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.