TRUCKLE

Arrival Date: 12/24/20

Size: 10"

Year: 2020

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Facebook collector

Cost: $53

Thoughts: Truckle was a Christmas gift from Mom. I saw him for sale on one of the FB groups and fell for that sad face, so she bought him for me and he's waited patiently in her closet until last  night. He's an adorable sad grumpy little thing.

MINIKIN (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 12/20/20 (rehomed 5/23)

Size: 13"

Year: 2020

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $104.95

Thoughts: Minikin got dragged along into Mischief Maker's travel...er, mischief. He's one I wasn't 100% sure I was getting. My stockist only got 7 in and of those 7, I only loved 2. Well, by some miracle, when I had 2 left to choose from this guy, one of the two I loved, was still there. I admit I'm more smitten with Mischief Maker, but Minikin is lovely, too. 

MISCHIEF MAKER

Arrival Date: 12/20/20

Size: 13"

Year: 2020

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $100.95

Thoughts: I'm blaming Mischief Maker for how long it took on this transaction all around. There was an almost week-long hang up while waiting to choose both her and Minikin, and then they disappeared into the postal system's vortex of chaos. They quickly got to the place outside Tampa where Strudel went, but then after I think 5 days, they went up to...NYC. Yep. Well past North Carolina. They were a surprise arrival today and yeah, I'm totally blaming this little lady here. I miraculously got my first choice, even though I was pretty far down the line to choose. I love this little girl! She's gorgeous.

MOZART

Arrival Date: 12/17/20

Size: 16"

Year: 2017 (LE 40. Mine is #14.)

Designer: Kaycee Bears

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $198 (Retail $220)

Thoughts: I have wanted Mozart since 2017 when he came out. Sienna was part of the same collection and I picked her over him, but it was close. I think his higher price kept me away. I've been watching this particular one on ebay for literal years. I finally came into a bit of money and decided he had to come home at last. 2020 is the year I've brought other older Kaycees home, so I figured it was right to add one more. He's by far my biggest one at 16" and his hair is quite long. He's skinnier than I expected underneath it all, but he's a great hug. I love the long tail and his rust-lined ears. He's going to look perfect sitting on the opposite end of the shelf Sienna's on. 

STRUDEL

Arrival Date: 12/7/20

Size: 18"

Year: 2020

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $109.95

Thoughts: Strudel was one of my top most wanted bears from the 2020 catalog. Rea, Logan, Carousel, Strudel, Crin and Roger. The latter four there are all Q4. Not that that means anything, because we're still missing Q2 bears in the US, including my beloved Logan. But I am happy we're finally getting some of our Q4s. Strudel is like Peach Cobbler, who wasn't on my pre-orders but I ended up caving and getting anyway. I still prefer the darker Strudel over her. He was worth waiting for. Though I did have a minor freakout last night, because he went from Orlando down to someplace in Tampa. I thought he was going to be lost and come really late. But no! He surprised me by being out for delivery, so thanks, Ybor City, for being fast enough to get my bear to Greenville in the wee hours and then thanks to Greenville for not sucking for once and getting him to Asheville early. I'm having a bit of a melancholy day, so I need some good bear hugs and Strudel is great for those. Everything good said about Peach Cobbler also applies to him. 

KIBIBI

Arrival Date: 12/3/20

Size: 12.5"

Year: 2018

Edition Size: 2500

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $33.75

Thoughts: A lot of people complained about the big sale event the official Charlie Bears sales pages did, but I got this little girl for half price and she may have been the only one available, so I am not complaining one bit! I think I had Kibibi on pre-order back in 2018 only to have to cancel her. I'm glad she finally made it here, because she fits in perfectly on the shelf of bears with similar hairstyles (Stuart, Ainsley, Sharon and Justine are also there). She's adorable, tiny and very lightweight! 

MILLER

Arrival Date: 12/2/20

Size: 19"

Year: 2020

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $111.95

Thoughts: Miller was an unexpected buy. I thought he was pretty cute in the 2020 catalog, but I was pre-ordering so many, I decided I didn't need "giant Candace." But when he came out, I realized I love Candace enough to also have a giant version similar to her. Her giant big brother. I was late to the pre-order game though, so when my stockist got her 8, I was last in line. All 8 were cute though, so I waited...and waited...and waited. Some people take forever to choose. I try to be as fast as possible, though I'm slowed by a few hours if I'm at work. It took many days, but I finally got the notice to pick. I obsessively checked the Dropbox album, watching them go one by one. The one I expected to be left over actually was chosen second, while the one I thought was cutest kept not getting picked. So to my great surprise, the one I liked best ended up being one of the two left for me to pick from. (Someone must have declined for there to be 2 left.) And here he is. I still can't believe no one wanted this one!