Background
The Lubies (pronounced “Luh-bees”) are a line of insanely cute plushies from Rocket USA. Designed by Michael Perry (Rocket USA) and Joy Michel (former Beanie Babies designer), each softball-sized character is a different animal from around the globe.
Series 2 features eight new designs, however, we’ll be breaking them into two reviews of four plushies each. For part one, we’ll be taking a look at the Black Bear, Panda Bear, Shark and Horse.
The Facts
Lubies Series 2 (Part 1)
Series: Lubies
Manufacturer: Rocket USA
Material: Soft plush
Dimensions: Approximately 5” round
Designs: 4 (Black Bear, Shark, Panda Bear and Horse) 8 total designs in Series 2
Tag
The swing tags on the Lubies line feature a drawing of the animal’s habitat on the front. Inside, there is an illustration of the character on the left side, and a “Did You Know?” tidbit about the animal on the right side.
Our Opinion
With a total of eight new designs in Series 2, we’ve decided to go ahead and split up these guys into a two-part review. Out of the first four Lubies I’ve chosen, the Panda and Black Bear are two that look somewhat familiar. Series 1 included a Polar Bear and Brown Bear, and the My First Lubies were blue and pink bears. All of them resemble the Panda Bear and Black Bear. Out of the six bears released to date, you have a good assortment of colors.
The Horse features a long mane, furry tail, spots, and flared nostrils. Since there are so many little kids who enjoy collecting horses, I see this as a popular Lubie amongst the youngsters.
The Shark might be the standout of Series 2. It’s not as “softball-shaped” as the rest of the line. It’s more like a Nerf Turbo football (do they still make those?). It’s sporting embroidered gills and nostrils, as well as a tail, dorsal fin, pectoral fins and pelvic fin. And that’s your shark anatomy lesson for the day.
I wasn’t super excited about the Panda Bear and Black Bear, since there were four bear Lubies already available. But they are probably the most popular plushies amongst children. With the line being designed for 0+, and these being so darn soft, Rocket USA needs to appease the parents some.
Looking at these first four Series 2 Lubies, I’d say that the Shark is my top choice. Pick one up…celebrate Shark Week…reenact Jaws.
You can pick one up at the following:
Rocket USA: $9.95 ea.
Lubies Series 2 Grades:
Plush Quality: 9/10
Stitching: 9/10
Material: 9/10
Softness: 10/10
Packaging/Tag: 8/10
Cuteness: 9/10
Fun Factor: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Black Bear: 9.0/10
Panda Bear: 9.0/10
Horse: 9.1/10
Shark: 9.4/10
What do you rate this figure?
