CB blather continues here.
Mar. 12th, 2024 08:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impyLet's discuss the Charlie Bears 2024 lineup, shall we? We shall.
I'm gonna skip around some because there are some lines that aren't for me. It's also possible that future!me is gonna just say fuck it and discuss it all but current me is lazy so...
Skipping Bearhouse because if I learned anything last year, it's that Bearhouse is lovely but not really for me. I enjoy what I have but I'm not sure I'd remake those choices knowing what I know, if that makes sense?
If you wanna look for yourself, here are the turntable videos to give you a 360 view of them. They also did get a bit of time spent on them in the main launch video.
Plush, which is where we'll be spending most of our time and all of our funds.
Year Bear 2024 is nice enough but I don't really do the hairy bears.
We discussed this earlier, but I do love this pair. I'm not likely to get Pink Tulip because the cat would eat the whiskers but I have Hollyhock as my most wanted bear of the year. So cute!
Kielder is cute and really does lean hard into the "who me?" face, but I kinda love Ashdown. BUT I don't love the hairy bears so I'm being good. The turntable videos do emphasize the hairy/fluffiness, which is helping me admire from afar.
The fact that almost all the neon bears/critters this year are hairy breaks my heart; you have no idea. Starburst reminds me of tropical Starburst jelly beans and I'd be lying if I said Stardust isn't on my "Maybe if I found a really cute one?" list. We'll just be calling that the Maybe list for short. Seriously though, if I found one with a fair amount of purple on the front, I'd be dooooomed. I'd also be far more tempted if Stardust was Q1, as I don't think I have any Q1 preorders?
Hell, go ahead and add Paprika and Sweet Tooth to that list too, because I love Paprika's colors and Sweet Tooth is just so bright. Actually, maybe take ST off the list due to the turntable. I'm not sure how much I like the pink/red combo. *muse*
I love Big Cheese's colors but I'm worried about the whiskers. We'll see, though. Love Will's love for Big Cheese. Curious as to the colors, as in the catalog BC looks more blue-green and in the video he looks more yellow green, which could very well be just a lighting situation, though the TT also makes him look more yellow green. Or maybe it's just that the yellow accents actually look yellow instead of cream?
All of that aside, I do love that they made this trio.
Avalon kinda looks like her hair is slicked back and put into puff pigtails to match her dressing gown. Unusual but not for me, though I do love the visual I cooked up for myself. :p
Bea and Aurelia are on my short "yes!" list as you might recall. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the TT shots (before I realized we'd be getting them for everyone) and had they not already been on my list, the video would've pushed them onto the Preorder list. Bea looks so grumpy, like she's gonna take some whippersnapper down for backsassing her and Aurelia's like "Dearheart, not this again. Sigh." MINE.
Bombini is cute but again, whiskers. This one looks ready to sting a bitch though. ♥ Also looks cute next to Big Cheese, as Will demonstrated.
Millie and Mollie are cute but not needs. Mollie's little orange nose is adorable though.
Love the colors on both Buddleia and Peony, but again, hairy bears. Take a shot. Wait, don't. Don't die. Including a shot of Buddleia's backside because I hadn't really caught that they had red in their fur previously. Peony is not one of the sweet pinks, s/he is gonna fight the first person who looks their way funny.
Charnwood and Heartwood both look like their muzzles would lend themselves quite easily to wonk. Cute and I love how the coloring evokes wood/the forest, but I'm good. Heartwood looks like November smells in my memories. Which is weird to say, but when I was a kid, we'd go to my dad's local best friend's house sometime in the late fall/early winter (I know, I know winter doesn't start til December but we all know the weather doesn't follow the calendar) and I'm not sure if it was actually November or not, but my memories say yes. And it would be crisp and cold (for our area) and you could see your breath and smell the fires burning at Dickie's place as well as his father's, and Heartwood looks like how I remember those visits smelling.
I do love this little trio of Amelie, Rhys, and Meghan. They kinda give me grey scale colored over with hilghter vibes. I'm feeling more confident about my Meghan preorder, as I think she's looking very soft and cuddly. And because she's Q2, I might actually get her sometime before Amelie is released so I'll know if I want her as well. :P (Now that I've said this, Meghan will be delayed indefinitely, won't she?)
Mo is cute as hell. JD's trying to trick me into feeling sorry for him and wanting him. It shall not work, good sir.
Michal and Scott are cute (I love Scott's one darker eye) but you already know the problem. Shame because those faces! Though the faces aren't doing me in quite as much in the TT videos. Well, Scott is still pretty cute but Michal's coloring looks faded. I really do think it's the lighting there though.
Ari... I like the name. I wonder if she'd have liked Ari.
Davina and Edyta are both on my Maybe list. I love Edyta but I'm pretty sure these got knocked down to Maybe due to price? I'm also not 100% sold on how they look from behind. Surprise mohawk is surprise. They do look pretty soft and the mismatched paw colors are adorable.
Stepping Stones has a face that is making me hear JK Simmons as his voice. You're welcome.
Alpine. I debated going back and trying for a preorder on this one but ultimately decided no. Cute as heeeeeeeeell though. Sorry, Prairie.
I don't love this fur choice when CB uses it. Sorry, Hilltop.
Didling and Mudford are adorable. Both are on my Maybe list because they remind me of dogs from when I was growing up. Not that we had, but that neighbors or family had. And these are the two that have moved, hopefully, from the maybe list to the preorder list. Mums fell for them both and in her words, she likes "I love the one on the left but the one on the right is prettier." So, we shall see how it shakes out. Included a cap of the launch video to give you (me) a better idea of size for some of these.
Earl and Everest are nice but you can see the problem.
Dazzle is the one hairy neon critter that's most likely to make the jump to "YES" but I'm trying to be good here. Razzle's cute but if Dazzle has to reach a smidge to make the jump, Razzle would need a miracle. Love from afar here, self. I would absolutely be doomed if I found a Dazzle with a fair amount of purple. These are my favorites of the neons though, as they give me all the nostalgic flashback fuzzies.
Sian and Kaleena are giving me vampire vibes and I don't know why.
I'll admit that I think this is closer to hitting a proper cat than CB's previous attempts but it still feels just the wrong side of uncanny valley. I must admit that Kingswood is telling me to adopt him (her?) and then let them murder all my enemies. Tempting. The TT videos do make them look cuter and I kinda love how Kingswood's eyes follow you. On the Maybe list, honestly.
Fig's cute and Star Jasmine's colors are lovely but again, no.
Bohdan's one where the colors between the stock photo and the glamor shot are wildly different. I assume it's because the glamor shot is washed out but still. Chonky love is probably too big for me but oh, I get all the love. That face! That butt has many a fan, too, and it cracks me up but I get it. Space and price are the issues here, but I shall swoon from afar and hope he's one where people take a billion pics.
Rainbows End, Kaida, and Kenna
I don't know how I feel about the dragon hatchlings. I think Kaida and Kenna are closer to the maybe list and I'd throw my hat into the ring if Mom fell in love with any of these three, but I don't see it happening. And it did not. She felt warmer about Kaida and Kenna but Rainbows End did nothing at all for her. I do love how Rainbow looks from the side. I actually think that had Rainbow been while and then all the other colors, I'd have been tempted enough to go in for him. I do love how all three look from the back/side, but I'm still not loving the hairiness so on the lowercase maybe list they remain.
Mr Fisher and Miss Jekyll
I love his scarf. They both look like they'd be fun to hug.
Adventurer and Puzzlemaster
I'm always shocked by the bears that set off a flurry of attention, and Puzzlemaster is definitely one of those.
I adore Filigree's colors and Moss is cute but again, hairy.
Footsteps, Hoofprints, Voyager, Trailblazer are all too big for my home.
Firebird is stunning and one where I get why the hairiness is the way it is.
Beetle Bear and Tricorn both caught my eye but I think BB's antenae would bother me and Tricorn's hairy so...
Had I the money and the space, I'd have caved for Nessie here. SO. PRETTY. And unusual!
Hogwash is a cute name but Pigasus made me actually giggle.
Beast of Bodmin and Yeti are both unexpected but also an easy pass for me.
Plumo!
The glamor shot of Rummy is making me wonder. I don't super love the faces on Whist and Cribbage but I do love their colors. I wonder how soft they are. *muse*
Boggle
Hello, cutie. Being good though because I know not as soft as I'd like.
Sudoku, Chess, and Mono Polly
They have... odd faces. I'm not sure what it is. Curious as to how they'll look in the video. I think it's that I expect the panda eyes to be a little higher? Rounder? Something.
Tiddlywinks and Mastermind
Mastermind reminds me a bit of Peach Cobbler. Not a lot, but a little. I'm good though. Their paws seem a little unfinished somehow.
Signature Collection is one where I admire the artistry and the risks being taken but none of them are for me.
Turntable Link here.
Mock Turtle looks ready to kill in their stock photo.
Dodo is my favorite.
Jabberwocky nails the inspo but I can't. I am so happy for everyone who can but not me.
Cheshire Cat.
Same. Not to the same degree as Jabberwocky but still.
I try not to dawdle in the Isabelle Collection because these are creations I cannot afford to fall in love with. Turntable link if you want it.
The cats. Seriously, this kind of thing makes me wonder if anyone at CB has ever seen a cat. Why.
Tall Tales is cute but wool makes my skin crawl.
Folk Tale and Fairy Story are cute as hell but the cat would go nuts and also $$
I adore the colors used for Atlantis. ♥
Whiskey's cute as fuck.
I'd love Balderdash even if not for the name but I do love saying Balderdash. A lot.
Lowkey love both Anna Gram and Conundrum, even with their collars that aren't for me.
I also think she's very pretty in a delicate way.
I do wonder who this teal love is.
I'm not sure why they bothered with the last Sneaky Peeks catalog. It's just a glorified ad for their kid friendly line and like three new critters. I wish they'd just gone all in on showing the new line(s) off and done away with the rest instead of trying to break it up. It feels like when you reach the sneaky advertising section in a magazine that's still pretending it's a natural part of the mag, but it's all an ad and has to say as much on every page.
I'm gonna skip around some because there are some lines that aren't for me. It's also possible that future!me is gonna just say fuck it and discuss it all but current me is lazy so...
Skipping Bearhouse because if I learned anything last year, it's that Bearhouse is lovely but not really for me. I enjoy what I have but I'm not sure I'd remake those choices knowing what I know, if that makes sense?
If you wanna look for yourself, here are the turntable videos to give you a 360 view of them. They also did get a bit of time spent on them in the main launch video.
Plush, which is where we'll be spending most of our time and all of our funds.
Year Bear 2024 is nice enough but I don't really do the hairy bears.
We discussed this earlier, but I do love this pair. I'm not likely to get Pink Tulip because the cat would eat the whiskers but I have Hollyhock as my most wanted bear of the year. So cute!
Kielder is cute and really does lean hard into the "who me?" face, but I kinda love Ashdown. BUT I don't love the hairy bears so I'm being good. The turntable videos do emphasize the hairy/fluffiness, which is helping me admire from afar.
The fact that almost all the neon bears/critters this year are hairy breaks my heart; you have no idea. Starburst reminds me of tropical Starburst jelly beans and I'd be lying if I said Stardust isn't on my "Maybe if I found a really cute one?" list. We'll just be calling that the Maybe list for short. Seriously though, if I found one with a fair amount of purple on the front, I'd be dooooomed. I'd also be far more tempted if Stardust was Q1, as I don't think I have any Q1 preorders?
Hell, go ahead and add Paprika and Sweet Tooth to that list too, because I love Paprika's colors and Sweet Tooth is just so bright. Actually, maybe take ST off the list due to the turntable. I'm not sure how much I like the pink/red combo. *muse*
I love Big Cheese's colors but I'm worried about the whiskers. We'll see, though. Love Will's love for Big Cheese. Curious as to the colors, as in the catalog BC looks more blue-green and in the video he looks more yellow green, which could very well be just a lighting situation, though the TT also makes him look more yellow green. Or maybe it's just that the yellow accents actually look yellow instead of cream?
All of that aside, I do love that they made this trio.
Avalon kinda looks like her hair is slicked back and put into puff pigtails to match her dressing gown. Unusual but not for me, though I do love the visual I cooked up for myself. :p
Bea and Aurelia are on my short "yes!" list as you might recall. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the TT shots (before I realized we'd be getting them for everyone) and had they not already been on my list, the video would've pushed them onto the Preorder list. Bea looks so grumpy, like she's gonna take some whippersnapper down for backsassing her and Aurelia's like "Dearheart, not this again. Sigh." MINE.
Bombini is cute but again, whiskers. This one looks ready to sting a bitch though. ♥ Also looks cute next to Big Cheese, as Will demonstrated.
Millie and Mollie are cute but not needs. Mollie's little orange nose is adorable though.
Love the colors on both Buddleia and Peony, but again, hairy bears. Take a shot. Wait, don't. Don't die. Including a shot of Buddleia's backside because I hadn't really caught that they had red in their fur previously. Peony is not one of the sweet pinks, s/he is gonna fight the first person who looks their way funny.
Charnwood and Heartwood both look like their muzzles would lend themselves quite easily to wonk. Cute and I love how the coloring evokes wood/the forest, but I'm good. Heartwood looks like November smells in my memories. Which is weird to say, but when I was a kid, we'd go to my dad's local best friend's house sometime in the late fall/early winter (I know, I know winter doesn't start til December but we all know the weather doesn't follow the calendar) and I'm not sure if it was actually November or not, but my memories say yes. And it would be crisp and cold (for our area) and you could see your breath and smell the fires burning at Dickie's place as well as his father's, and Heartwood looks like how I remember those visits smelling.
I do love this little trio of Amelie, Rhys, and Meghan. They kinda give me grey scale colored over with hilghter vibes. I'm feeling more confident about my Meghan preorder, as I think she's looking very soft and cuddly. And because she's Q2, I might actually get her sometime before Amelie is released so I'll know if I want her as well. :P (Now that I've said this, Meghan will be delayed indefinitely, won't she?)
Mo is cute as hell. JD's trying to trick me into feeling sorry for him and wanting him. It shall not work, good sir.
Michal and Scott are cute (I love Scott's one darker eye) but you already know the problem. Shame because those faces! Though the faces aren't doing me in quite as much in the TT videos. Well, Scott is still pretty cute but Michal's coloring looks faded. I really do think it's the lighting there though.
Ari... I like the name. I wonder if she'd have liked Ari.
Davina and Edyta are both on my Maybe list. I love Edyta but I'm pretty sure these got knocked down to Maybe due to price? I'm also not 100% sold on how they look from behind. Surprise mohawk is surprise. They do look pretty soft and the mismatched paw colors are adorable.
Stepping Stones has a face that is making me hear JK Simmons as his voice. You're welcome.
Alpine. I debated going back and trying for a preorder on this one but ultimately decided no. Cute as heeeeeeeeell though. Sorry, Prairie.
I don't love this fur choice when CB uses it. Sorry, Hilltop.
Didling and Mudford are adorable. Both are on my Maybe list because they remind me of dogs from when I was growing up. Not that we had, but that neighbors or family had. And these are the two that have moved, hopefully, from the maybe list to the preorder list. Mums fell for them both and in her words, she likes "I love the one on the left but the one on the right is prettier." So, we shall see how it shakes out. Included a cap of the launch video to give you (me) a better idea of size for some of these.
Earl and Everest are nice but you can see the problem.
Dazzle is the one hairy neon critter that's most likely to make the jump to "YES" but I'm trying to be good here. Razzle's cute but if Dazzle has to reach a smidge to make the jump, Razzle would need a miracle. Love from afar here, self. I would absolutely be doomed if I found a Dazzle with a fair amount of purple. These are my favorites of the neons though, as they give me all the nostalgic flashback fuzzies.
Sian and Kaleena are giving me vampire vibes and I don't know why.
I'll admit that I think this is closer to hitting a proper cat than CB's previous attempts but it still feels just the wrong side of uncanny valley. I must admit that Kingswood is telling me to adopt him (her?) and then let them murder all my enemies. Tempting. The TT videos do make them look cuter and I kinda love how Kingswood's eyes follow you. On the Maybe list, honestly.
Fig's cute and Star Jasmine's colors are lovely but again, no.
Bohdan's one where the colors between the stock photo and the glamor shot are wildly different. I assume it's because the glamor shot is washed out but still. Chonky love is probably too big for me but oh, I get all the love. That face! That butt has many a fan, too, and it cracks me up but I get it. Space and price are the issues here, but I shall swoon from afar and hope he's one where people take a billion pics.
Rainbows End, Kaida, and Kenna
I don't know how I feel about the dragon hatchlings. I think Kaida and Kenna are closer to the maybe list and I'd throw my hat into the ring if Mom fell in love with any of these three, but I don't see it happening. And it did not. She felt warmer about Kaida and Kenna but Rainbows End did nothing at all for her. I do love how Rainbow looks from the side. I actually think that had Rainbow been while and then all the other colors, I'd have been tempted enough to go in for him. I do love how all three look from the back/side, but I'm still not loving the hairiness so on the lowercase maybe list they remain.
Mr Fisher and Miss Jekyll
I love his scarf. They both look like they'd be fun to hug.
Adventurer and Puzzlemaster
I'm always shocked by the bears that set off a flurry of attention, and Puzzlemaster is definitely one of those.
I adore Filigree's colors and Moss is cute but again, hairy.
Footsteps, Hoofprints, Voyager, Trailblazer are all too big for my home.
Firebird is stunning and one where I get why the hairiness is the way it is.
Beetle Bear and Tricorn both caught my eye but I think BB's antenae would bother me and Tricorn's hairy so...
Had I the money and the space, I'd have caved for Nessie here. SO. PRETTY. And unusual!
Hogwash is a cute name but Pigasus made me actually giggle.
Beast of Bodmin and Yeti are both unexpected but also an easy pass for me.
Plumo!
The glamor shot of Rummy is making me wonder. I don't super love the faces on Whist and Cribbage but I do love their colors. I wonder how soft they are. *muse*
Boggle
Hello, cutie. Being good though because I know not as soft as I'd like.
Sudoku, Chess, and Mono Polly
They have... odd faces. I'm not sure what it is. Curious as to how they'll look in the video. I think it's that I expect the panda eyes to be a little higher? Rounder? Something.
Tiddlywinks and Mastermind
Mastermind reminds me a bit of Peach Cobbler. Not a lot, but a little. I'm good though. Their paws seem a little unfinished somehow.
Signature Collection is one where I admire the artistry and the risks being taken but none of them are for me.
Turntable Link here.
Mock Turtle looks ready to kill in their stock photo.
Dodo is my favorite.
Jabberwocky nails the inspo but I can't. I am so happy for everyone who can but not me.
Cheshire Cat.
Same. Not to the same degree as Jabberwocky but still.
I try not to dawdle in the Isabelle Collection because these are creations I cannot afford to fall in love with. Turntable link if you want it.
The cats. Seriously, this kind of thing makes me wonder if anyone at CB has ever seen a cat. Why.
Tall Tales is cute but wool makes my skin crawl.
Folk Tale and Fairy Story are cute as hell but the cat would go nuts and also $$
I adore the colors used for Atlantis. ♥
Whiskey's cute as fuck.
I'd love Balderdash even if not for the name but I do love saying Balderdash. A lot.
Lowkey love both Anna Gram and Conundrum, even with their collars that aren't for me.
I also think she's very pretty in a delicate way.
I do wonder who this teal love is.
I'm not sure why they bothered with the last Sneaky Peeks catalog. It's just a glorified ad for their kid friendly line and like three new critters. I wish they'd just gone all in on showing the new line(s) off and done away with the rest instead of trying to break it up. It feels like when you reach the sneaky advertising section in a magazine that's still pretending it's a natural part of the mag, but it's all an ad and has to say as much on every page.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-03-25 02:36 pm (UTC)There I was thinking it was a nice change to get something first and then poof!
Gingerbread Cookie is beautiful! ♥