Are these authetic Duffys?

[tenchikiss]

Hello there. Just wanted to get some experts on the subject before I make any decisions. My brother is currently stationed in Okinawa and is surrounded by cute while I am sadly in the states. He knows of my love for Duffy and instructions to go to Tokyo DisneySea one day to get me a "real" Duffy. The other day he was at an arcade by his base and spotted these. He sent them my way in case I wanted him to try and win me some of these items. Now before he spends any money I wanted to run it by others to see if these are legit Duffys/outfits/Shellie Mays.



Now the fact that these are in crane machines are suspect enough for me. But add in the Disney blue tags and I don't know what to think. Any Japanese Duffy fans out there able to weigh in on this? I have seen some fairly nice arcade prizes before but if these are legit it might take the cake...and my wallet.

[DuffylovrDisney]

My friend also sent me pictures of these lovely Duffys from Japan. It seems to be the exact same picture. haha.

To me they do look like real Duffys. But unfortunately it's hard to tell with just a picture. I would suggest asking DuffyDaisuki since he lives over there and may have seen them before. He would probably be the one to know if anyone does. :]

[Eeee-va]

Some of those are pretty cute, but I'm pretty sure the only authentic Duffys in Japan are sold at Tokyo DisneySea. You can tell mouse ears on the foot-paws on the Shellie Mays are not at all the right color. Some of the Duffys look kind of like the 12" Duffys sold in the US, but that doesn't make them authentic.

And your brother is so thoughtful!

[aimster]

No they're counterfeits. The tags are totally different from TDS tags. in Tokyo, the only way for sure to get a REAL, AUTHENTIC Duffy or Shellie May is to go to TDS. The ones in those claw machines are fakes (even though they're cute).

[DuffylovrDisney]

There is also authentic Duffys in Disney World at Florida. Disney Park at California. And even the Disney store.

The only one you would have to get from Tokyo DisneySea is Shellie May. I ordered mine and she's absolutely wonderful. ^.^

[tenchikiss]

Thank you guys for such quick responses. I thought something might be up but I wanted to ask first. I might ask the brother to try and snag the outfits since I am not only interested in Disney outfits for my bears. And maybe try for the fake duffy with the weird black hat just to see what these ones feel like. Hopefully he is still good at crane games as I don't want to pay a mint for counterfeits. Again thanks for the quick responses.

[DuffylovrDisney]

O.o I think I may know your brother tenchikiss...

[Naelyan]

Aimster is right! They are not authentic unless they are from TDS! I wish more people could see these pictures. Would it be okay if I shared this on my Shellie May facebook page?

[gurgi]

Just to confirm 100% what others have said, these are definitely not authentic. They have popped up in lots of crane games around Japan. There are obvious visual cues as to the differences. The main one, is the blue "Disney" tag, and the other one is the colors of their Mickey mark foot pads. Duffy's are too dark, and Shellie's are too light. The fur also looks a bit more ratty on the fakes.

[aimster]

There is also authentic Duffys in Disney World at Florida. Disney Park at California. And even the Disney store.

The only one you would have to get from Tokyo DisneySea is Shellie May. I ordered mine and she's absolutely wonderful. ^.^

I mean in Japan. I think most of us here know you can get an authentic Duffy at the US Disney Parks, Disneyland Paris and UK Disney Store.

[DuffylovrDisney]

Oh I know aimster. But I was giving suggestions if she wanted an authentic Duffy sooner. Since she lives in the states. ^_^

[tenchikiss]

Upon looking at your user info DuffylovrDisney I am 99 percent sure you know my goober brother. XD What a small world.

If people want to get the word out and use this pics to warn others feel free to do so. Might be a cute gift for someone who doesn't care but for people wanting the real deal they should know not to pay the real price for them. I wonder how Tokyo Disney feels about all the fakes out there given how much of their merchandise profit comes from Duffy and Shellie.

[Sandrita]

I recognize the blue colored tag that says "Disney". This is Disney merchandise that Disney has made for stores like Wal-Mart. So I feel that this is authentic Disney merchandise. It's just not 'Disney Parks' merchandise.

[gurgi]

OLC hasn't licensed Duffy or ShellieMay out to any other retailers in Japan, so even though that is the generic blue "Disney" tag, it's still not official. I'm willing to bet 00% that these are fake knock offs made in China. The blue tag is not too hard to duplicate. They have even duplicated the TDS storybook tags, so even these are more obvious fakes than others. So, there are even different quality levels among the counterfeit Duffy bears!

[DuffyDaisuki]

They are definitely fakes…OR "official" but under-the-radar releases from the Walt Disney Company that I would still call pale and pathetic imitations of genuine Duffy. And while some may find them "cute," they are not sculpted or constructed to OLC standards. It is not about cutting into profits; it is about cutting down the quality standard. Based on seeing the badge versions in use on the trains, the fur on these does not age well. I know some people brush their bears to try to keep them like-new, I personally prefer the aged look of TDS bears. I feel they look more classic and "loved" as they age. On the other hand, these counterfeits very quickly look dirty and ragged.

I wish the OLC would crack down on these. It cheapens the brand. I am not talking about monetary value; I am talking about artistic integrity. Unfortunately the opposite seems to be happening. The fact that costumes are now being produced means that this counterfeit industry is expanding. I fan-made costumes, even if people are making huge money selling costumes inspired by Disney characters, park event costumes, and Asian pop stars. There is a difference between something made by fans and something made to look official that isn't.

The worst thing is if Disney is actually releasing these products through manufacturing partners in China in order to devalue the OLC's brand. I don't even like to think it, but Disney's definitively official version of Duffy so far is so much less than the TDS version that I would not be shocked. Through OLC, Disney only gets a percentage of profits, and the entire market is limited to a single, second-gate park. It's not completely unreasonable to me that they would flood the market here with cheaper products with a lower margin, perhaps (or perhaps not with low-quality production standards), but a far larger market and full percentage of the take or at least bloated licensing fees, although these counterfeits do not appear to be licensed; they look like Disney-branded products. (sic: I know it's a run-on, but I'm taking a quick break from packing and editing is not my priority^^)

It is a bit hard to comprehend how Disney would throw its full weight behind shutting down a preschool for having Disney characters painted on its walls, yet somehow this counterfeiting of what is arguably the most singularly popular and profitable Disney character merchandising since Mickey Mouse not only continues to thrive, but is growing. Curiouser and curiouser…

All of this reminds me of the importance of the Post in preserving what OLC visionaries have invested so much in creating. I wish that Disney was invested in rivaling TDS releases. I wish that each Park had a dedicated team, and that fans near every Park worked to exchange Care Packages of Love & Joy with each other like mix tapes. That was my vision, but it seems less and less likely to come to pass. All I can do is keep sending out Packages, and keep hoping that Duffy fans around the world care enough to choose to support only authentic merchandise, truly worthy of the character, whether officially licensed or not.