The story of Duffy the Disney Bear has him exploring the world with Mickey Mouse. On July 1, Duffy adds a new shirt to his international wardrobe with the release of a tee-shirt for a 17-inch bear that salutes Brazil. I’ve been a fan of Brazilian music for years (especially the jazz and bossa nova greats from the mid 1960s); and the photographer-side of me would love to visit one day. I asked Denise Edelmaier, product developer for Duffy, why Brazil was selected for Duffy’s newest shirt.
“We saw success with the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day shirts, so we decided to introduce a shirt for a country not represented in World Showcase at Epcot,” explained Denise. “We selected Brazil as we hope our Brazilian guests who are visiting Walt Disney World Resort this summer will discover the happiness that Duffy brings.”
Monty Maldovan, long time artist and designer for Duffy’s outfits, created the artwork for the shirt. There are limited quantities of the shirt being added to existing 17-inch bears. Retail for this item will be $30.00 (plus tax), and it will be released in the following locations – Disney’s Traders at Epcot; World of Disney and Once Upon a Toy in Downtown Disney Marketplace; DisneyQuest at Downtown Disney West Side; and the Emporium in Magic Kingdom Park.
In keeping with the international theme, I’m happy to share a first look at the upcoming 12-inch bear for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. This year, the event returns to Florida from September 28 through November 12. Interestingly, the 2011 festival bear was the second most popular item sold last year (with the cookbook taking first place). This year’s bear has a feature I love – a bow tie!
Guests attending the festival this year will also find Chef Duffy on a limited edition pin. The pin has an edition size of 4,000 and will be released at Epcot at the start of the festival. Jeanne Lewis, developer for Event Pins, also shared with me a look at two holiday pins coming this year. One pin will be released at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party while the other is coming to Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko ‘Olina, Hawai’i in late 2012.
