FIRECRACKER

Arrival Date: 10/6/17

Size: 15.5"

Year: 2014 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 1500

Designer: Heather Lyell

Purchased From: ebay (albijuno)

Cost: $59.99

Thoughts: I've wanted Firecracker for ages and I missed out on a couple auctions from UK sellers. So I was hugely surprised when she turned up from a US seller. Unfortunately, this was at the same time as the QVC show and I had purchasing priorities. so I let her go without a bid, even though it pained me. I got lucky though and no one bid, so when she was relisted, I jumped on her and won with no competition. (Fools! You don't know what you're missing!) Firecracker is a smallish bear at 15.5" and she's one of the Magical Snugglies, so she's skinny. Like really skinny. Skinnier than my other Snugglies like Mystery, Luna and Scrummy. It works for her though. Her long hot pink bits stick out much farther than her black and I love that bow material. I think Smudge uses something similar. Of all my bears, I think Firecracker is my "me" bear. Mostly black but with bursts of bright colors. I wear mostly black, but I accessorize in brighter colors and I used to wear black with neon a lot. She's also got a bit of a bitch face! The black fur above her right eye comes down farther and the pink above her left hints at a raised eyebrow, so she looks like she's questioning everything you do with disdain...a face I make frequently at work.

KIRI

Arrival Date: 10/3/17

Size: 13"

Year: 2017 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 2500

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: QVC

Cost: $61.32

Thoughts: Kiri the cheetah (NOT a leopard) is one I've wanted since she came out months ago in the UK. I waited patiently because I knew she'd be one of the ones on US QVC. She is random plush and about every one looks different, so I had my fingers crossed I wouldn't hate what I got. But we have success! She doesn't have a lot of the blotchy, dominantly brown plush I don't like as much and her face is nicely spotted. Her nose and muzzle look good. She's a bit starey, but a lot of them are. She's not the cutest I've seen, but she's still way better than lots of others, so she's not going anywhere.

KERRI

Arrival Date: 9/29/17

Size: 18"

Year: 2017

Edition Size: 2300

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: QVC

Cost: Birthday gift

Thoughts: Kerri is stunning! Her facial markings are perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better one. She's a taller bear, but relatively skinny. She's got a tummy, but she doesn't have the girth of similar-sized bears. Her white fur is black-tipped. She's just a stunning bear and I love her.

MCKINLEY

Arrival Date: 9/29/17

Size: 15"

Year: 2017 QVC US Exclusive

Edition Size: 1500 (Mine is #17.)

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: QVC

Cost: $69.60 (regular $84)

Thoughts: Charlie Bears made their debut on QVC in the US on Tuesday, September 26th. The bears had gone up for sale on the website the night before around 11:30. I'd made my purchases and enjoyed watching the show at 5am. McKinley is the first American QVC exclusive. He was a limited edition of 1500 and sold out before the show was over. There are now a lot of new Charlie Bears collectors in the US! McKinley is a floofy tub. He's got a good heft and presence, even though he's not very tall. He has some new paw pads that are incredibly soft and the shaving of the for on the toes is a new feature, too.

TWIG

Arrival Date: 7/26/17

Size: 14.5"

Year: 2017

Edition Size: 1600

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Bears Against MS

Cost: $69.95 (after $5 coupon)

Thoughts: Twig was another I was super excited for and he does not disappoint at all. The secret to him though is to pick out your own (either in person or from photos) and get one with good eyelids. I've seen some poor dears with completely mismatched lids. I knew he was 14", but I still somehow expected him to be bigger. He's quite petite. I love his chest and belly and his hands and feet. Absolutely adorable. I'm happy he and Trudy got to be my first from the 2017 collection.

TRUDY

Arrival Date: 7/26/17

Size: 19"

Year: 2017

Edition Size: 2100

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Bears Against MS

Cost: $98.95 (after $10 coupon)

Thoughts: Trudy was my most wanted from my pre-orders and she really is lovely. I love the "makeup" spots around her left eye, although her right isn't as good. She's a bit unusual with her longer hair on her head and belly and her supersoft arms and legs. I think they might be the special Tyber plush, but I'm not sure. She's quite different from anything else in my collection and I love her.

BRIT (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 7/8/17 (Rehomed 11/24/17)

Size: 13.5"

Year: 2012 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 2500

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Facebook

Cost: $50

Thoughts: Brit was 100% an impulse buy. I thought he was really cute when the seller posted him in one of my FB bear groups, but I saw him again when I was quite sick and living on red, white and blue popsicles. I immediately equated Brit's colors with the popsicles and decided to add him to my hug. He's a very unique bear, as his colors are so vibrant and his fur is also a bit rougher than my others. He's very cute and I love the white and red bursts around mine's eyes.

Despite how much I loved him when I got him, I found myself never fully bonding with Brit, and he actually went back to the nice collector I purchased him from to be a gift for someone else who hopefully does bond with him!

RAFFLES

Arrival Date: 7/7/17

Size: 12"

Year: 2013 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 1200

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $42.89

Thoughts: I never dreamed I'd be able to buy Raffles from a US seller, but that's how it worked out! He doesn't turn up very often and he was a UK exclusive, so finding him this way was a nice surprise and winning the auction for such a low price was even better. Raffles is a little guy, but he's one of the most firmly stuffed bears I own. He's not super cuddly because of that, but he's an awesome little guy anyway. His necklace is really cool. I managed to squeeze him on the shelf by Oodles and Tick Tock, since they're my other two with that dark blue.

COCONUT ICE

Arrival Date: 7/3/17

Size: 14"

Year: 2015

Edition Size: 2200

Designer: Heather Lyell

Purchased From: Bears Against MS

Cost: $59.95 (Retail $84.95)

Thoughts: Coconut Ice had been on my wishlist for over a year when she suddenly became a daily special at BAMS. I couldn't resist grabbing her for the sale price. She's a gorgeous melony color and the black tipping on her fur really works well with it. I got sick shortly after she arrived, so we haven't had much bonding time yet, but she's definitely the one I'm most bonded to out of my most recent trio.

YUMMY (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 6/28/17 (Rehomed 9/3/17)

Size: 16"

Year: 2016

Designer: Heather Lyell

Purchased From: Bears Against MS

Cost: $63.95 (Retail $84.95)

Thoughts: I was going to buy a completely different bear this week, but Yummy appeared as the daily special and I had to have her instead. Scrummy's happy to have his twin back. It's always amazing to me how different each bear is. Scrummy has a wider happy face, while Yummy's is more drawn and serious-looking. I picked this particular Yummy because she has a lot of pink on her and she does not disappoint. Her back is even more pink. I ended up rehoming Yummy because I felt it wasn't fair how much more I loved Scrummy. She's gone to live with the same nice lady as Sergio.