It was only a matter of time before Duffy made Disney take notice...(Merged)

[DuffyDaisuki]

If it makes you feel nice Duffydad... two gals were carrying a small Duffy and Shelley mae plushes on my flight this evening from Tokyo Narita to Saipan.. So.. rejoice Saipan. Duffy and Shelley Mae are in town tonight. And imagine their surprise when the chief purser indentified such plushes.

You know, it really sincerely does, and today wasn't my most magical day. Thank you for the smile; I needed it.

[TDLFAN]

Oh I am so sad to hear you had a less than magical day. I tell you what.. I will sit on the sandy beach here in Saipan (in my thong speedos) in this glorious sunny warm day and enjoy the sound of the sea, the waves crashing and the nice breeze, on your behalf. How about that?

[DuffyDaisuki]

Oh I am so sad to hear you had a less than magical day. I tell you what.. I will sit on the sandy beach here in Saipan (in my thong speedos) in this glorious sunny warm day and enjoy the sound of the sea, the waves crashing and the nice breeze, on your behalf. How about that?

[TDLFAN]

Wait.. maybe that won't make you feel better, but this will:
YouTube -
And this ^^ is further proof as to why the release of Duffy in the US, especially WDW, has been an abysmal failure. HKDL is doing it right, putting the bear in the middle of it all.. while WDW put the bear ALL over without reason to be.

One more thing... why the name Dad/daisuki change? I like the "dad" name better. Change it back at once.

[DuffyDaisuki]

…HKDL is doing it right, putting the bear in the middle of it all.. while WDW put the bear ALL over without reason to be.

One more thing... why the name Dad/daisuki change? I like the "dad" name better. Change it back at once.

I agree about Hong Kong's concept and execution. It far better captures the magical spirit of Classic Duffy, and I actually think all the animation stuff they're doing makes him charming in a new, original way. Nice work, HK!

As for the name change, "DuffyDad" was always kind of a joke name anyway. I had only been to the parks a couple times and never joined a discussion board for Disney. I felt like I needed something Disney in the name and a favorite character and that's what came up.

Now, though, I feel like the "Dad" part implies the perception that Duffy is a dependent child, which I am not interested in doing. Plus, "Daisuki" acknowledges his Japanese pedigree, which is actually very important to me. So now it's not just a joke, because this community and this character have really come to matter to me.

[TDLFAN]

Hmmm. I still like "duffydad" better.

[aimster]

I thought it was a bit strange the first time I saw the Japanese holding multiple bears and spending 20 minutes picking out the right one, but I soon got it!

Ha! I did that when I was at Downtown Disney in Orlando a few weeks ago to pick up Duffys for myself and for a little girl my mom babysits. I spent maybe 15 minutes looking over the bears on the shelf in the little Duffy corner at Once Upon a Toy, scrutinizing them and looking them all over, trying to pick out the 2 I liked best. I know I got some odd looks from several people as I'd hold up two bears, compare them, put one down and compare a new bear to the one I was still holding... and so on. But I found the 2 I liked best. The one I got, his head tilts just every so slightly, which I thought was cute.

[Malin]

So how is the Duffy merchandise doing at both DCA and Epcot. Are tourist and visitors starting to warm to the concept. I have to say I'm a fan of the newer 12 inch Duffy's with costume already included. Although the 2011 costume was a bit cheap and tacky in my view. And should not have been added on to a high quality product like Duffy.

[DuffyGuardian]

Im not sure how Duffy is doing at DLR. I don't notice him being carried around in DtD. Its been a month or so since I was in the parks. I did look for Duffy at WoD last Friday night and thankfully he wasn't there. I hope they keep him in DCA.

Ive only seen photos of the 2011 12" Duffy and I too am not a fan. Its not very Disney IMO. I know there are mickey heads in the pattern, but its so generic.

I have noticed that the Build a Bear in DtD, has more international costume then I remember them having before. They have a Canadian, Asian, and others(those are all I remember at the moment). Maybe they have always had them(as they were on line) but they are in a new location in the store, so they stand out. I find it interesting because they are nicer then the Disney costumes, more detail. I have taken my Duffy into BaB and one guys said, Im not sure about Duffy, hes just here to make money. I said, well mine is from Tokyo so he is a real one. lol Then we started talking about going to Tokyo and how great the parks are.

What I still don't understand is Tokyo and State side parks, have the same Duffy bears. I think the Duffy is the state sell for a cheaper price. Why can't the State parks get the same costumes as Tokyo? People have said before its because Tokyo costumes cost more. Which I understand, but the bears cost more too in Tokyo. So I don't get it.

[DuffyDaisuki]

I have noticed that the Build a Bear in DtD, has more international costume then I remember them having before. They have a Canadian, Asian, and others(those are all I remember at the moment). Maybe they have always had them(as they were on line) but they are in a new location in the store, so they stand out. I find it interesting because they are nicer then the Disney costumes, more detail...

Build-A-Bear has always had this high quality international line. I think it's smart that they've caught on to the Duffy phenomenon and are using it to market their own products. Their world traveller series really is better, and for a very reasonable price. I wonder why Build-A-Bear and Disney aren't offering a TRON and TRON Legacy costume right now, though. Seems like a huge missed opportunity to me. If anyone ever sees it, please post!

What I still don't understand is Tokyo and State side parks, have the same Duffy bears. I think the Duffy is the state sell for a cheaper price. Why can't the State parks get the same costumes as Tokyo? People have said before its because Tokyo costumes cost more. Which I understand, but the bears cost more too in Tokyo. So I don't get it.

Well, I can tell you just my opinion, as a Tokyo Duffy fan who shopped, carried, photographed and supported Duffy on his way to superstardom that I was a bit bothered by the fact that the US Disney community who originally rejected Duffy was being offered the same quality - probably made in the same factory - bears at a lower price point than what we have paid and still pay in Japan. I don't think that's right, but I accepted it because it's just the bear items. If the same costumes were offered at a reduced price Stateside, I don't think I'd ever buy another costume. It seems wrong to me that people in the US should get a lower price exactly because they're less enthusiastic about the character.

Any word yet on that Duffy commercial/movie? I'd love to see video of that, even if it's a crappy camera recording of a TV in a hotel lobby or something. I'm very curious about it.

[FI183]

I think it would probably have a lot more to do with Licencing. You guys are forgetting that OLC pays Disney to use their brand, so naturally it has to be more pricey.

But the costumes themselves are of A LOT better quality than Stateside! I actually invested some money in getting costumes shipped from Japan! And it was SOOO worth it! The quality is just unfathomable! Our costumes are CRAP compared to the ones they sell! I'm so happy I got the ones from Tokyo and will continue to invest in getting them from Japan. I know it's more sentimental to make the trip and all but I can't afford to go there just yet! LOL. And having these costumes really gives me a piece of their culture and what I should expect when I finally arrive!

[DuffyGuardian]

Build-A-Bear has always had this high quality international line. I think it's smart that they've caught on to the Duffy phenomenon and are using it to market their own products. Their world traveller series really is better, and for a very reasonable price. I wonder why Build-A-Bear and Disney aren't offering a TRON and TRON Legacy costume right now, though. Seems like a huge missed opportunity to me. If anyone ever sees it, please post!



Well, I can tell you just my opinion, as a Tokyo Duffy fan who shopped, carried, photographed and supported Duffy on his way to superstardom that I was a bit bothered by the fact that the US Disney community who originally rejected Duffy was being offered the same quality - probably made in the same factory - bears at a lower price point than what we have paid and still pay in Japan. I don't think that's right, but I accepted it because it's just the bear items. If the same costumes were offered at a reduced price Stateside, I don't think I'd ever buy another costume. It seems wrong to me that people in the US should get a lower price exactly because they're less enthusiastic about the character.

Any word yet on that Duffy commercial/movie? I'd love to see video of that, even if it's a crappy camera recording of a TV in a hotel lobby or something. I'm very curious about it.

I didn't know that BaB has a good international line. I think its cool. I really like the costumes. Duffy told me no. lol He is a high end bear. Only TDS stuff for him. lol He will ware BaB cargo pants and some t-shirts.

I love the idea of tron costume. Oh and if they could make it light up, that would be so cool and I think it would he a hit.

I completely understand you being not pleased with Duffy and Duffy items being sold in the state parks for a cheap price. On a selfish side, Im just happy he is here and hope the takes off.

I do find it interesting when you compare the different things and what it cost at TDR vs DLR/WDW. Park tickets are cheaper at TDR, but AP are more pricey(for the time being, AP in the states are going up) You would think that park tickets would be higher in TDR, due to what FutureImagineer183 said about licensing. I can't say I found merchandise more costly at TDR compared to DLR/WDW in the year 2008. It all doesn't makes sense to me. Why something is priced one way and another some where else.

I just wish Disney would offer two lines of costumes in the states. I would pay more for the Tokyo quality costumes at the state parks.

[flylikadove22]

I think it would probably have a lot more to do with Licencing. You guys are forgetting that OLC pays Disney to use their brand, so naturally it has to be more pricey.

But the costumes themselves are of A LOT better quality than Stateside! I actually invested some money in getting costumes shipped from Japan! And it was SOOO worth it! The quality is just unfathomable! Our costumes are CRAP compared to the ones they sell! I'm so happy I got the ones from Tokyo and will continue to invest in getting them from Japan. I know it's more sentimental to make the trip and all but I can't afford to go there just yet! LOL. And having these costumes really gives me a piece of their culture and what I should expect when I finally arrive!

may i ask how you got your tokyo costumes? i want to invest in some!

[Malin]

I understand that the new 12 inch Duffy with Valentine Day Costume is now available to purchase in both DCA and Epcot. Anyone on here seen the new 12 inch Duffy design? Pictures...

By the way on another Duffy related topic. Can anyone tell me who around here I need to write to with a suggestion for a new sub forum for Duffy the Disney Bear. At the moment I feel we could really do with Duffy having his own area away from the other Disney park stuff. I see both Pin Trading and Vinylmation stuff both have sub forums already. If you view this thread for instance most of it has very little to do with the Tokyo Disney Resort. I think it would be great for Duffy Fans from all around the world to have a forum where we could become united and share pictures and discuss costume releases and various other matters that are important to the Duffy fanbase without having to hijack the Tokyo Disney Resort section or any other park section.

So I would be interested to know who is the right member/s to put this idea forward too for consideration.

[gurgi]

The 12 inch Valentine's Day Duffy is also already popping up on Ebay, so you can see the costume that way. Unfortunately, it looks like they are continuing with the cheap fabric route, and the execution could be much better. They didn't even bother with a "Mickey Mark" on his behind, like everything done in Tokyo.

Here's a link to one for sale...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Disney-Valentine...1#ht_500wt_927