Duffy Fever!!

[FI183]

Damn it I really want to see this video but nothing shows up besides the description!

[FI183]

OMG I totally regret saying that I even wanted to see this! That was just BAD Duffy and Shellie ran away crying in horror! Dear God those people are annoying! Please someone, shoot them! Worst actors EVER!

[The Forbidden Eye]

OMG I totally regret saying that I even wanted to see this! That was just BAD Duffy and Shellie ran away crying in horror! Dear God those people are annoying! Please someone, shoot them! Worst actors EVER!

Somewhere in Japan, many Duffy fans are facepalming and rolling over if they were able to see this video.

[DuffyDaisuki]

Can't see it. Would like assistance.

Although, in line with the "Duffy Fever" title of this thread, there's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. The Duffy fever in Japan doesn't remind me of anything Disney has ever done before; it makes me think more of what it might have been like when the first teddy bears were booming at the dawn of the 20th Century:

Teddy Bear & Friends LINK
By 1906, the teddy bear craze was in full swing in the United States...Society ladies carried their teddies everywhere, and children had their pictures taken with their teddy bears. President Roosevelt, after using a bear as a mascot in his re-election bid, was serving his second term. Seymour Eaton, an educator and a newspaper columnist, was writing a series of children's books about the adventures of The Roosevelt Bears, and another American, composer J.K. Bratton, wrote "The Teddy Bear Two Step." That song would become, with the addition of words, "The Teddy Bear's Picnic."

I see Duffy and Shellie May everyday on the trains, and still it doesn't get old. The charm doesn't fade. I really think Duffy's teddy pedigree is as or more important than his Disney branding. By distilling the purest essence of each and bonding both in high quality production and heart, Duffy is transmuted almost alchemically from a base marketing ploy failure into the quintessential symbol of innocent imagination. It is the perfect potion!

But that quality/heart element is so important; I wonder if it's even possible to manifest something similar outside of Japan. For those who are expecting Duffy Post Care Packages soon, you will completely understand this. For folks who have TDS costumes, we already know. Duffy's magic and Duffy's quality are deeply linked. I think it's imppossible to raise one without the other. Check out the photos from Sweet Duffy 2011 on my blog update. Is there anything with that much quality and detail happening in the US? It's true that OLC has expanded as Duffy grew, though... Maybe it's coming in the future? How are sales? Is he a success? Will there be a second wave of costumes? Do you think we'll still be talking about Duffy in 10 years? In 20?

You probably really can't imagine what it's like here if you haven't visited Tokyo recently. It's surreal. Outside of the parks, even in the financial district and even in the suburbs, I see these bears every single day. They are transcendent among both Disney characters and other teddy bears. Duffy is really some kind of miracle!^^