Orange Bird = Duffy?

[OKW Lover]

Interesting story in the Orlando Sentinel that compares the Orange Bird to Duffy.

 

[Justin Jett]

Awwww......I wanted to like the Orange Bird.

 

[D-La]

No Comparison! Orange Bird is more Nostalgia-ey to me. I can't wait to get one, or 5 Orange Bird Sippy Cups! I feel like i'm 5 again!

Interesting story in the Orlando Sentinel that compares the Orange Bird to Duffy.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

Funny article, though!

 

[GAN]

I haven't met Duffy yet -not really looking forward to it. But the Orange Bird is another story -he will bring back some memories

 

[mytripsandraces]

I still don't understand the animosity towards Duffy. I don't see what is so offensive about him. I'm not a particular fan - the only Duffy items I have are some stickers and buttons given to me in Tokyo and Hong Kong Disneylands, but I don't collect other Disney merchandise, either, really.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I still don't understand the animosity towards Duffy. I don't see what is so offensive about him. I'm not a particular fan - the only Duffy items I have are some stickers and buttons given to me in Tokyo and Hong Kong Disneylands, but I don't collect other Disney merchandise, either, really.

With the wealth of characters Disney owns, Duffy to me is just VERY generic. He looks like a character you might see walking around Joe's Amusement park. I know they tried to give him a story...Minnie made him for a Mickey to take on a trip or something, but he's still just generic to me and a way for Disney to compete with Build-A-Bear. I saw Meet n' Greet Duffy at Epcot when we were there and he's just blah with no established "personality" or characteristics like other characters. Plus I really liked the store they cleared out to sell all Duffy stuff all the time in WS.

 

[D-La]

With the wealth of characters Disney owns, Duffy to me is just VERY generic. He looks like a character you might see walking around Joe's Amusement park. I know they tried to give him a story...Minnie made him for a Mickey to take on a trip or something, but he's still just generic to me and a way for Disney to compete with Build-A-Bear. I saw Meet n' Greet Duffy at Epcot when we were there and he's just blah with no established "personality" or characteristics like other characters. Plus I really liked the store they cleared out to sell all Duffy stuff all the time in WS.

Agreed. I have no animosity toward Duffy, it's just that it seems like it's just injected into the Disney Universe of characters with no real basis. Mickey and the gang had cartoons and comics as a foundation. Duffy just seems a little gratutiously merchandise-ey. He's cute and all, but he's just floating out there without any kind of history or anchor.
I guess Time Will Tell with the little guy... I know when my DH and I pass by a display of him, we yelp out "DUFFY!" so we're doing our part.

 

[metalis4ever]

Agreed. I have no animosity toward Duffy, it's just that it seems like it's just injected into the Disney Universe of characters with no real basis. Mickey and the gang had cartoons and comics as a foundation. Duffy just seems a little gratutiously merchandise-ey. He's cute and all, but he's just floating out there without any kind of history or anchor.
I guess Time Will Tell with the little guy... I know when my DH and I pass by a display of him, we yelp out "DUFFY!" so we're doing our part.

LMAO DW and I do the same thing!!!! Well similar...whenever we see anything Duffy, We yell out "OMG it's DUFFY!!!!"

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

I was just reading Nikki's blog on the Orange Bird and I had the same thought of comparing him to Duffy.

Reading some of the previous posts about their nostalgic fondness for OB, I can't help but think that the Duffy-loving kids of today will be nostalgic for him when they become our ages....

 

[WaltD4Me]

I was just reading Nikki's blog on the Orange Bird and I had the same thought of comparing him to Duffy.

Reading some of the previous posts about their nostalgic fondness for OB, I can't help but think that the Duffy-loving kids of today will be nostalgic for him when they become our ages....

Maybe, but I actually don't remember Orange Bird from Disney World, I remember and associate Orange Bird with Florida orange juice. I think of him nostalglicly more like Snap, Crackle and Pop or Charlie the Tuna, the toucan bird from Fruit Loops. I don't see Duffy as being as iconic and the memory of him will be limited to kids who went to WDW at a certain age.

 

[kbelle8995]

The Orange Bird was created for WDW with the Florida Citrus Commission.

I rememberr seeing him at Citrus Stands when I was a child. He does have a connection with Florida and I loved him as a small child and I love him now.

Duffy has no connection to Florida. He was created for Toyko and the visitors there seem to love him. He's a cute bear but I feel no urge to meet or purchase any of the Duffys. I think the Orlando Sentinel is right maybe he just needs a tasty treat to go with him.

I want everything with the Orange Bird. He's a tiny piece of WDW and Florida's past. Sadly some of our citrus groves have disappeared with the further development of Florida. It just a small memories of driving past orange groves and smelling Orange Blossoms and having an orange that came from somebody's backyard. I miss those days. There's still some Orange Groves around Disney.
Not really any citrus here in Tallahassee.

Oh no now I really want a Citrus Swirl. Oh I can just taste it.

 

[Justin Jett]

I was just reading Nikki's blog on the Orange Bird and I had the same thought of comparing him to Duffy.

Reading some of the previous posts about their nostalgic fondness for OB, I can't help but think that the Duffy-loving kids of today will be nostalgic for him when they become our ages....

Not a chance!!!!

 

[tjevans]

Interesting story in the Orlando Sentinel that compares the Orange Bird to Duffy.

Haven't read the article, but here's my comparison: The Orange Bird was created by Disney for the Florida orange growers; Duffy is the spawn of Hell.

 

[mrzrich]

Haven't read the article, but here's my comparison: The Orange Bird was created by Disney for the Florida orange growers; Duffy is the spawn of Hell.

This.

 

[Justin Jett]

Haven't read the article, but here's my comparison: The Orange Bird was created by Disney for the Florida orange growers; Duffy is the spawn of Hell.

Well said!

 

[PinkBudgie]

I think the animosity for Duffy comes from the fact that he was forced upon us. He was thought up by marketing stuffed shirts just for the purpose of selling him, not by storytellers with a story to tell. And he doesn't even look special. He looks like every other teddy bear out there. I guess I feel a little insulted that they think I will go crazy over him just because he's "Disney".

To me that is completely different from bringing back an old product icon. The orange bird makes you stop and think about your childhood (like the Tootsie Pop owl). Disney didn't invent the orange bird in order to sell orange birds and turn him into "Mickey's bird". Big difference. Why is Duffy so popular in Japan? I have no idea except to say its a different culture. I don't know why they brought him over here.

Now, here's a thought... If they had left Duffy in Japan and he was something you could only get if you went there, it would be cool to bring him back. You could show him off and point out that it's a Japanese thing and you can't get him anywhere else. That would have made him more "exotic".

 

[tjevans]

I think the animosity for Duffy comes from the fact that he was forced upon us. He was thought up by marketing stuffed shirts just for the purpose of selling him, not by storytellers with a story to tell. And he doesn't even look special. He looks like every other teddy bear out there. I guess I feel a little insulted that they think I will go crazy over him just because he's "Disney".

To me that is completely different from bringing back an old product icon. The orange bird makes you stop and think about your childhood (like the Tootsie Pop owl). Disney didn't invent the orange bird in order to sell orange birds and turn him into "Mickey's bird". Big difference. Why is Duffy so popular in Japan? I have no idea except to say its a different culture. I don't know why they brought him over here.

Now, here's a thought... If they had left Duffy in Japan and he was something you could only get if you went there, it would be cool to bring him back. You could show him off and point out that it's a Japanese thing and you can't get him anywhere else. That would have made him more "exotic".

This is it exactly. Much more eloquent than my post.

 

[PinkBudgie]

This is it exactly. Much more eloquent than my post.

Well yours is much more to the point!