Share your Duffy Photos

[mmommie]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

I hope I'm just having a blind moment (not to be confused with a "blonde moment" since I'm brunette LOL). I am on the Disney store looking to see if they have any new outfits for Duffy and they are NOT selling the 17" Duffy any longer! It's not even in their online catalog. Does anybody know if the 17" standard Duffy that they make costumes for (which by the way, have been lacking in new items lately) is discontinued? Duffy, oh beloved Duffy, where are you ?

Duffy is still readily available at WDW. I think they have just stopped marketing him at Disneystore.com and the mall Disney stores.

[JillT]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

Duffy is still readily available at WDW. I think they have just stopped marketing him at Disneystore.com and the mall Disney stores.

So he's going back to being a park exclusive item?
When I got him in January of this year, he was also available online but not at the brick and mortar stores.
Then he came and went at the physical stores, I guess, but now he's also not available online (17")?
That explains it.
He's just becoming an endangered species but has not gone extinct yet!

[Ilovegreataur]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

17" and 12" naked Duffy bears were in the not-so-local Disney Store 2 weeks ago, but there weren't that many.
I find it sad that he's being phased out outside of the parks.


Then again:
looking at the website, maybe they are simply out of stock for the 17" bears.

[mmommie]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

According to a "less than helpful" CM on the Disneystore online chat...... Duffy is sold out at the moment. They don't know when he will be back in stock.

[aimster]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

17" Duffy is probably "out of stock" again. There was a time earlier this year when you couldn't find 17" Duffy in any of the WDW parks or DTD. It was weird. I seriously don't think he was "sold out" as they claimed and that they pulled the stock on purpose to make him look more popular than he actually is in the States and try to create the demand for him that way. They didn't pull any of the 12" versions though, which I though was odd.

That's just my theory.

[JillT]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

The person from Disneystore.com said they are not going to be selling him online anymore (the 17"). Not sure about the others, if they will sell out and discontinue those, too, or what. I didn't ask that; I was just sad to see my beloved 17" Duffy not there since I got one for my friend (the one that Duffy and Shellie May picked out at Mall of America in July) and now she got 2 people into him. They're not going to WDW or DL anytime soon, because they live halfway across the country.

[immamouse]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

Why do they want to stop selling him, I would think he would be doing ok there. Please keeping posting new outfits if you see them, I can always call the 877 for those

[Eeee-va]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

I see the appeal of Duffy being "park exclusive," but I personally hope the 17" Duffy returns to the website. Without Disney online availability, buyers will probably turn to eBay. So buyers will pay more, and Disney will lose out on any sales to people who think eBay prices are too high but would've bought at the $30 price point.

(I don't know about Disney Store online CMs, but I know the resort phone CMs give extremely spotty information of dubious accuracy, so I'm hoping this one is mistaken.)

I assume he'll continue to be available in the parks--he was just printed on some Christmas merchandise like candy bars (scroll down pretty far) and sewn onto these pajamas (?) (scroll down a little) and there's the Duffy cameo in the Grand Floridian villas.

[mmommie]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

The outfits are still on sale (I posted about it in another post) on the website. They did just release the Santa suit to WDW-so they are coming out with new outfits for him. And Duffy is in most every shop in WDW. So I don't think he is going away. The rep I spoke with on the Disney Store chat last night said he was not discontinued just "Out of stock" right now. Hopefully that is true.

[mmommie]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

Worse case scenario-we start a WDW chapter of Duffy post LOL

[mmommie]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

Duffy is back on Disneystore.com

Duffy the Disney Bear Plush - 17'' | Plush | Disney Store
Duffy the Disney Bear Plush - 17''

[JillT]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

Duffy and Shellie May say “Happy Thanksgiving everyone” with Shaggy Duffy in the middle. “I don’t have to dress up. I’m Shaggy Duffy,” he said.

Shellie May informed me that her outfit is FRINGE overdose. Duffy likes his, though. It’s super soft. Shellie May’s is stiffer and the fringe makes her feel like she’s going to trip or snag herself. Still, she wanted to match Duffy and she humors me with whatever I put on her because even in the rare instance that she doesn’t like it she can either pawn it off on one of her sisters or she knows it won’t be on her for too long. I must admit, this isn’t really her color.

My sister only likes turkey and potatoes so we’re having spaghetti pie (a family recipe), garlic bread, salad, and homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting instead of a traditional dinner. No raisins, pineapples, or nuts, just NORMAL carrot cake LOL.

I hope everyone has a nice time today with their family and friends.

[immamouse]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

Did you see the annoucement today with Duffy and Toys for Tots? Maybe that is why you can't find him at the Disney Store Website, they pulled all of them for this promotion

[JillT]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

Awwwww, what tot wouldn't like a teddy bear, especially Duffy? :thumbup:

[DuffyDaisuki]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

So he's going back to being a park exclusive item?
When I got him in January of this year, he was also available online but not at the brick and mortar stores.
Then he came and went at the physical stores, I guess, but now he's also not available online (17")?
That explains it.
He's just becoming an endangered species but has not gone extinct yet!

I see the appeal of Duffy being "park exclusive," but I personally hope the 17" Duffy returns to the website. Without Disney online availability, buyers will probably turn to eBay. So buyers will pay more, and Disney will lose out on any sales to people who think eBay prices are too high but would've bought at the $30 price point.

I suspect there's virtually no chance that Duffy is being discontinued. I'm not in the US, of course, but his momentum appears to be building rather than declining. I agree with Aimster that there may be an attempt here to manipulate holiday demand by making him appear scarce. There's too much very recent merchandise; Duffy disappearing suddenly would be very strange.

Also, while I understand the arguments for convenience and accessibility, I have always thought and will always believe that easily obtainable delivered-right-to-your-door-at-random-from-a-warehouse Duffy lessens the experience and cheapens the value of the character. I have never liked it.

I think Disney has done this backwards. They should have been more patient, with a minimum five-year plan for building awareness and attachment among a core group of park Guests. There should never have been an online option. Then, after a strong enough base exists, they could have rolled out Duffy in the brick and mortar Disney Stores with a well-themed "Cape Cod Corner" and exclusive Store merchandise, leaving some items still as park exclusives. After two or three years of that, maybe they'd consider making Duffy available online through a Disney-calibre Cape Cod web experience that put Tokyo's to shame.

Sadly, this course was not chosen and I fear there will be fewer Duffy fans and shorter longevity for our little bear. In Tokyo, I actually cannot imagine what could happen at this point that would allow OLC to stop producing and promoting Duffy without very significant fan disappointment and outrage. In the US, it is sometimes difficult for me to imagine a future where people en masse even recognize him, much less care about him. The potential to embody the park experience is a wasted, squandered opportunity that can no longer be reclaimed, just as much as Duffy as a lasting character in Tokyo is no longer a question. It's a shame WDC lacked the patience, foresight, and faith to create a Duffy experience to undoubtedly stand the test of time. I hope it's not too late, but already Duffy in the US feels like a piece of synergy merchandise to me rather than being a unique, important character. I hope they pick up the ball, but I'm not sure how much they can really do to repair the situation now.

The Christmas Elf is definitely a quality improvement, but without being tied to the parks and Cape Cod, there is a significant vacuum right on the heart of the concept. I hate to say it, but I'm beginning to see the value in a Duffy animation project.

[aimster]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

Considering drunken monkeys could run WDW better than the current suits at TDO. they are NEVER going to market Duffy correctly in the US. They saw him simply as a money-maker when they saw how popular he is in Tokyo. All they see is dollar signs. But Duffy does seem to be doing better at WDW than at Disneyland. There a very real hatred toward Duffy on the west coast, but he seems to be more accepted on the east coast (he fits in way better at Epcot than DCA, truth be told).

[JillT]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

Considering drunken monkeys could run WDW better than the current suits at TDO. they are NEVER going to market Duffy correctly in the US. They saw him simply as a money-maker when they saw how popular he is in Tokyo. All they see is dollar signs. But Duffy does seem to be doing better at WDW than at Disneyland. There a very real hatred toward Duffy on the west coast, but he seems to be more accepted on the east coast (he fits in way better at Epcot than DCA, truth be told).

Actual "HATRED FOR DUFFY"? Aw, who can hate a stuffed bear? Poor Duffy. My sister likes the 24" Duffy, and I got my friend a 17" Duffy with the wizard's outfit, and now she got one of her friends into Duffy. My friend and the friend she got into him know the story but basically it got watered down to "the bear of happiness and luck" and they point out his paws and hip mark being in the shape of Mickey and they also think of him as their special friend and have him in a prominent place in their house. My friend is working on her brother, who is almost 60 years old and he said, "aw, that is ONE CUTE BEAR...bear of happiness and luck, huh? Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas. I can use a special friend." But none of these people are anywhere near the west coast.

[Eeee-va]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

My observations are that there ARE people on the west coast online who actually DO hate Duffy, but even online, most people appear to be ambivalent. In person, I don't recall observing any animosity at all towards him during my trips, and some people have really liked my Shellie May.

Unfortunately, his meet and greet is literally a couple steps away from a store selling Duffy merchandise, so it's very easy for cynical west-coasters to view him as a money-grab. (And in fairness, Disney's intentions seem to be little more than that.)

There are also people on the west coast who hate Vinylmation, princesses and their associated meet and greets, etc. and those are very popular. I don't worry about the "haters" so much. The lack of lines to meet him is less encouraging...I guess his location may not get the most foot traffic, now that I think about it.

In the US, Duffy is also about "travel" (one of the few aspects that made it over from Japan). When some days the majority of people at the Disneyland Resort parks are locals, the "travel buddy" motif may not be as generally successful, either.

[mmommie]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

I actually just had my first experience with Duffy hate. I am still shocked by it. The person filled with Duffy hate is an Ap holder to WDW and so far has not been able to explain "why" they hate Duffy-they just do.

Sooooo I am going to love my Duffy even more. Shellie May is sitting right here with me waiting no so patiently to try on her new Christmas outfit.

[JillT]

Re: Share your Duffy Photos

In the US, Duffy is also about "travel" (one of the few aspects that made it over from Japan). When some days the majority of people at the Disneyland Resort parks are locals, the "travel buddy" motif may not be as generally successful, either.

Oh, yes, I always explain about Duffy going on voyages with Mickey and now he's supposed to be a travelling bear (and my bears are very active) but that part, especially to friends who aren't big travelers themselves, gets lost...watered down in their mind and they mostly focus on "the bear of happiness and luck" and his mickey symbols.