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About LinkBacksI like Pooh...
HE is the Disney bear!
I like Pooh...
HE is the Disney bear!
The world according me: http://www.youtube.com/user/TimmyME
Has anyone seen what the price point will be on the plush and the costumes? Im guessing that it will be "Disney Priced" (high). But what Disney will face is the cheap cost of Build a Bear. Not only are the plushes cheaper then what I think Duffy plushes will be but the costumes are much cheaper. OLC has costumes I think in the $30 range and I think that is a good price for what you really get. The quality is amazing. All the pieces that comes with just one costume. And the material, the halloween cat costume from 2009, feels so soft you don't want to put him down. lol I would guess that if Disney has any hope in Duffy working the whole line will need to be of OLC quality. Other wise Im not sure I try and do it if I were Disney.
If Disney teamed up with OLC, I would guess that they may get a better deal in manufacturing. The more they order, a better price break, Im thinking. So it could be a win win for them both.
Im looking forward to seeing what they do. I sure hope it goes off well. I like to see the Duffy story line be made bigger and be a hit. Even if Duffy in the states is a collectors item. Heck we a lot of people bought those beanie babies back in the day and Duffy is way cuter then they were.
TDLfan, you know I am proud to be gulible like the Japanese and I love Duffy! btw gotta talk to you soon!
We were sent over there with the message that only we would defend Disney quality.. We learnt quickly that the Japanese culture speaks to a level of quality that is hard to comprehend. They were all unbelievably skilled and willing to do the right thing.Bringing the Love since January 10, 2011
Craig Russell -Walt Disney Imagineering
Thanks! Nice to interact with other Disney lovers. Yeah, my Duffy collection is getting bigger...this is only a portion of them - I have the Disney Bear versions from DL, WDW, and HK too. LOL. From what I was told, the prototype was in development a few years ago - probably around the time the craze really picked up in Tokyo. I honestly didn't think it could get any bigger, but it has. Seeing TDS on a Saturday when nothing was being released was insane. I think the park was busier in June than when we were there Xmas day. And don't get me started on the Duffy show...I dragged the hubby against his will (reminded him it was research for an article....lol) and I think we spent about 2-3 hours in line to get the ticket then in line again to get in and get a seat. Nuts!Originally Posted by gurgi
My guess is I will be taking lots of interesting pics of lines when I am there for Halloween. I can't keep up with all the people who go sprinting in as soon as the gates open. As for Duffy coming to the US, I think I am going to choose to do opening day at DCA versus WDW....that way I can do opening wknd of the F&W festival at WDW instead. LOL.
I think Duffy has the potential to pick up at the US if they market it to the Japanese coming to the parks in the US. There has to be a tie in somehow. What I fear is some of the eBay sellers that are known for going to events and buying up everything to start auctions for insane list prices will drive up prices by buying everything to list in hopes of Japanese buyers bidding high prices. And pin trading at the beginning was huge..I was part of the initial craze when it started (which included spending the night on the cement in front of DL) for the POM series that finished off with LE500 Tinkerbell. Pin trading now is just mainly vacationers and stuff I agree, but there was a hardcore group before - we used to meet every Sunday for probably a year or more until most of us just couldn't keep up with the 30 new releases per week.
Recently, well... not that recently, like early July, I was shopping on Main Street at Disneyland in California and I swear that I saw Duffy, in fact I am positive and I know because my friend bought me one from Japan and they look pretty much the same.
Do you remember if it said Duffy on the tag? Probably was "My First Disney Bear" that you saw. They have been for sale in the US parks for several years.
The Disney Bear and Duffy are nearly identical in appearance. In fact, the Disney Bear was introduced in Japan and his cult like following started after they gave him the Duffy name and his own backstory.
FYI...
Today the Disney Store is selling "The Disney Bear" not Duffy. Got it in my daily Disney Store spam today.
Ineresting. Wonder if the parks and the Disney Stores are going with different names? Or is Al a little off the mark with his Duffy debut tomorrow at the parks?
Oh, Please freaking Disney Bear IS Duff Bear. I can't wait for this to fail miserably in the US, a 2nd time, on BOTH coasts.
Bring Back the REAL Disney Bears we want to see. Bring back the Country Bears and Bring back Humphrey Bear!
I can't believe all the different disney boards being flooded with all this marketing *** and that's all it is . . . Marketing *** forcing this failed bear on all the chat sites.
Well, Disney bought the rights to Pooh. . . . but then he killed the Country Bears.
Hey, Pooh, come over here, want you to meet Duff! (snicker, snicker)
Well, Al said the debut was October 14th, not tomorrow, so I wonder if the Disney store is selling the overstock of the "old" Disney Bears before the "big Duffy push"?
Ahhh... OCTOBER 14th. I must have "misremembered"!
With a two months to go, I agree that it is probably a push to sell off Disney Bear branded merchandise.
Last edited by Roger55; 08-13-2010 at 11:54 AM.
The new "Disney Bear" has slightly different features than either Duffy or the old Disney bear. The eyes and stitching indicating the lips both look different. The latter almost appears to create a smile.
Let's face it, this will never be big in the US.
Americans really aren't too into carrying anything bulky around the parks especially WDW tourists and DLR super-fans who don't want DLand covered in Duffy.
one hundred and one
Huh, I should've sold my extra Duffy bear earlier. I wonder if I'll be able to recoup all my money back now. :/
Oh well, I'm very curious to see what becomes of Duffy in DCA. I was already in the midst of planning a trip to Disneyland in mid-October so I'm definitely going to make sure we'll be there on or after the 14th now.
While I don't think it will catch on in the same way it did in Japan. I do think it could be popular if marketed right. After all these build a Bear stores seem to be popular. So dressing up Teddy Bears may be a more popular choice with Westerners than any of you think. Disney need to in my view start the Duffy push slow and build it up. Not just go in there with some massive promotional push. In Tokyo, Duffy started out as an unknown Character that had to build his fanbase from word of mouth. I remember when he first started out he was able to walk about in Cape Cod without the need of a queue. And Cape Cod was a nice and quiet place where one could enjoy the peace and soak up the atsmophere of the area.
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