Duffy the Disney Bear was a character created especially for Disney’s theme parks. He first appeared in 2002 as a stuffed plush teddy bear with distinctive Mickey marks on his paws and left hip, plus a Mickey-silhouetted face. He was a doll given to Mickey by Minnie, but he never really took off until he made his way to Tokyo Disneyland for their Christmas events. There he earned the name of ‘Duffy’ and deeper backstory.
In recent years Disney has been trying to capitalize on the Duffy craze by giving Duffy some friends. In 2014 Geletoni the cat joined Duffy at Hong Kong Disneyland. ShellieMay, a female version of Duffy, arrived in 2015. Then this year Tokyo Disneyland will greet a fourth character – StellaLou.
Coming first to Tokyo Disney Resort as part of its Easter events, StellaLou is a sweet lavender rabbit who danced her way into Duffy’s heart in front of the S.S. Columbia at American Waterfront. She had dreams to dance on Broadway and taught Duffy about the power of chasing your dreams.
Starting tomorrow at Toyko DisneySea guests will be lining up to purchase a StellaLou plush, enjoy some tasty treats inspired by StellaLou at the New York Deli and Cape Cod Cook-Off.
Look for SellaLou herself to join Mickey and Duffy during “StellaLou’s Greeting Drive” starting April 4th.
While Duffy and his friends are born of a desire of the parks to profit from more merchandise sales, you can’t blame fans who enjoy collecting these cute dolls, dressing them in outfits, and maybe letting their kids play with them too.
Have you joined in the craze surrounding Duffy the Disney Bear and his friends?