LAMMINGTON CAKE

Arrival Date: 10/29/22

Size: 15"

Year: 2022 Secret Collection

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: QVC

Cost: $124

Thoughts: Lammington is just like her family: Bumbleberry Pie, Pecan Pie and Blueberry Pudding. Same size, same thick fur, same great level of cuddliness. She is a darker, purpley-pink unlike Bumbleberry's brighter berry pink. 

I don't normally do multiple pics per entry, but here is a shot of all four for comparison: Bumbleberry Pie, Lammington Cake, Pecan Pie and Blueberry Pudding. 

KNOX

Arrival Date: 10/26/22

Size: 13.5"

Year: 2022

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $104.95

Thoughts: Knox was a completely unplanned purchase. He's from the trio that also includes Zach and Greg, both of whom I either have already or have pre-ordered. I skipped Knox because he's the same color as Dreamy, one of my favorite tyber plush. But when I saw the ones my stockist got in, this one jumped out at me, and when he wasn't chosen by anyone, I adopted him. He's the same main color as Dreamy, but the sandy accents and smaller size help him look more different than I expected. Like Zach, he's a small but super cuddly bear. 

GINA (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 10/26/22

Size: 19.5"

Year: 2022

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $174.95

Thoughts: Gina was one of my few planned bigger bear purchases this year. I simply don't have much space for the big ones, but I rearranged the blue bear space on top of my bookcases and she fits in perfectly. Like Jonathan, Hilary and Janet, she's a bigger bear with long feathery-looking fur. She has a bit of a longer muzzle. She's fairly heavy and thick, so she's an armful, but I think she'll be good for cuddles. I love the little scarf and her colors. 

LANTERN

Arrival Date: 10/26/22

Size: 14"

Year: 2021

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $138.95

Thoughts: Lantern has finally made it to the US. Well, he is a lot smaller, so I guess the flight took him that much longer. Lantern is by far the smallest of the plush dragons, smaller even than Grumbleweed, who originated this design. I'm not sure why they choose to do so many in larger sizes when this small size is perfect. He's just as cuddly. I was hoping to have him before Halloween and he made it! I think he might be my favorite of the entire lot. I'm a sucker for orange and my favorite season is fall, so the autumnal dragon seems a perfect choice for my fave. He also absolutely looks like he wants to be up to no good, which is fine by me!

JONATHAN (Rehomed)

Arrival Date: 10/15/22

Size: 19.5"

Year: 2022

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $160.95

Thoughts: Oh, this guy. I had to wait a bit to get him, because I was far down on the choosing list, but I lucked out and got one of the two I liked best. Mine would definitely not be for the pickier CB collector. He has uneven eye whites and there's actually a sprig of white hair almost completely covering what little eye white there is on his right eye. I love his "please love me" expression! He's a big guy, but not super huge width-wise. His feathery fur is what makes him look so large and he has a large belly. He's quite cuddly and I'm glad he's made it home.

PHLOX

Arrival Date: 10/15/22

Size: 15"

Year: 2022

Designer: Charlie

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: Free with rewards! (Retail $80.95)

Thoughts: I really liked Phlox in the catalog, but I was trying not to pick out too much. Once I finally saw owner photos though, I added my name to the preorders. He's hands down my favorite CB bunny ever. I love the wild fabric with the different pattern of flowers in various colors. He's soft and cuddly, and his ears are bendable so he can do a variety of poses. I like how his arms are bent so he can lay them on his ginormous feet or look like he's gesturing. He's a skinny guy, but that doesn't affect his cuddleability. 

ANGELICA

Arrival Date: 10/15/22

Size: 11"

Year: 2020

Designer: Charlie

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $53.95

Thoughts: ANGELICA AT LAST! Angelica is a bear from 2020 that somehow got pushed all the way to January of this year. That's when her tag tells me she was manufactured. The extra wild thing is that she's been sitting in a warehouse since January and they didn't try to push to get her to us faster, even though they knew we've been waiting for 2 years. I'm thrilled to finally have her home and she's going to sit very nicely on my purple bears shelf with Angel Cake, who's a similar color. She's an adorable tiny fluffball. 

EMBERS

Arrival Date: 9/26/22

Size: 21"

Year: 2022 Cuddle Time Exclusive

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: CB Direct 

Cost: $235

Thoughts: Ah, here we thought 2022 had no dragons, but Charlie surprised us and herself when Embers made it into the sticker book and the secret was out! Embers was offered on the most recent Cuddle Time show, which I took off work to be home for. Thankfully, I was able to buy her and she's finally home. We had to wait for the shipment with her in it to get to the Cubhouse in Florida. USPS did their usual failure at updating tracking so I hadn't thought she'd even shipped yet, but she arrived today! She's the biggest size of dragon, the same as Chimney, only she's deep brown soft fur instead of his black. She has a lighter brown belly and her wing and ear lining is a soft pink. Her longer fur spots are a sandy color that goes into a brighter dark pink and end in a much darker pink. I have always loved pink and brown as a color combo, so she makes me very happy! 

NICKY

Arrival Date: 9/1/22

Size: 14.5"

Year: 2022 Secret Collection

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: QVC

Cost: $115

Thoughts: Nicky was a total whim purchase. I paid off my last bears from QVC a couple months ago and when they put new ones on, I decided it was a great time to give Nicky a try. I've never been able to figure out exactly what colors she is from photos. In person, she's absolutely adorable and I regret nothing. Her fur is sort of a light creamy peach color and it's the depth of the pile that gives it that warmer, almost pink tone, but if you look at the fur itself and lay it flat, it's not pink at all. She's tipped in light purple all over, though the purple on her head and torso fur is a little more blue-toned than the purple on her limbs. She's lovely and seems very cuddly. 

MELBOURNE (Rehomed)

 Arrival Date: 8/29/22

Size: 14.5"

Year: 2022

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $91

Thoughts: Melbourne is a quokka. My biggest issue with him is that he really doesn't look like a quokka. Quokkas are one of those animals that is so damn quirky and adorable that they look like living plushies. I think they should have left the muzzle fur the same color as the rest of his head. They can have a little bit lighter fur there, but it would have been fine the same color as the rest. Then he needed chubbier cheeks and shorter fur on the face. They've got such a distinctly shaped head that the long fur is covering what cheeks he does have. Don't get me wrong. I think he's adorable, especially now that I have him in hand and can see his smile. Which I failed to photograph, but it's there. I just love quokkas and think they missed the mark a bit. Like Australia, he's got a little pouch, which technically makes him a her, but I don't like forcing genders on my plush unless they're a specific character, and I definitely lean more toward having male plush, so male he shall be and we'll just forget about the pouch. I'm really excited for the next two that should be out. Sydney the echidna is second quarter like Melbourne, so I imagine he's next. And then Chester the tree kangaroo is third quarter and some of those are starting to come out. Those two look quite a lot like their animal inspirations.