MOON

Arrival Date: 4/30/21

Size: 14"

Year: 2020

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $81

Thoughts: Moon is one of three bears from 2020 that we still don't have in the US. She was supposed to be out in the 2nd quarter, so she's about a year late. I'm not convinced we're ever going to get her, so when I saw her on ebay from a US seller, I went for it. I may get another if she ever comes in stock. This one is cute, but there's nothing like selecting your bear's face. She's a gorgeous pale silver and I love her a lot. I'm glad I got her at last!

AURORA

Arrival Date: 4/26/21

Size: 19"

Year: 2021 Secret Collection

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: QVC

Cost: $116ish

Thoughts: Oh, beautiful Aurora! I fell in love with her when I saw her on the cover of the newest Sneaky Peeks. She's only my second bear of the 1st quarter, but what a bear. She's tall and skinny like the old Magical Snugglies and I love that. I'm not always a fan of the wispy wild fur, but it works so well on her, as does pairing the pastels with the sandy color. Usually they're with white and this is more unique. Plus, she has iridescent tinsel running through her fur, too! She's stunning. 

LARRY

Arrival Date: 4/22/21

Size: 18"

Year: 2012 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 600

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Fellow Collector

Cost: $120

Thoughts: Ah, Larry. I fell in love with one particular Larry on ebay back in 2019, but didn't win him. I should have tried harder! I think I got Griffin instead. I know there were two from the same seller that I tried for. I saw him for sale a few times, but none really spoke to me until this guy. The collector I've been buying a lot of older bears from listed him and I thought about it for a day or so and then asked about him. This guy's got a little more sass than the kinda dippy cute one I liked on ebay, but I like his face a lot, too. He's bigger than I expected and quite wobbly, but I've gotten comfortable with the wobble. I think he looks like a raccoon a bit and he's quite soft.

RUDOLPH (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 4/20/21 (Rehomed 7/23)

Size: 17"

Year: 2013 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 680

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: ebay 

Cost: About $70 

Thoughts: Rudolph came out alongside Satsuma, who I adore. I always liked them both, but favored Satsuma. When Rudolph came up for sale on ebay, I went for him so they could sit beside each other on my shelves. Rudolph is the same more coarse, long-pile plush as Satsuma (only Satsuma is orange). I'm not a huge fan of long-pile, but I do love these two. Rudolph is only an inch shorter, but he's less massive than Satsuma. And yes, he really is that red!

SAMANTHA (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 4/15/21 (Rehomed 1/23)

Size: 12"

Year: 2010

Edition Size: 2,010

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Fellow collector

Cost: $75 (Retail $54.95)

Note: No paper tags

Thoughts: Little Samantha is one bear I've had in the back of my mind for years. Not long after I first started collecting bears, I worked on writing a story involving them. Samantha and Ruby were part of the cast, playing a couple rather snobby bears. Now here we are years later and I own both Samantha and Ruby, who are basically pint-size and adorable, not snobby at all. She's a very pretty little bear, not my usual type, but she still fits in well.

PUDDING

Arrival Date: 4/6/21

Size: 18"

Year: 2010

Edition Size: 900

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Fellow collector

Cost: $150

Thoughts: Pudding! I've wanted him for a few years, but finally got the opportunity to get one from within the US. Pudding is actually much bigger than I thought. I guess I never looked at his height before. He's an older bear and very wobble-jointed. I reinforced his neck by winding a ribbon around it tightly. I don't  mind wobbles, but I do prefer to reinforce the neck if it's very wobbly. I believe Pudding was a holiday release. He has a lovely necklace of thick red, green and gold twisted cord with a large red bell and two wooden beads in green and red. But the thing that makes him most unique is that...he sparkles! Strands of iridescent tinsel are blended into both his brown and white fur. He's also not firmly stuffed so he feels very cuddly.