New Duffy Merchandise

[DuffyGuardian]

^ I agree with you. I like to see everyday clothing too. I think OLC does a great job at mixing it up. I wonder if WDI doesn't because they feel their guest won't buy that or it's to close to BaB. BaB Disney inspired tshirts have been lacking in the last yr or so. In 2009 they had great tshirts with Disney on them and there was a new one every few months. Currently my Duffy is eating a BaB tshirt that says best friends on it with Pluto.

[Eeee-va]

I can definitely see why people want more casual Duffy wear! I'm afraid my bears love costumes because if I would love to wear a costume every day.

But Disney casual outfits would be great!

[gurgi]

This is merely my personal opinion, but I kind if wish they would start doing more everyday clothes (with a Disney twist, of course) instead of just Halloween type costumes. But that's just me...I suppose my opinion really shouldn't count for much since I don't even own a 17" bear, hehe. But I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.

That being said, the Hatter and Pan costumes look to be an improvement over what they've been offering lately. As a Tinker Bell fan, I love the little pixie dust pouch accessory.

I totally agree with you! Have you noticed that OLC has never produced a Disney character costume for Duffy? The closest they came were the Cast Member costumes from the 25th, but that's a bit different. They've basically created "everyday" clothes for the bears, although they are romanticized versions of things. Still, I love that about what they release in Japan.

---------- Post added 06-11-2012 at 09:38 AM ----------

^ I agree with you. I like to see everyday clothing too. I think OLC does a great job at mixing it up. I wonder if WDI doesn't because they feel their guest won't buy that or it's to close to BaB. BaB Disney inspired tshirts have been lacking in the last yr or so. In 2009 they had great tshirts with Disney on them and there was a new one every few months. Currently my Duffy is eating a BaB tshirt that says best friends on it with Pluto.

Well, I agree with you too. The thing is that if they are afraid to copy the BAB regular clothes, they obviously have no problem copying the BAB Disney character costumes. So far, they've recreated a few that BAB already makes.

I just have no clue where Disney plans to take Duffy in the future. The plans are haphazard and I don't see any real vision, other than occasional costumes. I can only wish for the attention to detail, story, and quality that OLC gives Duffy. I know it's like beating a dead horse to compare what the two teams do, but it's hard not to when they are both working with the same character.

[aimster]

I guess I'm in the minority then because I like the costumes. I'll bet you dollars to donuts though the Peter Pan one will probably be another "onesie" like many of the other US costumes. I don't care for that. I like separates I can mix & match. I'll reserve my final opinion until I see these costumes in person, but for now, just from the photos, I like them. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[messica]

The California Adventure Duffy has been released at Treasures in Paradise store. I could not find him anywhere else in the park which really surprised me. He is really cutein person though from where they put the alarm tag in his ear it makes his poor straw hat look deformed. I love him and welcome him to my little Duffy family.

[DCfan92]

I guess I'm in the minority then because I like the costumes. I'll bet you dollars to donuts though the Peter Pan one will probably be another "onesie" like many of the other US costumes. I don't care for that. I like separates I can mix & match. I'll reserve my final opinion until I see these costumes in person, but for now, just from the photos, I like them. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Aimsterby any chance do you know if the TDS costumes are mix and match or are they "onesie" type? Do you know why Disney decided to make it a "onesie" type cause i personally don't like that ,

[DuffyDaisuki]

DCfan92, Duffy's "pants" and "top" are one piece. It's actually listed as "overalls," not a top and pants. Shellie's dress is also one piece, rather than a dress and a shirt. The collars and hat are swappable, though. A cool thing about this is that you could have Shellie in just the dress and add Duffy's blue hat (especially if you have the 2010 set, too) and have a great blue sailor outfit for her.^^

And just to keep on topic, I do wish the US costumes were made in separate pieces. That would be a significant improvement in my book.

Messica, won't the hat be all right once you buy it and remove the tag?

[Eeee-va]

I did NOT expect to see Duffy at 30,000 feet.



Just one page for Disney stuff, and Duffy's right there. I guess they want Duffy to take off so badly, they will spare no expense with the advertising. Of course, if they'd spare no expense with the MERCHANDISE they'd probably be more successful...still, kind of funny to see. (It would've been better if he'd had clothes but there is just half a page of Disney merchandise, so I don't think they could have shown them.)

EDIT: So the buttons on the DCA Duffy are EMBROIDERED????? Darn you, CPSIA. The one on eBay's feet look smaller than my 2011 Duffy's, but I assume that's just an illusion? (I still kind of want him because I love DCA and the picture looks SO CUTE, but I need to not spend the money. IF he's still there when I visit DL again, though, I'll probably succumb.)

[Sue Kruse]

These are photos I shot this afternoon of the new DCA Duffy ($30). The bottom right photo is of the Duffys in the display. The other three photos are close-ups of the Duffy I bought. He's cute but the quality of the costume is, to me anyway, horrid. It's made out of cheap-looking polyester fabric, a really cheap, flimsy, straw hat that maybe left the factory tacked to the back of Duffy's head but has come loose (glad sewing is a skill I possess so I can fix this), the DCA ribbon band on the hat, up close, looks like a cheap iron on, no buttons on the shirt — just sad little embroidered buttons (again, something I will fix).

I think this is probably the last pre-dressed Duffy I will buy unless they come up with something that really wows me (which I don't envision they will do). The bear himself, is truly cute and I like him, but I can't really support the "only sell new costumes on 12" pre-dressed Duffys" mentality of the American Disney team and also, once you have an actual Tokyo Disney Sea Duffy costume in your hands and see how amazing they are, in comparison the American Disney merchandise looks like complete junk.

I almost put this Duffy back on the shelf but once I had him in my hands I kind of thought of Toy Story and imagined he was happy he was going to be coming home with me and then I couldn't put him back and disappoint him. Next time ... I won't pick up a Duffy. They'll all just have to look at me and hope.

[DuffyDaisuki]

…no buttons on the shirt — just sad little embroidered buttons (again, something I will fix).

I just cannot understand this decision at all. If it's about "safety regulations," why can BAB do it? Surely their target is not older than Disney's with Duffy??? If it's about profit margin, surely the significant perceived increase in evaluation of the brand is worth the certainly minuscule increase in production cost… I just really don't get it.

I think this is probably the last pre-dressed Duffy I will buy…once you have an actual Tokyo Disney Sea Duffy costume in your hands and see how amazing they are, in comparison the American Disney merchandise looks like complete junk.

And this is precisely the reason for the Duffy Post, that folks outside Japan understand that authentic Duffy is not "junk," but truly a treasure worthy of his hallmarks and Disney legacy. Shamefully, real Duffy put out by the Oriental Land Company as a licensee consistently seems more deserving of the admiration and filled with the heart associated with the Disney brand than anything the Walt Disney Company is doing.

I almost put this Duffy back on the shelf but once I had him in my hands I kind of thought of Toy Story and imagined he was happy he was going to be coming home with me and then I couldn't put him back and disappoint him. Next time ... I won't pick up a Duffy. They'll all just have to look at me and hope.

I feel sorry for those poor bears, too, but I also sorta feel like they're "legitimized counterfeits." The button thing is just unforgivable, especially considering the epic scale of the overall DCA/Carsland campaign.

That airplane flyer doesn't convince me that anybody wants Duffy to "succeed," just that they want to sell more crap.

---------- Post added 06-24-2012 at 03:26 PM ----------

I just realized something. I suppose BAB's relationship with Disney is also as licensee. I'm not saying it's meaningful, but both of the companies that pay Disney for character "rights" (Duffy belongs to OLC as far as I'm concerned) consistently do a better job with production, marketing and brand maintenance. Maybe WDC should outsource their entire operations and just collect licensing fees and royalties?

[Eeee-va]

Even BAB doesn't use buttons liberally, probably because of CPSIA (thread/fabric/ribbon doesn't need lead/pthalate tested like hard things like buttons) as well as other child safety laws about choking, etc. Of course, they use them when needed (I saw them in a lot of shorts) and they obviously understand it's better not to have buttons at all than to "embroider" them.

I just don't know how the buttons happened...if the designer wanted buttons and someone else vetoed, or if the designer actually planned the embroidered buttons. If I'd designed it and they said they had to embroider the buttons instead of using real buttons, I would've just said save the 5 cents and leave off the fake buttons entirely. I think it would've looked nicer without them, and enterprising folks could add several smaller buttons instead of 3 giant ones.

Sue, at least your Duffy is cute and photographs well! Can't believe even the fabric is cheap. Well, I can believe it, but ugh. They were working so hard on DCA...

DuffyD, I really like the idea of Disney licensing at least their soft-goods merchandise to third parties! They reportedly made some nice things in-house for DCA...but even when they made nice items, they grossly miscalculated the huge demand. It's hard to imagine that a good licensee couldn't do a better job. Certainly BAB would do great things with Duffy.

[DuffyDaisuki]

Even BAB doesn't use buttons liberally, probably because of CPSIA (thread/fabric/ribbon doesn't need lead/pthalate tested like hard things like buttons) as well as other child safety laws about choking, etc. Of course, they use them when needed (I saw them in a lot of shorts) and they obviously understand it's better not to have buttons at all than to "embroider" them.

Maybe it's just my taste, but a lot of my BAB stuff has buttons, snaps, zippers, shoelaces… Or,as you said, they design a solution that doesn't need it. They don't embroider them, making it harder to even fix it yourself.

DuffyD, I really like the idea of Disney licensing at least their soft-goods merchandise to third parties! They reportedly made some nice things in-house for DCA...but even when they made nice items, they grossly miscalculated the huge demand. It's hard to imagine that a good licensee couldn't do a better job. Certainly BAB would do great things with Duffy.

That would be awesome! I would have been against the destruction of exclusivity such a move presents a year ago. Since Disney has already made it possible to get Duffy without even leaving your house, though…

[aimster]

I just don't know how the buttons happened...if the designer wanted buttons and someone else vetoed, or if the designer actually planned the embroidered buttons. If I'd designed it and they said they had to embroider the buttons instead of using real buttons, I would've just said save the 5 cents and leave off the fake buttons entirely. I think it would've looked nicer without them, and enterprising folks could add several smaller buttons instead of 3 giant ones.

As I've mentioned before, I'm friends with Monty Maldovan, Duffy's main designer here in the States. And he once told me a lot of his designs don't end up as how he originally envisions them. It all boils down to the legal team because we know how sue-happy Americans are. So many will buy toys not intended for the age their child is and then will sue if the kid gets hurt or whatever, even though there are warnings on said toy it's only intended for certain ages. People don't read. So just slapping a "choking hazard" tag on would probably do no good and it would just be ignored. It's a no-win situation and it sucks.

FYI, the Duffy Vinylmations are being released June 29 and Monty will be at Disneyland that day signing them. If anyone is going to be there that day, definitely go out and see him. He truly loves Duffy and gets as frustrated as we do over how his costume designs end up. Go say hi and offer some words of encouragement.

[Sue Kruse]

I sat three of my Duffys down for a side by side comparison —



Disneyland Paris' 20th anniversary Duffy on the left has stitched-on buttons, but somehow I don't mind, as the quality of his costume is very nice. It's fashioned from nice fabric and any logo on his costume is done as a patch that is stitched on, rather than a cheap iron-on thing. His hat is really nice & if I snipped the threads holding it on his head, I could take it off and it's a well-done fully-fleshed out baseball cap.

Spring Voyage Duffy is truly amazing and worth every penny he cost. No short cuts or cheap fabric here. His hat is a straw hat that is not some cheapo woven straw cut with raw edges, but a real bear-sized stitched straw hat with a nice gros grain ribbon hat band with an embroidered D — very nice, you can tell they aren't just trying to make a buck (or yen, in this case) off of the bear, that they truly care about him.

Then we get to DCA Duffy. He's a cute bear. I really like his face and think his fur is nice too — it doesn't seem to be "waffly" like most of the Duffys are now. But his costume — ugh! As I said in my other post, it's poor quality. Especially the hat, which is made from a very cheap woven straw that has just been cut into shape & cut to accommodate Duffy's ears rather than shaped to actually fit him like the Spring Voyage hat fits Tokyo Duffy and the baseball cap fits Paris Duffy.

All that said, I don't feel like American Duffys are legitimized counterfeits as Duffy D does. I think they're the real deal and should be welcomed and loved. It made me very happy to see lots of people of all ages (even a couple of guys with Duffys dressed in Cars costumes) carrying Duffy around at DCA on Saturday. I've never seen that many people carry Duffy around at the Disneyland Resort before and that just put a big old smile on my face. Instead, I kind of think of the American Duffy as a poor cousin who isn't being treated very well by his parent and it's up to us to adopt him and do right by him.

[DuffyDaisuki]

All that said, I don't feel like American Duffys are legitimized counterfeits as Duffy D does. I think they're the real deal and should be welcomed and loved. It made me very happy to see lots of people of all ages (even a couple of guys with Duffys dressed in Cars costumes) carrying Duffy around at DCA on Saturday. I've never seen that many people carry Duffy around at the Disneyland Resort before and that just put a big old smile on my face. Instead, I kind of think of the American Duffy as a poor cousin who isn't being treated very well by his parent and it's up to us to adopt him and do right by him.

I know I can come off kinda harsh sometimes, but I love Duffy. It really breaks my heart and infuriates me to think that so many people around the world will think they understand what Duffy is all about from the US releases and dismiss him as a cheap attempt to cash in. That's not Duffy! And before the US releases, such a thought wasn't even imaginable. It was simply and clearly apparent that love was at the center of everything Duffy, every step of the way. There was no question because there was nothing to question. The US is eroding that understanding that lies at the heart of Duffy as a character. Part of the character's innocence and sincerity is directly related to this unspoken contract that works as a bond between creator and audience. It is something I thought Disney had forgotten and the Disney brand was no longer capable of, until I met Duffy.

Of course I want everyone to love him, too, and it always makes me happy to see him, especially by chance outside the parks. But if the American approach becomes legitimized, the brand and the character's essence are fundamentally cheapened. Duffy is unique in that his merchandise in a very real way defines the character. I don't mean to insult collectors outside Japan, but when the quality standard is not upheld, you get a teddy bear that is simply about "fluffy fun." Isn't every teddy bear about that? I strongly feel that extreme quality and sincerely heartfelt park-integration in marketing strategy are what gave Duffy a home here and created his booming success. Duffy is much more than just cute and fun, or perhaps, through creative and technical quality, he takes cute and fun to magical depths and heights. The quality thing is important. "Cheap Duffy" is like "cheap Ferrari;" brands have to be protected and consistent or they are meaningless. And the "Duffy brand" is an essential element to Duffy as a character.

Without that standard, we insult the labor of the unsung Japanese artists and designers who worked so hard to conceive Duffy and create all the mythos and mystique that surrounds him today. You know, the uncredited labor of love they all devoted to birthing and growing this character before Monty Maldovan watered down both their story and design concepts and started signing everything. I think of all the people who will never see the TDS Storybook or the TDS Pumpkin costumes, just Maldovan's dumbed down "inspired by" imitations…I think of it and I just feel terrible. The problem with accepting what the US is doing is that it makes Duffy less. I can't find it in my heart to celebrate or even condone that. It would be better not to know him at all – and be able to still discover him someday – than to see a shadow of a copy, dismiss it, and never look back. As much as I want the whole world to know and love Duffy, I want them to know the real deal.

Spring Voyage Duffy is truly amazing…you can tell they aren't just trying to make a buck (or yen, in this case) off of the bear, that they truly care about him.

I want them to feel like this.