Duffy’s 1st Anniversary at Disney in the USA :)
Well, Duffy will have officially been in the parks here for 1 year! ^_^ In both Disney parks, they will be releasing a special book for Duffy based off his very first book in Japan–Duffy the Disney Bear: Mickey’s New Friend:
Listen to a read version – I will have it transcribed below.
The story starts off very similar to the Tokyo Disney one and there aren’t too many changes, but I think the biggest are that they removed Duffy’s bottle (Probably as this takes place more Modernly while Duffy in TDS is in “Old Cape Cod”) and they mostly present Duffy as… a Toy Story Toy. As in, it seems like a toy but once in a while, you swear they did something, and when you aren’t looking, there they are being alive and happy and a bit more animated than you remember. The Japanese has Duffy as a character who they know has come to life so it’s very interesting how they went along with this. While it also has a lot of the Toy Story Toy effect, there’s a few more obvious signs of Duffy not being just that (and even a mention to how sometimes you can see him wandering around by himself). The US story is also longer than the Japanese one. I do hope the story will make him more popular though.
The book will be out the same day as Duffy’s anniversary–October 14th. The author, Monty Maldovan, will be in Epcot signing autographs from 11AM to 1PM. As a bonus, if you are an annual passholder, you can also get a special limited edition T-Shirt for your 17-inch Duffy to wear to celebrate (So upset I won’t be there until November ._.). The first 750 to show their Annual Pass to a Cast Member at Epcot and the first 250 to show their Annual Pass to a Cast Member at Treasures in Paradise at Disney California Adventure when the shops are opening will receive the special T-Shirt. (*ENVIES*) Duffy will also be meeting people in his Halloween outfit 🙂
Also, keep in mind, the “I hugged Duffy!” stickers will no longer be given out when Duffy’s 1 year anniversary hits so if you want one, make sure to try and get to Disney World before then!
Anyway, it’s not too surprising as they did touch upon Duffy’s story a bit during the walk up to meet him (It’s along the path/line) at the Friendship Gazebo so hopefully maybe the other stories will come at some point too or even just more in general.
It’s times like these where I wish I knew more about this story. Anyway, for those who’d rather read than watch the video (As a warning, I will not put up any pictures. You can see them in the video but since the person put a lot of effects, I’d feel bad using them)–please be sure to pick up the book regardless!:
Mickey is a sea captain so naturally he spends a lot of time on the ocean.
But sometimes he gets lonely being away from Minnie for so long.
Minnie has a seaside workshop where she makes all sorts of crafts.
One day she had an idea.
She decided to make Mickey a teddy bear to keep him company on his long voyages.
As she sewed, she thought about the fun adventures that she and Mickey had together, and she filled the bear with happy memories and love.
When it was time for Mickey to set out on his next trip, Minnie came with him to the pier.
She handed him a small duffel bag, and when he opened it, he discovered the adorable stuffed bear that Minnie had made him.
Mickey was overjoyed.
“This is the best going-away gift ever,” Mickey exclaimed, and he gave Minnie a hug.
“You can keep him in your duffel and take him with you wherever you go,” she replied.
“I will! And I think I will name him Duffy,” Mickey decided.
The next day was a busy one. Mickey had a crew of new sailors to train and he hardly had a moment to rest.
But after dinner, Mickey went down into his cabin and began to feel homesick.
He missed Minnie, so he picked up Duffy and hugged him tight.
As Mickey squeezed the little bear, a magical feeling came over him.
All of a sudden, he felt the love that Minnie had sewed into Duffy, and he wasn’t homesick anymore.
He curled up in his bunk and fell asleep holding the bear close to his heart.
He dreamed that Duffy came alive and spoke to him. And this is what the little bear said:
“Mickey, whenever you start to miss home, all you have to do is give me a hug and the love that Minnie put inside of me will chase away your sadness,”
In the morning when Mickey woke up, he looked down at Duffy and smiled.
To this day, Mickey still swears that the teddy bear smiled back at him and winked.
After that, Mickey and Duffy were inseparable.
Together they traveled all over the world and visited many new and exciting places.
And of course they made lots of friends along the way.
They trekked through a jungle,
rode a camel through the desert,
and tried all different sorts of food (well, Mickey did, anyway).
And everywhere they went, Mickey and Duffy took pictures.
When Mickey got home, he told Minnie and his friends about all of his adventures with Duffy.
He told them about the dream he had about Duffy coming to life.
Then showed them all the pictures he had taken and they knew Duffy was one special little bear.
It wasn’t long before Mickey’s friends began asking Minnie if they could have Duffys, too.
They all wanted travel teddies who would make them feel loved and keep them company during their journeys.
At first it was difficult for Minnie to keep up with all of her friends’ requests.
But she was a very smart mouse,
and she quickly transformed her workshop into Duffy-making central.
Once Minnie’s friends had Duffys of their own, they set off on trips with their little stuffed sidekicks.
Pretty soon, they began sending Minnie pictures of themselves hugging Duffy from locations far and wide.
You can find the Japanese story here.