I decided to amuse myself tonight by creating some Top Ten lists of my favorite Charlie Bears. So I'm doing Top Ten of each year I've been collecting. Not 2019 yet, though I can say I don't think I can whittle this year back to only ten!
I started collecting in January 2016. So these lists go in order of purchase, not in any sort of ranked order.
Oodles is one of my favorites ever, so it's only fitting that he be first on my Top Ten of 2016.
2016 #2: Brooklyn
This guy is one of the special bears that lives permanently on my bed.
2016 #3: Bray
Purple and brown is an odd combination, but honestly, it works incredibly well on this lush bear.
2016 #4: Dolce
2016 actually didn't have ten bears (or more) that jumped right out at me as big faves. I decided to give Dolce one of the spots, because he's actually the first Charlie Bear that ever caught my eye, way back in 2013. I remembered him when I finally decided to start collecting in 2016.
2016 #5: Graeme
Graeme is the other one I really fell for in 2013, so it's appropriate that they're right next to each other in order.
2016 #6: Dipsy
I love this little guy. He's one of my grumpiest bears. He never ever looks happy, so I gave him a small collection of creepy and/or monstery toys and he loves horror stuff.
I wonder if he's grumpy because his name is not exactly nice.
2016 #7: Brussell
What. A. Face.
I remember seeing this guy on ebay and wondering if he was a real CB. He is! But he's very unlike the others. I wish they'd do more like him.
2016 #8: Pumpkin Pie
My favorite orange bear, hands down. Pumpkin's vibrant orange is stunning, but it's the gray tipping on the majority of her fur that gives her this incredibly unique glowing embers look.
Most of my favorite bears are male. Pumpkin is definitely the highest ranking female bear. This could have easily been another male, but something about her made me say she's a girl.
2016 #9: Pepper Pot
This tiny guy is a little love. I think he's very underrated. Not a lot of people show him off. I love his nubbly fur.
2016 #10: Tick Tock
And just as Oodles was the most appropriate to begin with, so is Tick Tock the best to end 2016 on. I always have him near Oodles, so it's nice to have one beginning and one ending this list. He also holds the distinction of being my first BAMS Paws rewards bear.
2017 #1: Susan
Susan was not one I planned on purchasing, but I saw this grumpy little girl left behind in the BAMS picture albums and I knew I needed her in my hug.
Like Dipsy, she's never really a happy bear, but that's just how they are. They're usually found on the same shelf.
2017 #2: Befuddle
Befuddle was my first experience with a bear that was exceptional to cuddle. She is so cottony soft! And her body isn't filled as heavily, so she's squeezable, too, more like a regular plush toy. For ages, she was the most cuddly, but she did get dethroned this year by Rum Baba. But a lot of people say he's the most cuddly ever, so it's nothing against Befuddle.
2017 #3: Gilbert
Oh, this face. Goofy little Gilbert had to be mine. He was my first experience with ordering from Charlie Bears Direct UK (before the US version existed) and I was shocked by how quickly he arrived.
I do love this little character, although he tends to get forgotten a bit. He's a bit awkward in shape, so he's not as cuddly as a lot of my others. But that face keeps him one of the most unique on the shelves.
2017 #4: Chuck
I loved Chuck and Clancy in the 2016 catalog, but I kept my pre-orders pretty light that year.
When Chuck was featured on sale, I had to get him and I fell for him on first hug. He's a soft, squishy guy, but you know he's trouble. And that vibrant red is amazing.
2017 #5: Clancy
Clancy followed quickly behind Chuck. Like less than a week later. I paid full price for him and didn't regret a thing. He's the sturdier of the two. Chuck is quite floppy.
He's got a quiet personality, especially compared to Chuck's obvious mischievousness. So he gets overlooked sometimes, but I actually had him down for cuddles recently. (He and Chuck are on the top shelf of red bears that I need a ladder to reach.)
2017 #6: Mischief
I did not like some of the long-faced Heather Lyells for quite some time. Some of them I still don't care for. But I saw someone in the UK's Mischief for sale and ended up getting this guy on ebay. He's another perma-grump, though he doesn't hang out with Dipsy and Susan.
His paws are magnetic, so he hung out some interesting places in the closet when we first moved into this apartment and I didn't have my shelves yet.
2017 #7: Kuma
One of my most favorites ever. Kuma has never been off my bed since the day I got him. Aside from when we moved, of course, and I had no choice.
He's the wise old guy of my hug. Big and heavy and very cuddly and comforting. His colors are amazing, too. This picture doesn't do him enough justice.
2017 #8: Scrummy
This happy fellow was a must-have when I had a $5 coupon to spend. I always liked his design, but at the time was trying to keep my collection smaller and his 16" size put me off.
It's impossible to tell with the black fur, but he has the biggest smile. He's always happy.
2017 #9: Bristle
This darling hedgehog had to be imported from the UK. I was so happy when I finally found one from a seller willing to ship to the US!
He's tiny, but oh, so cute.
2017 #10: Firecracker
I wanted this bear for ages before I finally found her. I love her bursts of hot pink amidst the black fur.
2017 Honorable Mention: McKinley
While not a Top Ten, I couldn't let this list go by without mentioning McKinley. 2017 was a great year, because we finally got CBs on QVC here in the US! McKinley was our first exclusive.
He didn't quite make the Top Ten, because honestly, I'm afraid to do much with him. Not that he's fragile, but he's pure white and I don't want to mess him up in any way. He's basically impossible to find on the secondary market and I know I'd never be able to replace him if something happened to him.
2018 #1: Together
I wanted this guy for quite some time before I finally got around to getting him. You hardly ever see Together or his dark blue brother Evermore. I don't know why they're not popular, because I adore both.
Together has the most unique fur of all my bears, I think. It's black tipped in this blinding neon red. I love that the tips of his paws are red, too.
2018 #2: Seraphina
Seraphina, the darling little dragon! I was so excited to have her. She's sadly not very cuddly, because she's so pointy, but she likes to sit up high and guard whichever room she's in.
I'm excited to add two more dragons to my collection this year.
2018 #3: Tatum
Tatum was one I held out on for quite a long time, then finally got and fell in love with her. She doesn't photograph it, but she's actually blue!
She's on the cusp of being one of the grumpy bears. I've made her a bit more on the sassy side.
2018 #4: Hinckley
Hinckley was one of a set of four in 2016. There was one bear and one bunny each in the same fur type. Bryony the black bunny I got first, then her bear counterpart, Stuie. Hinckley goes along with Herbs, another bunny, but I never got him.
Of the three I own, Hinckley's actually ended up my favorite. Probably because he's the most cuddly. Bryony and Stuie are really skinny. Hinckley also took on a supervisory role for me after the hurricane. He was one of the first I pulled from the boxes when I got my bears out of storage and started unpacking them in my room in our first apartment here. so he sat by while I unpacked everyone else and made sure everything went smoothly.
2018 #5: Scrump
Scrump was actually on my 2016 pre-order list, but I ended up cancelling him. I'm not often that picky on bears, but he was one that I wanted to have a very specific look. His stock image showed him with color right beside each eye, but not every Scrump has that.
So began my search for the perfect Scrump. I was very frustrated, because there was one on ebay that I adored, but it was from a seller with multiple locations so they never sold the exact bear pictured. Then don't use a photo of a real bear! Use the stock image!
But this one finally turned up and he's not quite perfect, but close enough for me. The one bright eye is lovely and the other has enough color to be satisfying. He's also a nice squishy, cuddly bear kinda like Chuck.
2018 #6: Tara
Tara was a total whim purchase. Her mauve and black awesome fur, magnetic paws and cute face caught my attention.
She's another of those like Tatum that's sassy, but not full-on in the Grump Club.
2018 #7: Bashful
Bashful is one I kept seeing on ebay over and over, and he finally won me over!
He's incredibly soft in person. Way more than I was expecting. I'm surprised he doesn't get more attention, considering his softness.
And he's just got the sweetest face.
2018 #8: Bundle
Bundle was my biggest bear want from the 2018 catalog. I loved his colors.
When it came time to choose mine, this sassy boy jumped right out at me. He looks like he might want to bundle, which is UK slang for fight. Kinda makes me wonder what they had in mind when naming him! But he also looks cozy and reminds me of our wintery term "bundle up" before going out in the cold.
2018 #9: Dringle
Dringle! Dringle helped me through the hurricane. He was my buddy during the dark hours when I was nervous about looters. He was the only one I cuddled during those literally dark days. I adore sloths and he is the happiest sloth I could ever imagine. I recommend him to everybody!
2018 #10: Twinky
Twinky was the last bear that arrived before the hurricane hit. She was one that floated around the back of my want list, but I didn't want to pay full price for her. I found an amazing deal on ebay, bought her and she would have been worth every bit of full price. She's a tall bear, but not overly chunky, yet still really good at cuddles.
I remember when I was packing my bears, I didn't want to pack her, but I already had my two bags full that I was allowing for the car ride. So into one of the boxes she went. After we were in the motel a few days, I wanted her, so she was the first one unpacked here in North Carolina.
2018 Honorable Mention: Biddles
Biddles is a very unique bear. He's one of only two designed by one of CB's early designers. His brother Hershey looks just like him only brown. Someday I'd love to have him, too!
I still can't believe I own this guy. His sweet smiling face makes me happy. His only flaw is that he's really quite chunky and his fur isn't the softest, so while he's sweet-looking, he's not ideal for cuddling, which is why he's here and not in the Top Ten.
2018 Honorable Mention: Annuska
Gorgeous, sleek and super soft, but my 2018 list is full of major favorites, so the competition was fierce. I do love this girl though, so here she is.
