Background

If you're a regular visitor of the site, you've probably seen a review of Rocket USA's line of cute and cuddly plushies – the Lubies. Lubies are described as “a break-through line of plush combining clean, charming designs with the irresistible, playable shape of a ball.”

They're currently closing in on over 100 different designs, with probably about half of them unique animals. This time around, we're going to take a gander at six of the newest Lubies – the Grey Wolf, Manta Ray, Octopus, Pug, Unicorn and Walrus.

The Facts



Animal Lubies
Series: Lubies
Manufacturer: Rocket USA
Artists: Joy Michel and Michael Perry
Material: Plush
Dimensions: 5” round
Designs: Grey Wolf, Manta Ray, Octopus, Pug, Unicorn, Walrus

Tag

Each Lubie features a circular tag that features an illustrated version of the animal's habitat on the front. Inside, there's an illustration of the animal on the left side, and a “Did You Know?” factoid on the right.

Our Opinion

Let's take a closer look at the six new Lubies individually.

The Grey Wolf is one of the cuter Lubies that have been released. It features a soft, fluffy tail and mane. It's also the first Lubie that I've really noticed its eyes...because they're bright blue.

We've previously seen this same Manta Ray with the Tampa Bay Rays logo embroidered on one of its wings. The coloring is even the same on the two, so if you like the animal – but not the team – you'll probably prefer this one.

The Octopus is another Lubie design that we've previously seen. For Valentine's Day, they released a special red and white version with an embroidered message of love. The color combination is different here, as the standard Octopus is orange with a yellow underbelly and pink around the eyes.

The Pug is probably one of the most recognizable and popular purebred dogs. It makes sense that they'd release a Lubie based on the canine. The focus of the design are the Pug's large, pouty eyes. And I love the material around them to give the look of bags around its eyes.

I believe that the Unicorn is the lone Lubie animal that's not actually a real animal. It features one of the more entertaining – and colorful - hangtags. I had always thought that Unicorns were all white, but adding the pink and purple give the plush a more appealing look to kids.

The Walrus might be my favorite design of this Lubies grouping. He's showing off the two large tusks and has embroidered whiskers and nostrils. But I think the small eyes and furrowed brow are what really makes this sad little plush my favorite of the bunch.

As always, the quality on the Lubies line is top notch. They're safe for youngsters (ages 0+) and fun for adult collectors.

You can pick one up at the following:

Rocket USA: $9.95 ea.

Animal Lubies Grades

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

Grey Wolf: 9.2/10
Manta Ray: 8.9/10
Octopus: 9.0/10
Pug: 9.1/10
Unicorn: 9.0/10
Walrus: 9.3/10