Arrival Date: 2/25/23
Size: 14"
Year: 2022
Designer: Charlie
Purchased From: QVC
Cost: $77
Thoughts: Grin was another I liked in the catalogue. That one had this big blue nose. Mine's is pretty big and I like the patterning on his face, so I'm keeping him. He's a skinnier bunny with enormous feet and long, floppy ears. Very cute. And he sits really nicely with my jester mohair Harley, who's a similar pink to Grin's collar and hat.
Arrival Date: 2/25/23
Size: 14"
Year: 2022
Designer: Charlie
Purchased From: QVC
Cost: $67
Thoughts: I liked Mr. Twist (and Artful Dodger, the rabbit in this same fabric) in the catalogue, but I simply had too many preorders in quarter 4. I opted to wait and see if I liked them when they came out. CB Direct had them in, but both of them are extremely varied. Any color of that fabric can end up on the face, so it's red, purple, gold, or the light sandy color. There were definitely some that I saw that I didn't like, so I opted to wait, because CB Direct returns are pretty horrible. Then they popped up on QVC. Mr. Twist was the only tempting one there at first, so I ordered two of him. I'm likely going to do the same with Dodger when I get more money. With QVC's easy returns, it's simple to drop the second one at the post office. He was cute, too, but I prefer the red face to the gold and sand one the second bear had. Mr. Twist is, like many of Charlie's bears, a bit bigger than you assume him to be. You'd think I'd learn by now, but I'm surprised every time that they're so large. He's a really great value for the price, I love the fabric, and he seems quite cuddly.
Arrival Date: 1/30/23
Size: 18.5"
Year: 2022
Edition Size: 1200
Designer: Isabelle Lee
Features: Plumo
Purchased From: BAMS
Cost: $175
Thoughts: Ah, Newton. When he first came out, I saw a few and wasn't interested. Then a couple people posted cute ones. Then Valerie got hers in and I kept seeing him when looking through the albums. This guy ended up hitching a ride with Garibaldi and I have no regrets. He's a bigger fellow and chunky but also slim. Definitely a good size for me. I love his poofy mohair-lined ears. It's nice seeing the dark color used for ear lining. I'm not sure I have another plumo that has dark ears. I think he may end up being one of my unexpected faves from 2022.
Arrival Date: 1/30/23
Size: 15.5"
Year: 2022
Designer: Isabelle Lee
Purchased From: BAMS
Cost: $140
Thoughts: Garibaldi is the companion to Battenburg, who looks the same but in pastel shades. She came out much earlier this year and I didn't have her preordered but ended up getting her. I've been waiting for this guy because I knew I'd love him in all his warm browns. He reminds me of my first bear, Howie. I fell for this particular one and was lucky enough to get him! What a face.
Arrival Date: 1/27/23
Size: 15"
Year: 2022
Designer: Charlie
Purchased From: QVC
Cost: $67
Thoughts: I've been feeling the bear need and decided on Pander from QVC. He reminds me of Phantom, who is an older bear from 2013. I always loved him, but at 26", he's simply too big for my space. Pander is much more reasonable size and he's very cute. I like the green bow. He's a Charlie design, so he's got that little bit more structured feel to him like Peppermint, Cottontail, etc. He's going to hang out with Foster, who's a similar fabric.
Arrival Date: 12/20/22
Size: 15"
Year: 2022
Designer: Isabelle Lee
Purchased From: Lovely Bears Australia
Cost: Gift (Retail $106.95)
Thoughts: I LOVE Chester. I've wanted them to do a tree kangaroo for ages and unlike some of the others I really wanted (quokka), they did a great job of capturing the animal's likeness in the plush. If you know what a tree kangaroo is, you know immediately that Chester is one. Like a lot of the modern Bearhouse, he's made of many different fabrics. The warm brown on his body feels like it's tyber, it's that soft. It could be. I'm just not used to them using it for the Bearhouse line. I loved the expression on this particular guy. He's very sweet and hopeful. Definitely the best Bearhouse of the year so far.
Size: 13"
Year: 2010
Edition Size: 1800
Designer: Christine Pike
Purchased From: Collector on FB
Cost: $25
Thoughts: Paul! I've wanted this guy for years. I figured I'd have to import, which is why I haven't gotten him before. He's popular, so he can be in the $150-200 range once shipping is factored in. But a seller on FB recently had him and I got him for an absolute steal. He's missing his paper tags, but who cares? It's Paul! If I can get a good deal on a bear within the US, I don't care if he's got tags or not. He's well worth it. He's a total stocky chub like Sid, who is my only other one from his particular designer. I wish she'd done more. I love her work.
Arrival Date: 12/17/22
Size: 14"
Year: 2022
Edition Size: 1200
Designer: Isabelle Lee
Features: Plumo
Purchased From: ebay (Cindy Lewellen)
Cost: $107.10 (Retail $126)
Thoughts: Wow. I thought this guy was cute in the catalogue, but he was a bit pricey for his size, so I ended up skipping him. When people started posting pics, I again thought he was cute and kept peeking at QVC and Amazon to see if he'd be offered in either place. I figured the shipment arriving with my stockist would be all taken and I wanted him now. So when this one popped up on ebay, I totally fell for his face AND he was 15% off! The total of bear, ebay tax and shipping came out less than his retail cost! When I opened him after work tonight, I realized why he's more expensive for a 14" bear. He's tyber! And plumo. His mohair is actually super soft for once. I really like it. He's a wonderfully soft little cuddler with the cutest face. I'm so glad I treated myself!
Arrival Date: 12/14/22
Size: 15"
Year: 2021
Designer: Isabelle Lee
Purchased From: BAMS
Cost: $71.95 (Retail $109.95)
Thoughts: I've had my eye on this Magda ever since BAMS got her in. I had almost enough rewards points but then spent them on the Birthday Bear instead. So when Valerie did her huge post-Black Friday sale and I saw Magda, I had to grab her. I didn't have her shipped til I got home from vacation and she arrived today. I just got home from having a tooth pulled, so Magda will be a nice recovery companion. She's got a very sweet, concerned look on her face. She's a light biscuity color with a very soft, textured fur on her limbs and ears. Her toes, torso and head are all a longer pile, soft fur. She's got quite a bit of weight to her, considering her smaller 15" size. I think she's great.
Arrival Date: 11/28/22
Size: 17"
Year: 2022 Secret Collection
Edition Size: 1200
Designer: Isabelle Lee
Features: Plumo
Purchased From: BAMS
Cost: $168
Thoughts: Trifle is a regular Secret Collection bear, but she was shown on the most recent Cuddle Time, which I missed because I was at work. I preordered one from my stockist and I was pretty low down the choosing list. I initially wasn't that into any of the ones she got in, but then I went through the pictures slowly and decided each one of them had a mood. Making a list of them made some of them very endearing. Sometimes I'm drawn to bears with flaws and Trifle is one of those. Her nose is longer on one side than the other. Her eye whites are totally different. One comes down and lies flat, while the other is crinkled and off to the side more. I knew I wanted this particular one, but then my stockist mentioned a bald spot. She ended up sending me a pic and I opted to stick with this Trifle, because she was already flawed and I knew she needed someone like me to adopt her, not someone super picky. I know collectors that strive for perfection, while I prefer expressiveness. When she arrived, I took a tweezers and gently pulled some of her mohair through the backing beside each eye. So her bald spots got covered up pretty nicely. A lot of the time, the fur is just stuck underneath a bit. Trifle is a lot like Kirsteen. I completely fell for her when I hugged her the first time. Kirsteen was one I knew I'd love but I didn't expect to love her as much as I do. Trifle is one I initially thought I might skip and ended up being one of my top bears for the year. Her face is so endearing, her colors and lovely, her pinky-purple toes are perfection, and she's SUPER cuddly. I'm totally in love. If you like the colors and can afford her price, which I do think is a bit high, you should try her out.
