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| Duff Beer | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons television series element | |
 MexicanSimpsons-style Duff beer, sold in Europe | |
| Production company | 20th Century Studios[a] |
| First appearance |
|
| Created by | Matt Groening |
| Genre | Animated Sitcom |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Beer |
| Affiliation | Duff Breweries |
| Type | Beer |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Duff Breweries |
| Origin | Springfield, United States |
| Color | Brown |
| Variants | Regular/Duff Light/Duff Dry (identical), Lady Duff, Raspberry Duff, Tartar Control Duff, DuffGummy Beers, Henry K. Duff's Private Reserve, Duff Stout, Duff Zero (non-alcoholic, retired), Duff Adequate / Le Duff (Canadian Duff), Pawtucket Patriot Ale (Family Guy Duff copy) |
Duff Beer is a brand ofbeer that originated as a fictional beverage on the American animated seriesThe Simpsons. Beers using the Duff branding have been brewed in a number of countries, resulting in legal battles with varying results. An official version is sold in three variations nearthe Simpsons Ride atUniversal Studios. In 2015,20th Century Fox, the producer ofThe Simpsons, began selling licensed Duff beer in Chile, with a view to driving outbrandjacking.[1][2]
In 2016,Time included Duff Beer in a list of the most influential fictional companies of all time.[3]
Duff isHomer Simpson's beer of choice. It is a parody of stereotypical mass-marketAmerican lager: cheap, poor-quality, high in alcohol, and heavily marketed everywhere.
The beer's slogan is "Can't Get Enough of That Wonderful Duff", though there are others. In the season four episode, "Duffless", parking lot signs at the Duff brewery have the slogans "It's Always Time For Duff" and "Now Leaving Duff Country". In the first season episode, "Homer's Odyssey", Duff is described as "The beer that makes the days fly by".
Their spokesperson isDuffman, a parody ofBudweiser's 1970s-era mascotBud Man. He is a muscular, bleach-blond, well-tanned man with whitened teeth who wears a blue leotard and cape, red Duff Beer ballcap, mirror sunglasses, and a utility belt full of cans of Duff Beer. He speaks in a loud and overly-enthusiastic staccato voice (like a radio DJ or beer commercial pitchman) and does a lot of exaggerated physical movements like a male exotic dancer – like dancing in place,groin-thrusting,hip shaking, and rubbing his buttocks with a towel. There are apparently many identical Duffmen; however, like mall Santas they never appear at the same place at the same time (so as to not disillusion the kids). One retired Duffman inAlcoholics Anonymous referred to himself as "Barry Duffman", indicating that he had to assume the identity of Duffman as part of the job. Some of the actors who play him have actually died (presumably from alcohol-related causes, analogous to theMarlboro Man); their demise was never acknowledged because the character of Duffman is unaging and immortal. At public appearances he is often flanked by a random pair of beautiful, scantily-clad women who act as arm-candy, backup dancers, and assistants.
While Duff Beer comes in several varieties, it is revealed on a Duff Brewery tour in "Duffless" that regular Duff, Duff Light, and DuffDry are the same beer, although Homer andBarney apparently remain oblivious to the fact. A tasting room contains Duff Dark beer and Duff Gummy Beers candy; it also contains several varieties that Barney stated they had not tried yet, including "Raspberry Duff", "Lady Duff" and "Tartar Control Duff".[4]
In "A Tree Grows in Springfield", Homer asks forMoe's best beer, so Moe gives him a Duff Adequate.[5] In "The Great Louse Detective", Duffman claims that DuffStout is "the beer that madeIreland famous".[6] In "Homer the Moe", Moe sells "Malaysian Duff", which is made withsoy sauce at his trendy bar. In "The Springfield Files", Moe offers Homer a bottle of "Düff"—a variant allegedly fromSweden (although the letterü is not natively used inSwedish orthography) that is actually just a normal bottle of Duff with anumlaut drawn over the U with marker (/dʊf/DUUF).
In "The War of Art", Homer offersKirk Van Houten a "Canadian Duff", which is labeled as "Le Duff Beer avecCodeine", and has a picture of Duffman in aRCMP uniform saying his catch phrase in both English (Oh Yeah!) and French (Mais Oui!).[7]
In "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk", Homer celebrates a recent minor stock windfall by ordering a bottle of Henry K. Duff's Private Reserve, which is implied to be more costly and of better quality, and which is an apparent spoof ofHenry Weinhard's Private Reserve,[8] as well as alluding toHendrik Doeff, the Dutch commissioner of theDejima trading outpost, who first introduced beer to Japan.
In the season 21 episode "To Surveil With Love", Duffman makes a giveaway of Duff advertising in Moe's bar while "Get Ready For This" by2 Unlimited plays on the background, suggesting this might be the theme song for the beer brand or for the character.
Fudd, a competitor to Duff, appears in the episodes "Colonel Homer" and "Lemon of Troy", the latter showing it being enjoyed by residents ofShelbyville, rival town to the Simpsons' home ofSpringfield. Consumption of Fudd however is alleged by bartender Moe Szyslak to have made hillbillies go blind.
In theFamily Guy episode "The Simpsons Guy", it is revealed that "Pawtucket Patriot Ale", the favorite drink ofPeter Griffin, is repackaged Duff Beer.[9]
In "Selma's Choice",Bart andLisa Simpson travel with their auntSelma to Duff Gardens, a parody of theBusch Gardens amusement park, but also containing elements ofDisneyland. In the gift shop, Bart spots "beer goggles", spectacles that mimic what drunks see: they make Aunt Selma appear young, feminine, and beautiful to Bart - and also, somehow, alter her voice. Later, they see themascots of Duff Beer, the Seven Duffs (a parody ofSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs)—Sleazy, Queasy, Surly, Edgy, Tipsy, Dizzy, and Remorseful.
In the same episode, there is also a directparody of the "It's a Small World" attraction atDisney parks. In the cartoon, the boats float on a brown liquid asanimatronic children sing "Duff beer for me, Duff beer for you, I'll have a Duff, You have one, too," over and over again. Lisa drinks the liquid in the ride on a dare from Bart, and she freaks out from itshallucinogenic properties.
Other Duff Gardens attractions include theBeeramid, the Beerquarium ("Home of the world's happiest fish"), the BeerHall of Presidents, the Washing Machine ride, the Whiplash rollercoaster, singing group Hooray for Everything (who sing a politically correct version ofLou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" and are based onUp with People), and a direct parody of Disneyland'sMain Street Electrical Parade.
There has been speculation that the name was inspired by one-syllable beer names in theUnited States (such as "Bud"), andThe Simpsons' writers had found the name humorous.[10] However, longtime Simpsons animator, producer, and director David Silverman stated in 2012 that Groening named the beer "Duff" simply for the convenient rhyme in the slogan "Can't Get Enough of that Wonderful Duff".[11] In 2018, writer/producerMike Reiss statedJay Kogen came up with the name.[12]
In an excerpt from his autobiography,Guns N' Roses bassistDuff McKagan claimed that the beer was named after him as the writers were fans of the band and he was known for his extreme alcohol consumption and was popularly called "The King of Beers".[13] This is a claimSimpsons creator Matt Groening has called "absurd".[14] In response McKagan has stated that he thought it was common knowledge and uncontroversial that he was the origin of the name, and jokingly called assertions to the contrary "absurd."[15] Reiss again denied the connection in 2018, stating, "No, it wasnot named after Duff McKagan ... We'd never heard of this guy. Have you? ... It's a cute fake story that McKagan tells."[12]
Moe's Tavern is a very close recreation of a tavern that was a block from the University of Oregon when Groening was there, called Duffy's.[16]
Matt Groening, the creator ofThe Simpsons, said he would not license the Duff trademark to brew an actual beer, over concern that it would encourage children to drink.[17] However, there have been a few notable cases of individual companies and persons who have used the term "Duff Beer" with varying success.
Bilbo's pizza and brewery inKalamazoo, Michigan also brewed their own form of Duff beer, which had a Homer Simpson tap handle to complete the reference.[18]
On June 1, 2013,Universal Studios Florida began offering officially-licensed Duff Beer in their expandedSpringfield area at a replica of Moe's Tavern and a waterfront Duff Brewery.[19]Universal Studios Hollywood also offers licensed Duff Beer products in their Springfield area.[20]
InGermany the Eschweger Klosterbrauerei, a brewery inHessen, brewed a Duff Beer under the GermanReinheitsgebot, under contract for Duff Beer UG.[21][22] It was distributed in many European countries,[23] and in Australia from 2011.[24]
Duff Beer UG applied for an EUCommunity Trade Mark (CTM) in 2009, which was opposed by Twentieth Century Fox.[25] In 2011 theOffice for Harmonization in the Internal Market decided in favour of Fox, and in 2012 Duff Beer UG appealed to theEuropean Court of Justice (ECJ).[26]
Twentieth Century Fox had itself been granted a CTM for the logo "Duff BEER" for use in several categories of non-beer merchandise.[27] Fox had applied for the CTM in 1999, but opposition from the makers of "Mac Duff's"-branded wine and spirits delayed the grant till 2006.[27] Fox's CTM was cancelled by the OHIM in 2011,[27] following a 2010 ruling by the Brussels Commercial Court that a "Beer" logo applied exclusively to non-beer merchandise was misleading.[28]
In 2014, Duff Beer UG's CTM was transferred to Fox, and the ECJ case was withdrawn.[2][29][30] There was also a German trademark registered in 1999 to Duff Beverage GmbH, creating what one lawyer in 2015 called a "very complex situation".[2]
Daleside Brewery inEngland makes a beer called Duff.[31]Duff Beer UG's beer is distributed in the United Kingdom as "The Legendary Duff Beer".[32] While news reports of its 2011 introduction mentionedThe Simpsons,[33] its own website does not, although it refers to its "iconic packaging" and states "The product has certainly fulfilled its namesake in becoming a modern day legend".[32]
In the mid 1990s, theLion Nathan brewery inAustralia produced a beer called Duff, which resulted in20th Century Fox bringing legal action against the company.[10] The product was ordered to be pulled from the shelves and destroyed because of the likely association in public mind between theSimpsons brand and characters and Lion Nathan's product, though the manufacturer did not use anySimpsons characters or theSimpsons Duff Beer design.[24] This version of the beer became a collector's item, with one case selling forUS$13,000.[34]
Duff Beer UG's beer was introduced in Australia in 2011.[24]
In May 2014, another incarnation of Duff was launched and sold through the Woolworths chain, but was pulled from Australian shelves on September 8 after a complaint to the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code adjudication panel was upheld over concerns over the product's appeal to minors.[35][36]
TheInvestigations Police of Chile seized 60,000 bottles of Duff-brand beer in the city of Linares following an intellectual property complaint from 20th Century Fox in March 2013.[37]
Partially due to unauthorized Duff beer in the country, Fox announced plans to sell official Duff beer in Chile starting in early 2016, with plans to expand elsewhere in South America and into Europe. Producing a real Duff beer will allow Fox strongertrademark protections of the Duff name; as a fictional product, it is more susceptible to piracy.[1]
In 2006, Rodrigo Contreras, fromGuadalajara,Mexico created a business, with the purpose of selling Duff beer. He managed to register the "Duff" trademark in Mexico, as well as the domain name DuffDeMexico.com. Contreras designed the bottle to be identical to the one portrayed onThe Simpsons. The bottle can be seen at his website. The beer is currently available at a few bars, but Contreras has stated his intention of selling it at convenience stores and even exporting it to the United States.[38]
This case has been featured on several Mexican newspapers and magazines, but most of them focus on the novelty the beer represents, rather than the legal implications of it. The "Duff" trademark was not registered in Mexico before Contreras registered it; however, Mexicanintellectual propertylaw recognizes the concept of "brand notoriety", which states that if any brand is well known by a specific section of the consumers or the industry due to the commercial activities or advertisement done by its owners, they have the right to claim the ownership of the trademark.[39]
Since its inception, the Mexican brand Duff has spread to other countries in Latin-America like Brazil,[40] Chile, Colombia, among others.[41]
Duff Beer UG's beer was introduced into France in 2011, though with limited success.[42] Since French television has a strict prohibition onadvertising and product placement of alcohol, subsequent broadcasts ofThe Simpsons have blurred the Duff logo on screen.[42] The name is not censored on the soundtrack, butDuffman was redubbed "Uffman".[42]
While Duff Brewery inDunedin,New Zealand brewed Duff Beer many years beforeThe Simpsons, after threats of legal action byFox, they negotiated to rename to McDuff.[43]
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The gift shop ofThe Simpsons Ride atUniversal Studios sells a cannedenergy drink made by Boston America Corp. that is designed to look like a Duff Beer can. It is also sold at a limited number of other locations, includingFive Below,2nd & Charles,[34] and in the UK at American import stores such as Cybercandy, and Bootleggers.
