Hey’all-hope y’all had a lovely Easter weekend celebrating with family and friends. I am so thankful for the risen Jesus and the eternal hope I have in Him. Today I am back with another Mascot Monday post, and this week features Duffy the Disney Bear. I am obsessed with all things Duffy, so figured it was time to introduce him to y’all. Meeting Duffy in Epcot was definitely a highlight of my most recent Disney World trip. Walt Disney World actually discontinued Duffy’s meet and greet two weeks after my bestie and I were there, so I’m thankful I got to meet him before he left.
The Story of Duffy the Disney Bear
So you’re probably wondering “who in the world is Duffy? He’s never been in a Disney movie or cartoon.” Duffy is Mickey Mouse’s teddy bear, and a creation of Oriental Land Company, the owners of Tokyo Disney Resort. He originated at Tokyo Disney in the mid-2000’s, then made his way to the US Disney Parks in 2010. The basic backstory of Duffy goes like this: Mickey Mouse was preparing to go on an overseas voyage. Minnie Mouse made him a special teddy bear that would give him comfort whenever he felt lonely or homesick. Mickey loved the bear and named him Duffy, because Minnie presented the bear in a duffel bag. You can read more about the history of Duffy here.
Meeting Duffy
Honestly, I had never even hear of Duffy the Disney Bear until a couple months prior to my 2015 Walt Disney World trip. While planning that trip, I think I simply stumbled upon Duffy when I was researching character meet & greets. I thought he was so cute and his story was absolutely precious, so I knew meeting him in Epcot was a “must-do” for our trip.
Our first full day at Disney World, I knew I wanted to make it over to Epcot to meet Duffy. So after spending the morning at Animal Kingdom, my friend and I headed over to Epcot to catch Duffy during his early afternoon meet & greet. As soon as we got off the Disney bus and entered Epcot, I practically ran all the way to the gazebo at the entrance to World Showcase where Duffy was greeting his fans. Shout out to my best friend for not being embarrassed to be seen with me. Meeting Duffy was everything I thought it would be. He was so sweet and gave the best hugs. I also had him sign my childhood autograph book. It was also entertaining chatting with some people in line who were even more excited about meeting Duffy than me! I know that’s hard to believe!
Round Two
On our third and final day in the Parks, we found ourselves back at Epcot. And of course I had to see Duffy again. This time around, I told him he was my favorite and he made kissing noises. It was seriously one of the greatest moments of my life. I have zero shame for admitting this! Afterwards, one of the Disney cast member character attendants gave out stickers that said “I just hugged Duffy the Disney Bear.” I immediately put one on, and had plenty to save as souvenirs.
Duffy the Disney Bear was definitely my favorite character greeting of our trip, and also one of my overall favorite things we did. My besties isn’t into mascots and characters the way I am, but I was thankful she humored me by tagging along to the different meet & greets and even getting in some pictures.
Unfortunately, Duffy never quite caught on in the US Disney Parks like he did in Japan, so his meet & greet at Epcot is no longer. You can still buy Duffy merchandise at Disney World, but I hope Disney decides to bring the meet & greet back to Epcot. He has a girlfriend bear named ShellieMay, a cat friend named Gelatoni, and a bunny friend named StellaLou. Hopefully Disney will bring Duffy’s whole squad to the US when they decide to bring him back!
If you want to see a super cute video of Duffy’s arrival at Epcot back in 2010, click here. He has an adorable song, “My Friend Duffy,” that does along with him.
QUESTION: Have you ever met Duffy the Disney Bear, and what do you think of him? Also, who is your favorite Disney character to meet in the Parks?
PS. If you missed my previous post on tips for the best arrival day at Disney World, click here.
-xoxo Liz
