So this is a list of my favorite purchases in order of arrival, not in order of preference.
Shani was a bear that had to grow on me. I loved her name right away, because it reminds me of a book character, but it took quite awhile to want the bear, who's from the 2017 collection. By the time I wanted one, she was nowhere to be found, but I got lucky and one of my stockists got some in. She's a big, lovely girl and she's the queen of my gray bears.
Little Toadstool was a must have from the 2019 collection. He's like a little elfy bear. I love his hat, but just the green bear himself with his white-tipped fur was enough to make me want him. Pair the coloring with a darling little face and he's a winner.
Candice was another early arrival from the 2019 bears. I actually was more interested in her sister Cara when I saw the catalog, but it was Candice herself who would overshadow once I got her in person. I still love Cara, but Candice is definitely my favorite of the pair. She even got more attention than Toadstool when they arrived together (and also with Muffin).
This little guy! This was actually not my first choice of Splodges, but I fell for his one blue ear and he was still available when everyone else had chosen, so I got him, too. He came home first and he's been on my bed ever since. The other Splodge with more varied coloring sits on my shelf and I admit I ignore the poor guy in favor of this one.
This guy is one of my big loves from this year. He's actually 2018 collection, but it was a larger layaway, so I didn't get them home until March 2019.
Rum Baba is AMAZING. The main reason people love this bear is his fur. A lot of CBs use Tyber fur, which is incredibly soft, but mostly it's just on their limbs and faces. Rum uses it ALL OVER. And his is thicker than a lot of the other ones. So Rum is my go to comfort bear when I'm upset or not feeling well. He lives on my bed, so his feet are never too far away for me to grab. And his coloring is absolutely stunning.
Hakatan had the poor luck to be in the same shipment with Rum Baba. Haka was actually one of the ones from 2018 that I was most excited for, but he ended up completely overshadowed by Rum. Almost everyone in that order did. I recently started picking him up more though and he deserves a spot on this list.
As does my grumpy little Chillblaine, who suffered from the same misfortune. I owe him some hugs. I love that face!
Dandy was in the same shipment as Rum and the others, but he's the only one that held his own against Rum. It's a bit funny, because I pre-ordered him, but he was one I was not completely sold on. He's gorgeous, but he was also a bit expensive and I thought if I had to eliminate one, it would be him. But then I got to pick mine and I saw this one's sad face and just fell in love. I know I've talked about it before, but he reminds me of this sad lion sculpture in the Met that was my favorite piece in the museum.
Simone was another unexpected love. She was pretty, but not for me when I first saw her stock photo, but then owner photos made me want her. She's absolutely lovely in person.
I love Windypops so much that I worried he'd be delayed and the US wouldn't get him or something, so I ended up importing him. We did finally get him in, but I did not want to take that risk! He was one of my most wanted from this year's collection. He's just darling and really nice to cuddle.
I got this guy for a steal on ebay! Firework always hovered just off my want list, but for the good price, I had to have him and in person, he impressed me enough to make this list. He's a lot more cuddly than he looks in photos!
Cherry Pie is my little imp. His black tufts of fur on his head naturally move into two little horns. They're not quite as formed here, but they started doing it a day or so after I got him. I love red and brown together and he's fabulous. Simply fabulous. Lollipop seemed to be the one other people preferred, but I am all about Cherry.
This photo is incredibly dark, but Evermore is really a very dark blue. He was another older bear from my want list that I got a great ebay deal on! Even with importing, his price was really low.
The best Bearhouse creation ever when it comes to detail. I'd give Dringle the nod for being the cutest ever, but Congo is by far the most gorgeous. Every bit of him is just stunning. I'm looking forward to getting Fiddy, who's the one pre-order I still have left, and sitting them together. Big, muscley, gorgeous boy!
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Normally, I do profile shots for these things, but my best pictures of Jason are from the shelf. He is a master of The Eyes. He was not anywhere near my want list, but I saw him on the QVC show sitting on a shelf and immediately ordered him. He sold out before they were even done presenting him and the US still has not gotten him back. The UK only just got him.
See, he's so manipulative that he gets two photos.
He is not my usual type of bear at all. That would be something more like Rum or Cherry Pie. But there is something about his little face. Those freckles. The needy eyes. I found myself constantly scooping him up off the shelf to give him attention. Definitely one of my very top choices from 2019.
I can't have Dandy on the list without the delicate little Clock to go along with him. Clock was the one I originally wanted more, but now I love both about equally. He's a gorgeous silver lion.
Roman and Windypops were my two biggest wants from the 2019 catalog. Both ended up being a bit overshadowed by others, but they're still very high on my list.
I love Roman's bizarre hairy self. He's beautiful and tall and skinny, yet still cuddly.
Snapdragon is one of two absolutely stunning dragons produced this year. She was the very limited, club members only mohair dragon. She's surprisingly soft and cuddly for a mohair! I did not expect that at all. And her detailing is simply exquisite.
Lush purple Errol is the same type of fur as Rum Baba. I have already said how much I want a bear that uses just this fur in just this color. Errol is a more recent arrival from only about a month ago, but he's already gotten a lot of cuddle time.
Grumbleweed is the other lovely new dragon. He's regular collection, so a lot more people were able to get him, but he's still selling out in a lot of places, as he is a limited edition, not an open one.
He's incredibly soft and cuddly! That mottled green fur is super soft. I knew he'd be a favorite, but he's even better in person than the promo pic.
Bryce possesses the same manipulative power as Jason. Only even moreso! There's something about those eyes that just draws me in. I've spent a lot of time with this bear, even though he's much bigger than the ones I usually go to for my repeated cuddles. He was never on my pre-order list, but then I saw people's pictures and I added him. I had to wait for others to choose first, but I somehow lucked out and ended up with my first choice after all! He's definitely one of my very top choices for the year.
Sausage is an older bear from 2012 that's been at the top of my want list for a couple years. A fellow collector told me one was on ebay and I was able to import him for a very fair price. He's a standing bear, so he's claimed a spot right beside my bed where I can reach down and pat him anytime. He's also more cuddly than my other standing bears, which is great.
Can't have Errol without having Flynn, too! This one is a gorgeous dark green.
So that's my list of 2019 bears. How many did we come to? 23? Not too bad! If I really had to narrow it down to ten, well, I just can't! It was too good a year. I fully admit I have splurged on bears this year. I'm considering it my recovery year from all the trauma of Hurricane Michael. Next year, I may dial back my collecting of everything more. I need to go through what I have and rehome some things as I finally work toward getting everything out on proper display again. But I'm sure I'll probably still get more bears than anything else!
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