The little gold bases are what make Crying Round n Round work for me. Take away the pole and pennant, and these could be another row of CRYBABY animal costumes. Keep them, and the feet seem to hover above a miniature carousel platform. The side view matters almost as much as the face.

This is the twelve-regular figure collection, with The Unicorn as its secret, not the matching plush pendants. I like the contrast between the velvety-looking animal coats, smooth saddles and shiny lavender tears. My reservation is the repetition: twelve very similar faces and twelve poles can be a lot on one shelf. A carefully chosen pair might say more.

The Unicorn: a quieter face inside a pink costume

The long light-gold horn is the obvious difference, but I keep returning to the closed eyes and rounded pinkish tears. The blush-pink hood, white forehead panel and coral mane give it a softer expression than the regulars with their dark, open eyes. A white neck ruff and flower-marked pale saddle keep the little carousel animal from becoming one uninterrupted patch of pink.

Why this secret appeals to me

I like the change in expression more than the rarity. The Sheep already offers closed eyes, so the Unicorn still has to earn its place through the long horn, coral mane and more dreamlike face. It does for me, especially beside the grounded browns of The Horse. I would want that contrast even if the two boxes had the same odds; a secret label is not a reason to replace a regular I genuinely prefer.

A short note for the secret hunt

The Unicorn's collector-reported box reference is 118.3g, from a box that was not sold as an opened, confirmed style. It has slight up/down and front/back movement, no pronounced front/back knock point, and a weak contact around the upper-middle of the sides. That combination is more useful than treating the scale as an answer.

Unlike the pendant reference, this is not a heaviest-box rule. Several regular figures sit close to the secret on weight, while tighter packing can change how much movement you feel. No separate sound clue was supplied for this Unicorn. These are comparison notes, not a validated sealed-box identification method; compare gently only where permitted.

The 12 regular figures, up close

The Horse and The Sheep are my strongest single-figure choices: one has the clearest carousel profile, the other changes the texture and expression. Across the rest of the lineup, I would compare the wide Elephant with the tall-eared Rabbit, or the muted Deer with the brighter Giraffe, rather than treat every regular as a substitute for the secret.

The Horse

The tan coat, white forehead patch and swept dark mane make the side profile especially convincing. A yellow saddle with a small white flower breaks up the brown without making it sugary. This would be my first regular: the short tail, bent legs and narrow pole explain the carousel theme with very little extra decoration.

The Elephant

A lavender trunk rises directly above the fringe, with large ears making the head unusually broad. The yellow collar keeps the purple from becoming a single flat shape; the pink saddle has a pale scalloped edge. This is the best regular for a wide silhouette, although its face can get lost if it is squeezed between two equally round heads.

The Giraffe

The two small horns and round brown spots identify the animal without needing a long neck. That squat interpretation is the charm: the lemon-yellow hood is almost as broad as the face, with a pink collar and orange saddle underneath. Compared with The Deer, it is brighter and more graphic, not simply another brown spotted costume.

The Rabbit

Long pink ears, tiny dark whisker strokes and a lilac collar make this one easy to read from the front. The yellow saddle and little tail become more interesting when it turns sideways. I would give those ears clear space above them; lined up behind the taller pennants, the feature that makes The Rabbit different starts to disappear.

The Dog

The white hood, gray spots and dark nose are immediately recognizable, but the coral heart saddle is the detail I would turn toward the room. Against the yellow collar, it gives this mostly pale figure a warm center. The short side ears also leave the pennant visible, making the pole feel like part of the design rather than something hiding behind a head.

The Lion

The red, textured mane makes a broad circle around a golden hood, with a small gold crown above the forehead. The blue collar is important: it separates that warm head from the warm body. This is a bolder choice than The Horse, but I prefer its red mane to adding several more pastel figures just to fill out the lineup.

The Pig

A little snout sits above the hairline, and the curled tail is worth a second look from the side. Dusty pink, a coral collar and darker pink hooves keep the palette close, while the tiny tilted crown adds a slightly ridiculous flourish. That round, compact shape is why I prefer it next to the angular-eared Donkey rather than another pink animal.

The Deer

Small brown antlers and cream flank spots do more for me than another crown would. The caramel coat, yellow collar and pink saddle make a gentle color combination, and the ears spread wider than the Giraffe's little horns. This is the quieter spotted animal: a good choice if the bright yellow Leopard feels too emphatic.

The Leopard

Yellow flocked-looking surfaces and dark spots make this the loudest regular before you even reach the white crown. The pink saddle has a small pale cross, a sharper little symbol than the Dog's heart. I would choose it for a shelf that needs a bright interruption; beside The Lion, it becomes a deliberate pair of overdressed little cats.

The Sheep

The cream, woolly-looking body is a real visual change from the shorter-looking finish on the other animals. More importantly, the eyes close. Against the huge shiny tears on the open-eyed figures, that sleepy expression gives The Sheep its own mood. The pale yellow saddle and lilac collar leave the textured body as the main event; I would not hide it at the back of a row.

The Panda

The surprise is the lavender. The ears, limbs and eye patches are pale purple rather than the obvious black-and-white combination, while a coral scalloped saddle adds warmth at the side. I like that restraint. It still reads as a panda, but sits comfortably beside the pink Rabbit without looking like a monochrome interruption.

The Donkey

Upright gray ears and dark hooves give The Donkey a sharper outline than the rounded Pig. A blue collar and lilac saddle, marked with a tiny white heart, soften the gray without hiding it. I particularly like the white forehead patch next to the brown fringe. It is a small, clear detail that survives when the figure is viewed from an angle.

One animal, a pair, or all twelve?

For one figure, I would start with The Horse or The Sheep. The Horse is the clearest little carousel mount; The Sheep changes both texture and expression. Choose the confirmed style if that is the figure you want, rather than buying several random boxes and hoping the rest grow on you.

For a pair, choose a visible contrast. The Deer and Giraffe compare muted brown with lemon yellow; The Elephant and Rabbit compare width with height. Two gold bases and two poles are enough to suggest the ride without requiring a full shelf of repeated faces.

For the regular lineup, distinguish Confirmed from Sealed. The TOYSEZ complete-set listing offers a Confirmed option containing the twelve regulars, or a factory-sealed case with a secret chance. A case is not a promise of twelve regulars plus a thirteenth Unicorn. The listed secret odds are 1/144; if only the Unicorn appeals, a confirmed secret is the direct choice.

Browse the CRYBABY Crying Round n Round figure collection for the individual designs and set options.

Final take

The poles, little saddles and hovering feet are what make these figures worth a separate look from the plush pendants. I would keep the selection small and let a few different silhouettes breathe. The Horse, Sheep and Unicorn give me three clear reasons to choose, rather than thirteen boxes to chase.