FIDDY

Arrival Date: 1/16/20

Size: 21" (or thereabouts)

Year: 2019

Edition Size: 1000

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $74.95

Thoughts: This stunning monkey is part of the Bearhouse collection. Like Congo, Fiddy uses a lot of different fabrics and colors. I had been thinking of him as male, but now I'm not so sure. Mine might be a girl! I'm not positive, but I think this is a golden snub-nosed monkey. Whatever the species, Fiddy is gorgeous and soft and cuddly. The fur on her belly is super soft. I'd like a bear made with it!

TAOMI

Arrival Date: 1/11/20

Size: 18"

Year: 2010

Edition Size: 2200

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Private collector via Facebook

Cost: $60

Thoughts: Taomi crept onto my wanted list a few months ago. I missed out on a good deal on her on ebay, but the right bear was waiting for me. She has one of the most unusual colors in my hug. Her darker shade is something I'd call raspberry. Raspberry in women's clothing and makeup tends to be pinker than this, but it's more raspberry to me because it's close to the shade of the actual berry. The tipping is like orangey-gold. She's a big cuddly bear, too, though not quite as wobbly as Talitha. She actually resembles a Heather Lyell bear more than what I think of as typical Isabelle Lee. I was honestly surprised she was a Lee and not a Lyell!

TALITHA

Arrival Date: 1/11/20

Size: 20"

Year: 2009

Edition Size: 2354

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Private collector via Facebook

Cost: $65

Thoughts: I never thought I would own this bear. She was on my wishlist very early on in my collecting and one I actually aimed for time and again. I missed out every time. Either I'd be outbid or the seller wouldn't ship to the US or I'd simply have no funds at the time she appeared. After seeing not one but three fellow collector friends get her super easily, I decided it wasn't meant to be and pretty much put her out of my mind. But bear fate works in mysterious ways and it suddenly plopped her in my lap. I saw a US collector on Facebook selling some of her bears and she had not one but two older ones I wanted! So Talitha is finally in my hug. She is HUGE. She's 20", but there's something about her that seems massive. She's very wobble jointed and top heavy, and she's loosely stuffed in the torso, so there's even less to support her large head. I reinforced her neck by winding a long black ribbon around it and that's made it easier for her to sit. She's so squishy in the torso that she's going to be amazing to cuddle! And I love her happy face. I'm not big on the gigglers like a lot of people are, but she's one of the best ones.

FLIPFLOP (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 1/9/20

Size: 5"

Year: 2013

Edition Size: 1200 (Mine is #288.)

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: Free gift!

Thoughts: FlipFlop was a total surprise from my stockist! He's a little mohair keychain and he's just darling. He also reminds me of TickTock, who was my first rewards bear years ago. It was so sweet of her to give me him!

CLARABELLE (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 1/9/20

Size: 10.5"

Year: 2019

Edition Size: 300 (Mine is #292.)

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Features: Mohair

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $224.95

Thoughts: Clarabelle was my mohair choice of the year, not knowing I'd also be getting Sparks and Snapdragon. I'm not a big mohair collector. I just don't have the funds, even though there are ones I love, so I try to only get one. But Clarabelle was an easy choice for this year's pick! The light blue eyes are unusual and compelling, and she's just a pint-sized darling. My mom loves her so she's currently sitting on her dresser. She goes a little bit better with her decor than mine.

GERONIMO

Arrival Date: 1/9/20

Size: 15.5"

Year: 2019

Edition Size: 1585

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $92.95

Thoughts: Geronimo was actually the first of the trio (along with Errol and Flynn) to arrive in the US, but he's the last to come home, because he was part of a layaway with Dan and Jill. He's a sweet little brown guy. Not as flashy as his brothers, but he is also a standing bear, which lets him hover over them!

JILL

Arrival Date: 1/9/20

Size: 17"

Year: 2019

Edition Size: 1460

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Features: Plumo

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $111.95

Thoughts: Dan and Jill stuck out to me in the catalog, but I did not pre-order them right away. I thought I was getting too many, but I managed all my pre-orders well enough that I ended up adding them after all. I've had these guys on layaway for a bit, but finally got them home. Anke is the same style as they are, so she arrived a while back and I knew what loveliness to expect. Jill I think is my favorite of the three. There is something utterly perfect about her lovely face. She's just gorgeous!

DAN (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 1/9/20 (Rehomed 3/8/21)

Size: 17"

Year: 2019

Edition Size: 3000

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Features: Plumo

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: Rewards bear! (Retail $111.95)

Thoughts: Dan and Jill stuck out to me in the catalog, but I did not pre-order them right away. I thought I was getting too many, but I managed all my pre-orders well enough that I ended up adding him and Jill after all. I've had these guys on layaway for a bit, but finally got them home. Anke is the same style as they are, so she arrived a while back and I knew what loveliness to expect. Dan is soft and handsome. He's a little more stern than his cousins and I love the powdery blue on the whites by his eyes.