I found this photo from Tokyo Disneyland? Anyone know the name of the pink Duffy? Does she exist out side of TDL?
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Girl Duffy?
- Thread starter RandomPrincess
- Start date
Do they only have Shellie Mae in Japan? I haven't seen her at the US parks.
BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
Until recently, I never heard of Duffy or Shelly May, LOL. Didn't realize it was a Japanese phenomenon.
MM4Ever
New Member
The Duffy and Shellie May (get it? Shell, DisneySEA - lol!) phenomenon IS huge in Japan. Yes, it fits right in with the cuteness (kawaii) thing that is so popular with 20 somethings there. It was popular even when we first went over 6 years ago. I suspect we'll see Shellie May make her way over here at some point.
GiveMeTheMusic
Well-Known Member
Shellie Mae is currently limited to Tokyo Disney and Disneyland Paris.
aimster
Active Member
Ok let's set the record straight... her name is spelled SHELLIE MAY.
And to me, she's Duffy's best friend (though some like to think of her as his "girlfriend"). She is only typically seen at Tokyo DisneySea, though earlier this year she made a surprise appearance at Disneyland Paris for a special private event that was not open to the general public. She hasn't been seen at the Paris park since then though.
And her backstory is as follows (which takes place after Duffy's backstory).... After Mickey & Duffy came back from their adventures at sea, Minnie decided to make Duffy a friend of his own. So she made a girl bear. Duffy was happy to have a friend of his own and gave her a heart-shaped shell he found... that's how she got the name Shellie May.
And yes Shellie May is as popular as Duffy at TDS. They're even changing the "My Friend Duffy" show at the Cape Cod Cookout restaurant to incorporate Shellie May.
As a side note, I just do not get all the hate toward Duffy some of you have here in the States. He's just a little teddy bear that has done NOTHING to you. Just because he's not associated with a movie or a TV show, Americans can't seem to relate to him. SO WHAT? The biggest problem is how he's presented in the US parks. Yeah I won't deny Disney saw his popularity in Japan and saw the dollar signs, thinking that same success would be translated to our side of the pond. Yeah... no. Over at TDS, Duffy fits in with the area of the park he resides in. They even state Duffy's "hometown" is Cape Cod. Over here he's just plunked into a generic meet & greet location with no rhyme or reason. In Japan, he has a fully-themed meet & greet area with a lot of rich details that add to his backstory. And you know the US parks aren't going to do something like that. it's a cultural thing. The Japanese like characters that are cute, regardless if they're associated with a movie or a tv show or what have you. But geez... the hate is really ridiculous because, you know, it's a TEDDY BEAR.
To me, Duffy is a fun, cuddly travel companion. I'm no kid (pushing 40 here) and I take Duffy with me whenever I go to the parks or on special adventures. I might get a weird look from time to time when someone sees him poking out of my backpack/bag but most times I get "Oh your bear is so cute!" I've also noticed most of the Duffy hate spawns from the west coast. Over on the east coast/WDW, he seems to be more accepted. I visit WDW once a month (AP holder - I live 1.5 hours away) and I always have guests and CM's fawning over my Duffy. When I was at the parks a little over a week ago, I actually saw several of all ages with Duffys or buying Duffys.
And to me, she's Duffy's best friend (though some like to think of her as his "girlfriend"). She is only typically seen at Tokyo DisneySea, though earlier this year she made a surprise appearance at Disneyland Paris for a special private event that was not open to the general public. She hasn't been seen at the Paris park since then though.
And her backstory is as follows (which takes place after Duffy's backstory).... After Mickey & Duffy came back from their adventures at sea, Minnie decided to make Duffy a friend of his own. So she made a girl bear. Duffy was happy to have a friend of his own and gave her a heart-shaped shell he found... that's how she got the name Shellie May.
And yes Shellie May is as popular as Duffy at TDS. They're even changing the "My Friend Duffy" show at the Cape Cod Cookout restaurant to incorporate Shellie May.
As a side note, I just do not get all the hate toward Duffy some of you have here in the States. He's just a little teddy bear that has done NOTHING to you. Just because he's not associated with a movie or a TV show, Americans can't seem to relate to him. SO WHAT? The biggest problem is how he's presented in the US parks. Yeah I won't deny Disney saw his popularity in Japan and saw the dollar signs, thinking that same success would be translated to our side of the pond. Yeah... no. Over at TDS, Duffy fits in with the area of the park he resides in. They even state Duffy's "hometown" is Cape Cod. Over here he's just plunked into a generic meet & greet location with no rhyme or reason. In Japan, he has a fully-themed meet & greet area with a lot of rich details that add to his backstory. And you know the US parks aren't going to do something like that. it's a cultural thing. The Japanese like characters that are cute, regardless if they're associated with a movie or a tv show or what have you. But geez... the hate is really ridiculous because, you know, it's a TEDDY BEAR.
To me, Duffy is a fun, cuddly travel companion. I'm no kid (pushing 40 here) and I take Duffy with me whenever I go to the parks or on special adventures. I might get a weird look from time to time when someone sees him poking out of my backpack/bag but most times I get "Oh your bear is so cute!" I've also noticed most of the Duffy hate spawns from the west coast. Over on the east coast/WDW, he seems to be more accepted. I visit WDW once a month (AP holder - I live 1.5 hours away) and I always have guests and CM's fawning over my Duffy. When I was at the parks a little over a week ago, I actually saw several of all ages with Duffys or buying Duffys.
GiveMeTheMusic
Well-Known Member
The Duffy hate stems from his having no reason to exist other than pure, baseless greed. There's next to no demand for the product in America, yet it's continually shoved at park guests at exorbitant price points. I don't begrudge the Japanese their Duffy love - he makes sense there in a culture that is obsessed with kawaii - but in America, Disney's shameless money-grab is a failure, and they should admit as much and move on instead of continuing to beat the dead horse.
Americans like to have an established IP with which to associate a character - the relationship has to be developed. Mickey and other Disney characters come from movies, TV, even theme park rides (like Figment) - we've met them there and bought merchandise because we liked them. Duffy doesn't exist outside of his merchandise, and American adults are not generally in the habit of carrying stuffed animals like many Japanese adults are. There's no reason for Americans to clamor for a very generic looking teddy bear just because Disney told us we should.
The hate is for the overinflated WDPR egos that get in the way of actually selling a product guests want - instead they'll stop at nothing to justify their failure. Similar reasons for the MM+ hate.
I don't begrudge anyone else's enjoyment of Duffy either, but I think it's silly to see it for anything other than what it is - a grasping at straws attempt to boost guest spending that failed.
Americans like to have an established IP with which to associate a character - the relationship has to be developed. Mickey and other Disney characters come from movies, TV, even theme park rides (like Figment) - we've met them there and bought merchandise because we liked them. Duffy doesn't exist outside of his merchandise, and American adults are not generally in the habit of carrying stuffed animals like many Japanese adults are. There's no reason for Americans to clamor for a very generic looking teddy bear just because Disney told us we should.
The hate is for the overinflated WDPR egos that get in the way of actually selling a product guests want - instead they'll stop at nothing to justify their failure. Similar reasons for the MM+ hate.
I don't begrudge anyone else's enjoyment of Duffy either, but I think it's silly to see it for anything other than what it is - a grasping at straws attempt to boost guest spending that failed.