TEACAKE

Arrival Date: 5/26/21

Size: 15"

Year: 2018 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 575 

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $106

Thoughts: Ah, TeaCake. I initially wrote him off as a brown version of Licky Tissue...which he definitely still is. But somehow in the past year, I've come to want him more. I don't think he ever made it to the US or I would have tried him out before. TeaCake goes along with several other bears that were inspired by food and yeah, he really shows that. There's something about his coloring that makes me want desserts. 

BYTE

Arrival Date: 5/24/21

Size: 10"

Year: 2015

Edition Size: 1200

Designer: Heather Lyell

Features: Seated bear

Purchased From: Fellow collector

Cost: $70 ($69.95 retail)

Thoughts: I've had Blog, who is a similar bear, for years. I always liked Byte, but never got him until now. He's a lovely color and makes a nice bookend for Blog. They each hold important CB info on their laps. Blog has my BAMS paws cards and Byte now has my Best Friends Club membership cards.

DIDDLE DADDLE (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 5/17/21

Size: 11"

Year: 2021 Cuddle Time Collection

Edition Size: 600

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $98

Thoughts: Oh, Diddle Daddle. I was really excited for him from the Sneaky Peeks catalog, but I wasn't immediately impressed. He's not as cute as he looked in the catalog. Mine also had the hair right in front of his left ear tucked into a seam, so I needed a comb to tug it free. I initially thought it was poorly cut, but it was just stuck. His hair over his left eye is also cut to give him a disgruntled expression. But he's definitely growing on me. I'm looking at him from the side right now and he looks like he's smiling. It's really hard to compare to Bristle, my original CB hedgehog, too. We'll get there, Diddle Daddle. Just slowly because your name is appropriate.

FOSTER

Arrival Date: 5/10/21

Size: 21"

Year: 2020 Secret Collection

Designer: Charlie

Purchased From: CB Direct UK

Cost: About $70

Thoughts: FINALLY. Foster was a Secret Collection from last year, but he STILL hasn't made it out to the US. I happened to see someone in the UK getting another one, so I checked CB Direct on a whim and there he was. Shipping was pretty brutal, but it was also really fast. I really wanted this guy, so it was worth importing him. He's tall, skinny and floppy. And so adorably cross-eyed. I love him!

BEARHUGS (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 5/8/21

Size: 18"

Year: 2021 Paw Store Exclusive

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $129

Thoughts: I wasn't sold on Bearhugs from his appearance in the Sneaky Peeks catalog, but when he debuted on Cuddle Time, I decided to give him a test drive. I never got Wilfy, who seems very similar. I can see why some people wouldn't want both. And I sold Willamena, who was also similar in shape. But when I opened the box today, I knew this guy was staying around at least for a while. I can't say he won't be rehomed in next year's annual sale, but he's undeniably cute and worth giving some "cuddle time" to. (Har.)

MINCE PIE

Arrival Date: 5/7/21

Size: 18"

Year: 2013 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 650

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Features: Plumo, standing bear

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $70

Thoughts: I apparently really love the 2013 Secret Collection. Mince is another of those and I just got Ebenezer and Rudolph not long ago. (And Satsuma is another one!) Mince is a standing bear, which aren't my favorite things, but he was too cute not to want. He's adorable with his mottled fur and sweet face.

EBENEZER

Arrival Date: 5/4/21

Size: 20"

Year: 2013 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 600

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $132ish

Notes: No tags

Thoughts: Ah, Ebenezer. A few weeks ago, I saw this cute bear on ebay, but the photos were pretty bad, considering he's a completely different color! I thought he was gray, but he's definitely not. There's a lot of that sand, biscuit, light tan, whatever you want to call it in there. I put in a bid on him, but then I started to have issues with the seller. At first the auction had shipping for the US, but then it didn't. When I asked about it, the auction disappeared, then was put back up. The seller was very nice, but it took a bit for him to finalize the listing. So then I bid all over again. I had another person on Facebook offer me hers for a fair price, but after thinking on it, I realized it was this one particular bear's face that I loved.

I don't often do double photos in my bear catalogue here, but because he slumps, it's hard to get a good angle on his body and face, so here's the adorableness. 

I ended up winning him and was super excited. He got to the US fairly quickly, but then...sat. He left NJ on the 17th and did not reappear in Atlanta until the 29th. I was pretty worried about him! Then he got here on the 3rd and came out for delivery today...while our package hub was having some sort of crisis in which everyone's apartment number was off by 1 digit. (Ours is 107, but it was showing as 108.) I spent a good chunk of the morning dealing with the complex office and then warning the post office what was going on, but everything thankfully was fixed and he got delivered properly. Whew! 

Ebenezer is a tall, skinny guy, which is one of my favorite types. Like Oodles, Lee and Bryce. He has unusual paws that you don't see too often in CBs. The pads face the back instead of being on the sides like usual, so he can do a nice begging gesture. He reminds me a lot of Brussell, who also came out as part of the 2013 Secret Collection and has gray-tipped paws and a soft scarf...and a very similar face. Hmm. Methinks they're related.