Shanghai Disney Resort kicked off its month-long Duffy celebration this month, as executives behind the $500 million merchandise franchise revealed the strategy that transformed the cute characters into one of Asia's most popular Disney properties.

Creators from Disney's Duffy and Friends development team stand with the franchise characters during a media event at Shanghai Disney Resort, Sept. 1, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Shanghai Disney Resort]

Olivia Sim, executive director of commercial strategy and global development at Disney Parks International, said the franchise's Asian success is remarkable given that Duffy and Friends lack movies or TV shows, unlike most Disney theme park characters.

"We have been inspired by how popular Duffy and Friends have become, and that has really inspired this team to expand the world," she said.

Originally launched as "The Disney Bear" in 2002 at Walt Disney World, the character was rebranded as Duffy when he arrived at Tokyo DisneySea in 2005. Disney Imagineers created a backstory: Minnie made the bear for Mickey as a traveling companion, and Mickey named him after the duffel bag he carried.

The character's success spawned additional friends, including cat Gelatoni, rabbit StellaLou, dog CookieAnn, and turtle 'Olu Mel. Shanghai Disneyland added LinaBell the fox in 2021, who became particularly popular in China.

More than 70 artists, storytellers and Disney Imagineers work on the franchise. Sim said each character is designed to maximizevisual appeal and emotional connectionswith park visitors.

This year marks 20th anniversary of Duffy's debut in Japan, with the characters gaining popularity across Asia and internationally over two decades. The franchise now ranks among Disney's top-selling merchandise lines in Asian parks.

The original concept of Duffy and Minnie and Mickey Mouse. [Photo courtesy of Shanghai Disney Resort]

The franchise's success stems from close coordination between Disney's creative teams, the Imagineering division and Shanghai resort operations to ensure cultural authenticity and local market appeal. Leia Mi,art director at Walt Disney Imagineering Shanghai, noted that the characters resonate strongly with female consumers in Asia.

"Asian fans adore cute things, and their understanding of cuteness is highly diverse," she said. As a result, the team closely considers the preferences and aesthetics of Asian women toward cute characters during the creative process.

Yasmeen Chen, director of merchandise creative at the resort, helped design the popular character LinaBell starting in 2017. Chen said the Shanghai design team carefully crafted details, including the character's fluffy tail, two eyelashes and a specific shade of pink tailored to Asian markets.The meticulous attention to elements like tail stuffing weight helped drive LinaBell's market success.

Denny Newell, director of creative and production for entertainment at the resort, explained how the team brings the characters to life through meet-and-greets, seasonal events, parades and annual celebrations like Duffy Month.

According to Newell,interdepartmental coordination and regular content updatesmaintainstorytelling consistency while keeping experiences fresh. Directguest interactions animate the characters and reinforce their popularity.

The Shanghai resort's merchandise team launched 21 collections over the past year with more than 1,000 themed products, including seasonal and limited items inspired by everyday life.

Guests can visit Duffy and Friends in themed locations across the park. The CookieAnn Bakery Café became Shanghai Disneyland's first character-themed dining venue, drawing fromCookieAnn's love of baking and creativity. The venue's popularity prompted the creation of the Duffy and Friends Celebration Hall on Adventure Isle, featuring nature-themed artwork showing the characters' adventures and serving as a popular fan meeting spot.

Duffy and Friends wear new seasonal outfits for the upcoming Duffy Month celebration. [Photo courtesy of Shanghai Disney Resort]

Shanghai Disney Resort's monthlong Duffy celebration runs through September, featuring floral displays that showcase bonds between the Duffy franchise and classic Mickey Mouse characters.

Activities include flower-decorated photo opportunities, character meet-and-greets in seasonal costumes and the daily show"Enjoying the Moon with Duffy and Friends."Special Sunday performances developed with Shanghai Huju Opera Theatre will incorporate traditional opera elements. The celebration will also feature new merchandise and food offerings, coinciding with LinaBell's fourth anniversary.

Mavis Ma, director of marketing strategy and communications at Shanghai Disney Resort, stated: "We recognize the value of this emotional connection and wish to share its warmth with more people. Over the past year, we have created new stories and content for Duffy and Friends nearly every day, releasing an average of more than three new pieces of material daily. We hope their world continues to expand and touch more hearts."