PAIGNTON

Arrival Date: 3/30/18

Size: 17"

Year: 2017

Edition Size: 1270

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $27 (Retail $61.95)

Thoughts: I always thought Paignton was cute and should have picked him up from QVC during the September show, but I never did. Then he appeared on ebay and I won him for the fab price of $27 plus shipping! Guess it was good to wait after all. He's wonderful quality, despite not being jointed. The detailing is gorgeous and he's so soft. He makes me extra excited for the two Bearhouse characters I have on pre-order!

LIME PICKLE

Arrival Date: 3/29/18

Size: 15.5"

Year: 2018

Edition Size: 999

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: Retail $89.95

Thoughts: I love green, so green bears are some of my favorites. Lime quickly became the bear I was second most excited for (after Bundle) from the 2018 catalog, so I'm thrilled to have him in hand already. The fur on this pair is wonderfully soft and they're a great size. They don't seem very popular because they're so different, but different will always have a place in my collection!

CHUTNEY

Arrival Date: 3/29/18

Size: 15.5"

Year: 2018

Edition Size: 1200

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: Retail $89.95

Thoughts: My first 2018s from my stockist! I was pleased these two were 1st quarter bears and even more pleased they arrived first. Bundle was my first love from the 2018 catalog, but Lime Pickle was my second and I started getting more excited about this guy by extension. I only have one other yellow bear (Mix) so Chutney's a welcome addition to add some more color to my shelves. (He doesn't have white on his face. The fur there is a bit gelled, so it reflects the flash.) I love the ribbons on these two and their soft fur. I'm glad I preordered both!

TC

Arrival Date: 3/26/18

Size: 13"

Year: 2018 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 1450 (Mine is #1006.)

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: QVC

Cost: Retail $87.84

Thoughts: TC caught my eye right away thanks to his unusual blend of colors. What you can't tell from this photo is that he's part of the hat collection and comes with a red fez that's sewn on. Well, that didn't last long! He's based on a fez-wearing comedian I'm not familiar with, so apologies to him, but I freed those cute ears as soon as I could. I love the black eye detailing and his longer face. Like there's a good gap between his eyes and his stitched nose, and his entire face looks longer for that. He's definitely still quite the character, even without the hat, and very soft and cuddly!

MISHMASH

Arrival Date: 3/26/18

Size: 16.5"

Year: 2018 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 1100

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: QVC

Cost: Retail $92.76

Thoughts: His name is two separate words, but I'm mashing them together. I have HodgePodge on order and will do the same with him, too. And I'll likely end up with more of this year's patchwork bears. MishMash is from the Secret Collection so I'm thrilled we're getting him so soon after the UK. His arms and legs are soooooooooo soft! And I'm a big fan of black and gray, so all those lovely shades mixed together are right up my alley.

HIGGLE (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 3/26/18

Size: 16"

Year: 2018

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Gift

Cost: Retail $89.95

Thoughts: Higgle was on my pre-order list, then dropped off it, but he decided to find his way to me anyway! He's got a longer muzzle than the bears I usually buy, which is cool, and I love his giant poofy backwards ears. They're white on the back, which would normally be the color used for the ear lining instead. He also has mismatched paw pads! He's a heavy guy, much heavier than I expected, and he sits nicely with Kerri and Ainsley.

FLAPJACK (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 3/26/18

Size: 12"

Year: 2018 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 1850

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: QVC

Cost: $59.48

Thoughts: I liked Flapjack when people in the UK started getting him, but I wasn't 100% sold until I saw the video of him on QVC. Then he was a must. He's a little guy, but his lush fabrics and loads of detail make him a very richly-designed bear, despite his smaller stature. And that face!

AINSLEY

Arrival Date: 3/26/18

Size: 15"

Year: 2018

Edition Size: 2200

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Gift

Cost: Retail $81.95

Thoughts: I tend to favor the shorter-haired bears, but every now and then an exception comes. Ainsley is stunning. I love his eye markings, the occasional patch or freckle in his fur, and the material used for his arms and legs. I think he's going to be a good cuddler!

TARA

Arrival Date: 3/23/18

Size: 14.5"

Year: 2012

Edition Size: 3200

Designer: Heather Lyell

Features: Magnetic paws

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $59

Thoughts: Tara always intrigued me when I saw her, but I didn't see her very often. The stockist I bought Dakota from had her, but when they wouldn't ship Priority anymore, I stopped buying from them, so I never ordered her. I saw her on ebay recently from the same seller I bought my Edith from and I snatched her up. she has really cool, soft, mauve and black textured fur and magnetic paws, which I think are fun. I only have one other magnetic paw bear and that's Mischief. Tara's definitely not like any other bear in the CB collection and I'm glad to add her to my hug. 

SCRUMP

Arrival Date: 3/20/18

Size: 14"

Year: 2016

Edition Size: 1900

Designer: Heather Lyell

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $35

Thoughts: Scrump was one of my initial pre-orders for 2016, but I cancelled when none of the ones at my stockist were the right guy for me. I wanted one with the more orange and yellow patches in his fur right by his eyes so they didn't get so lost in all the black on his face. He has a black muzzle and a longer black hairdo, so the only spot for color is right next to each eye. It took me ages to find just the right one. There's a seller on ebay with a great price on him, but they don't let you pick a face, so I had to wait for just the right bear to be listed and he finally was! I got him for only $35 plus shipping, too. The Global Shipping Program had some hiccups, but he finally arrived today and his colors, especially on his body, are just gorgeous. He's going to sit beside Pumpkin Pie, as I originally planned in 2016. He's got some chub, too, great heft for cuddling.

ELSPETH

Arrival Date: 3/19/18

Size: 13"

Year: 2018

Edition Size: 585 (Mine is #476.)

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Features: Standing

Purchased From: Charlie Bears Direct

Cost: $55

Thoughts: I joined the membership club this year specifically for the chance to order this bear. It was a bit nerve-wracking, wondering if she was going to go on sale while I was at work (she did) and wondering how fast she'd sell out (slower than I expected but still gone in under 24 hours). I was able to order mine when I got home from work, three hours after she went on sale. What a big relief! And now she's here and she's not flawed, so that's an ever bigger relief, because there are none waiting in the wings for anyone who's package gets lost or who got an imperfect bear. Elspeth is a limited edition of only 600. She was designed for a little girl as part of the UK's Make a Wish program and some if not all of her proceeds were donated to Make a Wish. (I think all, but I'm not sure.) Elspeth is typically described as a "bright pink" bear, but her color is decidedly not just pink. There's definitely purple in there. She reminds me of my childhood Crayola crayons. She's like thistle and orchid. Her lighter parts are a silvery beige. She's kind of hard to describe, because her two colors are both such blends of other shades. I'm a little disappointed she's a standing bear, because their hard feet make them less fun to cuddle, but she's cute nonetheless. I have no idea where she's going to go on display right now, but in the future, I see her with some of this year's more unusually-colored bears that I have on pre-order.

ELSIE (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 3/12/18 (Rehomed 3/12/21)

Size: 13.5"

Year: 2018 Secret Collection

Designer: Heather Lyell

Purchased From: Charlie Bears Direct

Cost: $54

Thoughts: Elsie was not originally on my want list for 2018, because while she looked cute, she was supposed to be a "shopping telly" exclusive. I figured maybe US QVC would get her, too, but I didn't plan on it so I put her out of my mind, although people's photos of her on Facebook were very cute. So I was surprised when she appeared on CB Direct. Unfortunately. it was while I was at work and she sold out, but thankfully, she turned up again the next day and became a present from my mom. She arrived today after a milder bit of FedEx annoyance than I had with Together, and she's adorable. Very soft and I like the pale pink and cream colors. She is VERY wobble-jointed though. She's supposed to be, but these ones always make me nervous and a bit annoyed, because she was so wobbly, she couldn't even be held and look at me properly. I don't want to hold a bear with a head that keeps flopping about, so I wrapped a pink ribbon around her neck a few times and now she's far more secure.