Wednesday, June 18, 2025

PORTICULLIS

Arrival Date: 6/14/25

Size: 8"

Year: 2025 

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $55

Thoughts: Porticullis, who has my favorite of the five architectural names, is a little purple fairy goyle. She's very sleepy-eyed, too. 

MOAT


Arrival Date: 6/14/25

Size: 8"

Year: 2025 

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $55

Thoughts: Moat and Porticullis are the smaller pair. Unlike the dragons, who were each a different size, the gargoyles only come in large and small. Moat is your basic gray gargoyle, but he's super cute. 

SPIRES

Arrival Date: 6/14/25

Size: 10"

Year: 2025 

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $55

Thoughts: Spires is a more standard gargoyle, only in green. He does have a nice little neck ruff though. 


DRAWBRIDGE

Arrival Date: 6/14/25

Size: 10"

Year: 2025 

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $55

Thoughts: Drawbridge's main difference to the other four gargoyles is that pair of longer, curving horns. He also has somewhat dragonfly-ish wings. He and Bartizan are my two favorites.


BARTIZAN

Arrival Date: 6/14/25

Size: 10"

Year: 2025 

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $55

Thoughts: I was so thrilled to see that the second Bearhouse collection for the year was gargoyles! They're in a similar color array to the earlier dragons. Bartizan is a warm tan with hair on his head and the bases of his squared-off wings. 

Saturday, June 14, 2025

STEPPING STONES

Arrival Date: 6/13/25

Size: 22.5"

Year: 2024 

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $69 (Retail $231)

Thoughts: This guy has a story. I was waiting on the CB  website for the gargoyles to drop and I browsed the sale section. I saw Stepping Stones marked down to 70% off. Yes, SEVENTY. I had always thought he was cute and checked him out when my stockists got him in, but I'm super picky about bears that size because I don't have a lot of room for big ones and they're pricey. Well, for $69 how could I not get this guy? I figured if I didn't bond with him, I could sell him and more than make my money back. Out of the box though, he's incredibly soft and cuddly. I think the brown parts are tyber. Pretty sure he's a keeper. He reminds me of a much bigger, fancier-colored version of Karl. I went back a couple days later and he was marked off either 29 or 30%. Not 70%. Soooooo someone made a little mistake and I reaped the benefits. Thank you, CB employee! I don't think I would ever have gotten him otherwise.  

NESSIE (Bear & Me)

Arrival Date: 6/13/25

Size: 10"

Year: 2025

Designer: Charlie

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $31

Thoughts: My first Bear & Me! I'm not big into this line, since they seem like Jellycats more than CBs, though it is nice to have options for younger collectors. 




But I just had to have Nessie with her six legs in this amusing arrangement. 

She's soft and cute. 

This color is called Seaweed Green. Maybe they'll do more Nessies in the future.

Thursday, June 5, 2025

HEARTWOOD

Arrival Date: 6/5/25

Size: 17"

Year: 2024

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Features: Standing

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $175

Thoughts: This guy. I've had my eye on him for probably a year now. I just love his grump face! I'm glad he waited patiently for me and then decided it was the perfect time to hop on the ride home with Sofia. He was worth waiting for. I don't normally go for the standing bears, as their hard feet make them less cuddly, but for just the right one, I do make exceptions. 


SOFIA

Arrival Date: 6/5/25

Size: 16"

Year: 2025 Exclusive Collection

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $123.50

Thoughts: Oh, that FACE. When I saw Sofia, I liked her design and knew if I saw just the right one, I'd want her. So when my stockist put up hers, I fell instantly for this lady. In person, she's petite and quite lightweight, but a very good cuddler. And she's simply gorgeous. I think she's one of the prettiest CBs I own. 


Wednesday, June 4, 2025

WATER ELF

Arrival Date: 5/31/25

Size: 14"

Year: 2025

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $115

Thoughts: When this guy first came out, people were all like "Stitch!" but I do not see that one bit. They're not even the same color. Come on. He is incredibly soft and cuddly with those pointy feet's and giant ears. I love this series.  

MISS GABOR (JOHNSON)

Arrival Date: 6/2/25

Size: 21"

Year: 2025 

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: Artisanal Bears By Old Griz

Cost: $155

Thoughts: Her stock name may be Miss Johnson, but this is clearly Miss Gabor. Phyllis Gabor, that is. AKA: Pizzazz of the Misfits. She was on my maybe list when the catalogue released, and when I started seeing owner pics and their cute faces, I knew I'd get her eventually. Just had to find the right one and then she popped up in Kitty's stock, so here she is! She is a large, sassy, vibrant girl and I love her. 

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

YETI

Arrival Date: 4/25/25

Size: 24"

Year: 2024 

Edition Size: 1000 (Mine is #571.) 

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $273

Thoughts: Ah, the biggest guy is finally here! Yeti is a whopping two feet tall, four inches taller than Bodmin. He's got the cutest little round ears and I love his expression. Like Bod, he's really not that hard to cuddle, despite his size. 

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

RAMBLE

Arrival Date: 4/14/25

Size: 14.5"

Year: 2024

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $139

Thoughts: Ramble is the other missing 2024 character I had left. (The last is Woozy, the dodo from 2023.) He's a Pyrenean ibex. His horns are really long, which you can kind of infer from the photo. He looks exactly like his prototype and he's gorgeous, but again, not the most cuddly, but with those horns, I didn't expect him to be. Like Pathfinder, his fur is rougher. Still, he's got a very cute face. 

PATHFINDER

Arrival Date: 4/14/25

Size: 14.5"

Year: 2024

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $133

Thoughts: Pathfinder is one of the last three Bearhouse I've been waiting on. He's from 2024. He's a thylacine or tasmanian tiger. I have mixed feelings on him. I wish they'd done the faces like the prototype. The nose seemed longer or at least the dark shading on the muzzle made it appear longer. That helped him look more like a thylacine. He does have the stripes, though they don't show here. He's very cute, but he definitely could have looked more like the real animal. He's also sadly not very cuddly. His fur is more rough and his head is oddly hard, so he's not great for hugs. I'm still glad to have him, but he's not an ideal Bearhouse offering.  

SPADES

Arrival Date: 4/12/25

Size: 12.5"

Year: 2025

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: CB Direct

Cost: $62.50

Thoughts: Spades is the last of the Bearhouse dragons I was interested in. I grabbed him when we got them in the US. He went on a little surprise journey, because his tracking never updated until the end. He was "label created" for a week and then all of a sudden in Greenville and arrived the next day. He's taller than Clubs but shorter than Deck. Love his color, but his main draw is those two little fangs.  

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

EARTH ELF

Arrival Date: 3/31/25

Size: 11"

Year: 2025

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $100

Thoughts: This tiny guy is my first of the 2025 collection. (Not counting the Bearhouse dragons!) He's adorable, lightweight, fits in the palm of my hand, and he's super soft. Definite Mogwai vibes. I love him. 

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

DECK

Arrival Date: 3/12/25

Size: 14.5" officially, but he's way bigger.

Year: 2025

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: CB Direct UK

Cost: $78

Thoughts: I thought Spades would be my third fave, but Deck is the one I fell in love with when I saw real photos, so he was the third to come along across the pond. I almost got Spades, too, but he raised the shipping cost quite a bit. I'll pick him up once he hits the US. Deck is pretty huge! Again, lightweight, soft and cuddly, but far taller than I expected. He's so cute. He looks like a cartoon character. 

HEARTS

Arrival Date: 3/12/25

Size: 8"

Year: 2025

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: CB Direct UK

Cost: $42

Thoughts: Tiny Hearts, the smallest of the five dragons, doesn't seem like she'd be a favorite of mine, but there was something about her little face that I loved. She just had to come along with Clubs. I love her little arms, like she's asking for uppies. 

CLUBS

Arrival Date: 3/12/25

Size: 11"

Year: 2025

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: CB Direct UK

Cost: $61

Thoughts: This is the first year of the new Bearhouse style. The initial release is five card-themed dragons. Each has a tail end in the shape of their suit (or in Deck's case, just a regular tail). So Clubs here has a club. Clubs was my first choice from the five, as I have a weakness for brown dragons. (Embers is still my favorite.) He's the middle one of the five in size at 11". He's very soft and lightweight. I like the dangly legs and the cute toes. 

Thursday, March 6, 2025

LOCH NESS MONSTER

Arrival Date: 3/6/25

Size: 14" tall, 27.5" long

Year: 2024 

Edition Size: 1000 (Mine is #634.) 

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $315

Thoughts: Oh, my! Nessie is certainly one of the most striking pieces CBs has ever done. She is really long, but not that tall and she's surprisingly skinny and lightweight. She is so stunning. Her fur is soft. The six legs are amazing. Her face is perfection. I love every little detail and type of fabric. I'm not sure how cuddly she'll be (I'll find out soon), but she's undoubtedly spectacular.   

HOWIE

 Arrival Date: 2/28/25

Size: 16"

Year: 2011 Secret Collection

Edition Size: 600 

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Purchased From: ebay

Cost: $140 shipped from the UK

Thoughts: Oh, Howie. Howie was actually my very first Charlie Bear, way back in 2016. I rehomed him pretty early on. There was something about his size that I didn't like back then. Like when I saw him on the computer screen, I thought he'd be a lot smaller than he was in person, and I could never sort that out in my head. Eventually, I ended up picking up Eton, who's the same design in different colors, and when I adored her, I wanted Howie back. It's just taken him a few years to get here. 

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

MOCK TURTLE

 Arrival Date: 2/25/25

Size: 20"

Year: 2024 Signature Collection 

Edition Size: 750 (Mine is #653.) 

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $266

Thoughts: Oh, my gods, this guy! He's quite tall at 20", but he's so much lighter and more cuddly than I could ever have imagined. All his materials are so soft! I love his flippers and hooves and his little cow tail. I'm not big into Wonderland, but he's a delightful character.


Monday, February 24, 2025

WESTMINSTER

Arrival Date: 2/14/25

Size: 18"

Year: 2016 

Designer: Isabelle Lee

Note: No tag

Purchased From: Fellow collector

Cost: $50

Thoughts: I always liked this guy from the older Bearhouse line, so when I saw him available on FB, I grabbed him. He doesn't have his tag and he got a nice bath before I cuddled him, but he's Bearhouse, so that's safe enough. He's very cute. 

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

RAZZLE

Arrival Date: 2/7/25

Size: 11"

Year: 2024 

Designer: Charlie

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: Free with rewards (Retail $63)

Thoughts: Razzle is a fun little neon floof that pairs with Dazzle and Rainbows End. I believe the same fabric is going to be used on this year's neon spider set. 

TRICORN

Arrival Date: 2/7/25

Size: 13"

Year: 2024 

Designer: Alison Mills

Purchased From: BAMS

Cost: $133

Thoughts: Tricorn is absolutely stunning, but if you want a cuddling character, she's not the best. The horns are right in your face and I'm not a fan of the bell. So she'll just look pretty on my shelf with some of my mohairs.