phone will shoot a photo in “portrait” while cameras usually deliver a “landscape” shot, but this is for those people who use a Polaroid from 1984 that gives a square photo. Originally  $24.99, now $7.99, and I will get one for my friend Captain Cruiseline if he builds me one of the new Metal Earth WDW Main Entrance Sign things (if you click on the link you’ll see some horrid Mickey and Minnie Metal Earth designs that will probably be at the Outlet in a couple months, but that Main Entrance Sign is what the kids call “lit af.”)

DCL photo magnet. Originally $9.99, now $2.99.

This Disney Magic magnet may be one of the worst pictures I have ever taken at the Outlet. You have my full apologies. It has been reduced to $4.99.

Black and white Avengers coffee cup. Can’t imagine there being a large audience for this particular style. Originally $14.95, now $4.99.

Nice Magic Kingdom 45th Anniversary cup. Originally $14.99, now $4.99.

How about that handle on this Thor: Ragnarok cup? How GREAT was that movie? And how exciting is it that the upcoming Black Panther is getting even better reviews?! As a comic book fan who had to watch a movie in which Batman pulled out a Bat Credit Card, you can’t imagine what this superhero film renaissance is like. It’s like the “Disney Decade” for Marvel fanboys like myself. This cup was originally $15.99, now $5.99.

Rogue One coffee cup featuring the heroes and villains. Originally $14.99, now $5.99.

As stunning as the actual Grand Californian hotel is, this coffee cup doesn’t really do it justice. Originally $13.99, now $5.99.

Is it me or does this look like someone found a bunch of coffee cups from 1992? I guess it’s playing off the cheap postcards you can buy in Orlando stores when you don’t want to buy the expensive stuff in the Disney gift shops. Originally $14.99, now $5.99.

Pro: There is Mark Davis artwork on this Pirates of the Caribbean coffee cup. Con: Everything else about it. Originally $15.99, now $5.99.

For those wondering, the DCA “YOU ARE HERE” Starbucks cups have seemed to actually multiplied over the last couple months.

Kids need to stay hydrated too. This Guardians of the Galaxy cup was originally $9.99, now $2.99.

What can you even say to this?

This Spider-Man Homecoming Pop of Peter Parker means the whole set has arrived at the Outlet outside of Tony Stark. Originally $14.99, now $9.99.

Price was great on this plate from World Showcase. Originally $2.99, now just 99 cents.

A runDisney sneaker ornament. Reduced to $6.99.

A runDisney Mickey Ears hat for kids. Originally $14.99, now $3.99.

Not sure I have ever seen a logo like this on a Disney hat. First the NBA getting ads and now this. Odds that the Mickey Ears for the upcoming Toy Story Land will be presented by Mini Babybel cheese? Maybe one day Mickey Ears can look like NASCAR driver outfits plastered with presented by sponsors. (THAT ONE’S FOR FREE, CHAPEK. YOU’LL HAVE THE BUY THE REST OF MY IDEAS AT FULL PRICE!)

Grand Floridian hat. Reduced to $4.99.

There’s a lot of pictures of Princess Tiana on this bag. Originally $228, reduced to just $99.99.

This is a purse featuring Chip from Beauty & The Beast. Originally $58.00, it was reduced to $28.99. I’m torn on this one. On one hand it is kind of cute, and on the other hand it’s kind of crazy.

Bag had this red rose attached it, so it swings the vote over to “cool” in my book. Burgan Approved.

Any idea of what this is all about or where on property it came from? A whole bunch of items with the saying “I klink therefore I am.”

These Eco-Explorer kits were slashed again down to $1.99. They were originally $16.99. Yikes.

This set of toys featuring characters from the new Tangled cartoon is great. Originally $29.99, now $12.99.

Simba emoji plush arrived this month. Reduced to $3.99.

Okay, this was a Frozen plush featuring one of the Trolls that could turn itself into a rock. Not a bad gimmick at all. Being the expert Outlet photographer I am, you can see I tried to show the three stages of the plush. I’m holding the rock version. On the right is the Troll coming “out” of the rock, and on the left is the Troll plush. Tell your friends and neighbors, the DISNEY OUTLET PHOTO REPORT is a StoryBlog.

This Mickey Mouse plush – which has arms and legs you can stretch – is so insane I had to get one. Originally $19.95, now $9.99. I would have loved to be in the pitch meeting for this.

EXEC 1: “What if we made a Mickey Mouse plush where you pull an arm and the opposite leg shrivels up. Then if you pull the leg the other arm shrivels up.”

EXEC 2: “Why?

EXEC 1: “Why not?”

EXEC 2: “Great point. Call China. Make a million of them.”

This Bambi plush was too cute not to get. Reduced to $3.99. Love this “anime” big-eye style and hope the Simba and Nala plush that are similar make it to the Outlets one day.

As the lead artist behind Burgan Fine Art, there are times that I think I have a good chance one day of making actual Disney art. The two prints below were reduced to $19.99 each.

Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2 print. Also $19.99.

Drawing of the Japan Pavilion. Originally $35.00, now $13.99. They usually have similar versions of this type of art at many Disney hotels such as Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Caribbean Beach. I can understand why guests would wan to collect them. A very pleasant style.

Some luggage arrived this month. Princess bag on the right was originally $44.99, now $19.99. The bag on the left was originally $159, now $150.99. A really weird discount.

Lots of Vera Bradley stuff behind the counter this month.

Including this Vera Bradley iPhone case featuring the Cheshire Cat. Originally $50, now $14.99.

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).

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 and December 2017.

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.

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).