Spotlight (November 2011)
Duff Beer
| The Simpsons and Duff Beer have a long and sordid history dating back to the mid 90's when the first incarnation of a "real" Duff Beer appeared in Australia. A company named Razorback Beverages released cans of Duff Beer and while the cans don't really resemble Homer's favorite beverage (besides the Duff name) they were an instant hit and people purchased them by the case. That is, until Matt Groening and Fox found out about it and sued the company to stop production.
The reasoning wasn't primarily because of copyright infringement but a deeper issue with Matt Groening himself who didn't want The Simpsons and Duff Beer promoting drinking by underage fans of the show. |
Eventually, Fox won the lawsuit and production ceased. After word had spread like wildfire about the debacle Australians decided they would try to cash in on the Duff Beer phenomenon buying the remaining cases and selling them for a huge profit. Individual cans were selling for hundreds of dollars and it was reported that one unopened case was sold at auction for $13,000. Nowadays, cans typically sell for between $40-80 and are periodically found on the eBay auction website.
Recently, there has been another surge to bring a "real" Duff Beer back into the limelight but it isn't by The Simpsons or Fox and certainly not by Matt Groening. There is a company in Mexico and another in Germany that have each put out a "real" Duff Beer within the last few years. Only time will tell if these companies are sued and forced to stop production as well or maybe they took better precautions legally and will be allowed to continue for years to come.
Over the years the Duff Beer name has been splashed on a multitude of items from T-shirts, to coasters, to playing cards and everything in between. Below you will find a sample from my collection of actual consumable Duff Beer products (except for the can of playing cards and beer mug, please don't try to eat those). Click on the pictures to view a larger image and read more information about each particular product.
Recently, there has been another surge to bring a "real" Duff Beer back into the limelight but it isn't by The Simpsons or Fox and certainly not by Matt Groening. There is a company in Mexico and another in Germany that have each put out a "real" Duff Beer within the last few years. Only time will tell if these companies are sued and forced to stop production as well or maybe they took better precautions legally and will be allowed to continue for years to come.
Over the years the Duff Beer name has been splashed on a multitude of items from T-shirts, to coasters, to playing cards and everything in between. Below you will find a sample from my collection of actual consumable Duff Beer products (except for the can of playing cards and beer mug, please don't try to eat those). Click on the pictures to view a larger image and read more information about each particular product.
