Scalpers Use Fake Baby to Beat Disney Park’s Merchandise Limits

Ask any Disney Park Guest or Passholder, and he or she will probably have a story about how somebody “beat the system” or got caught trying. Normally those stories include people doing something widely considered distasteful, like trying to take advantage of disability access to skip long lines. But we at Disney Fanatic found one story that we find over-the-top and pretty funny.

At Tokyo Disney Resort, Guests lined up at the gates of Tokyo DisneySea hours before opening to have a chance to purchase new “Duffy” merchandise. A reporter from TV-Asahi noticed a group of tourists doing the same thing we have seen at other Parks, most recently at Disneyland Paris: buying the new items in bulk, undoubtedly for reselling proposes. But it appears that this time, these tourists were using fake babies.

The reporter shared a fellow visitor’s take on the scene (translated):

“In front of the store where it was sold, there was a person who put a lot of goods in a bag. Most of them spoke Chinese language. They took turns buying many times. Isn’t it a reseller?

It seems that some people buy extra dolls such as ‘baby-like’ and ‘fake babies’ in strollers, saying that they are my babies and buying the baby’s portion. What a baby doll was in the stroller. In other words, there was a person who prepared a “fake baby” and tried to buy for himself and his baby.”

Because of this trick, it appears that some Guests who waited in line went home empty-handed while the scalpers’ purchases hit the resale market at a 300% mark-up.

One person, @yuzu_mau0501, spotted one of these fake babies and took to Twitter, saying (translated):

“Fake baby in reseller. It’s too crazy to buy it like this.”

転売屋のフェイク赤ちゃん。
こんなんまでして買うとかキチガイすぎる。#TDR_now pic.twitter.com/ZYgo3s5BNY

— 柚莉ฅ•ω•ฅ体力皆無すぎて廃人( ꒪ཫ꒪ ) (@yuzu_mau0501) April 7, 2022

“Duffy” the bear is a Park character that has some presence at EPCOT but is primarily adored by the regular Guests of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. It appears that no matter which Disney Park one goes to, he or she will find new merchandise and folks ready to buy and sell for profit.

Only time will tell how the Disneyland Resort in California will look to combat the situation when it releases its new merchandise for the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade.

We at Disney Fanatic will continue to update our readers on Disney Park news as more stories come to light.