MARDI GRAS

Arrival Date: 2/1/24

Size: 13"

Year: 2023 Secret Collection

Designer: Charlie

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $81

Thoughts: Third time's the charm! I knew when I saw Mardi Gras that I had to add him to my collection. However, this was one of the first times I've gotten a bear from CB Direct that I wasn't satisfied with. Normally, I have really good luck, but not this time. When he turned up on QVC, I ordered two more. I opened the first one and he wasn't much different from my original, but then I opened this guy pictured here and finally, here was the Mardi Gras I was expecting. I'm returning the other two to QVC. (It has way easier returns than CB Direct.) Nothing against my original guy. I was growing fonder of him and he is cute, but this one is what I wanted. 

SMOG

Arrival Date: 12/30/23

Size: 14"

Year: 2023

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $121.95

Thoughts: I love this color! I'm not sure I have any other CBs quite these shades. Beautiful. Smog is a cute little bear that goes along with Foggy. Small but still cuddly. 

STOMPY

Arrival Date: 12/30/23

Size: 14.5" officially, but definitely bigger

Year: 2023

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $118.95

Thoughts: FINALLY. Stompy is a Quarter 1 character, which means we should have had him in the spring. However, the UK and Australia got him, and we were left in the cold AGAIN. I hate when they do this. They should always guarantee each of the three locations gets each character roughly around the same time. Shipping differences are understandable, because Australia is closest to the warehouses, etc., but the US should never be MONTHS later when the other locations are getting their second or even third batch. Anyway, he was worth waiting for, as he's absolutely gorgeous, but we never should have been waiting this long. He's humongous! Yet he's not actually that heavy. And what a face!

SEPTEMBER (Minimo)

Arrival Date: 12/18/23

Size: 7"

Year: 2023

Edition Size: 365 (Mine is #312.)

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $175

Thoughts: This one was unexpected! I mentioned being interested in him before any stockists had any idea of their allocations or really any details at all, so I totally forgot about him until my stockist told me I could pick mine and he could ride along with Tardy. I really wasn't planning on his level of expense, but I do like the design a lot. He reminds me of a very popular older mohair bear that I will never, ever own, so he's like my mini version of that bear, as well as representing my birth month. (My stockist included the "sapphire" necklace.) This one's face was just too cute. Honestly, if he wasn't there, I don't think I would have picked one of the others. But he's darling and a nice addition to my very small mohair collection. (I think I have 6 now.) 

TARDY

 Arrival Date: 12/18/23

Size: 13-15"

Year: 2023

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $119

Thoughts: FINALLY. Tardy was one of my faves from this year, but he's taken eternity to get home. I honestly kept changing my feelings about him. He's very popular and some people are downright obsessed with him, so that made me less excited for him. But now that I have him in person, I can properly enjoy his extreme cuddleability. He's fantastic. 

BONFIRE TOFFEE

Arrival Date: 11/28/23

Size: 17.5"

Year: 2023

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $168

Thoughts: THIS GUY. I was silly and did not have him on my initial preorder list, but quickly added him on with some others. So I was fourth in line to pick and really hoping people would be fast so I could get him before vacation. I'm very grateful to the three people in front of me for being way faster than people usually are. He is GORGEOUS. He's got kind of an upturned head, so he's very endearing, and his fur is lovely. He's a little on the skinny side, definitely not as big as I was expecting. He's coming along on vacation with me. 

HARVEST MOON

Arrival Date: 11/28/23

Size: 15"

Year: 2023

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $133

Thoughts: My stockist's husband has had some medical issues, so she's gotten behind in her latest deliveries. Thankfully, he seems to be on the mend and she was able to catch up enough that I got two of my three preorders before I left for vacation. I've been so eagerly awaiting these three. Harvest Moon here was one of my most wanted from the 2023 catalogue and she does not disappoint one bit. I love orange yet I don't have many orange bears. Pink, purple and blue are definitely the favored "different" colors in CB world. Harvest Moon is in the same style as Blue Moon, who I got a while back, and there's an upcoming pink one named Rose Moon. Harvest is obviously going to be my fave though. Her colors. Wow. They're absolutely stunning.  

CONFETTI

Arrival Date: 10/30/23

Size: 13"

Year: 2023 Secret Collection

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $99 after $20 coupon (Retail $119)

Thoughts: I was happy to use my Best Friends Club coupon on Confetti when she appeared on CB Direct last week. She arrived today and just like Streamers, she's small, soft and very cuddly. I love her even more than him, as she's an unusual color combo I've not seen before. 

SHADOW NIGHT

Arrival Date: 10/16/23

Size: 14"

Year: 2023

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: Free with rewards (Retail $95)

Thoughts: The dragon hatchlings are definitely one of the more unusual things Charlie Bears have ever done. I like Shadow Night, but I'm honestly not sure I also need the second one, Storm Chaser. I don't know where the idea of dragons having fur came from. It's a choice. He has tiny wings on his back in the same fabric as the neck ruff. He's cute but certainly odd!

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.