KÖNIG

Arrival Date: 5/26/20

Size: 19"

Year: 2020

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $137.95

Thoughts: König was not on my original pre-order list, but when I redid it not long after submitting the first version, a few small bears came off and he went on. I was 5th in line to pick, so when one particular König jumped out at me, I decided not to get attached because he was too perfect. I actually got attached to a different one that I didn't think anyone would pick. Almost all of his black face striping was only on one side, but I liked his expression a lot. So time goes by and it's finally my turn to pick. And I think you can guess what happened. The second one with the stripes on one side got picked...yet my first choice...was still there and this is him. I am still completely shocked that no one chose him. His face is so nicely balanced! If you'd seen all the different ones, you'd know what I mean, but really, his only odd feature is that one thicker black stripe under his left eye. I generally prefer more unique animals when it comes to my non-bear CBs. Unusual species like Rea the binturong or unusual colors like Dandy and Clock. So König is a bit of an odd choice for me because he's just a tiger, but he's also one hell of a perfect tiger! And yes, I'm spelling his name correctly. They chose to leave the umlaut off (and then pronounce it wrong), but König is properly spelled with the umlaut. That's the word that means king. Konig without the umlaut is just a bastardization that's mostly used as a surname or place name.

DIANE

Arrival Date: 5/18/20

Size: 15.5"

Year: 2020

Edition Size: 1290

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $95.95

Thoughts: Diane was never on my want list. When I saw her on QVC, I was very slightly tempted, but then quickly resisted. I saw how sad a lot of people's looked when they posted pics and decided I was glad I didn't blindly order one from QVC. I like her design, because it's similar to Muffin and Bakewell and she's soft, too. I was perusing Valerie's Dropbox albums when looking up if she had something available to order. I think I wanted the info for one of my blog posts. And there was this Diane. I completely fell for that unusual face. She's got wider-set eyes than others and I just love her gentle look.

CHRISTIAN (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 5/12/20

Size: 23"

Year: 2020

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $160.95

Thoughts: What a big guy! Of all my bears, only Bertha is bigger than Christian. Gum Drop the bunny is actually the same height, but he's only a mere fraction of the mass Christian is. I wasn't sure on this adoption. I liked both Lachlan and Christian from the catalog, but only let myself pre-order one and with his burgundy bits, it had to be  Christian. I wasn't 100% sure until I saw his photos though, because not only is he big, he's also quite expensive. But I fell in love with this one and had to bring him home. For his size, he's not particularly heavy or too large to cuddle. (Like poor Bertha. She never gets attention because she's just too big, but she sure is gorgeous.) I'm not sure where I'm going to display him, but I'll find a space!

BLACKBEARY (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 5/4/20

Rehomed: 1/2/22 

Size: 18"

Year: 2014 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 600

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Features: Plumo

Purchased From: Fellow collector

Cost: $165

Thoughts: I've wanted Blackbeary for years, but finding him in the US is basically impossible. I managed to get one from the same awesome collector I've bought many bears from. He went on quite the journey though! He was shipped on the 21st and just vanished into the system, last logged on the 25th. He didn't reappear scanned anywhere until he showed up in Virginia on Saturday. That's the 2nd. That's 12 days. He finally arrived safely this morning and the box isn't even beat up or anything. Priority, my ass. I'd make allowances for Covid, but I've gotten every other package in a timely fashion and many even early, so no, that's not the reason. He was worth waiting for though! He goes so perfectly with Demi on my purple bear shelf.

MARSHMALLOW

Arrival Date: 4/30/20

Size: 17.5"

Year: 2016

Edition Size: 3000

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Wolfe's Den

Cost: $112 (Retail $100.95, but I got free shipping.)

Thoughts: Marshmallow may have been on my original 2016 pre-order list. I can't remember. But I do know I cancelled him and can't recall why. I got the bug for him again and was lucky enough to be contacted by a landscaper/garden shop that's also a stockist. He made it really quickly from PA and got here in only 2 days! Marshmallow uses some of the same fabric Susan does and I adore Susan, so they'll get to sit together. He's a tall, skinny bear and I think this is the cutest one I've ever seen. The random pattern fabric makes them all unique. So he was worth waiting for.

ARIEL

Arrival Date: 4/29/20

Size: 16"

Year: 2015 (LE 30. Mine is #11.)

Designer: Kaycee Bears

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $75 (Retail $158.95)

Thoughts: I've also wanted Ariel for years! I'm a sucker for orange as much as red/black and she was a must have. I'm really grateful the secondary market for Kaycees is pretty low. I got an amazing deal on Idris and then on Ariel, too. I only wish I'd been able to get Atlantis to go along with her, but that one sold after ages of being on ebay. But I'm glad if I could only get one of the pair that it was Ariel. She's a bright ball of orange fluff and she looks great with Tango.

IDRIS

Arrival Date: 4/29/20

Size: 13"

Year: Autumn 2015 (LE 75. Mine is #3.)

Designer: Kaycee Bears

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $75 (Retail $356.95)

Thoughts: I still cannot believe I got such a good deal on this guy! I first saw him on Beacon's Glow's website years ago and I loved him, but his price tag was a little out of reach. I thought about doing layaway, but I made less money back then and I had a lot of CB pre-orders so I never did. I was perusing Kaycee offerings on ebay last week or so and came across his auction with a BIN of $94.99. I opted to make on offer, because why not? And then was floored when they accepted my $75. He looks smaller in pictures than he comes across in person. My first thought when I peeled the tissue paper back was "Wow, he's bigger than I expected." His coloring is GORGEOUS. I'm a sucker for black and red to begin with, but wow. He's just a perfect little dragon with the sweetest face.

REA

Arrival Date: 4/15/20 

Size: 16.5"

Year: 2020

Edition Size: 900

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: QVC and BAMS

Cost: $119 

Thoughts: Rea is a binturong and they are awesome animals. When I saw the 2020 catalog, he was the one that leapt out at me and I was so thrilled he was 1st quarter. Naturally, that meant tail end of the first quarter (technically, now we're in second quarter even), so I very impatiently kept waiting. When I saw him on QVC, I couldn't resist ordering, even though I had him pre-ordered. These are trying times and I wanted my Rea. He's been my close companion when I'm home (I'm working overtime lately). (I did have twins for a time but rehomed one in 2023.)

GUM DROP

Arrival Date: 3/19/20

Size: 23"

Year: 2020

Edition Size: 1300

Designer: Allison Mills

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $67.95

Thoughts: Gum Drop was a very unexpected purchase. I'd seen several of these bunnies, along with Pear Drop and Dew Drop, and wasn't interested, but when I was looking at Willamena's photos, this particular one jumped right out at me and said "bring me home!" I love the markings on his face. Gum Drop is my second tallest CB at a whopping 23", but you'd never know it, because his legs are bent at the knees. He's tall and skinny, all ears and legs, and I love his colors and softness.

WILLAMENA (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 4/15/20 (Rehomed 2/26/21)

Size: 19"

Year: 2020

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $124.95

Thoughts: Oh, Willamena. After seeing some owner pics from the UK, I decided to add her to my pre-order list. Then she turned up on QVC, so I ordered one to check her out in person. I didn't care for that one, so I ordered a replacement...and didn't care for that one either! I figured my last shot of getting her was my pre-ordered one, which I should have just stuck with in the first place, but I get impatient to see new ones sometimes. I knew I wasn't high on the choosing list though, so when I saw the photos and only one bear jumped out at me, I planned on not getting her. Yet by some miracle, no one wanted my choice! So here she is. Willamena is a big chunk of a bear. Very stocky and sturdy. She's a lovely apricot color, which is what won me over when I saw owner pics. Her face is also an unusual shape with a shorter muzzle and downward slanted profile.