Show and Tell: Duffy and Shellie May, the Disney Bears

4:00 PM on 02.03.2012   |   Natalie Kipper

I got into the Duffy craze very early in the game. I fell in love with him when he was an exclusive to Japan's Tokyo DisneySea. I became even more enamored with the Disney Bear after being granted attendance to the Disneyland press event where they announced Duffy's release into the U.S. It was there that I purchased my very first Duffy the Disney Bear plush. Since that day, I have acquired five more Duffy plushes (six actually; my Duffy wristbag is hiding in my room somewhere) plus his lady friend, Shellie May. That's not even mentioning the outfits.

Has the Duffy bug bit you too? Or perhaps curious about this theme park exclusive character? Hit the jump to see more about my collection!

[Side note: When I first started buying Duffy toys, they were only available at the parks. But now you can purchase most of the things in my collection online from the Disney Parks online store. I have included links for your convenience.] 

This, good readers, is the first Duffy I ever purchased. He is the 17 inches tall and made of this ruffled fur-like fabric. The Duffy plushes of this size are sold naked (how embarrassing!) because they are meant to be dressing up in outfits that are sold sold separately. More on that later. He, sadly, lost his tag in an epic battle with an unruly animal (I shall say no more).

Do you know what makes Duffy the "Disney Bear?" You guessed it! He has silhouettes of Mickey Mouse's head, also known as a "hidden Mickey," all over his fuzzy body. More specifically, there are three places to find them: the white part on his face, his bottom paw pads, and the birthmark on his rear end. On a side note, look at that adorable tail! I am a sucker for a good tail.

The next big purchase in my collection was the 28 inch Duffy plush, whom I immediately dubbed "Duffers." He is a head taller than Duffy and tad fluffier too. Speaking from experience, he is a great listener and drinking companion (I am talking about tea, for the record). Duffers, thankfully, still has his tag.

These two little ones are my magnet Duffy and my Duffy keychain. The magnetic Duffy has mini-magnets in each of his four paws and also right below his plush head. The key chain is moderately dirty, much to my chagrin, because I use it for my house keys. I love that it has a lobster clasp on it so I can clip my keychain to other things, like my lanyard or wallet. You'll notice that they also have tags, just much smaller ones.

Now, we come to some of the rarer pieces of my collection. The first is Shellie May, Duffy's girlfriend. She is still a Tokyo DisneySea exclusive and, according to official Disney sources, there are no current plans to bring her outside of Japan. My Shellie May is 17 inches, but like Duffy, she comes in range of sizes. My parents bought her from eBay for my as a graduation gift. 

What makes Shellie May different from Duffy? She definitely is more feminine, with the eyelashes and accompanying bow. Her fur and hidden Mickey birthmarks is more pinkish. And, while Duffy's rump birthmark is on the left side, hers is on the right.

Another Tokyo DisneySea exclusive is Duffy's friend Tippy Blue the seagull. He is in the show, My Friend Duffy, at Tokyo DisneySea. He has a ball chain and a big safety pin so he can be attached to things. Notice that his feet have hidden Mickeys on them as well.

Here we head into dressed Disney Bear territory. Let's start with my 12 inch pre-dressed Duffys: the Birthday Duffy and 2011 Graduation Duffy. Their clothes are sewn on, which is just as well because the separate outfits are made to fit the 17 inch plush. 

Here are the outfits I have purchased for Duffy (plus the t-shirt I got for free because I am a Disneyland annual pass holder). In the first shot, Shellie May is sporting the pirate outfit and Duffy is outfitted in his sailor costume. In the pirate outfit, the plush sword can be unsheathed. The next set of outfits showcases Shellie May in an aviator uniform and Duffy is dressed as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. The sorcerer's cap's moons and stars light up when you press a button on the back of the hat. The final outfit I have for the Disney Bears is Duffy's anniversary t-shirt. The date on it, October 14, 2011, is the one year anniversary of Duffy's arrival at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

My collection will continue to grow as I look forward to many more Duffy products in the future. I hope you enjoyed my Show and Tell. Now as closer, let me pose the question: Where will you take your Duffy?