Sweet Duffy 2011 is here!
Now that the holidays are over, and the new year is in full swing, it's time to start thinking of love, well at least the sweet, innocent kind that Duffy and Shellie may spread. Tokyo DisneySea is gearing up for the Valentine's Day and White Day (a Japanese companion holiday where the girls give the boys gifts of love). The park has events going on for these holidays, but in the middle of that, we have an exclusively Duffy one just in the Cape Cod section of the park.
This event is called "Sweet Duffy", and started in 2009 to much success. In the 2010 version of the event, Shellie May made her debut and caused fan frenzy where people waited in lines all day long just to buy this new bear. Now, the 2011 version is here, starting on January 21st, and ending on March 14th. You can go visit Duffy and Shellie May in Cape Cod and eat at the Sweet Duffy cafe. There will be themed decorations in parts of the land, especially Aunt Peg's Village Store, and the cafe.
There is a new story this year that involves Shellie May. In 2009, Duffy was by himself working in a cafe making sweets for all his Disney friends. In 2010, although Shellie May was introduced, there was no story involving her. This year, in 2011, Duffy has Shellie May join him at the cafe to work and make sweets for the Disney characters. Here are the images from this new story. I love the simple illustrations.
There isn't much to the story, other than Duffy and Shellie May want to make treats for their friends, and since Duffy has worked in the cafe before, he teaches Shellie May how it's done. And, they are happy to spread Love and Joy to all their friends; it makes them very happy.
Of course with an event like this, guess what comes along with it? Lots of adorable merchandise!! And this year the color scheme is browns & purples. I have to say that one of my favorite colors is purple, so I'm loving this. Anyway, on to the goods...
Sweet Duffy 2011 Merchandise:
First things first, there are special "Sweet Duffy" costumes for both Duffy and Shellie May. They are dressed as workers in a cafe, with very cute details.
This is Duffy in his bow tie & apron. He's holding a box of chocolates (not real ones).
The costume costs 3,600 Yen and comes with a shirt, pin-striped pants, an apron and box of chocolates to hold. There is a pink "Mickey mark" on the back of the apron.
This is Shellie May's matching cafe costume.
Hers comes with dress, bloomers, full apron with bows on the pockets, a bow for her head, and a big cookie to hold. This costume is also 3,600 Yen. Oh, and she also has a pink "Mickey mark" on the back of her apron.
Next are the matching pin and cell phone plush that always go with a new costume release.
The pin badge plush are bigger and have a safety pin on the back to attach it to a bag or whatever you want. They also have a ball chain that you can use to hang it from anything you like. These cost 1,500 Yen each, and are 14cm tall.
Duffy
Shellie May
The Cell phone straps are smaller and do not have a pin. They just have a fabric cord to loop to your cell phone to dangle from it. They cost 1,300 Yen each and are 12cm tall.
Duffy
Shellie May
As you can see, the smaller the plush gets, the less detail they can sew onto them.
Now we move on to the non-plush merchandise. Lots of goodies here, and variations on themes from previous events. Towels, blankets, cookies, cocoa, etc. Let's go through these next. First up we have cloisonné cell phone charms. These are 1,800 Yen each, and are 10.5cm tall.
Something new this year is a set of earrings. This is the first time for something like this, and these are very cute, if you wear earrings. They look like Duffy treats. The set costs 3,500 Yen and comes in a box the the "Duffy brings love" logo all over it.
There is also a "Sweet Duffy" thermal tumbler it looks like it's stainless steel with a pink plastic lid and the event logo on the side. It is 2,500 Yen and is 8x16cm and holds 400ml of liquid.
This year there is also some glasswear for sale. A mug and a set of bowls. First the mug. It is 1,400 Yen and is 8.5x7.5cm. It also has the event logo on it.
A matching set of 3 glass bowls is next. There are 3 sizes and the set costs 2,000 Yen.
Now to more soft things. No more breakables...for now. There are some hand towels and a lovely fleece blanket for sale.
The blanket is 3,300 Yen, and is a small throw. It's fleece with Duffy and Shellie May sitting in a basket. The dimensions of the blanket are; 58x80cm That's roughly 31x23 inches. Also, the blanket can be folded up and put inside a very cute Duffy face with a zipper on the back to close it. Look...
Here are the "hand towel" sets. These are basically the size of a handkerchief or washcloth. They cost 750 Yen each, and they are 34x35cm.
Duffy
Shellie May
Now we get to one of my favorite items. I'll do a future blog post just about these, because so far I have ever single one. Anyway, it is a small canvas tote bag. This year it's in purple, which is my favorite. These cost 2,700 Yen and are 21x36x18cm. They are about the size of a small purse, so they can't really fit a regular sized Duffy plush, they are more for carrying your stuff around. Here it is!
Finally, before we get to the edible treats, we have a couple of little souvenirs to remember "Sweet Duffy" by. A postcard and sticker set.
The postcard is 200 Yen
And the sticker set is 500 Yen
Ok, we arrive at the tasty treats that are a tradition for every special event at Tokyo Disney Resort. These just happen to be themed to "Sweet Duffy". Lots of things to taste and savor here.
Sweet Duffy 2011 - Treats
Whenever you go to Tokyo Disney Resort you can count on finding one things. Sweets in cute tins and boxes. This is because in Japan there is a tradition to bring home small gifts to family and friends, it's called Omiyage. These don't have to be expensive, just a small token. Usually they are small food items. So, TDR is full to the brim with these containers of cookies, candies, and sweets. Every special event has it's own versions of these, and here we showcase the "Sweet Duffy" versions.
First up is a cute little hot cocoa set that comes with two spoons with Duffy and Shellie May on them. The packets also have the event logo. The set costs 1,400 Yen. Here are a couple pictures of it.
There is a tin of cookies that costs 1,200 Yen.
A tin of chocolate candy that costs 800 Yen
And finally, a heart-shaped tin of hard candies that costs 450 Yen.
These are just the pre-packaged treats for sale in the shops. There are also some that you can buy and eat right there in the park...or take home for later, but some of it could be messy! Another tradition started with "Sweet Duffy" was the ceramic dessert mug and plate sets. Now, these have been available for other special events at TDR for years, but the Duffy themed ones only started in 2009 for the very first "Sweet Duffy", but ever since they have been a tradition for every major holiday, like Halloween and Christmas.
The mug comes with a special flavored mousse and the plate has a delicious tart. You can purchase both of these without the desserts for a lower price if you like, but who wouldn't want to try these tasty looking treats?
The Duffy set: Mug costs 600 Yen, and the plate costs 700 Yen - that's with the treats included.
Mug - front
Mug -back
Duffy plate:
With tart
Without tart (you can see the design)
Shellie May Set: Mug costs 600 Yen, and the plate costs 700 Yen - that's with the treats included
Mug - front
Mug - back
Shellie May plate:
With tart
Without tart (you can see the design)
And last, but not least for the Duffy treats, we have a special Duffy cookie. It looks good, doesn't it? It will set you back 400 Yen, but that's a small price to pay to nibble on Duffy's cute little ear.
Alright, that's it for "Sweet Duffy" 2011...or is it? Well, as it happens, this is NOT the end! You're in luck, because there is something very special that was announced. It's part of the "Hello From Cape Cod" costume series, but it was a "mystery" costume release set to coincide with "Sweet Duffy". Fans speculated on what it could be, and the mystery was revealed on January 13th.
Here is that special treat; the "Heartfull Sailor" costumes make a comeback from last year!
Now, Duffy wore this costume in the park for the first "Sweet Duffy" event in 2009, but there was never an official release. Japanese fans took it upon themselves to sew copies of this costume and sell them online for a lot of money. Well, last year in 2010, TDS finally released a costume version of this, and at the same time, introduced Shellie May. She got her own version too! I suppose it's such a cute and popular design that they brought it back for 2011 so more people could own this adorable set.
Now, each costume costs 3,000 Yen, and there are some slight differences between this year and last year, but not a whole lot.
Here's Duffy.
His comes with pants, shirt, hat, and plush heart to hold
This is Shellie May's version.
Her's comes with skirt, shirt, hat, and plush heart to hold.
Also, as they do with every costume release (I told you, didn't I?) There are pin badge plush to go along with these. Each one costs 1,500 Yen and is 16cm tall.
Duffy
Shellie May (this is the first year she got a "Heartfull Sailor" pin plush, by the way)
So, if you missed out on getting these the first time, now is your chance!
Well, we're just about done, but before I wrap it up, I have one more treat to share with you. This is not related to either "Sweet Duffy" or "Hello From Cape Cod". It's a new storybook that tells the story of Shellie May. There has been a Duffy storybook for a few years now, and even a "Sweet Duffy" book too. Now, Shellie May finally gets her own official book. Now, we'll see if they develop more of her story, or if my friend DuffyDaisuki's Shellie May backstory is better.
Here's the book, It is hardcover, and costs 1,200 Yen
Ok, THAT is finally everything. No more surprises or mystery items. There are quite a few new things to look at and try to acquire. How much Duffy love to you have? Have Duffy and Shellie May brought you love and joy yet?
