Duffy the Disney Bear

The "Disney Bear" was originally created in 2002 as a unique product for the opening of Once Upon a Toy, a merchandise store in Walt Disney World's Disney Springs shopping area. It was not particularly popular at the time. When the Oriental Land Company (OLC) wanted to bring The Disney Bear to Tokyo DisneySea in 2005, Walt Disney Imagineering suggested the bear be given a new story in consideration of the Japanese audience's love for background stories. According to the new story, Minnie Mouse gave "sailor Mickey" a teddy bear to keep him company on his voyages; Mickey named the plush toy "Duffy" because Minnie gave it to him in a duffle bag. Duffy the Disney Bear merchandise was released at Tokyo DisneySea on December 25, 2005. The Oriental Land Company aggressively marketed Duffy in the Tokyo DisneySea park, and he was added as a walk-around character in 2005. As Duffy's popularity grew, OLC started to retheme the Old Cape Cod area at Tokyo DisneySea to add Duffy, which included changing the show "Donald's Boat Builders" at the Cape Cod Cook-Off Theatre to "My Friend Duffy", which tells the story of how Duffy comes to life. (There have been several shows performed on this stage telling the story of how ShellieMay came to be; introducing Gelatoni; featuring all seven Friends as they celebrate Friendship Day.) Due to Duffy's popularity amongst Japanese fans, limits were set on the number of Duffy items a guest could buy. People lined up at stores for any new costume release. On June 30, 2014, they introduced Gelatoni the plush cat to select fans. (He was officially introduced to the general public at Tokyo DisneySea on July 4.) StellaLou the plush rabbit was introduced to select fans on March 23, 2017. On September 29, 2021, LinaBell the plush fox was introduced at Shanghai Disneyland, as part of the park's 5th anniversary celebrations. “My Friend Duffy” became “Duffy and Friends’ Wonderful Friendship” on July 4, 2023. ==Duffy's friends==

All characters in Duffy and Friends are plush toys but come to life in Mickey's imagination. • ShellieMay (January 22, 2010 ShellieMay lives in Cape Cod in American Waterfront (Tokyo DisneySea). • CookieAnn (July 3, 2018, at Hong Kong Disneyland) is a yellow plush dog with a chef's hat who loves to combine different things to come up with unique ideas such as novel recipes. She is from Main Street U.S.A (Hong Kong Disneyland). Her name was originally Cookie until it was changed to CookieAnn on October 29, 2019. • 'Olu Mel (July 27, 2018, at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa) is a kindhearted and optimistic turtle who loves making music. He is good at creating musical instruments using things found in nature. In fact, he feels very close to nature, and sometimes, he even plays music with it. He loves Hawaii and is associated with Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. His costume character first appeared in Shanghai Disneyland on September 1, 2020, for Duffy Month. His name was originally 'Olu, until it was changed to 'Olu Mel. • LinaBell (September 29, 2021, at Shanghai Disneyland) is an inquisitive pink plush fox with a purple orchid. She loves to solve problems and mysteries by finding clues using her trademark magnifying glass. Visitors were able to meet LinaBell at the Shanghai Disney Resort starting September 29, 2021. LinaBell arrived at Hong Kong Disneyland on September 9, 2022. • TippyBlue is a mail-delivering seagull character who is considered to be ancillary to Duffy and Friends, though he is not a plush toy like the rest of the characters. He is somewhat a "scatterbrain" who accidentally spreads wrong information causing confusion among the recipients. He has appeared in some Duffy stories and has narrated in the My Friend Duffy shows in Cape Cod (Tokyo DisneySea). ==Park attractions==

• "My Friend Duffy" show (at the Cape Cod Cook-Off Theatre in Cape Cod at Tokyo DisneySea) • The Duffy and Friends Show (near the entrance of Shanghai Disneyland). It started in May 2017. • Duffy and Friends: Celebrating Together show (near the entrance of Shanghai Disneyland). It ran from September 2 to September 30, 2020, for the Duffy Month. This is the first time CookieAnn and 'Olu Mel speak. • Duffy's Bedtime Story (a show at the Disneyland Paris hotel). This is the first time Duffy and ShellieMay speak in English. • Duffy's Pre-Splashing Parade (a show that only runs in the summer at Shanghai Disneyland) • A Duffy and Friends Celebration (a show at the Storybook Theatre at Hong Kong Disneyland) ==Online appearances==

On June 30, 2020, the Disney Parks posted on YouTube a stop motion short called "Morning Glory" featuring Duffy and Friends. In 2021, another stop motion short called "Spring Surprise" was released. As part of LinaBell introduction, a stop motion called "Lost and Found" was released in 2021. During the Duffy and Friends panel at D23 (Disney fan event) in 2023, a stop motion short called "Lunchbox Mystery" featuring all seven Friends was shared. ==References==