Duff Beer
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Simpsons the homer wo hoo duff beer.png Duff Beer is a fictional brand of beer in the animated series The Simpsons. It is Homer Simpson's beer of choice. It is a parody of stereotypical American mass-produced beer: poor-quality, cheap, and advertised everywhere. The beer's official spokesperson is Duffman.
The name of the beer likely comes from the fact that "duff" is slang for somebody's rear end, with connotations of laziness and the weight-gain associated with the beer-guzzling couch potato lifestyle. There is also a possible riff on "Bud" (Budweiser), which is also monosyllabic and ubiquitous and has an amusement park (Busch Gardens). The name may also be related to the British adjective "duff" meaning "faulty" or "useless".
An article in the Scranton Times-Tribune states: "A trivia buff in the House Democratic caucus later informed me that the state’s 8-cents-per-gallon beer excise tax was last increased in 1947 under legislation signed by the late Republican Gov. James H. Duff. Thus, it is the "Duff beer tax"."
The show's creators appear to have designed the Duff Beer label for the making of the April 1989 episode "Some Enchanted Evening". The notes "MAKE UP BEER LABEL DUFF BEER?" can be found on p.16 of the first draft of the episode's script.
The chief competitor of Duff Beer is Fudd Beer. It is intentionally the "opposite" of Duff, with the consonant sounds being reversed, but with parallel spelling. Homer became aware of Fudd Beer while patronizing a "redneck bar" in nearby Spittle County. It was later revealed to be considered very popular in Springfield's rival town of Shelbyville. Moe said he thought it had been banned "after all those hillbillies went blind".
Contents |
Duff brands
- Duff
- Duff Lite
- Duff Dry
- Duff Dark
- Lady Duff
- Duff Lager
- Raspberry Duff
- Tartar Control Duff
- Henry K. Duff's Private Reserve
- Duff Blue (slogan: "Tap into the peppermint glacier")
- Duff Stout ("the beer that made Ireland famous," according to Duffman)
- Duff Zero non-alcoholic beer
- Duff Extra Cold
- Duff Gummi Beers
When Homer tours the Duff brewery, it is revealed (though apparently not to him) that the first three of the above varieties come from the same pipe as regular Duff.
During the Springfield prohibition, Duff breweries started producing the alcohol-free Duff Zero, claiming that people drank Duff for its robust taste rather than its alcohol content. This drove the company to bankruptcy within thirty minutes.
In addition, Düff (pronounced "Doof") was created when Moe drew an umlaut on a can of Duff to try to convince Homer that it was imported Danish beer, which he called "the beer of Danish kings".
Duff Gardens
In the episode entitled Selma's Choice, Bart and Lisa Simpson travel with their aunt Selma to Duff Gardens, a parody of the Busch Gardens amusement park, but also containing elements of Disneyland. There, they see the mascots of Duff Beer, the Seven Duffs: Sleazy, Queazy, Edgy, Surly, Tipsy, Remorseful, and Dizzy. Bart and Lisa ride "The Little Land of Duff" attraction, where they hear this song (repeated over and over):
- Duff Beer for me!
- Duff Beer for you!
- I'll have a Duff,
- You have one too!
This is a direct parody of the "it's a small world" attraction at Disneyland. Unlike that attraction, the boats float on a brown liquid with hallucinogenic properties (probably polluted beer), which Lisa ingests.
Other Duff Gardens attractions include the Beeramid, the Beerquarium ("Home of the world's happiest fish"), the Beer Hall of Presidents, the Washing Machine ride, the Whiplash rollercoaster, singing group Hooray for Everything (who sing a politically correct version of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side"), and a direct parody of Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade.
Real Duff Beer
In the late 1990s, Lion Nathan in Australia produced an unrelated beer called Duff Beer. 20th Century Fox sued for trademark infringement and won. Lion Nathan's Duff Beer has since become a collector's item.
At least two microbreweries have brewed beer called Duff Beer:
- J.J. Bittings Brewpub in Woodbridge, New Jersey. Promotional material at the bar included pictures of Homer Simpson.
- Daleside Brewing from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England produces both Duff Beer and Duff Blonde.
In Argentina, a newspaper sent Duff Beer to its readers. The Telégrafo del Sur (Southern Telegraph) was authorised by the Highest Court of Buenos Aires to continue sending Duff to its readers.
Trivia
In the anime series Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, billboards for Duff Beer and Buzz Cola can be seen in overhead pans of the cityscape.
External links
- Advertising of America's Beer Companies and the Duff Corporation
- Telégrafo del Sur (Southern Telegraph) On-line newspaper that sends Duff Beer to its readers. (Spanish)