Blog #14: Ben the Grey Squirrel (Aurora Miyoni)

 Ben the Grey Squirrel

Name: Ben
Gender: Male
Obtained: August 2021

Background: This plushie was a bit of an impulse purchase. I got him at a Tractor Supply Store for a reasonable $13, and given how cute he is I simply could not pass him up. He makes me wish that the Webkinz team would have made a Signature squirrel plush (they did made a Signature chipmunk, but surprisingly they never made a Signature grey or red squirrel, despite having regular plushies for both). There actually is a really nice red squirrel plush made by the same company that made my arctic fox plush (Uni Toys) but it's not currently available without paying for shipping and waiting forever like I did with the husky, so for now that plush is off-limits. In the meantime, though, Ben is a really cute squirrel plushie and I like him a lot so he's sufficient.

Personality and Other Stuff: Ben is outwardly mischievous and likes to prank people, but he's also somewhat of a handy man and likes to help people. He usually only misbehaves if he's bored (which seems to happen a lot) so giving him work to do is a good way to keep him out of trouble. He's a lot younger than most of the others (basically a teen) but he still gets along pretty well with them. He sees everyone as his equal, and not as authority figures, so nobody really has any control over him. He also loves playing sports, particularly baseball, and he often plays with Juniper.

Fun Fact: You likely noticed by the picture, but this squirrel plush is actually holding an acorn in his paws. I think it's kinda cute but I also wonder why they did that. I suppose for aesthetic reasons, since squirrels are usually associated with acorns.

Blog #13: Sterling the Silver Fox (Douglas)

Sterling the Silver Fox

Name: Sterling

Gender: Non-binary (he/him)

Obtained: Jan 2022

Background: As is probably very obvious by now (if you've read my blog up to this point), you know that I'm a big fan of fox plushies. I absolutely adore foxes, I think they're really cute and I love their somewhat mischievous personality. They remind me a lot of cats, and I've loved cats as long as I've been alive. Anyways, since I love foxes so much, of course I would love to have a plushie for every type of fox. That's a lot easier said than done, though, and I find that most of the fox plushies on the market are either a red or arctic fox. Don't get me wrong, they're both very nice and I love to see plushies of them, but I also love variety when it comes to plushies.

So I wanted a new fox plushie that isn't one which I already had. Specifically, I had my heart set on a silver fox plushie. In case you don't know, a silver fox is actually not its own breed, rather it is a melanistic form of a red fox (like how a black panther is a melanistic leopard). In real life silver foxes are extremely rare, and it seems, likewise, that the plush form is just as difficult to find. Doing my research I was only able to find two silver fox plushies, one made by Douglas and one made by WWF. The former is readily available both through Douglas and Amazon, the latter is nearly impossible to find. (Also, in case you're wondering. No, searching for "grey fox" does not help as that is an entirely different breed and will yield a different result.) So I knew that if I wanted a silver fox plush badly enough that I would have to settle for the Douglas plush, which I eventually did. I really wish that more companies would make silver fox plushies, because they really are beautiful creatures.

I was a bit skeptical about this plush at first because I don't generally like plushies that are stuck in a lying position. And honestly, I would probably like this plush even more if it were in a semi-standing position like most of my other plushies. But I've had this plush for about a week now and he has instantly become one of my all-time favorites. His size really surprised me; I used to be shocked about how big Alex was, but Sterling is easily twice his size. He is so very cuddly; his fur is slightly coarse but it's still very soft and fluffy to the touch so holding him is not uncomfortable at all. He's also the perfect amount of floppiness, not too stiff but not limp. And of course I have to talk about the detail. The WWF silver fox, as nice as it is, doesn't look much like an actual silver fox, but this one looks almost exactly like a real one. I love the color texture on his fur in particular. I do, however, wish that his overall grey fur color was slightly darker than it is, but it's not nearly a big enough issue for me to dislike him at all. That's just a very small nitpick, which I actually love because it means that the makers of this plush made all the larger details perfect.

Anyways, ramble over, I really love this plushie and I could probably talk about him for at least a few more paragraphs. Let's move on, shall we?

Personality and Other Stuff: Sterling is a character who loves to praise others for their hard work but hardly gives himself enough credit. He's very overly critical of himself, and always strives to be better even if his friends think he's the best. He is very idealistic, disciplined, and very much so a hard worker. He radiates positive energy to his friends and always brings a happy mood to those around him. It's a wonder how he doesn't view himself the same way. Sterling is a big fan of watching and talking about movies, especially the comedy and adventure genres. He and Alex love to do commentaries of their favorite (and least favorite) films.

Fun Fact: I've only ever had one other lying plushie which I really liked, and it happened to also be a relatively large plush that was soft and floppy. I think I may still have it but I haven't seen it in years. If I ever find it I'm re-adding it to my plushie collection!

Another Fun Fact: I usually give my plushies a binary gender, since they are simply stuffed animals and they don't need an overly complex character. But I made this plushie non-binary, in order to represent myself. Even his personality is inspired by my own. I don't usually like making characters that are even loosely based on myself, but it's my hope that the love I give to this plushie can reflect back to myself, and teach me to love myself more.

Blog #12: Alex the Red Fox (Wild Republic)

 Alex the Red Fox

Name: Alex
Gender: Male
Obtained: September 2021

Background: I got this plushie because I wanted a big red fox to go with my arctic fox Dakota. What I got was this guy, he's a heck of a lot taller than Dakota and despite being stuck in a seated position he's actually made quite well. I was a bit skeptical at first since Wild Republic is known for making decent but somewhat cheap plushies. To be fair, though, these toys are designed for children and they do a very good job at representing whatever animal they're supposed to be. 

Anyways, this fox isn't quite as nice as my Uni Toys arctic fox. His fur is reminiscent of the more stringy fur of the regular Webkinz red fox, and he's not particularly realistic (though I do appreciate that they got the coloring correct and didn't skimp out on the black feet/ears or white-tipped tail). But honestly none of that even really matters. To me, a plushie is made well if it 1. looks (at least) very similar to the animal it's supposed to be, and 2. if it's able to be played with without getting messed up easily. While I love my more realistic arctic fox, I have to say his playability is much less than this plushie's playability. This plushie is perfect for cuddling and for any child who loves to play with stuffed animals like I used to. I feel like he can withstand lots of adventures and still look just as cute as the day he came home. He may not be my favorite anymore (that place has been taken by Sterling) but he's still worthy of all the love I can give him.

Personality and Other Stuff: Alex isn't necessarily high-class but he still acts like a gentleman around everyone, especially the girls. Everyone loves him because he's generally a very nice and easy-going person. He treats everyone with respect, unless they've wronged him or someone he cares about, and he's a pro at remaining calm and cool even in tough situations. He doesn't like to lie so he always tells the truth, even if it might hurt someone. He is secretly somewhat of a nerd and loves playing video games.

Fun Fact: This plushie is named after my best friend whom I've known for almost 5 years (similar to how Zoe is named after an old friend of mine).

Blog #11: Lauren the Lamb (Aurora Miyoni)

Lauren the Lamb

Name: Lauren

Gender: Female

Obtained: September 2021

Background: This plushie has a slightly more interesting story than many of my others: she actually came from an antique store. I'm a big fan of antique stores, because even if there isn't anything to buy per se, there's always lots of interesting stuff to look at. I didn't go there planning on buying this plush, I happened to stumble upon her as I was looking around. She was being sold for $6 so I simply could not pass her up, thus she has been added to my plushie collection! 

I'm not gonna lie, I sometimes forget that I have this plushie. I feel bad because she is really cute, but I tend to be drawn more so towards plushies of my favorite animals (cats, foxes, raccoons, red pandas). Lauren is an odd-man-out in that she's the only plushie I have that isn't one of those above animals or some kind of dog. I will say this about her though, I love her wayyyy more than the Webkinz Signature Lamb. That particular plushie is one which is stuck in a permanent lying position, and aside from Sterling I really prefer plushies that can stand (or are "seated" but can be made to stand) so this plushie gets a huge plush from me for that alone. I also really like the feel and texture of her wool, and the attention to detail is really nice. This is one instance where I actually prefer the non-Webkinz plushie, which is pretty rare since I often hold Signatures in high regard.

Personality and Other Stuff: Lauren's favorite pastimes are gardening and reading, both being quiet and relaxing activities. She has issues with anxiety so she prefers to avoid stressful situations. Her best friend is Sylva and they spend a lot of time together (some even consider Lauren to be her adopted child). Lauren tends to be timid and naïve, and it can take a while for her to warm up to new people. Once she finds a new friend she holds onto them and loves them dearly.

Fun Fact: This is the only recent plushie of mine in which I don't remember the day I got it. I barely remember the month, actually. I forgot to write down the date I got her, I didn't take a picture the day I got her, and I hadn't even included her in my toyhou.se page until today. I'm so sorry Lauren, I honestly don't know how I forgot about you in so many ways lol.

Blog #10: Juniper the Arctic Hare (Webkinz Signature)

 Juniper the Webkinz Signature Arctic Hare

Name: Juniper
Gender: Female
Obtained: Jan 2022

Background: I'm not even gonna lie, I'm kinda surprised that I got this plushie. This was one that I didn't know existed until fairly recently; it was originally released in January of 2013, long after I had officially stopped collecting Webkinz on the regular. It was also one that I never planned on buying before. I don't know exactly what made me think of it. It might be the fact that, in terms of appearance and design, the arctic hare is quite similar to the arctic fox, and yet the arctic fox happily sits at over $200 in value, whereas this poor hare rarely sells for more than $20. In a way, I kinda felt bad for it. This particular one costed me $15, and that's surprisingly cheap for such a beautiful plushie. 

I know that the arctic fox is very different from the arctic hare, but if you can't afford the fox then this honestly may be the next best thing. It has the same kind of fur (same color, even, though of course they're both animals of the arctic) and, as all Webkinz Signatures are, it's made very well. I especially like the dark tips on her ears, though I wish they were darker like an actual arctic hare's ears (oddly enough, I had a difficult time finding arctic hare plushies on Mercari that had black-tipped ears, I've only seen a few on Ebay). But besides all those details, I need to mention that this has to be one of the most cuddly plushies I own. She isn't perfect in quality, she's obviously used, but she's still very soft, so I can hold her and I don't feel like I'm gonna mess up her fur. In that sense she's actually better than my arctic fox; I don't handle him often because he's still pretty new and I want to keep his fur looking nice. With this plush it doesn't really matter, so I enjoy handling her quite a bit. 

So even though I didn't originally plan on buying this plushie, she is easily one of my favorites now. She's one of the few that I like to keep by my pillow at night, along with Dakota, Zephyr, Marley, Benjie and Sterling. I think she's found her new forever home! :)

Personality and Other Stuff: Juniper is very outdoorsy and athletic. She loves playing sports, though she doesn't watch sports much, since she prefers to participate. She's often called a "chatty cathy" because she loves to talk, and she'll talk about almost anything. She is best friends with Dakota and Zephyr, and all three like to go on hikes when it's cold outside (and especially when it's snowy). Juniper is always up doing something, she does not like the laid-back lifestyle as she has tons of energy to burn. Despite her athleticism, she has somewhat of a figure since arctic hares are known for retaining body fat to protect from cold weather. She doesn't seem to mind, though.

Fun Fact: Juniper has noticed that Zoe has a crush on Zephyr so they have a somewhat heated relationship. Juniper is very protective of her friends, and she doesn't want anyone to "steal" them away from her.

Update #3: And we're done! (for now)

 The last two days have been really exciting for me, because I got my last two ordered plushies, the husky and the silver fox!!

I ordered the Faithful Friends Husky on January 6th, and luckily it had free shipping because this beauty came all the way from the United Kingdom. This plushie bears a striking resemblance to the Webkinz Signature Siberian Husky, which is infamous in the Webkinz community for consistently selling for over $200 on Ebay and Mercari. The one I got only costed $43, and it's brand new, whereas a Signature would very likely be used (if you got a new Signature husky you'd better be prepared to sell a kidney to make up for the cost). He finally arrived yesterday evening and I adore him!

The biggest difference between this plush and the Signature is that the Faithful Friends version has long fur that goes all the way down to the bottom of the paws, whereas a Webkinz Signature husky has short fur on its paws much like the other canine Signature plushies. I'm also not familiar with how holding a Signature husky feels, but this plushie is a bit stiff compared to my Signature golden retriever and arctic fox, especially its head and tail (perhaps I can "break him in" over time, I don't know). These small details, however, don't take away from how nicely made this plushie is. The fur has that really nice airbrushing on it, just like the Signature does (the husky's fur is white and is airbrushed in black, so moving your hand through its fur will show the white undercoat). The stitching is all perfectly fine, and I love the attention to detail. I don't necessarily know if I would pay $43 for it again, maybe closer to $30-35, but I don't regret my purchase one bit. I really love this husky plush so I'm very happy with my purchase!

Now let's talk about the big boy. Literally, he's a big boy. My silver fox plush from the Douglas toy company arrived in the mail today, and oh my goodness, I cannot get over him!! 

As I mentioned before, this is basically the only silver fox plushie you're gonna find on the market (except, of course, ones that are hand-made by people on Etsy). It was selling on Amazon for $53, and while I really wanted it there was no way I was about to shell out that much for a plush, especially when I had already paid $65 for a Signature Bernese Mountain Dog and $43 for the husky above within the last few weeks. So I checked the manufacturer's website, and not only did they have him for $36, but I found a 10% off coupon which allowed me to get him for $33! As a side note, I don't know if Amazon was stalking me through this process or what, but now this plush is $41 on their website lol.

So he arrived here today, and I'm so very pleased with him! I knew that he would be big because the manufacturer listed the length as 20 inches, but he truly is 20 inches long, making him the biggest plushie that I own currently (besides the humongous rabbit plush sitting on my bed). His fur is ever so slightly coarse but it's also soft, so it almost feels like real fur. The detailing on the fur is gorgeous, it's all different shades of grey that perfectly mimic the coat of a real silver fox. And of course, he's really floppy and I'm sure he will make a perfect cuddle buddy.

With this, I have now received all the plushies which I splurged on when I got paid a few weeks ago. I don't really like to splurge, I prefer to save up my money for future endeavors. I hate that I splurged so much money, and to make sure I didn't do it again I put my recent paycheck into my savings account with only a few tens left over. But that's not to say I regret these purchases at all, I really don't. This particular set of plushies is something that is really special to me. I love each and every one of them, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Chances are, though, that I won't be buying any new plushies for a while. I tend to take a 2-3 month break between purchases, so unless I come across something that I need at that instant like a Webkinz Red Velvet Fox or a WWF Silver Fox, I'll continue to talk about my existing plushies in this blog. Thanks for reading my blog, by the way, you're amazing! :-)

Blog #9: Phoebe the Pomeranian (Webkinz Signature)

 Phoebe the Webkinz Signature Pomeranian

Name: Phoebe
Gender: Female
Obtained: Jan 2021

Background: This lovely Signature was released in June of 2010, and while I personally did not have one as a kid, one of my friends did have one. In fact, the friend who owned it is the same friend who was the original owner of my timber wolf plush. But just in case you're wondering, no, this particular plush is not hers. I couldn't tell you what happened to her old pomeranian plush.

I bought this plush a little over a year ago, because not only is it one of the nicer Signature plushies, but it sufficiently satisfies my desire for a pomeranian of my own. I'm not generally a fan of small dogs--I much prefer big dogs like the golden retriever and newfoundland--but there are a few exceptions, namely the yorkshire terrier and the pomeranian. I have a fondness for animals that have long and/or fluffy fur/hair, and the friend I mentioned a moment ago actually used to own a pomeranian when she still lived here in my neighborhood (her plush was actually named after her dog, I assume her mom got it for her for this reason). At the time I wasn't much of a dog person since I had a lot of bad personal experiences with dogs as a kid, but I remember my friend's pom being really sweet and sassy. Poms have so much personality and they're really friendly, but they tend to be loud, that being the reason why I've decided against owning a real one for now. If I ever do get one, I'm definitely naming her after this plushie of mine.

This Signature is interesting in that it's one of the few with really long fur. I know that poms in real life are basically little puffballs with all their fur, and this plushie does a nice job replicating it (though I think that Aurora did a slightly better job recreating the actual shape of a pom with their Miyoni plush). It tends to get messed up easily when handling it, but straightening out the fur with a comb is an easy task. I love her little face on her big head, and her tiny little triangle ears. She's just so precious! 

So yes, I partly got this to remember my friend by and so that her timber wolf would once again have a pom friend, but I got her mostly because she's one of my favorite Webkinz Signatures and a very well made and cute plushie! <3

Personality and Other Stuff: Phoebe loves to indulge in her interests, which include playing tennis, cooking, and watching television. She's very conscientious and intelligent, but she is known for being snooty and somewhat boastful about her own accomplishments. She takes a lot of pride in her appearance, and believes herself to be among the most beautiful in the world. This may be true, considering how many people agree with her. Most will say she isn't particularly easy to talk to, but she always has a ton to say about everything so she's considered a very interesting person nonetheless.

Fun Fact: This plushie is unique in that she's probably very close to the size of an actual pomeranian! My golden retriever plush is obviously much smaller than my dog Sunny, and even my calico plush is smaller than most of my cats, but this pom plush is basically a perfect placeholder for a real dog in terms of its looks and size.

Blog #8: Dakota the Arctic Fox (Uni Toys)

 Dakota the Arctic Fox

Name: Dakota
Gender: Male
Obtained: January 2021

Background: I got this plushie back in January of last year, about a month after I had started getting back into collecting plushies full-time, because I really love fox plushies and this is one of the better ones I've found. It's a Uni Toys plush but it's made (whether intentionally or not) to look basically exactly like the Webkinz Signature Arctic Fox. I would normally try to buy the Signature variant for collection's sake, but the arctic fox is a case of a "rude awakening" when it comes to some older plushies. The arctic fox, as well as others such as the australian shepherd, siberian husky, german shepherd, and timber wolf, are all ungodly expensive. The arctic fox easily sells for over $150 used with no tag, and I've seen them sell for over $200. So why would I waste my money on that when I could get a brand new one that looks exactly like it for $32? The only difference is that my arctic fox does not have a Ganz tush tag or a golden W on his foot. Like I like to say sometimes, "that's one expensive golden W".

So anyways, I went and bought this on Amazon. I normally would try to avoid giving Amazon my money, but Uni Toys is a German toy company that only sells their plushies in bulk, so Amazon was the only logical choice here. Oddly enough, this specific plush isn't even available on Amazon anymore; the only other Signature arctic fox lookalike on the market now is the National Geographic plush (which, admittedly, also looks really nice). 

I really love the way that this plushie looks and feels. I'm very particular about how a plushie should look, and one small but critical mistake can ruin it for me. For example, I have a BBC Earth arctic fox plush, which is a nice plush but the tail is stiff and curves quite a bit. That alone is enough to make me dislike the plush. This Uni Toys arctix fox does have a slight curve at the end of his tail, but it's not stiff at all and is perfectly proportioned to his body. The stitching in the front left foot is a bit crooked, but to be honest it's been difficult to find plushies that don't have at least a little bit of crooked stitching so it doesn't bother me. His paws are perfectly small, his ears are well proportioned and actually stand up straight (I've had issues with some plushies that have pointed ears, where the ears like to fold back against the head), he sits well and isn't stuck in a seated/lying position, and his fur is super soft and fluffy and pure white. I suppose I can understand why so many people like the Signature variant now.

This plush is one of the few plushies I've seen which is basically perfect to me. I love all my stuffed animals but I can confidently say that Dakota is my favorite. Whenever I go somewhere and take one or two of my stuffed animals with me, most of the time Dakota is one of the plushies I take (I don't worry about him getting dirty, I'm very careful with all my stuffed animals). Even a year later, after getting many other plushies, he's still my favorite and probably always will be.

Background:  Dakota is a natural-born leader with a desire to help others. He does not allow anyone to feel left out, and is a great conflict mediator (can turn any heated situation into a calm and organized one). He is loyal to all of his friends, and expects them to be loyal in return. He's always quick to show his gratitude and praise to those whom he appreciates. His honestly may be his downfall, as he is often blatant and does not sugar-coat problems. He's also somewhat of a perfectionist, and finds himself disappointed when people don't show him the same respect that he gives others. Dakota is best friends with Zephyr the husky, as they share many common interests such as reading the same books and hiking.

Fun Fact: Sometimes when I get a Webkinz plush or a lookalike, I try to get the virtual pet to go along with it. However, as beautiful as this plush is, the Webkinz Signature Arctic Fox is an example of how the virtual version of a Signature often doesn't look that good. Some Signatures' virtual counterparts look decent, like the calico and arctic hare, and some are amazing, like the chipmunk. But the people behind Webkinz could not do the arctic fox justice with the virtual pet.

Blog #7: Zoe the Red Panda (Webkinz Signature)

 Zoe the Webkinz Signature Red Panda

Name: Zoe
Gender: Female
Obtained: April 2019

Background: This lovely Signature was released in March of 2011, and since the day it was revealed I really wanted this one. I've always loved red pandas, and I had the regular Webkinz red panda but it wishes it could look as good as the Signature version. I recall making drawings of it when I was 11 years old at the time, and as far as I know I very rarely drew Webkinz as a kid (besides the floral foxes), so this Signature was a really big deal to me.

The only problem was, by this time all the nearby places that sold Webkinz were either closed down or they simply ceased to sell them. So while I really wanted this Signature, I never had the chance to get it as a kid. I guess my parents refused to buy it online due to the price, or perhaps I was too shy to tell them that I really wanted it so they never actually knew. I spent the rest of my childhood wishing that I could've gotten it.

One day, in April of 2019, I took a trip to the Columbus Zoo. I was in college at the time, somewhat independent, had my own part-time job. And before we left I wanted to check out the stuffed animals (since, you probably know by now, I'm an absolute sucker for stuffed animals) and I happened to find a red panda plush there that I really liked. I can't recall how much it costed, but however much it was, it caused my memory to spark and remind me that, instead of buying this, I could simply look online for that Webkinz Signature red panda that I wanted so long ago. So despite my temptation to buy the plushie at the zoo, I declined, and when I got home I went straight to the internet to look for the Signature. I was lucky enough to find one on Amazon, brand new with a sealed code, for $25, which is about how much they costed when I was a kid. So I snatched it up, and to this day I'm so grateful that I was able to get it. I fulfilled one of my childhood dreams and it feels great.

I got really lucky when I found that plush with a sealed code, because nowadays the same search result yields Signature red pandas that easily sell for $80+ with a sealed code. Also wanted to mention, the only disappointment I have with this plush (and I don't know if all other Signature red pandas have this issue or if it's just mine), is that its tail is not stuffed. This plush has a long, fluffy, red and brown ringed tail, and it's flat which is so disappointing to me. I'm contemplating making a small incision under the base of the tail and adding some stuffing to it myself, to make it look more like the Signature raccoon's tail. Besides that, this plush is really soft and the detail is really good, though mine's fur is a bit crooked around the face but it doesn't bother me. She's a really sweet plush and I love her dearly.

Personality and Other Stuff: Zoe has a heart of gold, and cares a great deal for all her friends. She almost always puts others before herself. She loves participating in volunteer work and helping her community. She often worries about what others think of her, and always tries to present herself in a positive light, avoiding those who think wrongly of her. She has some issues with anxiety, but her friends give her enough love and reassurance to get by. She has a crush on Zephyr (the husky), but he doesn't realize it and Zoe is too shy to express herself, fearing rejection. While not as outwardly expressive as Whitney and Marley, Zoe loves to dress up in colorful kimonos and enjoys the compliments she receives on them.

Fun Fact: This plush is the only Webkinz Signature, and perhaps the only Webkinz in general, that I've ever bought from Amazon. All my other ones either came from a store when I was a child, or have come from Mercari in the modern day. 

Blog #6: Whitney the Arctic Fox (Webkinz)

 Whitney the Webkinz Arctic Fox

Name: Whitney

Gender: Female

Obtained: Dec 2020

Background: The Webkinz Arctic Fox was released either in April 2009 or April 2010, for some reason I can't find a definite source on this. I believe it was 2010. Anyways, I remember one of my friends having this plushie, and despite the fact that it had backwards fur (as most of these guys do), I really liked it and I wanted one for myself. Unfortunately I never did get one as a kid, it wasn't until much, much later, in December of 2020, when I found one at Goodwill by some stroke of luck. I quickly snatched her up, and she's now one of my favorite plushies that I own.

I tend to play favorites with fox plushies because, as I've mentioned before, they're one of my favorite animals. To be honest, they might be tied with cats for my favorite ever. This plush, despite also having backwards fur like my friend's plushie had all those years ago, is in decent condition; I can tell it's been played with, but not so much that the fur is gross, matted, and/or discolored. But this plush is made very well, and I always appreciate fox plushies with floofy tails, since so many plush makers seem to forget that most foxes have really bushy tails. She's all I could really ever ask for in a Webkinz arctic fox plush, and getting her for 50 cents from Goodwill is a hell of a deal. Someday hopefully I can have the virtual version as well, so that she and Vixen can share living quarters and be friends in the virtual world.

Personality and Other Stuff: Whitney is best friends with Vixen, and she secretly would love to date her but Vixen isn't interested in any kind of serious relationship. So instead she treats her like a queen any chance she can. Whitney loves to dress up, much like Marley does, except Whitney is also quite boastful and loves to hear people talk about how beautiful she is. She has a tendency to be self-absorbed but her friends, especially Vixen, keep her in check. She spends much of her time doing stuff with makeup and clothes, and she hopes to be a model someday. Aside from this, she has a hidden side which enjoys the great outdoors, and this side generally only comes out when she's with Vixen.

Fun Fact: This arctic fox is actually named after the arctic wolf of the same name from the Animal Crossing series. Years ago when my friend got her arctic fox, she asked for a name and I told her to name it Freya after the pink wolf from Animal Crossing (as a kid I always imagined Freya and Whitney being close friends), though looking back now that didn't make a whole lot of sense. But as far back as 2010 I said I would name my arctic fox Whitney, and when I finally got her years later I did just that!

Blog #5: Vixen the Red Fox (Webkinz)

Vixen the Webkinz Red Fox

Name: Vixen

Gender: Female

Obtained: April 2010

Background: As I've said before, my mom used to buy me Webkinz that she thought I would like. As a kid I was always a fan of cats, but I also really liked foxes (though it wasn't as obvious back then as it is now), so at one point my mom got me this plush. She instantly became one of my favorite Webkinz that I owned, which is saying a lot because I had 40+ Webkinz plushies as a kid!

As you can probably see in the picture above, and much like my other favorite plushies, she is well loved. She's not very soft and her fur is kinda.... stringy I guess? But even now she's still one of my favorite plushies. In my opinion, this is one of the better made Webkinz plushies. I love the way that the body is colored and proportioned, and just look at that floofy tail!! I think I recall this being a plushie that I brought with me a lot when I went places, and though I stopped briefly in my teen years (because adults would say something dumb like "why are you bringing a stuffed animal you're not a kid"), even as an adult I occasionally will bring this plushie with me when I go somewhere, along with my arctic fox plush!

Personality and Other Stuff: Vixen is best friends with Whitney the arctic fox, and she has no interest in romantic relationships. She's very soft spoken and passive, and she doesn't like to make people upset. She's very friendly to everyone she meets, and always strives to be a good person. She loves wearing dresses and large floppy sunhats to match. Her favorite hobbies are reading books, painting, and playing her violin.

Fun Fact: In the Webkinz virtual world, Vixen wears square-framed glasses. I mainly do this to accentuate her small eyes, but she is, canonically, somewhat blind, and requires them to see. I've always thought about giving her plushie glasses to wear but I haven't found any that would fit her.

Blog #4: Marley the Golden Retriever (Webkinz Signature)

 Marley the Webkinz Signature Golden Retriever

Name: Marley
Gender: Female
Obtained: March 2010

Background: Like the previous Signatures I've talked about here, the Golden Retriever was one of the earliest ones made, released in June of 2009. This would prove to be one of the first Signatures that came with a high price tag; as far back as late 2009 this plushie was selling for around $80+ on ebay. I didn't usually pay attention to stuff like this as a kid, but for as long as I can remember the golden retriever has been my favorite dog breed (and still is to this day), so I really wanted this plush and I was upset that it costed so much money and it was nowhere to be found at any of my local retailers which sold Webkinz.

A stroke of luck hit me one day in March of 2010, when I went to a hospital that was in a city about 30 minutes away from home, with my parents, and I happened to spot this plush at the gift shop. If I'm not mistaken, it was also the only Signature Golden Retriever there. They were selling to for $27, and this is the only other time I can recall begging my parents to buy me a plushie. I think the online $80 price tag is what really convinced them to get it for me (otherwise they may have told me it was too expensive, we never had much money). So on that fateful day I managed to snag the plush, brand new with tag, and to this day she's still one of my favorite plushies that I own.

I did play with her a bit as a kid, but like Fluffykinz I've basically kept her in really good condition since the day I got her. Not that I ever intend to sell this plushie (though nowadays I could probably get a handsome $120 out of the plush alone), but I like to keep all my plushies as close to perfect condition as possible. I'm so grateful that I was able to snatch her up, she's actually one of the best.

Personality and Other Stuff: Marley is best friends with Fluffykinz, and they are inseparable. Marley is more outwardly feminine, and loves wearing sparkly dresses and strutting her stuff. She's not as loud and outspoken as Fluffykinz, but she's not passive either. She can be somewhat impulsive, and she loves to spend money on new clothes, leading her friends to curb her impulsivity. Her friends consider her a "mom friend" since she (and Sylva) is the one everyone goes to for advice and friendship/relationship issues.

Fun Fact: In case you're wondering, no, this dog is not named after the yellow lab from Marley and Me. I think when that movie was released I just really liked the name, and it just happens that around the same time I got this plushie so that's what I named her. Besides, I think the dog in the movie was a boy.

Another Fun Fact: I mentioned this before, but after wanting my very own golden retriever for over a decade, I finally got a golden puppy in 2020. He's a boy and I named him Sunny, and he's actually the best dog ever. Child me loved goldens because of their pretty fur, but Sunny's temperament is so sweet and he's been really easy to train, so there's just so much to love about him. This makes me appreciate my plush even more, because it may very well have been what brought me to the wonderful boy I share my life with today! 💛

Update #2: Welcome home, Benjie!

Great news! When I wrote my first update article yesterday, I checked the USPS tracking number and it said my plush should arrive on Tuesday of next week. Well, I woke up to a surprise this morning: my plushie was already out for delivery! I'm quite surprised, since this plush came from nearby Sacramento, CA (about a 34 hour drive from here, or 2300 miles).

So anyways, the plushie that arrived today is the Webkinz Signature Bernese Mountain Dog, and he's simply gorgeous!! The seller offered to sell it to me for $65 (not including tax and shipping costs), lowered from $80. This Signature may not be as sought-after as the husky, arctic fox or australian shepherd, but he's still quite pricey and honestly? I think it was worth the price. 
(I can say this for sure though, I'll never spend this much on a plushie again unless it's the WWF silver fox lol.)

I've decided to make the Signature a boy, and I'm naming him Benjie. If I ever got an actual Bernese Mountain Dog I would likely name him the same thing. He's such a lovely boy and I'm so happy to add him to my collection! 😍

As for an update on the silver fox, I've got more great news! This morning I received my direct deposit, and I ended up having quite a bit more money than I thought I did, so I went ahead and bought him today! He ended up being $33, about $22 less than what I would've paid if I had gotten him off of Amazon. This is why it's great to support smaller businesses, everyone!

As of now I don't know when he will arrive here, but I assume it should be about 3-5 days. I can't wait until I can bring this boy home, he'll make a wonderful addition to my fox plushie collection!

(pardon the crude Microsoft Paint heart)

Until next time, here's hoping my silver fox plush meets my expectations (or, better yet, exceeds them)!

Blog #3: Fluffykinz the Calico (Webkinz Signature)

 Fluffykinz the Webkinz Signature Calico

Name: Fluffykinz (Fluffy)
Gender: Female
Obtained: September 2009

Background: The Webkinz Signature Calico is, like my previous entries, among the first Signatures, being released in August of 2009. This was a mere month after I had gotten the raccoon, and as I am an avid cat lover I really wanted to add this lovely calico to my collection. I think my mom was working in retail at the time, so when she saw a new Webkinz that she though I might like she bought it for me (she got me lots of cat Webkinz back in the day).

This plushie is not as well loved as Sylva. In other words, I did play with her quite a bit as a kid, but her fur is not matted and is still very soft. But I do genuinely love this plushie a lot. Compared to the other signature cats, the calico is made very well and is very fluffy (I love stuffed animals that are fluffy). About a year ago I owned a Signature Marble Cat, but as nice as she was she couldn't shine a light to Fluffykinz. Despite not being physically played with as much as some of my other plushies, I did play make-believe a lot with her and my Signature Golden Retriever, so in that sense she was still a staple of my childhood.

Personality and Other Info: Fluffykinz and Marley (my Signature Golden Retriever) are an inseparable duo. They are not a couple, but they do have a very strong platonic relationship. While Marley is typically more femme, Fluffykinz gives off a butch vibe. She has a loud personality and can sometimes come off as overbearing. She tends to be a bit condescending but she has a great deal of love and respect for her friends. She's also a fashionista, and loves to play dress-up; Her favorite outfit is the Ringmaster's Blazer + Hat combo.

Fun Fact: Coincidentally, this year my dog Sunny, an almost two-year-old Golden Retriever, became best friends with my new kitten Monk, who happens to be a Calico. Perhaps the relationship I created between Marley and Fluffykinz foreshadowed this???

Blog #2: Stephanie the Timber Wolf (Webkinz Signature)

 Stephanie the Webkinz Signature Timber Wolf

Name: Stephanie
Gender: Female
Obtained: October 2009 (originally)

Background: This plushie has an interesting story. I've had her for almost a decade, and I've always taken very good care of her. But she wasn't originally mine. She belonged to a friend of mine, whom I've known for almost 14 years, a very close friend who moved away a long time ago.

The Webkinz Signature Timber Wolf was released in October of 2009, so it is among the first plushies to be released in the Signature line. I personally never had this plushie; I had the raccoon, the calico, and later the golden retriever and the chipmunk, but not the timber wolf. This plushie was owned by an old friend, whom I had met when I had moved from one city to another nearby city. I'm really grateful that I had the chance to meet her, we became friends in the Summer of 2008 and we've been friends ever since.

In 2012 she and her family moved to Delaware, which is about a 10 hour drive from where I live. So except for one time when her family came back for a funeral, I haven't had the chance to hang out with her at all. We mainly keep in touch through social media but that's pretty much it. Well, except for this plushie. Before she left, she gave this plushie to another friend of mine (she also had a Signature Pomeranian, I don't know if she gave that one to someone else or took it with her to Delaware), and not much longer later that friend gave it to me. Stephanie has been in my possession ever since, and I've taken very good care of her.

Like Sylva, I have a lot of memories with Stephanie, even if she wasn't my plushie. I fondly remember visiting my friend's house multiple times a week, bringing all my favorite Webkinz with me so we could play with them. Stephanie was to her what Sylva is to me. This timber wolf is well loved; she's not particularly soft anymore as her fur is slightly matted, though she seems to be in relatively good condition. I know how much my friend loved this plushie, and I'm still honored that she entrusted me with it when she moved away. Likewise, I would never consider selling this plushie, even though the timber wolf is one of the Webkinz Signatures which easily sells for over $100. She means a lot to me, and I hope that someday she can be reunited with her original owner.

Fun Fact: My friend was a big fan of the Twilight series as a kid (I personally never liked it, but I would still talk about it with her) and so it's my speculation that this timber wolf may be named after Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series. I'm not completely sure, though, and it's not a big enough deal for me to want to reach out to my friend and ask her. It's just an interesting speculation.

Update #1: New Plushies and Leaving Plushies

 Here I will discuss the current state of incoming and outgoing plushies. Just so you readers know, I buy lots of stuffed animals with the hope that I will love and cherish them as I do all my others, and that they will make a great addition to my collection. However, sometimes it just doesn't really work out, for one reason or another, and I end up selling plushies that I no longer want or need.
On the other hand, I get new plushies relatively often, and my interest in buying new ones usually comes in waves (I'm nearing the end of a wave right now).

(Also just a heads up, prices listed do not include tax and shipping unless stated otherwise)

Incoming:

- On Jan 11th I got some new plushies in the mail, a Webkinz Signature Arctic Hare and a Peace Puppy. The Arctic Hare was released in January 2013, a while after I had stopped buying new Webkinz plushies because they were no longer available in stores in my area (many stores that sold Webkinz closed down). It was honestly one that I'd never considered getting, until I saw one listed for sale online and I got a good offer of $15. The Peace Puppy was released in September 2010. This is one I've wanted for probably a decade or more, because I've always been a big fan of peace signs and so this puppy really appealed to me. I can't tell you why it took me this long to get one, but after paying about $12 I finally got it.
I love both of these plushies, and they're both staying in my permanent collection. But it kinda surprises me, myself, that I love the Arctic Hare as much as I do. It's gently used, so I'm not worried about keeping it in pristine condition, and yet it still looks really nice and feels soft to the touch. I adore this plushie and I've been bringing it with me everywhere I go since I got it a few days ago. I almost hate to admit it, but I like the hare even more than the puppy. Don't get me wrong, the Peace Puppy is absolutely adorable, but this fluffy white bunny is just perfect.

- Around the same time I ordered the previous two plushies, I ordered a third one from a company in the United Kingdom, a Husky plush made by Faithful Friends. This one is actually coming from Europe, so even though I ordered it a little over a week ago, it won't be here until at least January 21st. The main reason why I bought this, besides it just generally being a really cute realistic husky plush, is that it bears a striking resemblance to the Webkinz Signature Siberian Husky, a plushie which can easily cost $200 or more. I've seen ones that are clearly used sell for that price. I can never truly understand how some Signatures are so expensive and others aren't, though I suppose it's not a coincidence that most (if not all) of the really expensive ones are dogs or some kind of canine. Anyways, this one was significantly cheaper than an actual Signature, so I'm hoping that when it arrives it meets the standard of quality that I expect from a $43 purchase.

- In speaking of Webkinz Signatures that are really expensive, I actually splurged on one. I recently paid $65 for a Signature Bernese Mountain Dog plush. Oddly enough, this is on the cheaper end of Signature dog plushies, since a lot of them go for much more (the German Shepherd usually sells for around $100+ and I already mentioned the husky being outrageous), but the Bernese Mountain Dog is a really lovely dog in real life and it's just as nice in plush form. I would usually resort to a cheaper option, but I actually had no luck finding a Bernese Mountain Dog plush that looked enough like the Signature so I opted for the last resort. It should be here in 4-5 days and I'm really excited for it!!

- This one has been in the back of my mind for a few weeks, and I just recently really considered it. So I mentioned before that I'm a big fan of foxes, and I particularly love the elusive silver fox, which is a melanistic form of the standard red fox (like how a black panther is a melanistic leopard/jaguar). These foxes are really beautiful and extremely rare, and the plushies seem to be just as rare. I found one particular silver fox plush that I really liked, made by WWF, but the plushie is nearly impossible to find for sale. All my efforts have come up flat. However there is one other silver fox plush made by Douglas, and it actually looks more realistic than the WWF plush, but on Amazon it was listed for $53.
Luckily I managed to find it on the Douglas website, and I got a 10% off coupon so it ended up being only $33! That's twenty dollars off and none of it will go to Amazon so that's a win-win scenario! I can't buy it yet because I spent all my money on the other plushies (rip indeed) so I'll have to wait a few days til I get my next direct deposit, and then I'm adding that beautiful boy to my collection! :)

Outgoing:

- Back in June of last year, the day before my birthday, a plushie arrived in the mail that I had ordered for myself. It is a National Geographic fennec fox plush, and it's really cute. I've had him for about 6-7 months, and after thinking on it some more, I've decided to sell it and get a different one. I've said this before, but I hold all my plushies to a very high standard, and unfortunately the fennex fox plush I have doesn't meet my expectations in terms of color and fur texture. Its fur is a uniform sandy color, which is incorrect for an actual fennex fox, which generally has varying shades of tan and a black-tipped tail. Plus, the tail has a different fur texture than the rest of the body and it bothers me a lot. Like I said, it's a super cute plushie, but there is another fennex fox plush on the market that better meets my quality standard and actually reminds me of what a Webkinz Signature Fennex Fox might look like. Hoping this little guy goes to a great home.

Left to Right: the one I want vs. the one I have. They're both really cute but the left one just meets my standard of quality a bit better, and I really don't have the money to buy it without selling the other :(

- Another plushie I bought that I'm selling is an Australian Shepherd made by Aurora. It's a Miyoni plush so it's really nice in quality and softness. The reason why I'm selling it is because, in coat pattern, it looks very similar to the Bernese Mountain Dog plush I discussed earlier, and I would be much more content to just have the Signature. The biggest thing that bother me about it is the fact that it's stuck in a lying position (I understand that the above silver fox plush is also stuck in this position, but those plushies are very difficult to come by so I'm willing to compromise). Luckily I kept the tags on it so the next buyer will have a beautiful and brand new plushie to look forward to!

That's the end of this blog entry, stay tuned for when the new plushies arrive! 💕

Blog #1: Sylva the Raccoon (Webkinz Signature)

 Sylva the Webkinz Signature Raccoon

Name: Sylva

Gender: Female

Obtained: July 2009

Background: Ganz released their monthly Webkinz Signature line of plushies in April of 2009, beginning with the Signature Panda. I had only been collecting Webkinz for about a year, and I missed out on the first few Signatures because these plushies came with a heftier price tag than a normal Webkinz, at about $25 per. However, my luck changed a bit in July of 2009, when the Webkinz Signature Raccoon was released. I had just turned 10 years old. I didn't usually beg for plushies, but I actually did beg my parents to buy me this one; I've always loved raccoons, and this plushie looked significantly nicer than the regular Webkinz raccoon (not to mention, I never had the opportunity to get the original until fairly recently).

So they bought it for me, and I was absolutely enamored with this plushie for months. As you can see in the picture, this plushie is well-loved. Her whiskers are missing, the air-brushing on her nose is worn off, her fur is slightly matted and not as soft as a new Signature's would be, she actually has a small hole in her back where the stitching runs down the back, and compared to a brand new Signature Raccoon, her fur is slightly yellowed. I carried this plushie with me everywhere I went, and I have a lot of amazing memories from the summer when I got her. Namely, she reminds me of an uncle who actually passed away about a year or so later; my aunt, his wife, has a picture on her wall of him, my brother, and me holding this raccoon plushie.

Out of all my plushies, this one means the most to me. She may not be my #1 favorite anymore, but she will always hold a special place in my heart. I recently got another Signature Raccon that is like new, just so that I could have a newer one to go along with my other gently used plushies, but he could never replace Sylva. I consider them to be a couple and they always look so cute together!

Personality and Other Info: Sylva is an older adult, who acts as a mother figure to the others. Everyone goes to her for advice, and she offers a listening ear to whoever needs it. Very seldom will you find her angry, and when she is angry she never wishes to project it onto others. She never holds a grudge. She's also very forgiving and kind-hearted, almost naive. She likes to wear frilly dresses and go on strolls with Maury. Her hobbies include gardening, cross-stitching, sewing, and chatting with friends.

Fun Fact: When I originally got this plushie I named her "Shaak-Ti". I think that might be the name of a Star Wars character, but I've never seen any of the movies. As a kid I simply thought it sounded cool. I recently changed it to Sylva, which is a Latin name meaning "from the forest". I think that name is much more fitting. Unfortunately the original name cannot be changed on the Webkinz website so, in an odd way, she will always be known as Shaak-Ti.

Introduction!

 Welcome to my Plushie Blog!!

Hello there, kind reader! Thank you for checking out my plushie blog, where I will talk about my different plushies and stuffed animals, how/when I obtained them, and more! Collecting stuffed animals and plushies is one of my main hobbies, one which can be a bit pricey but is very enjoyable for me. Through this blog I would like to share my love of them with all of you! 💕

This blog will mainly consist of me talking about my plushies (aka their names, how I got them, how long I've had them, etc.), but I may occasionally talk about other things going on in my collection, such as selling plushies that I don't want/need anymore or my thoughts on getting new ones.

About Me:

So I would like to keep my real name anonymous on the internet, but you can call me by my nickname, Bug! I'm an adult, 22 years old (as of writing this), and I've been collecting plushies for as long as I can remember. As a kid I always preferred plushies over dolls or action figures, and my love of plushies has never diminished over the years.

Other hobbies I have include playing piano (I'm a professional pianist), video games (mostly Super Mario but I also love Animal Crossing, Pokemon, Spyro, TF2, and Ace Attorney), drawing, caring for and training cats and dogs, biking, kayaking, interior design, collecting figurines, and collecting/researching old technology (mostly stuff from the 80s like CRT TVs, the NES, and the C64 computer).

My Plushies:

Most of the plushies I collect are Webkinz. I started playing in Webkinz World in June of 2008, and even today I occasionally check on my account. But while I'm not so interested in playing online anymore, I really love the stuffed animals that Ganz has made for their Webkinz line. Many of them, especially the ones made after their 4th or 5th year, are very well-made and feature a high level of detail. This is true for all their later plushies but it's especially true for their Webkinz Signature line, which is one of my favorites and I'll definitely talk about more in-depth in this blog. I'm actually still discovering new Webkinz to this day, and I'm always looking for really cool or cute ones to add to my collection.

Aside from that, I collect plushies from other brands as well, namely Aurora World, Douglas, Fao Schwarz, Uni Toys, and more. I'm a big fan of plushies that are realistic, or are at least made very well. I also hold all my plushies to a certain standard, namely that the stitching is not crooked, the feet and tush are weighted well, and it's soft to the touch. The Webkinz Signatures fit this description well, but I've found that other companies also produce some very nice quality plushies for an affordable price. One of my all-time favorite plushies is an Arctic Fox plush made by Uni Toys, which bears a great resemblance to the Webkinz Signature but costs significantly less (yes, I'm not a die-hard collector of a particular brand; I may love plushies but I'm not crazy enough to shell out $200+ for a plush when I could get a similar one for $30 lol).

Lastly, you may notice that a large chunk of my collection consists of foxes. Well, foxes are one of my favorite animals, next to cats, raccoons, and red pandas! I have a particular obsession with fox plushies, so I have quite a few (as of writing this intro I have at least 6-7, and I have another coming very soon).

As A Side Note:

One thing to be aware of with me is that I am autistic. I don't like to use functioning labels, and I embrace autistic traits which make me unique as an individual. That includes me getting personal with my plushies, talking about how they affect my mental health and make my life better, and treating them as if they're my friends. I am aware of what is and is not socially acceptable, but I tend to think for myself and decide what I like based on my own preferences, not those of society. I think that if someone likes something as harmless as stuffed animals then it should not be discriminated on. In other words, please don't bring any negativity or judgment here! This blog is meant for me to spread my love of plushies and I would like to keep this a positive, judgment-free environment.

So enough of all that intro stuff, let's jump into some blogs! I obviously haven't written my first true entry as of posting this, but I will be posting one soon (hopefully)!