[This is probably going to be a shocker for everyone reading
this. Believe it or not, this is a real feature article I wrote for the
Elmhurst College Leader, published on September 27, 1999. Before that, I was
just a comic book reviewer for a semester. I wasn’t technically a member of the
staff. That changed for my final year in college. As a staff member, I would
have to do a lot more than my usual gig. I was assigned to cover the supposed
death of the Beanie Babies. That’s right. An article on Beanie Babies. By me.
The guy who wrote Dong of Frankenstein. Anyway, this is what I did. It would be
worth pointing out that I declared the Power Rangers near the end of this piece
as dead. Whoops. I guess I was wrong about that one.]
Beanie Babies—they’re a modern-day curiosity for some, an
ongoing obsession with others. Ty Inc., the mastermind company behind the
Beanie Babies, has announced that on December 31, 1999, all Beanie Babies will be
retired.
This statement has whipped many people into a Beanie Baby
buying frenzy. Those who aren’t interested are befuddled over this simple toy’s
craze. The Beanie Baby saga began in 1993 when the first Beanies were born.
Yes, born not made. Collectors treat these toys like living things.
The stuffed animals have gained such attention that even
books are being devoted to their existence. Susan S. Carey, DMD and Ryan M.
Carey’s book, The Beanie Encyclopedia, is one such example. Among various other
Beanie histories, facts, and tips, the book discusses initial purpose of the
Beanie creation by H. Ty Warner, Ty Inc.’s founder.
“I had a vision of a collectible toy product for children
which was small enough to be held in their hands and priced so they could
purchase it with their allowance money.
On January 8, 1994, a set of nine Beanies from bears to
dolphins were released. Being an Oak Brook-based company, Warner limited
distribution to only the Chicagoland area. Commercial vendors like Toys R Us
were passed over and the stuffed critters were displayed in smaller gift shops.
With this approach, sales were slowly but steadily climbing.
In 1997 things fell into place for Ty Inc. and the Beanie
Baby craze began. People, mostly adults, crowded stores in an attempt to get
their Beanies. John Hogan of Let’s Have a Party gift shop, 152 N. York Rd., has a theory on the
reason of the toys’ success.
“All of Ty’s products are beautiful,” said Hogan. “He’s
[Warner] has a very reasonably priced toy which is wonderful for children and
adults. He’s got a knack for making something that everybody wants, that makes
everyone happy.”
Stacy Harris, of the Card and Party Outlet, 1328 Butterfield Rd.,
attributes Warner’s success to his marketing strategy.
“The Beanie Babies are cute, and they’re at a cheap price.”
The profits of Warner’s success aren’t limited to Ty Inc.,
though. The stores that sell the Beanies are also prospering because of his
toys.
“They’re one of the best sellers,” said Harris. “They
probably make about half of each day’s total earnings. With them retiring, I
don’t know what we’re going to do.”
The Card and Party Outlet isn’t alone. Barbara LaShure, of
Sue’s Hallmark, 197 E. Butterfield
Rd., said that Beanie Babies have helped her
business dramatically. She, too, is concerned about and questions the
retirement.
“Does it mean all of them are gone forever?” asked LaShure.
“Or does it mean the ones that are currently out?”
Warner has left open the possibility that Ty Inc. would make
more Beanies after the December 31 retirement. In fact, the 190 E. Butterfield Rd. McDonald’s has a
pending contract with Ty Inc., said Karan.
“I think they’re cute,” said Karan, herself a collector. “Kids
love them. Mothers love them. Mothers love them more than the kids do as a
value, rather than a toy.”
Keli Campbell, 13, collects Beanies because of the recurring
adorability factor and because all her friends were doing so. She’s
disappointed with the retirement announcement, as well.
“I don’t like it when Beanie Babies are retired,” said
Campbell. “If you want one that’s not made anymore, you can’t get it unless you
pay, like, a thousand dollars for it.”
Beanie Babies can go for a lot of money. Even their tags are
worth a hefty sum. A collector takes great pride in the owning of a Baby with a
first generation tag. For example, a Teddy with a first generation Old Face
Violet tag went for $2,400 in 1998.
Although the demand for the popular toy brings people into
the store, store traffic can be overwhelming, according to Donna Click, of Live
and Learn at 110 W. Vallette St.
“It’s awkward sometimes, having a crowd of people,” said
Glick. “We had to change store policy, and I’m kind of tired of it.”
Customers would become impatient because of the ten to 40
customers hovering around in the store waiting for the new Beanies to be
released, explained Glick. To eliminate this congestion, new releases are now
sold only on Saturday mornings before the store opens.
Harris’s crowd experiences at the Card and Party Outlet
weren’t always so peaceful.
“The store was going to put out a new Beanie at a particular
time and we had run out,” explained Harris. “There were 30 angry people at the
counter screaming at me. It was like a mob, and it was not a fun situation.”
While there hasn’t been any vocal uproars at Karan’s
McDonald’s, there had been instances of customers possibly taking Beanie
acquisition too far.
“A mother,” she said, “left her two children in line and
went to another McDonald’s to purchase more Beanies.”
Harris related an incident at another local McDonald’s in
which a customer jumped over the counter to capture the last Beanie Baby in the
store. The Beanie market has become mostly adult-driven.
“I think I had more fun when the kids would come in,” said
LaShure, “but then the adults pushed them aside.”
Possibly as a result, a lot of the Beanies are hard to find.
Les and Sue Fox, authors of The Beanie Baby Handbook, accuse Ty, Inc. of making
less of certain Beanies to keep the market invigorated. Harris doesn’t buy it.
“I don’t think he’s under-making them. I think people are
just overbuying them, taking up everybody else’s chances,” said Harris. “People
get greedy and they just don’t want one; they want a dozen.”
One way or another, all agree that Warner is a marketing
genius. Retirement remains a vague projection.
“We don’t know for sure what the retirement really means,”
said Harris. “Ty has not really come out and said this is the end.”
So maybe it’s not over yet? At any rate, the Beanie Baby
legend will persist. They’ve definitely defied the Power Rangers and Barney
syndrome of sudden death.
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