Background

We continue our look at one of our favorite plush lines of 2010 - Rocket USA’s MLB Lubies series. If you don’t follow baseball, there are 30 Major League Baseball teams. Some of those teams have released multiple designs (the Red Sox have 3 already) and while the base character appears to be the bear, so teams have taken advantage of the various animal designs the Lubies line allows for.

The Facts



MLB Lubies
Series: Lubies
Manufacturer: Rocket USA
Material: Plush
Dimensions: 5” round
Designs: Boston Red Sox (bear); Cincinnati Reds (bear); Philadelphia Phillies (bear – red and pinstripe); Pittsburgh Pirates (bear); San Francisco Giants (seal); Washington Nationals (bear)

Tag

Who doesn’t love learning a new factoid with your toy purchase? Not only does the tag (the front) have an illustration of the home ballpark on the front and the team’s logo on the inside (left), but there’s also a unique “Did You Know?” fact on each design.

Our Opinion

I’m a baseball fan. If you’re not a sports – or more specifically MLB – fan, you might not be as excited about Rocket USA’s MLB Lubies line as I am. But that license adds another level to the already popular Lubies line.

With this round, we’re given 7 new designs from 6 different teams. (Check out the checklist below to see what teams we have reviewed) The Nationals, Reds and Phillies are very similar as they’re all red bears with the team’s logo on the chest. The alternate pinstripe Phillies and alternate grey Red Sox designs are you’re your basic bear Lubies.

The two standouts are the Pittsburgh Pirates bear and the San Francisco Giants seal. The Pirates bear is sporting an eye patch and a rather bright yellow face. While I would have liked seeing how a parrot (their mascot) looked, the bear turned out great.

The Giants seal brings a new animal to the fray. I love how they’re incorporating various animals that are connected to the MLB teams into their Lubies designs – the Giants mascot is named Lou Seal. I’m a little iffy on the placement of the logo, but there are no other options.

Overall, fans of all six teams will be pleased with their representatives in the MLB Lubies line.

You can pick one up at the following:

MLBShop: $12.99 ea.

MLB Lubies Grades

Plush Quality: 9/10
    Stitching: 8/10
    Material: 9/10
Softness: 10/10
Packaging/Tag: 9/10
Cuteness: 9/10
Fun Factor: 9/10
Value: 9/10

Overall: 9.2/10

Giants: 9.2/10
Nationals: 8.7/10
Phillies (red): 8.9/10
Phillies (pin): 9.1/10
Pirates: 9.2/10
Red Sox (gray): 8.8/10
Reds: 8.6/10