Please Help with the possible FAKE Shellie May!!

[StarGazer626]

Hello everyone! For the past few months I have been lurking and my obsession with Duffy and Shellie May has been growing.

For this past Christmas I really really wanted a Shellie May. Well, as it turns out both my bf and bff got me one (not knowing that they both bought one for me). I just came back home from an internship and my bf had already given me his present and my bff hands me another Shellie May! The only problem is that they are so different and I think the one my bff gave me is a fake (bought off of Ebay). Here are the photos I took comparing them (the one my bf gave me I already dressed in an outfit I bought for her).



Just about everything except the fur color is different. The way she is sewn, sizes, tags, hidden Mickeys, eye and nose color, and the bow.

[StarGazer626]

Here are some more photos it wouldn't let me post the first time:


Also, there are made in different countries. The one from my BF is made in Vietnam while the one from my bff is made in China. The ebay auction said that it was a "rare first edition"- is that even possible? Did they make the first edition ones in China? That bow is sewed on rather well and does not have the elastic on it which doesn't seem right.
What do you guys think?

[DuffyDaisuki]

The one in the red coat looks authentic. The other one, immediately, does not...at least to my eye. Others will chime in, I'm sure. Congratulations on having two people who really care about you and pay attention to what you want!^^ You can love both of them anyway, or find someone who doesn't have any kind of teddy bear to give the other one to. She's still worth loving, though I do wish whoever's making the knockoffs would stop.

[StarGazer626]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I really would like to try to return the fake one if possible, since my BFF spent way too much on it! I really can't believe they both tried to get me one!! You have no idea how happy I was when I opened the first one (I really wanted Shellie May so I was carrying Duffy around in dresses with the bow on his head until I got a Shellie May - I guess they felt sorry for him )

[aimster]

The one in the red coat looks legit. The other does not. The proportions are all wrong and just doesn't look right. It HAS to be a fake.

[DuffylovrDisney]

I agree with aimster. The one in the red coat looks fine. The other one looks off somehow. O.o

[Eeee-va]

Your BF and your BFF are so sweet!

If nothing else, the fabric of the bow and the colors on the feet do seem to indicate the "topless" Shellie May isn't a licensed product.

Do you think a return is possible at all? If so, is there a way you can convince your BFF that she spent WAY too much money on you and should try to return it, since you already have a Shellie May? Assuming she's not going to get into Duffy/Shellie May herself, I'm not sure you need to bring the word "fake" into the conversation, given that it was a very thoughtful gift on her part and it's certainly not her fault that she didn't scour the Internet to determine the difference. If she does ask, you can note that there are Shellie Mays sold outside the parks that are different, and that you've never heard of a "first edition" (so she could perhaps return it to the seller for misrepresentation).

Or if she DOES like Shellie May, maybe you can give the unlicensed bear back to her, to be your Shellie May's friend. Or if there's an unrelated third party who it would be acceptable to give her to, that's great too.

Or if neither of those options is viable, I'd just keep her and love her anyway. It was such a sweet gesture. With some new clothes, the way that she's similar to, but not quite, Duffy or Shellie May, would remind me a tiny bit of Diznygrl's Duffette.

[gurgi]

Yeah, I'll chime in too and say for sure that the topless ShellieMay is a fake. The bow fabric is different. The authentic one has the stripes on the bow. Also, The skirt and panties were never sold on the bears, they were a separate outfit. So, if you bought a real ShellieMay off the shelf, all she would be wearing is her bow. The bow also ALWAYS has the elastic on, and is sewn on with only a couple threads, so you can snip them and remove the bow.

The paper hang tags are also different. The real one is bigger. The foot pads are also interesting. The real ShellieMay's feet have a slight curve to the pawprints. I see the fake one is in a straight line.

If you really feel strongly that your BFF spent too much on the fake one, you can say something, but otherwise, I think the poor fake could still use a good home. It really is too bad that there are fakes in the first place, especially since fans here have limited ways to get a real ShellieMay, and I feel like these sellers are taking advantage of people.

It's still pretty great that you have two people who care about you and knew what you wanted and went out of their way to get ShellieMay for you. Whatever happens, you have a pretty amazing BF and BFF.

[gurgi]

Oh yeah, and the real ShellieMay skirt and panties match the bow. The skirt has the stripes on it. Also, there's a Mickey mark the same color as the one on her butt, on the right side in the back. The "ties" on the sides are also cord, not the same fabric as the skirt. The panties have a little embroidered "S" on the front too, in a rose colored thread. It's very cute, and subtle.

[gurgi]

I do have to say that there are even differences between official ShellieMay bears. I looked at both of mine, and a couple of things are even similar to your two bears. For example, the picture you have of their paws, mine look like that too, and they are both 100% authentic.

One thing I only just noticed today, is that their bows are different. It's subtle, but the stripes are much more pronounced on one. Both of my bears are from the first 2010 batch too, so even among them, things changed. Take a look.





I think it's just different batches. Otherwise, there are some big differences between the real ones and the fakes.

Here are some pictures of the skirt set, so you can see what the official one looks like for comparison.

Here are her panties with the embroidered "S", and the lace trim.


Here is the Mickey mark that is on the back of the skirt. It's the same color as the one on Shellie's rump.


This is what the ties on the sides of her skirt should look like, it's cord, not the same fabric as the skirt.


There's also a tag sewn on the side of the skirt.



On the inside of the skirt, there are these loops. They are only there because that's how the skirt hung from the hanger in the packaged set. You could technically snip them out if you wanted, but I left them...they are hidden anyway, so I wanted to keep it just like new.


And...since I was taking pictures of ShellieMay, she couldn't resist turning it into a fashion show. So, she asked me to take a picture of her modeling the skirt set...with her pink sweater.

[StarGazer626]

Thank you everyone so much for your help!! The Shellie May in question does not have any stripes in the bow or skirt. The strings on the skirt are made of the same material as the skirt. Also, there is not tag on the skirt, pink mickey on the back, ribbon loops on the inside, and no "S" on the panty.

Gurgi, thank you so much for your very helpful photos and I love Shellie's pink sweater!