At Toy Fair, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a somewhat rare Philadelphia Phillies Lubies from Rocket USA. Why is it rare? Well, they've only released the all red and all gray versions of the softball-sized bear plush. What makes the white pinstriped version unique is that it mimics the look of the Phillies home jersey.
Now, before we go any further...I'm not going to rate this plush. I am way too biased to give anything that sports the Phillies logo a critical grade. I've been a die hard Phillies fan since I was able to walk (which means many, many losing seasons). But there's nothing really to be critical of here. Unless there are some extremely well-kept secrets out there, Rocket USA's MLB Lubies series is bound to be in the running for our Best Toy Line of 2010.
And while I like the red and gray Phillies Lubies (I give the gray a slight edge over red), the pinstripe is my favorite. One thing I'd suggest for a lot of the MLB teams...play up the retro aspect. Everyone loves retro - unless you're an Astros fan. The Brewers got it right by using the old-school MB glove logo on their Lubie design. I know I'd pick up a maroon and sky blue Phillies Lubies.
I have been on the fence as to whether or not adding players names and numbers to the back of the MLB Lubies line would be a good idea. The pro would be that you could collect your favorite players (and more would probably be sold). But the con would be that with all of that embroidery...you'll lose soft of the softness of the plush. Writing it down hasn't helped me make up my mind.
While you can't pick up the version shown here, both the red and the gray Philadelphia Phillies Lubies are available through Phillies.com for $14.99 each.
