BFF

Arrival Date: 10/13/23

Size: 18"

Year: 2023 Secret Collection

Designer: Charlie

Purchased From: QVC

Cost: $92 (Retail $112. Had a $20 off coupon.)

Thoughts: I had a coupon from QVC and they happened to add some new items, so I ended up ordering BFF here. He reminds me a lot of a 2013 Heather Lyell bear named Otto. I always liked Otto, but he was 22" tall and seemed pretty massive in photos. Because I'll never buy him and because BFF is a silly name, I'm going to call this guy Otto. He's tall, but not a large-scale bear, and he's got a nice squishy tummy, so he should be good and cuddly.  

SWISH

Arrival Date: 10/10/23

Size: 18"

Year: 2023 

Designer: Charlie

Purchased From: Artisanal Bears

Cost: $105

Thoughts: Oh, what a face! I fell in love with Swish when I saw real pics of him from Australia. This has been a rough couple weeks, so I needed a cute pick-me-up and he worked perfectly for that. He's incredibly adorable with that big smile. I still think adding the "toe" strings was a choice. They should have only done one to represent the cloven hooves of a unicorn. But thankfully, they blend in quite well and don't detract from his cuteness.

AVRIL

Arrival Date: 10/7/23

Size: 15"

Year: 2023 

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $132.95

Thoughts: Avril wasn't on my preorder list, but I liked owner pics of her. She's an unusual bear with her light blue "beard." It hasn't 100% grown on me yet, but I love everything else about her, so I think it will. 

JUPITER

Arrival Date: 10/7/23

Size: 12.5"

Year: 2023 

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $118.95

Thoughts: Jupiter is the second of the planet bears to be released. He's a lovely dark green theme, as opposed to Neptune's blue. The softness of this series always surprises me. Jupiter was the first one that I cuddled after I opened the box. The necklace from my stockist, though it's Saturn, is the perfect color for him.  

FOGGY

Arrival Date: 10/7/23

Size: 13"

Year: 2023 

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $121.95

Thoughts: Foggy is a lot smaller than he looks in pictures somehow. I love green bears and it's one of the least used colors, so I'm happy to have another green one to add to my shelves. The mushroom necklace is from my stockist and looks cute on him. 

STREAMERS (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 8/21/23

Size: 13"

Year: 2023 Secret Collection

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $118.95

Thoughts: Ah, chonky Streamers. He's so soft! I love him more than I expected to. I have bears in lots of colors, but he doesn't really match any of the others, so it's nice to have someone unique. 

BLUE MOON

Arrival Date: 8/21/23

Size: 15"

Year: 2023

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $132.95

Thoughts: Ah, Blue Moon. I fell in love with Harvest Moon, her orange sister, immediately. Absolute must have, one of my most anticipated of the year. Rose Moon, their pink sister, looks different than other pink bears I have. That left Blue Moon as a bit of an uncertainty, because I thought she looked a lot like Misty from 2021. However, in person, she's quite a different bear and I'm glad I ended up ordering her. She's quite soft and almost entirely shades of blue. My stockist picked the perfect necklace for her, too. (That piece does not come with every Blue Moon.)

KEVIN

Arrival Date: 8/18/23

Size: 14.5"

Year: 2023

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $132.95

Thoughts: Oh, Kevin. All Kevins look quite a bit different from each other. I loved a few when he first appeared in Australia and then had a struggle to decide between the really cute one my stockist had...and this guy. The other was more typically cute. This guy reminds me of a mogwai or some sort of owl or something. He looks grizzled and a bit over it all. I think he'll be the perfect partner for watching my history shows with. He's also quite cuddly and the darker brown fur is really soft.

NIGHT OWL

Arrival Date: 8/18/23

Size: 13"

Year: 2023

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Features: Plumo

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $132.95

Thoughts: Ah, cute little Night Owl. He was a late addition to my preorders, but I still got my second choice. He's a sweet bear whose dark patches make him look a bit sad. He's soft and adorable and I'm looking forward to cuddling him. 

PAMPAS

Arrival Date: 8/18/23

Size: 19"

Year: 2021

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: Free with rewards (Retail $89.95)

Thoughts: Pampas looks as exasperated as I feel about having to wait two whole years for Charlie Bears to FINALLY get some of him to the US. I honestly don't think they did this very fairly. The UK definitely got him in 2021 and Australia may have, too. We got zero. And yet they didn't try to get him produced any faster or even try to get us some first when we were left out. Not very fair. They're really lovely people, but simply not very thoughtful when it comes to making things fair. So yeah, disgruntled about having to wait literal years for him, but he's finally home. He's a big Bearhouse character, so he's perfectly cuddly. Just very grumpy.