BEANIE BABY

What is a Beanie Baby? Where did they come from? Who collects them? Why have they become so popular? Where do you get them?

Beanie Babies, the creation of the TY Company of Oak Brook, Illinois is a small under stuffed bean bag group of plush animals that are priced to be affordable for children to purchase themselves ($5.00). The popularity of these toys have exploded and are one ot the most sought after collectibles consuming hours of effort in attainment, not by the children for whom they were created but by professional adults compelled to complete and keep up their own collections.

They were first introduced in 1993 and their popularity has expanded exponentially. They have now been proclaimed by major news magazines to be the number one toy of this holiday season but the story does not stop here!

Currently available are 73 different plush animals. They are adorable, colorful, and no matter who you are there is one that will specifically catch your favor. The universal story seems to begin with picking up one or two different styles for a child until the parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle finds that they are collecting them for themselves and not for the child anymore. They are searching hours and hours for the missing Beanie to add to their collection. They then find other adults doing the same and by word of mouth find themselves bidding in auctions over the Internet hundreds of dollars for the missing retired Beanies in attempt to complete their collections. The auctions are not held by dealers. They are held by doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, computer programmers, and engineers in the evenings after the kids go to sleep.

Although Beanies are mass produced, they are difficult to find. Don't look in major toy store chains. Look in quaint little floral shops, candy stores, museums, zoos, and hospital gift shops. If you are lucky and away from any major metropolitan area you just might find a retired Beanie to cherish and add to your growing collection that will never stop growing. TY Company releases approximately 12 new Beanies twice a year and retires 12 Beanies twice a year so the search never ends.

Although this sounds easy, "just call the company for Beanie retailers or ask for the list of what's to be retired", this is not so easy. The TY Company holds on to their secrets. There are no leaks just wild speculations that involve almost every Beanie available. If you beg and plead they may give you the name of a store with Beanies but when you call, they are usually sold out! However, you can call The Cat's Meow in Glenview, Illinois, 1-817-657-6369.

I have contacted toy brokers trying to find Beanies but they have been caught off guard by this sensation. They do not know. Instead the Beanie collectors on their own have developed an elaborate network of collectors mostly through the computer Internet working out trades, and cash deals em compassing every state in the country. There are only two real serious dealers of retired Beanie Babies. They are small stores located in the Chicago area and among their clientele are the professional adults living thousands of miles away wiring money for their long sought after Beanie.

Start looking for the cute little critters. They have become an investment. The dark blue elephant purchased just eight months ago for five dollars is sold today for a thousand dollars to the lucky person able to get one. Be sure to check the kids toy box, you could be looking at a small fortune. Good luck and Happy Beanie Hunting.

Garcia says "Click on one of us beanies to E-mail Beanie Phenomenon!" We welcome your comments , although regretfully, we cannot answer all Questions sent in.