Disney Duffy Bear Makes His Way to U.S.

A new Disney character is making the rounds at Disney's Epcot and California Adventure.

Duffy, Mickey's teddy bear, made his American debut at the theme parks in October, posing for pictures for visitors and launching a new product line.

Duffy bear has been popular in Japan for years, but is new to the U.S. parks. Disney is hoping he'll be as popular here as he is in Japan.

Oriental Land Co., which runs both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, has developed a passionate following for the bear in Japan by only offering him at DisneySea, "a strategy that appeals to Japanese consumers fascinated with exclusive goods," according to a Wall Street Journal article. The article says, "stellar demand for Duffy goods has been one of the key drivers behind its record profits even as the Japanese economy remains sluggish."

In the U.S., Duffy's debut was noted on the Disney Parks Blog with a short biography about the bear. According to the story originally created when Duffy was launched in Tokyo, Duffy is Mickey's very own teddy bear, crafted by none other than Minnie herself.

The Disney Parks blog explains, "Mickey was about to set sail on an adventure to visit friends around the world. Minnie made a special gift to keep Mickey company and she presented it to Mickey in a duffle bag. Mickey, delighted with his gift, pulled out the gift, a very special bear, and named him Duffy. Mickey and Duffy embarked on many special voyages... While on their travels, Duffy and Mickey landed at Tokyo Disney Sea where they have been meeting and greeting fans for the past few years."

The teddy bear has a Mickey-shaped face and Mickey images on his paws.

Currently, the Disney Duffy Bear is being sold exclusively in the theme parks, but Mickey's bear has made his way, of course, to eBay and other sites specializing in Disney theme park merchandise.

It's probably only a matter of time before Duffy Bear becomes as well known as other popular Disney characters.