Originally Posted By DlandDug Actually, Disney Bear is proportional when at the correct size. Duffy is smaller than Disney Bear. One reason the Disney Bear became a big hit on eBay is because it is large enough to wear the full line of Build-a-Bear clothing and accessories. Duffy is too small, so owners must wait for new items to be made available exclusively through Disney. I would also guess that Disney Bear will be phased out in favor of Duffy. Whether Duffy catches on in the States is another matter entirely...
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< One reason the Disney Bear became a big hit on eBay is because it is large enough to wear the full line of Build-a-Bear clothing and accessories. Duffy is too small, so owners must wait for new items to be made available exclusively through Disney. >>> Something tells me this wasn't an accident.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 And also tells me that these are essentially the same bear, same concept, but one has been deemed "better" for that very "gotta buy the clothes through us" reason.
Originally Posted By gadzuux Disney has been parodied relentlessly on the Simpsons for over twenty years now - most notably with a theme park called "Duff Gardens", named after Homer's favorite beer. They even depict walk-around characters based on the seven dwarfs - named Sleazy, Queasy, Surly, Edgy, Tipsy, Dizzy, and Remorseful. Having a "real" disney walk-around character named Duffy just seems like they're leaning into the Simpson's mocking punch. Especially when you consider that this new character has no actual character at all - to my knowledge he's never been in any kind of programming, movie, or video - he's just another conventional stuffed brown teddy bear. Yeah yeah - he's got some ridiculously convoluted "backstory" that no one who hasn't read this thread would know anything about. I guess my point is that guests at Disney parks have at least some prior familiarity with the various walk-around characters, and their representative plush toys. In this case, they've skipped over entirely the step where they actually create and introduce these characters to the public via some kind of movie, video, tv show or ride, where the characters are imbued with some personality, traits and story. This is just another garden variety teddy bear - albeit with "Disney" stamped on the label, so it's a high-profit margin merchandise item - but without any of the investment in bothering to create a character. They've already got Pooh, who's about as conventional as they get when it comes to plush toys. And Pooh's got a fully fleshed out backstory. For that matter, as I mentioned earlier, in addition to these two two rather nondescript bears they're trying to peddle, they've also got the new "Lotso Huggin' Bear" from Toy Story 3 who's now showing up in parades and at a plush counter near you. Though he does have the extra baggage of playing a villain in his movie, which might reduce his cute n' cuddly factor some. But in the end, how many teddy bears do they need?
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>to my knowledge he's never been in any kind of programming, movie, or video<< That's kind of merciful in a way. Can you imagine?
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< And also tells me that these are essentially the same bear >>> They may be "essentially" the same bear, but one is Duffy, and the other is not.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <They may be "essentially" the same bear, but one is Duffy, and the other is not.> And one is Morty and Ferdie is not. But they are interchangeable. Except maybe the outfits (sold separately).
Originally Posted By SuperDry Duffy and the US-based Disney Bear are different sizes and look different. The fact that they are both bears and both sold by Disney doesn't make them the same, any more than Minnie and Mickey are the same since they are both mice sold by Disney.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 "A distinction without a difference" as far as I'm concerned. Mickey and Minnie have appeared in countless films, have personalities, etc. They were characters BEFORE they were merch. Both these bears are simply merch and have as much personality as the stuffing the Chinese laborers stuff in them.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 And, frankly, I think that's why they piss people off, even if they can't put their finger on why. Mickey and Minnie existed (originally at least) to make people laugh - to create delight. They were animated in every sense of the word, elicited emotion, and of course were hugely innovative at the time. These bears exist solely to separate people from their money. That's why you see these comments like "I want to cut him," I think.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney ^^Hit it on the head! Its PURELY merchandising, nothing more. Regardless which bear is which, they represent the EXACT same thing, soulless marketing. There is a reason why no one seems to make a distintion between Duffy bear and Disney Bear because end of the day the only thing behind them is a silly backstory and a HUGE marketing push, nothing more. They may be two differnt bears, but there is actual little character difference and look to know any better since they are just toys to be sold basically. That is until we get the quick straight-to-DVD movie, "Duffy and Disney Bear very special Christmas" cartoon next year! (How do we roll eyes on this site...oh yeah we can't...so just imagine me doing it right now.)
Originally Posted By xrayvision I hear what you're saying World Disney. I felt the same way during a past DL Xmas parade which featured a movie float for Roger Rabbit. The float was overbrimmingly stocked with stuffed Roger Rabbits, and and a human character RRabbit sitting in a chair at the end of float, exclaiming over the loud speakers, "You can buy me for Christmas!!!" All the parents groaned. It was pure merchandising with little parade entertainment value.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>The float was overbrimmingly stocked with stuffed Roger Rabbits, and and a human character RRabbit sitting in a chair at the end of float, exclaiming over the loud speakers, "You can buy me for Christmas!!!"<< Can you provide a year or some sort of documentation for this? I have seen every edition of the Disneyland Christmas Parade since about 1989, and I have never seen a character, any character, shouting "You can buy me for Christmas!" at the crowd.
Originally Posted By DlandDug Here's a TV commercial for the 1988 edition of Disneyland's Christmas Parade: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCvqu1weqEI" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...qu1weqEI</a> Note that Roger Rabbit is prominently featured at 00:22. Freeze frame at 00:16, 00:19, 00:21 as well, and you can see the float he is riding. It's the Pinocchio "Christmas Workshop" float, with Geppetto. It is covered with plush bears, no Roger toys in sight. Not that they couldn't have made a change later, but say what you will, I've never seen characters literally shouting "Buy me!!!" from the parade floats.
Originally Posted By TP2000 Great clip Dug! That was way back in 1988, when Disneyland (and corporate America in general) still had the cojones to actually call their specific Christmas events "Christmas". They said Christmas several times in that commercial. I can only imagine the howls of protest now from people with hurt feelings who would insist on telling us how different they are from others if Disneyland dared mention the word Christmas in their commercials for... Christmas. HA! A hilarious 1980's timewarp all around. I particularly love the "cool chick" with the overly moused hair and Ray-Bans.
