Duff Beer
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"Can't get enough of that wonderful Duff!" - the Duff Beer slogan
Duff Beer is the biggest brand of beer in the Simpsons universe. It's Homer's favorite, and is endorsed by Barry Duffman a.k.a Duffman.
It has become one of the trademarks of the show appearing in merchandise, popular culture and adverts.
Contents
Possible inspiration
The word "duff" is common English slang for "useless" or "broken" (it can also mean pregnant, in the phrase "up the duff"). Like many other countries, discerning beer-drinkers often characterize popular domestic brews in a pejorative way (American criticize Budweiser, Australians discount Fosters, Victoria Bitter et cetera) as being mass-market swill. Clearly, the character of Homer represents the typical mindless drone who would drink whatever beer was marketed most heavily, regardless of quality, as satire of undiscriminating beer drinkers who routinely purchase "popular" (read: heavily advertised) beer.
I like beer.
The idea for the name of the beer possibly could have come from the play "Landscape" written by Nobel prize-winner Harold Pinter. Landscape is a one act play where the leading characters, Beth and Duff a middle aged couple, sit and talk at a kitchen table. One of the leading topics that is discussed by Duff is his job at the local brewery known for their keg beer. The play itself is a social commentary analyzing the difficulty at which a married couples communicate. In this sense, "Landscape" could also be a possible inspiration for the characterization of Marge and Homer as well.
Another inspiration may have come from former Guns N' Roses/current Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan who in the early days of Guns N' Roses was known as Duff "The King Of Beers" McKagan. McKagen's nickname predates the Simpsons, with it being used at least as early as 1988 in an MTV live concert.
Similarities to Budweiser
Duff has been likened to Budweiser beer.[1]
- Budweiser has used a cartoon spokesperson named "Budman", who is similar to Duff's Duffman.[2]
- Budweiser used a real dog called Spuds MacKenzie as a mascot to promote Bud Light. In the episode "Old Yeller Belly", the Simpson's dog, Santa's Little Helper becomes Duff's mascot under the name Suds McDuff.
- Like Duff's, the Budweiser logo has violet diagonal areas above the product's name.[3]
- Duff is the corporate sponsor to a stadium and an amusement park which parallels Budweiser's corporate parent, Anheuser-Busch with Busch Stadium in St. Louis and Busch Gardens.
- During the Super Bowl in the episode "Lisa the Greek", Duff has an advertisement where Duff Lite and Duff Dry play in the Duff Bowl, which is analogous to Budweiser's Bud Bowl.
Real Duff beers
In the late 1990s, the Lion Nathan brewery in Australia produced an unrelated beer called "Duff Beer". 20th Century Fox brought legal action against the company.The product was ordered to be pulled off of store shelves and destroyed, becoming a collectors item in the process.
Daleside Brewery in England makes a Duff beer - Duff being Gaelic for dark, this is a 5% abv dark beer.
In 2007 a Duff energy drink was made which looked just like the beer on The Simpsons.
In 2005 in Guadalajara Jalisco Mexico a young business man opened his own duff beer
Duff Scam
As reported on the T.V. show Inside Edition, there was a scam in 2004 where an Austrailian woman was sold a Duff beer similar to the one on The Simpsons (in which the can had the same logo as the can on the show). She went to court to sue the person who sold it to her but the case was thrown out by the judge a few days later.
Variations On Duff
Duff's equivalent in Shelbyville is Fudd Beer. Moe Szyslak once tried to sell Homer Simpson a can of German Duff, which was just Duff but with a German accent over the u. When Bart, Lisa and Aunt Patty visit Duff Gardens, there are many different types of Duff. These are:
- Duff Dry
- Duff Lite
- Duff Dark - Ironic in the fact that Duff is Gaelic for dark, thus meaning 'Dark Dark.'
- Duff Extra Cold
- Raspberry Duff
- Tartar Control Duff
- Lady Duff - A reference to Lady Duff Gordon, a prominent survivor of the Titanic sinking and a popular fashion designer.
- Duff Stout
- Duff Blue
- Duff Zero (Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment)
Other - non drinkable - Duff products include a Duff Beer Suitcase, Duff Gummi Beers and Duff Beer Calenders
