JUSTINE

Arrival Date: 7/19/20

Size: 15"

Year: 2018 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 600

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $66

Thoughts: I never planned on buying Justine. I mean, let's face it, I tend to like more colorful bears. Her stock picture was particularly unflattering, too. So when I saw this adorable one on ebay from an American seller, I was surprised by how much I liked her. I ended up winning and she was a surprise early delivery today! She's very squishy and more lightly-stuffed than some of my others. Kind of like Stuart, Sharon and Ainsley, who I think she'll fit in well with. I just need to make some space on that shelf for her.

MOSEY (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 7/15/20 (Rehomed 5/2023)

Size: 13" (ish)

Year: 2018

Edition Size: 1390

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: All Nations Trading (local stockist)

Cost: $60.95

Thoughts: I was shopping in Hendersonville today when Mom and I passed a store and I stopped in my tracks, because I saw the white year bear staring at me from the window. I went inside and it sells mostly Native American goods, but also CBs! My very first time seeing CBs in a STORE! I thought I wasn't going to get anyone. I had most of them, aside from the bigger ones I have no space for. But then I saw Mosey back behind the register a bit. I was like "Oh! Mosey!" The lady said he was the last one and he was holding some random fake flowers. I looked him over and decided to adopt him. I've always liked him, but never hunted him down. He's wayyyyyyyyy bigger than he looks. I should have taken a profile shot, but his body is almost as thick as it is wide. He's quite cylindrical, aside from the limbs. So cute!

DIMPLES

Arrival Date: 6/18/20

Size: 16"

Year: 2020 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 900

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: Free! Used my PAWS and only paid part of shipping. (Retail $114.95)

Thoughts: Dimples was one of the Secret Collection I really fell for. I can't exactly say why. He's one of the most standard teddy bear-types in my entire CB collection. Maybe it's the chonk or the tyber fur that I knew would be soft. Or  maybe it's because he reminds me a little bit of tiny Dave only bigger and with a dark muzzle. He's great in person though and I think he's going to be almost as comforting as Rum Baba to cuddle.

STUART

Arrival Date: 6/15/20

Size: 15"

Year: 2018 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 800

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $135

Thoughts: FINALLY. In two ways. First, FINALLY I get to own a Stuart. He's from a set of three released in 2018. Ainsley was part of the regular collection and Sharon was from the Secret Collection, like Stuart. We got Ainsley, of course, and then also Sharon here in the US, so I kept waiting for them to let us have Stuart. And while I waited, he disappeared from CB Direct UK and I missed the opportunity to order him because, you guessed it, we never got him here. I really should have just imported him, because it would have been cheaper than the price I paid on ebay for him now! Second, FINALLY he got here, because he was supposed  to be delivered on freakin' Friday. His box was all beat up, too, and they jammed it into the package hub, so I had to really pull to get it out of there. Thanks, USPS. Anyway, if you'd asked me back in 2018, which one of this trio was my favorite, I might have said Sharon. Or Ainsley. I don't think I would have picked Stuart, but he's definitely my favorite now. The fabric used for his limbs and ears is actually a pale blue tipped in that sandy color, so he kind of glows blue and it's awesome. And not easy to photograph or I would have liked him more from the beginning!

DANUTA

Arrival Date: 6/8/20

Size: 20"

Year: 2020

Edition Size: 1500

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $130.95

Thoughts: Danuta was a last-minute addition. She was completely not on my radar, because in her promo photo, she looked rather monochrome and boring. Very tan. But a few weeks ago, owner photos started appearing and they showed she was a lovely peach shade. (Some make her look pinkish, but that's just odd lighting. She's not pink at all.) So I added her to my pre-orders. I ended up being third to choose, but I had the advantage of my most wanted being this unusual lady. There were plenty that were more traditionally cute and looked more like my Marisa, but I'm drawn to unusual faces a lot of the time. This is especially so when I'm getting two bear characters who are so similar. I like a little variation. So when it came my turn, this wide-eyed lady was waiting for me. I love her because she looks really leonine.

MARISA

Arrival Date: 6/8/20

Size: 20"

Year: 2020

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $130.95

Thoughts: Marisa went on my pre-order list right away, so I was first in line to choose and got this beauty. I love her colors. These ladies are 20" tall, but they're not overwhelmingly huge. They're mostly long arms and legs and not so chunky in the body. Their arms, legs and ears appear to be tyber plush. They're so soft! Marisa and Danuta are going to join Simone on the same shelf, as I see similarities in them.

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.