New Duffy Merchandise

[Abyssinian28]

Last Wednesday, I was at DtD, so I picked it up Duffy figure from the Arribas Brothers.

It's so SMALL! I knew it would be smallish, but it's almost "wear it around your neck like a charm" small!

I actually like it, though. The rest of the figures were as ugly in person as they were in photos...ut Duffy and Stitch were by far the cutest. He's a little less...strung out looking...in person than he was in photos.

The only two flaws IMO were the size and, if you really study him, the pupils are still obvious. Not sure why they didn't just go with solid black or brown eyes with little points of light in them, instead of two round circles inside of each other.

But he's cute and shiny I'm actually pretty happy with him. He's on display, so you can study him before deciding.

[updebrooke]

I just got back from Animal Kingdom at WDW and I got the Duffy Mouseketter outfit. It's pretty cute, but I don't like how it says Walt Disney World on it.

---------- Post added 02-04-2012 at 03:05 PM ----------

I just got back from Animal Kingdom at WDW and I got the Duffy Mouseketter outfit. It's pretty cute, but I don't like how it says Walt Disney World on it.

[aimster]

Yeah I don't get why the Mouseketeer costumes say "Disneyland" and "Walt Disney World" on them. Looks stupid and pointless. Kind of kills the authentic "retro" look. I'll be picking mine up when I'm at WDW in a couple weeks. Yay!

[Eeee-va]

Abyssinian28, glad the figure looks better in person! I think if I got one I'd probably paint the eyes.

I haven't seen pictures of the Mouseketeer outfit.... Since the original Mickey Mouse Club and Disneyland substantially coexisted (they even had a Mickey Mouse Club theater in Disneyland in the early days), I don't mind the idea of the outfit saying Disneyland. But I haven't seen the execution. (Also, I am rather biased in favor of Disneyland. )

Not sure why a version would say WDW, though I can see why they wouldn't want to sell something branded "Disneyland" in WDW...

[Diznygrl]

Maybe they're trying to compete with the similar BaB one you can get at DL's DtD. Theirs doesn't have the Mickey Mouse Club logo, but it does have Disneyland written on it. I agree that if they want to make it a true MMC shirt, they should not put the resort name on there, it kind of messes with the authenticity.

If Disney wanted to write the name of the resort on the shirt, they should have went with a more park-oriented graphic and not the MMC one. Or maybe even something like the old BaB one, which kind of gives you the best of both worlds. http://albums.mouseplanet.com/DLDown...mickeybear.jpg

[aimster]

So on today's Disney Blog, they showed the new merchandise for St. Patty's Day and of course they show the same 12" pre-dressed Duffy as last year. The blog says they are "reintroducing last year's 12" Duffy" and that the Duffy team is considering a costume next year for the 17" bear.

Why didn't they do a costume THIS year instead of churn out more of the 12" bear that obviously didn't sell well? They KNOW people are asking for more costumes for the 17" bear.

I'm glad I bought costumes at BAB for St. Patty's Day. Regardless what Disney puts out next year, I'm betting BAB's bersion will be cuter and better quality.

[updebrooke]

I found out about the vinylmation. They are coming out with 2 different vinyls of Duffy. They are coming out this fall, probably October! They are supposed to be really cute!

[Eeee-va]

Why didn't they do a costume THIS year instead of churn out more of the 12" bear that obviously didn't sell well? They KNOW people are asking for more costumes for the 17" bear.

I am not a fan of those seasonal pre-dressed bears (I like the 12" bears but hate that you have to buy a bear to get the outfit).

Though I'm happy they anticipate Duffy will still be in the US in 2013.

[aimster]

Today's DisneyParks blog features the Jedi Training Academy costume that's coming out for Star Wars Weekends:

The Softer Side of the Force at Disney Parks « Disney Parks Blog

The cool thing is they say the lightsaber actually lights up!

They also state the costume (and the other plush items mentioned) will not be available on the parks section of Disney Store online. So the only way to get it is to go to the parks or call WDW Merchandising to order.

[bebs]

the Jedi Training Academy costume is out in DLR and DCA for those that go to the resort within so. cali. The costume is so cute however the only down side is that with the lightsaber that you can't change the batteries once they die (it says so on the lightsaber its self)

[aimster]

It's like that on the hat for the sorcerer costume too.

I'll be in Orlando again in a couple weeks, so I'll check to see if the Jedi costume is at WDW as well then.

[Ursulalvr]

-_-

[DuffyDaisuki]

…the only down side is that with the lightsaber that you can't change the batteries once they die (it says so on the lightsaber its self)

Even though BAB has already released a more authentic version of this, I was stoked about the light-up feature, and I had already been impressed by it on the sorcerer hat. After reading that batteries can't be replaced, though, I'm completely deflated. Especially with America's "just for kids" take on Duffy, it's a real shame that they didn't make the extra effort to design a solution. Who wants to buy something like this for a child on a family vacation, that will light up for bright park memories for a time, and then just not work anymore? Especially for a kid who lives far away on her or his first park visit, how sad that their keepsake won't be able to keep its light forever. I'm sure crafty parents can fix this with a little careful cutting and stitching, and probably a little Velcro, but I really don't think they should have to.

[aimster]

I agree. Even the light up Mickey earhats that come with the Disneyland shirts from the BAB at DTD in Anaheim are made so you can replace the battery. There's even a tag that tells you what size battery it takes!

[Eeee-va]

I wish the batteries were replaceable too. Given Disney's attitude of cutting corners, it's easy to suspect they're just being cheap. But I wouldn't be surprised if a part of this is also caused by CPSIA and other child safety laws.

Inaccessible parts (any children's product): lead limits do not apply to parts that are not physically accessible to a child; component must be covered by sealed covering or casing (paint, coatings and electroplating are insufficient)

Part must remain physically inaccessible to the child during reasonable use and abuse (includes swallowing and breaking but not intentional disassembly by an older child)...

...lead content limits do not apply to removable or replaceable components (such as battery packs and light bulbs) if they are inaccessible when installed in the product

(from Summary of CPSIA implementation timeline by RSJ Technical Consulting)

So the batteries and probably even wires could be (or could be considered) hazardous. I'm guessing the batteries used in these items are also of a size that could easily be swallowed. It's harder (not impossible, but harder) to install a battery that can be easily replaced by the parent but can't possibly ever be accessed by a child--you'd have to put the battery in a plastic casing, probably with screws. And if the battery is too small, then it's possible a child could access it, break it off the wires, and then swallow it.

Disney's attorneys might have had a say in the whole thing. I just can't think of any good way to ensure that a small battery inside a plush couldn't possibly be removed and swallowed by a child, short of putting it in a large casing (large enough to make a good portion of the light saber hard instead of squishy), or else just sewing it inside so it can't be accessed.

Even if they didn't have to worry about the battery, I'm honestly not so sure how they'd manage a replaceable battery in the plushie light saber--I think Velcro would hurt the profile. Plastic zipper? (Metal zipper may be a hazard under CPSIA.) In a perfect world, Disney would come up with an elegant solution for the problem, but I can't think of any myself.

If I had the light saber and wanted to replace the battery, I'd probably just replace it and sew it back together again. The hat might have more flexibility since it has a whole inside you can't see when Duffy is wearing it.