I thought I saw a giant puddy
cat - or perhaps that was Santa Claws? Any way you looked at it, Gary Lowenthal was a very
cool cat on this week's QVC Boyds Bears and Friends Mini Series presentation. He and Mary
Beth Roe wasted no time in this one-hour show, which was full of wonderful Boyds gift
ideas. The very first item was "The Gary Bear". Gary M. Bearenthal was a
16" dark brown chenille bear dressed in a red and black checked flannel shirt and
blue denim overalls and named after the Headbean Hisself. If you blinked, you missed him,
but check with your favorite retailer for this furry favorite.
Next up was a beautiful three piece set Ingrid
and Tasha Northbruin and Toggle. A QVC Exclusive in a Limited Edition of only 2,400 it
wasn't very long before we saw the "Sold Out" sign, and no wonder! Ingrid was a
16" off white plush bear dressed in a navy blue velvet sleeveless dress and a
cream-colored velvet hooded coat. The elegant coat was trimmed with faux fur around the
blue velvet lined hood, down the front, around the bottom and at the cuffs. She held a
navy blue velvet stocking trimmed in white with the word "Joy" embroidered on
the cuff. Tasha's dress was cream colored and she also wore a chenille patterned cardigan
sweater done in navy and cream. She was 8" and made of beige plush. Completing the
set was Toggle F. Wuzzie; a 3" fully jointed bear smartly dressed in black velvet
pants with a burgundy cummerbund, and a blue velvet hat and jacket with gold braid trim.
Making a return appearance were Reba and Roxie
DuBeary, two cuties that were presented last year as a QVC launch. Many of us had
wondered all this time which bear was which, and Mary Beth cleared up that mystery once
and for all. Reba is the beige plush in the tan felt hat and Roxie is the nutmeg plush
bear in the navy blue hat. As he's been known to do many times before, The Headbean
decided to change the plans and this time he announced during the show that these were no
longer a launch, but now were a QVC Exclusive! Lucky are those who already have them or
dialed fast enough to pick them up on this show!
The other exclusive on the show was Melanie
Lockley and Sam and no surprise, they also sold out. Melanie, a 13" plush bear
had a pretty little new style face with a "baby bear look", according to Gary.
It featured a shorter shaved nose, button eyes and a sweetly innocent
"expression". Her outfit was done in the new fabric introduced last week on the
Limited Edition Set of Miss MacIntosh and Sarahbeth with Topsey. Melanie's romper is made
from the same navy blue cotton with fine yellow and red stripes creating a tattersall
plaid effect as in Miss MacIntosh's dress. It had a tucked ruffle trimmed round color and
Boyds bearwear buttons. A matching ear bow completed her ensemble. Sam was a little red
Wuzzie Bear with white paw pads. He is the only 3" Wuzzie Boyds has made in red.
Barret, Belinda, and Berg Blizzard were
another QVC exclusive set. This time, 4 1/2" chenille snow "people" (notice
I'm being politically correct here) ornaments! Each wore mittens and a velvet scarf
embroidered with white snowflakes and fuzzy earmuffs. Barret's were in green, Belinda was
all decked out in red, and Berg was ready for the chilly weather in dark blue. With
jointed heads and arms they could be posed in different ways or they also had ribbon
hangers. They would be great for the tree, standing as a table decoration, as package
trimmers, or on a winter wreath.
We were treated to the world premier of a new
Boyds line, the Dollstone LeDollmoge! A Premier Edition of 2,400 pieces exclusively for
QVC, "Shannon
Waitin' For Grandma" was a beautifully detailed little
porcelain doll sitting on top of a suitcase. This hinged box measured 2 1/4" high by
4 1/4" wide. The Dollmoge are being made in a matte finish, giving them an antique
look, but their eyes will be shiny. Like the Bearmoge boxes, the Dollmoge will open to
reveal a surprise tiny figurine inside. Wilson the bear holding an apple was inside this
one! They were a very quick sell out.
Another exclusive that sold out quickly was "Bailey
TheNight
Before Christmas" an exquisite mouth-blown glass centerpiece measuring 8"
high by 5 3/4" wide. Bailey was beautifully dressed in a red and white Santa suit and
hat and was reading a book to the smaller bear sitting in her lap. This was so pretty it
set Gary's whiskers and tail a twitchin' and he described it as, "a wonderful
piece", "the perfect centerpiece size", and "finished in a very
antique look". Bailey was a limited edition of 1,200 and available only at QVC. The
mouth-blown glass pieces are hand painted on the inside and have a lustrous glow.
Several other items on the show were repeats from
previous shows like Brinton S. Beansford chenille bear, Chester Bigheart Carver's
Choice Figurine, Windsor and Sarasota plush bear and "Raggedy-style"
doll, the Tapestry Wall Hanging and Pillow Set "Just Between Us", and Sara
Anne Bearsley and T. Foster Wuzzie. Some items were things available in the regular
retail line such as Manheim
The Eco Moose LeBearmoge, Tomba Bearinski, Tundra
Northpole, and both Gary and Mary Beth's Pick of the Show Brittany with Ben
12" Porcelain Doll and 3" Bear set. This set was a NALED winner for Doll of
the Year and is offered in open editions.
Gary was wearing his cat outfit in honor of two
very special items with cat themes. One was "Sandra Claws and Nibbles" which
is from the new Purrstone collection introduced in the spring of '99. This cute resin
figurine is also luckily available from regular retailers, since it disappeared quickly!
The other feline shown for the first time ever on this program was Fuzzy Jake
Cattington, my own Pick of the Show! Jake was an adorable 10" black and tan
mohair blend with tan suede ears and paw pads and he was made in a squishy soft-bodied
style. He had two-toned green eyes and an expression that looked like he'd been caught in
the headlights. His satin jacquard ribbon matched his pretty eyes perfectly. He was
designed by Liz Smith and was a QVC Exclusive. Only 2400 were available and they sold out
in record time.
It's amazing how time flies when you're having
fun, especially when you're spending it with the Headbean and Mary Beth on QVC. Next
week's show, the final in this mini-series, will be a two-hour presentation with a live
studio audience. I think I heard them mention that the theme will be "Millennium
Party". I wonder if he'll chose a costume as "purr-fect" as his Santa Claws
outfit? Won't you join us and see how he plans to bring in the new century.