The Return of the Trolls!

I realize I’ve been neglecting this blog lately. I’ve mostly been focusing on YouTube and my dream of being a successful Vtuber—a dream that I have not been terribly successful in achieving thus far. I need better equipment, like a microphone! I have a Ko-Fi, if anyone likes my content and wants to donate towards better equipment (as well as towards getting new things to review, heh): https://ko-fi.com/luckyladybug Every little bit helps!

Two weeks ago I made a discovery in Wal-Mart that was extremely exciting for me. My long-awaited desire to see Trolls return finally came true! I discovered three new large Trolls and several assorted smaller Trolls, all looking very much like the Trolls of the 1990s that captured my imagination and my joy. While I am grateful to Dreamworks for breathing new life into the brand in America, the movieverse Trolls are not “my” Trolls, and I was highly disappointed when the 60th anniversary Trolls five years ago seemed to take a lot of cues from the Dreamworks movie Trolls. Perhaps that feeling was fairly universal and that is why this time around, the anniversary Trolls look like the ones most older fans will remember.

I have always been fascinated by franchises with multi-colored beings. My Little Ponies and Care Bears are two other such interests from all of my life, especially the Ponies. Trolls are right up there too. I was enchanted by them from the first time I knew they existed. Unfortunately, my dad was not a fan and it was very difficult to obtain Trolls merchandise as a kid. I did have Trolls stickers, a Trolls sticker book, a demo of the DOS video game, and a Trolls keychain figure that I managed to dress in a long strip of rag. Then when I was 9, I discovered Trolio Troll plushies at Smith’s! I was over the moon excited, especially as I had some gift money from my aunt and could get one or two. I chose a cute green-haired Troll in a yellow dress with matching bow. Next week, I decided to get another. By then I only had one choice, a red-haired clown Troll, and I was happy with that. Those plushies are still very beloved by me.

Somehow Dad actually did finally buy me one Troll figure, a rainbow-haired sailor Troll for Christmas one year. I also received a set of three cheerleader Trolls from another aunt. One year I also found a small green-haired Troll figure on a pencil. I treasured them all. I didn’t have any more Trolls until 2006, right after the original creator Dam regained the U.S. license and immediately set to work putting out many wonderful Trolls in the States. I obtained a blue-haired messenger Troll in a smaller size, as well as a white-haired angel Troll and a yellow-haired ladybug troll in a larger size. Of course, I would have to get the one cosplaying a ladybug! ;) Then those disappeared and we haven’t had proper Trolls again until now.

Two weeks ago, I stood looking at the new display in excitement and awe. I chose a blue-haired rockstar Troll in the larger size. Of course I wouldn’t leave without one! I am quite determined to collect all of them in this special anniversary line. Who knows when we’ll see more like this! Maybe if the line is successful, they will keep making classic Trolls.

Last week I was determined to get a pink-haired larger Troll with white shirt and blue jeans. The shirt says “I Love Trolls.” Or “I Heart Trolls,” if you want to read a heart picture literally. Then I realized that Troll looks almost entirely like the Troll in my beloved DOS video game! His hair is purple, but he’s dressed the same in a white shirt and jeans. There are hair color power-ups in that game, and although I’m not aware of a pink one, I decided to say he’s the Troll from the video game with a pink hair power-up.

I also realized that, as the Trolls were selling quite well, it would be foolish to not also get the smaller ones I especially liked right at the time. I haven’t had success finding the line anywhere else, even at other Wal-Marts. They had a green-haired one and a purple-and-blue-haired one, and I grabbed both up. I also particularly hope to find the blue-and-white, pink-and-purple, and purple ones. I am contemplating the idea of saying the small ones are the babies from the video game, especially as the ones in the game all had green hair. Perhaps I will get several of the green-haired one!

Tonight they had one lone Troll left, the other larger one. This one has pink-and-yellow hair, a combo I haven’t ever seen before, and she says “Material Troll.” She’s dressed very 80s or 90s, making for quite a nostalgic look! I brought her home but haven’t de-boxed her yet.

So how do these new Trolls hold up compared to the old ones? Well, as others have noted, they’re not quite as well-made. I can feel some kind of odd mesh inside the hair, which was not the case with the old ones. And on the small ones, the glue around the gems can be clearly seen. Both my and a YouTuber’s green-haired one shed hair, weirdly. I wonder why that would be the only one to be afflicted in that manner. But I am still ecstatic to finally see Trolls return as I remember them and hope to see more!

What is Build-a-Bear doing?

Build-a-Bear has been making adorable Pokemon plush for years now. For a long time, they have generally followed a standard formula of one Pokemon release or re-release per month. It was slow going, but predictable, and a good way to let customers catch their breaths between each one, especially if they’re forced to purchase online bundles just to get them.

Now, suddenly, they’re practically throwing the re-releases at us. In October came Umbreon, with a new release happening around the same time. We’ve had Mimikyu and Mudkip. For Black Friday, they re-released Glaceon, Mew, and Alolan Vulpix without even announcing it. At the same time, they re-released Flareon and did announce it. Now, merely a couple of weeks later, it’s Espeon.

It’s exciting, overwhelming, and concerning all at once. These online bundles are not cheap. How am I going to get them all? I missed Glaceon because of the lack of announcement, but I managed to get Umbreon and squeaked by with Flareon. I don’t know if I can afford Espeon before he might be gone. Glaceon vanished in a few hours on sale. The full-price ones usually stick around longer, but there's no guarantee of it. Umbreon sold out last Christmas at full price.

I’d like to believe this new strategy is just to get as much business as possible for the holidays. But is it? Or could there be a worrisome reason, like that they’re about to lose the Pokemon license and want to get as much out of it as possible before that happens?

As far as I know, they’re doing really well with the license and losing it seems unlikely. But there are strange stipulations that go with it, such as that they can’t restuff any Pokemon plush or put a sound in if it wasn’t originally purchased with one. If it’s that hard to make Pokemon plush, maybe losing the license isn’t such a far-fetched idea.

Hopefully this thought is nonsense and there's nothing to worry about. But regardless, it does present a problem. Unless one is made of money, collecting this flood of new re-releases is going to be almost impossible without going into debt. Espeon and Vaporeon, judging from their prices from individual sellers, are the very most popular of the out of print releases. Espeon has literally sold for hundreds of dollars. Now Espeon is back, so Vaporeon and likely Jolteon can't be far behind. From Build-a-Bear's track record lately, we may see both of them before the month is out. I will be very surprised if we don't see at least one of them very soon.

Elusive Jazwares Eevees

Eevee has long been one of the most beloved Pokemon. She certainly is my favorite. And while I’ve obtained many wonderful Eevee things in the last couple of years, a bit of merch eluded me for some time.

I haven’t ever quite understood the appeal of sleeping plush, but they certainly seem to be popular. I’m sure the game Pokemon Sleep has only fueled that interest. I decided some time back that I wanted the adorable Jazwares sleeping Eevee. But to my utter exasperation, Eevee alone seems to be almost impossible to get unless one is willing to pay a much higher price than the others in the line cost! She is continually selling out on Amazon while the others stay in stock. And while the others typically cost between $29 and $34, Eevee alone can often go for $57! She also doesn’t seem to be available at either Walmart or Target, and when Target seems to carry every other sleeping character made, this is a huge frustration. Thankfully, I finally managed to grab one when Amazon had her for the $29 price, after trying for eight months! In September, Amazon said over a thousand were sold that month. In October, the last number I saw was 800+.

She is definitely adorable and cuddly and soft. And to my surprise, she is very hefty! I would have thought she'd be lightweight for kids to carry to bed. Perhaps the heaviness is to mimick how heavy bodies can be while asleep. I think she's heavier than the 24-inch plushies!

Another item that is highly popular is a costume accessories set. I’ve watched it sell out at Amazon and Target.com, and at various Targets. Of course, it wasn’t available where it was convenient for me to get. Apparently many people were Eevee this Halloween. I wish I could have seen some of them.

There is also the strange tale of the mysterious Kroger Eevee. While searching for some Eevee or another about a month ago, I accidentally found a picture of an adorable Jazwares Eevee, 12 inches and sitting down with a happy smile, on Smith’s website. To my frustration, I couldn’t ship her and the only store around that had her was some distance away. Running a search on the UPC turned up the same Eevee on Kroger’s site, but other sites said the code didn’t exist. I wondered if this was a store chain exclusive. How strange, though, for a grocery store chain to get a special Eevee!

After a while I saw what seemed to be a Chinese bootleg on Amazon, but still no other stores had the official item. Finally someone appeared on Mercari selling one and I bought her along with the Jazwares Shiny Eevee (who doesn’t really look like a Shiny, but is adorable all the same). Right after purchase, I finally saw one in a toy store. So she’s not a Kroger exclusive.

Kroger certainly loves her, though! Apparently she’s a part of a Christmas promotion across Kroger stores, and now that Halloween is past, she’s starting to pour in at other Smith’s. Mine got her this week. And even though I already have one, I couldn’t resist bringing home a twin for her. I think it’s the first time I’ve deliberately got a double because I wanted two of a particular item. There are enough subtle differences that I can easily tell them apart, as I always could when I ended up with accidental doubles.

She seems smaller than 12 inches, though, unless that's measured to the top of the ears. But in any case, she is adorable! Smith's and other Kroger stores are charging $17.99 if you have a Fresh Values card, as opposed to the full price at stores between $30 to $36, so if you have a Kroger family store and want this Eevee, definitely see if they have her! She is precious.

Two Coyotes

I have, in general, been more of a Disney girl through the years. The movies and cartoon shows are endlessly magical to me and I never tire of them. However, I do have a definite fondness for some Looney Tunes characters and have sometimes enjoyed the cartoons, although mostly I prefer the sweeter and cuter books to the often sadistic and mean-spirited cartoon romps. The books are hilarious and adorable, with plots such as Bugs and Porky investigating a haunted house, Bugs’ birthday, Bugs and Elmer making a carrot machine, and the Road Runner family (yes, it’s a family in the books) visiting Wile E. Coyote when he’s sick and saying “We’ll be happy when you’re more snappy!”

I have also always had a tendency to root for the underdogs and some of my favorite characters are Wile E., Sylvester, and Elmer. On the other hand, I also like Bugs and probably prefer him to Daffy since even though I understand Daffy’s jealousy and feel he was mistreated by the writers and other characters, it didn’t justify him trying to murder Bugs. My other favorite is Porky. In the books I like Petunia and always wondered why she didn’t appear much, if at all, in the cartoons.

Elmer and Wile E. are probably my top favorites. I have two Wile E. plushies, and the acquiring of each is a story.

In my church, people are baptized when they’re old enough to understand the principles instead of being baptized as infants. It’s always a big deal and a grand celebration for the ones being baptized. Many kids are baptized around age 8. I was too, and it was an amazing and beautiful and spiritual day. I received several lovely gifts, some religious and a few monetary. I ended up with $25, more money than I’d likely ever seen as mine in my short life up to that point. I wanted to celebrate, and for an 8-year-old toy-loving kid in the 90s, that meant Toys R Us!

As I recall, we went to the Toys R Us that was arguably the closest to us at that time, in a fancy shopping center on the East Side. After looking around a while, I found one of the most glorious things for me at that point in my life: a two-foot (or more) Wile E. plush! This was November 5th, 1994 and a very good time to be a Looney Tunes fan. The cartoons played on ABC every Saturday. Figures and plushies were common in stores. I had hoped to find some merch, but I had never dreamed of anything so big!

It was a whole plush line, in fact. I want to say there were at least four in the line, but I can only remember Wile E., Bugs, and Sylvester for sure. I cannot remember the fourth. There was only one plush of Wile E., and he had no price tag. I believe the others in the line were $24.99, so I could have squeaked by getting him at that price. But with no tag, we took him to Customer Service to find out how much he cost. It seemed like ages we waited and waited. At one point the clerks played around with Wile E. and Sylvester. Finally they brought the incredible news: he was $12.99! Perhaps he was on Clearance? Or perhaps they were just being kind to a little kid who clearly wanted him badly. In any case, starry-eyed me immediately bought him and he sat beside me in the car on the way home.

Here he is. Isn’t he wonderful?

I always wondered why the hair tuft was black instead of the accurate brown, but that is such a minor thing. It never mattered to me.

I eventually fell out of love with the cartoons because I really do not like body horror and finally stopped trying to pretend I found it funny. But I still loved the characters and Wile E. has always been special to me.

Flash forward to last week. I saw a Wile E. plush in the back of a claw machine at Smith’s. This one is very small, but he’s smiling adorably and I was attracted enough that I decided to try to get him. This was a very foolish decision, as claw machines, of course, are notorious for not working right for people and my one other attempt to get something from one as a kid ended with me in tears because it didn’t work. This time, I tried five times and failed to get Wile E. There was another plush in front, so the claw couldn’t seem to really get a tight enough grip. I thought of removing that plush and trying again, but I couldn’t get the claw around the other plush. I gave up.

This week, I found the plushies had been rearranged and Wile E. was in front! Well, that was enough encouragement to try again, so I stuck four more quarters in the slot and attempted to get the claw to behave. And ... it actually did. I would have liked to have seen my expression of shock and happiness as it gripped Wile E. tight enough to lift him up and moved back towards the opening. I was tense, wondering if something would still go wrong. It seemed too amazing a thing to happen to me. But then, incredibly, it dropped him down the reward slot and he was mine!

This one is made by Toy Factory, a company that does prizes for machines and carnivals. They have a lot of Pokemon plush. I wondered if their Eevees weren’t furry, because they don’t really look it. But maybe they actually are and just have very short, fine fur like my new Wile E.

Here is a size comparison of the two.

I also wanted to show the tails. While the new one’s is arguably more accurate, it’s just a strip of cloth! My childhood plush’s tail is fully three-dimensional.

After actually having some success at a claw machine, it makes me want to try on occasion to see if I can get any other characters I like from them. I saw a Bugs I’d like to try for two towns away, if he’s still available. We shall see.

Let's Talk About Encanto Merch

Well, Disney got back to me. One email, which seems to be a form email, tells me how to return merch. The second one is more personalized but may also really be a form letter. They are sorry for the mishap and are sending a replacement! This message says to donate the original item to charity. I suppose it's the second one I should consider as the one to follow, instead of the first? I don't know that I will actually donate the first Luisa, though. When she's messed up, why would I want to donate that to some poor kid who probably doesn't have many nice things anyway? I would probably be more likely to try reselling her on Mercari and see if some collector wants her despite the flaw. I suppose whichever I do, I will hang onto her until the second one comes. For all I know, it won't be much better. I've heard horror stories where people are sent two or three replacements and none of them are right.

Regardless, I am very grateful they answered kindly and are trying to fix the problem! I was really hoping they would feel that way about it despite the return window being closed.

So let's talk about my Encanto doll set. Here they are deboxed! Aren't they wonderful?

I can't believe I never really noticed all the theme details to Pepa's attire before. I saw the sun earrings, but didn't really grasp the sun collar or the raindrop dress. Look at the little lightning bolts on the hem! Her shoes are sun pattern too. And she's so cute! I love all the little freckles and her long braid.

Camilo also has a theme thing going on. See all the chameleons on his poncho? I love it! Of course, I imagine most fans have already picked out all those little details and I'm the odd one out just catching up.

Felix fascinates me. I have never seen a doll with his body type before. He is very hefty.

Dolores seems to be identical to the individual Dolores that was released last year. At first I didn't think there was anything relating to her gift depicted, but now it looks like I see soundwaves on her dress. Cool!

Antonio is indeed different. Side by side, you can see the new one doesn't have any hair touching his forehead and his eyes are lighter. After looking at pictures, it seems to be the first one who is more accurate.

In spite of those minor differences, all of them look like they just stepped out of the movie screen!

All dolls have the basic articulation of shoulders and legs and neck. And oddly, Camilo alone has a different type of "skin" on his arms that's rubbery and feels a litle more like actual skin. The others all have normal hard plastic.

I still don't know what I will do with the duplicate Dolores. Perhaps I will try to sell her in a lot with the first Luisa plush? When the Antonios are so different, I rather think I will keep both of them, probably.

Behind the family, you can see a 4 inch Princess Peach figure. I found her at Walmart! Apparently they finally at long last re-released her! I am so thrilled to at last have her to put with the guys. I will give her her own post later.

Ahsoka and Luisa plush

Among my lovely birthday offerings, I picked up the Ahsoka plush and the Luisa plush. I was so stoked for both of them, I had to buy immediately and not wait for a sale. That was unfortunately a mistake, as had I waited, I could have got Ahsoka on free shipping several days later. And Luisa, well ...

First, here is the lovely Ahsoka. She is perfect! I have seen several Ahsoka plush and none have struck me as much as this one. Despite being for the live-action series, her expression captures everything we love about the original version. She looks much happier here than she ever does in the live-action.

Luisa is gorgeous, but there is a glaring difference between her and Disney's advertising. Here is a link to Disney's page for her. See the stock photo? Luisa is depicted as most human plush are made, looking straight-on. There is an image of a kid holding her where the head seems turned a little, but not really that much.

Then, the actual product.

Um....

This is completely different from the advertising! It's apparently not defective, as I found someone on eBay selling one that looks the same. (Unless a whole batch was affected, but since one picture on Disney's site shows a very slightly turned head, I doubt it.) Disney is advertising this plush as looking straight-on when she's just not.

Honestly, it's unique. And I'm not as disappointed today as I was last night. I was actually considering trying to sell her, since the return window has passed. But I probably won't. I am, however, still disappointed enough that I wonder if I'll really get any of the other Encanto plush, even on sale. (I probably still will.) I wonder if I should still complain to Disney anyway, even though the return window has passed. Since she was a gift, I naturally hadn't opened the box until yesterday.

(Update: I did contact Disney. This is just preposterous. We'll see if they have any mercy. I want a replacement, not a refund, so maybe ...)

Okay, aside from that jarring experience, let's look at the positive. Both these plush are incredibly soft. The skin "fur" is almost velvety or minky to the touch. It's paradise. They're also very huggable. I held both while watching the Ahsoka season finale. And of course, the details are top of the line. Disney doesn't skimp on those. Ahsoka's vest even feels suede-like! And Luisa's attire even includes her knee-length underwear as seen in Surface Pressure!

One thing I'm not sure whether is good or bad is that the legs are stiffer. It's not as easy to sit them down as it was before. I rather like being able to do that with my Frozen and Cinderella plush.

In any case, I'm thoroughly thrilled with Ahsoka but am still unsure what I think of Luisa due to the strangeness of how her head is turned in contrast to what I thought I was getting.

Let's Talk About Encanto Dolls

Like many other people, I love Encanto. And when I love something, I must have merch! Plushies and dolls and figures are my go-to merch in general, and boy, was I excited when Encanto started generating dolls of all kinds! I was eyeing the beautiful gift set with Luisa ever since its release, as she is my favorite and the set seems to be the only way to get her. Last Christmas, Azalea542 made me a lovely present of this set, to my delight.

Also released around last Christmas season were Dolores and Bruno dolls. I was especially surprised Bruno got a doll, since male characters often don't, and especially adult males. I bought both and hoped for more characters to release.

This year, I was surprised and amazed to see a set with Pepa, Felix, and Camilo, as well as Dolores and Antonio. I was expecting Camilo would get a doll, but I wasn't sure the other adults would. Unfortunately, this set doesn't seem to be selling as well, at least here in town. During Wal-Mart's summer clearance sales, it reduced to $33.99 from $49.99, and then the final copy was reduced further to $11. By contrast, on Mercari people have been successfully selling it for $100! So it would seem people do want it, even if it's not popular here in town.

I bought it at the $33.99 price point and put it away for my birthday. I was rather sickened to see the other copy left reduced to $11 before it sold. It's worth so much more than that. Plus, I desperately want to see Mirabel's parents get dolls, and if this set is having so much trouble selling, that may not happen. I am hoping the difficulties are only local and that it's far more successful everywhere else.

One thing that did puzzle me was why Antonio's parents got dolls ahead of Mirabel's parents. Then the answer came to me and it was so obvious: because they sang the wildly popular Bruno song.

These dolls are all made by Jakks Pacific. They are absolutely beautiful and spot-on in their designs. Everyone looks like they stepped right out of the movie screen! Their clothes are also highly accurate, although I am very sad that all the details are simply printed on rather than being 3D. Isabela, for instance, doesn't have the actual layers present in her dress. Wouldn't it be so amazing if she did? Instead, it's just one solid layer meant to look like her multiple layers. I believe the set made by The Disney Store does feature real layers, but that set's price was just too much. I'm perfectly happy with the Jakks set.

These are the dolls I have currently opened:

The other set will be opened on October 3rd. At that point I will make another post to show them loose, but for now, here is what they look like in-box:

The Dolores seems to be identical, but there are slight differences in the Antonios. The one from the Mirabel set has cute bangs brushing against his forehead. Unless the one in box just looks this way while trapped in plastic, he doesn't have bangs. Also, the eye color is different. The one in the newer set has lighter brown eyes.

I have not decided what I will do with the duplicate Dolores and Antonio. Since they are more common, they do not seem to sell well on Mercari by themselves. Also, since I am a terrible sentimental softie, I am wondering if I will not have the heart to sell them, especially the duplicate Antonio. Look how cute they've packaged him, right there by his mother and father! Anyway, with the Antonios having slight differences, that might make it worthwhile to hang onto both for now. Who knows, one of the variants may become valuable later for the differences! (Or maybe not, but it's a possibility.)

On the plush front, Disney released Mirabel and Antonio some time ago but seemed to show no indication to make more. That made me reluctant to get them, thinking it would be sad if they couldn't have their family members around them. Now I am kicking myself for not getting them on some of the sale prices they were on, because Disney has released Isabela, Luisa, Dolores, and Bruno! And I doubt Mirabel will be on sale again any time soon. Antonio is no longer on Disney's site, but he is on Amazon.

As soon as I saw the new plushies, I couldn't resist and immediately got Luisa. She will also be saved for my birthday and I will review her properly soon after.

Who Are You Eevee

So for months, ever since learning what the Who Are You? plush actually are, I’ve wanted one to try out the unique gimmick for myself. For those who don’t know, they are mysterious plush that come tightly packed in a furry ball. You have to put it in or under water to uncurl it and see who’ve you got, hence the name. There is a Pikachu version, but of course, my interest is with the Eevee variety. There are three possible Eevees you can end up with, including one with the female tail.

After earning some gift cards that could be redeemed on eBay, I decided it was time to get one. There are some wonderful deals there from Japanese sellers. I bought one last week and it arrived yesterday!

Then came the debate of whether to save it to open up until my birthday. Usually packages that come around now I save for my birthday. But it’s not really a birthday gift since I used gift cards I’d earned. I decided not to wait.

First, I took some pictures of the box from every angle. It’s bigger than I thought it would be, which is intriguing. It also feels very nostalgic in its pictures and design. It reminds me of toy boxes from the 1980s and 1990s.

Also intriguing is this side picture, which seems to show a Caucasian girl instead of a Japanese girl. I do wonder if they were planning to release it internationally but then didn’t for some reason.

Here is a video of the unboxing and displaying everything just the way it comes. I love the collar and nametag! It reminds me of Pound Puppies.

https://youtu.be/cY_k1MsDG58?si=sp1HBaFySFK76Y3E

And here is the video of the uncurling. It was a fun experience! I’m glad I got to enjoy it. Since they are expensive, I highly doubt I’d buy any other new boxes. But I might get the other two Eevees already uncurled from other sellers.

https://youtu.be/3u7muIpLd80?si=KrtbE0_fGOk93cnI

I was going to make a third video to discuss my feelings, but I think I will just write them out here instead.

I would have been thrilled with any of the three Eevees, but I must admit I’m particularly excited I got the female one! I was secretly hoping I would get her.

I do wish the face didn’t seem to have such a pushed-in characteristic about it. I was hoping drying her might change that, but it doesn’t seem to have done so.

I put her on the low heat setting of the dryer for faster drying. Other videos mentioned it taking many hours for drying. She is almost completely dry two hours later, except for the inside of her ears and under her ruff. I dried the ears with a fan. I realize the dryer is not a recommended solution, but I was very careful and checked every few minutes.

She comes with two Berries, which I was afraid to put in the dryer for fear of them getting sucked into the lint tray. I’m drying them with the fan too, to great success.

Her fur is very long and fluffy. She isn’t really stuffed very much, naturally, due to the curled up gimmick. If I was more confident in my abilities, I would open her up and stuff her more now that she’s uncurled. However, I do not wish to do that.

Here she is all dry and fluffy. What a cutie!

Overall, it’s a super cute gimmick that I think kids will enjoy. Big kids too. I’m happy I got to experience this interesting and unique plush!

Second and Third Orders from Kawaii Republic

Today I received a treasure chest!

Shortly after I placed the next Kawaii Republic order, I was sent another $5 coupon to celebrate my first purchase. I decided to get a sweet Eevee with a star who had caught my eye, and since with the coupon he was too low to use PayPal Pay in 4 on, I decided to get a second one too. The plan was to put these two away for my birthday.

Both orders shipped out the same day, and they have arrived here safe and well today!

As it turned out, they all shipped in the same box. I wasn't sure if that was the case, so I had to open it to find out whether I needed to look for a second box later or not. Of course, once opened there was no turning back. It's six weeks to my birthday! How could I leave these precious darlings alone for six weeks, especially after getting a glimpse of them?

As with the first order, I received a treat from Japanese Snacks Republic, more of these yummy potato treats. It turns out they're like teeny-tiny potato cakes, similar to rice cakes in structure. They are delicious!

This precious baby was the first order. Her name is Bubbles. Look, she still has her tag! She was the B prize for that plush line, it seems. She looks like an A prize to me! Who wouldn't be thrilled to get such an angel?

These two are Bing and Bob. I had to name the star Eevee Bing, for Bing Crosby and his Swinging On A Star song. And then quite naturally, since I was ordering a second one with him, I had to name him Bob, for Bob Hope. I'm actually not a huge fan of the Road pictures overall, or at least most of the ones I've seen, but I do love Road to Utopia.

Bob was made just last year. They seem to be trying a new kind of fur for him. It feels like angora! Very appropriate since Eevees look like fox-rabbit crosses.

I received this order at least a week ahead of when I assumed I would. Perhaps they're being able to deliver a little faster now that they've been going longer? In any case, I am thoroughly enthralled, satisfied, and delighted with my early birthday celebration! This has been a really rough week and receiving a box full of Eevees is just the thing to put me on Cloud Nine.

As a parting comment, these three cuties:

Blossom, Bubbles, and Butter ... scotch.

;)

First Purchase From Kawaii Republic

Earlier this month, the adorable site Kawaii Republic opened. I made a post about it and made a purchase later that night. The site was very popular and Eevees were selling out left and right. I barely got one before she also sold out.

Today I received this sweetheart, so it's time for a proper review!

I placed my order on July 8th. She promptly shipped to them from the supplier, which took ten days. On the 18th, she was sent out via FedEx. It was estimated that would take two weeks. She arrived ahead of time yesterday and swiftly appeared in the States on the 28th. Today, she's here!

When I opened the box, I was greeted by this adorable bonus from Japanese Snacks Republic:

I plan to keep the wrappings after I eat the snacks. Hopefully I can clean the interiors well enough. I can't bear to throw away Eevee merch!

Underneath, wrapped in a bag, was this darling:

Unfortunately, after so much travel in the horrible heat, most of her flowers are unglued. I rested them on the ribbon to take the pictures. I'm debating whether to go buy fabric glue today or sew them on. Sewing is normally my preference, as it's stronger, but I don't want to damage the lovely ribbon by poking holes in it.

She is very soft and her fur is a darker tan than Banpresto's/Bandai Spirit's Eevees usually are. I also assumed she was the same size as my I Love Eievui 2013 Eevee that I prize so highly, but she is not! As soon as I lifted her out of the box, I was shocked by her size! Look at the comparison:

It's incredible this sweetheart was only $30!

Shipping time from Japan was very reasonable and she was packaged securely and safely. I am thrilled with the purchase and the fun extra.

This week the site ran a promotion and sent out $5 coupons. Within two hours, nine Eevees blinked out of availability. They had just got one in I've been wanting, so I snapped her up and within an hour, she was also sold out. Kawaii Republic is definitely something people want and I find it to be just as good and reputable as Otaku Republic, where I get Kalin and Radley doujinshis. While Pokemon Center merchandise is still expensive here more often than not, Banpresto and Bandai Spirits plush are simply incredible prices 99% of the time. It's a wonderful resource for finding these brands, and more products are added frequently. I have been seeing new arrivals weekly.

I am looking forward to receiving this latest purchase from Kawaii Republic. The first purchase didn't disappoint and I have every confidence in them for the next one!