Conference moira::parenting

    Thankfully, my kids have not yet been bitten by this bug!  My oldest
    is in kindergarten and so far has only mentioned beanie babies
    once, in a conversation about what a classmate had brought for 
    show n' tell or something!  We rarely go to McDonalds (they won't 
    eat the food and I refuse to buy a happy meal just for the silly
    toy!).   It's amazing to me that there can be such a frenzy about
    a toy!!  
    

    ...speaking of TICKLE ME ELMO, are any in the stores yet?  I called
    about a month ago at ToysR Us in Nashua and they hadn't been shipped
    yet.  Hopefully, all the kids and parents are now focusing on Beanie
    Babies in the other aisle!
    
    Terri

    
    -.0   I've been told you can no longer buy Garcia the Bear he is
          "retired"?   Yet he is not on the retired list.  We are not too
    	 into Beenie babies...but I know people who are.   My two year 
    	 old has a much loved Garcia that she got for Xmas.  We brought
    	 him to a store recently and strangers stopped to ask and look
    	 at him.    I think its kindof sad.     
    
    	Teri 

Why are we getting caught up in this. My oldest is almost 6.
She is not caught up in it but mentioned that kids at school
were bringing them to show and tell. Then I realized she
wasn't bringing anything to show and tell so I thought I'd 
better get her one so she wouldn't feel left out. I'm afraid 
she is going to wake up and think she is missing something 
becasue she is not collecting them.

Personally, I'd rather give the money to the Salvation Army...

    Actually, I don't think it's the kids who are getting into beanie
    babies, it's more the adults.  My husbands co-worker's mother (who has
    no grandchildren and no real prospects of grandchildren in the near
    future) collects them.
    
    Sometimes I think grown-ups shouldn't be allowed to by something until
    all of the kids have one!
    
    sandy

    
    My son's school recently decided to not allow kids to
    bring the Beanie Babies to school.  Part of the reasoning
    was as .4 points out - they didn't want to have kids feel
    left out if they didn't have any - the other was that the
    Beanie Babies just plain get in the way in the classrooms  
    (I've witnessed this first hand)  Of course, I had all along 
    thought that the kids weren't allowed to bring in toys 
    anyways...but I guess a reminder was in order.
    
    We had to laugh the other day.  Jason brought home a big
    drawing of a heart - where the kids had divided it up to
    show what's important in their heart.  Beanie Babies had
    a larger piece of the heart than the "Brother Alex" section
    and was only slightly smaller than the "Mom and Dad" 
    section!   Shows how we rate...
    
    Carol        

I think the Beanie Babies are really nicely made toys, and they are quite
affordable individually.  I also like the complete lack of hype about them (Ty
does no advertising).  The McDonalds campaign has really messed this up.  I
think we'll avoid McDonalds entirely until the promotion is over.

The craze about accumulating them, and getting the "right" ones, has gotten WAY
out of hand, though.  One sad example is the Ty web site.  They have some
cutesy info about the different Beanie Babies, and a guest sign-in book.  The
sign-in book is supposed to be for kids to say things like, "Hi, I'm so-and-so,
I really like Ringo, this site is so cool!", but it's almost completely filled
up with messages (many repeated hundreds of times) like "I have Lefty and
Righty for sale, $100 each".

						Brian

    I was heading through the drive-thru of McDOnalds the other day. It's a
    face-to-face ordering window, so you don't talk into a speaker but to a
    real live person. It looked a little odd to me - a whole line of cars,
    but all of them pulling up to the ordering window then just driving
    off. But I continued anyway. We got to the window, and I ordered a
    Happy Meal for David (7). The woman at the window said "We don't have
    any Beanie Babies" and I said "He wants food". She smiled this HUGE
    smile, and threw in a couple of extra toys they were substituting for
    the Beanie Babies, a plastic hand puppet, coupons, all kinds of 
    interesting trinkets!  Guess not being a part of the Beanie Baby craze 
    has it's perks : )
    Sarah

    I have 2 boys.  They are 3 and almost 6.  I really like Beanies because
    they are a nice, previously unhyped toy that isn't an action figure
    with a sword/gun.  They are also something that the boys and girls
    at school/daycare have in common and play together.  I don't like what
    they have become with the craze factor...  They were a great gift to
    bring for a birthday party.  My son is going to a party, I made a
    sleeping bag for his friend that holds several beanies but I can't get
    a couple beanies to tuck into it...
    
    
    			Mary

    re .2 - Tickle Me Elmo is back-
    They had a whole end-display of them at KMart in Acton last week.
    
    We have most of the dog beanie-babies, I bought them when they were
    plentiful in the stores (before they were 'in' ?), simply because my
    son loves dogs.  I didn't even know McDonalds had the Tiny babies 
    until we went this weekend and got a duck with our happy meal in
    Leominster.....
              

    I just visited the beanie babies web site and checked out the guest
    book.  Unbelievable.  I thought these things were for KIDS??  $100 for
    a beanie?  I don't think so!
    
    Holly
    

    Dare I suggest it, because it won't have one of those descriptive tags
    attached.  But when I was a kid we made tons of bean-bag animals.
    
    Some multicolored material and teddie bear ears and tadaaahhhh

    
    They are also not a new idea in "bought stuffed animals" .  I have an
    orange "bean bag" bunnie that I got as a kid.   Its a lot larger than 
    the new beanie babbies and not as cute but it is filled with beans.  
                                            
    I don't remember which toy company made it but they were popular for a short 
    time way back when.   (late 1960's early 1970's I think)
    
    	Teri                                     

>>    Its a lot larger than 
>>    the new beanie babbies and not as cute but it is filled with beans.  

Beanie Babies are filled with plastic pellets.  This is a major comfort for
those of us with allergic children.

						Brian

    I am so glad my daughter is too young to know this phase.  She
    did get a beanie baby for Easter, and I bought her another
    "similar" one.  Not the TYCO brand, but you tell me the difference!
    It's a skunk, she asked me to buy it, it's just as cute, it's the same 
    size, and it shares the same sleeping bag as her TYCO piggie.  Hey, they 
    tolerate each other - so all is right in our world. 
    
    Personally, I like the RUSS little beanie animals better than the
    TYCO.  They are of a kind of nubby material, like old socks.  They
    just have a much more cuddly feeling to them. 
    
    I'm sure someday, someway, my daughter too will get into these 
    silly phases.  Or maybe I'll nurse my naivete a little longer and
    hope she too will appreciate the things that may not be as "faddy"
    and see them for what they are.  If she gets at least that much
    from me, I'll be a very proud Mama.  
    
    							cj *->
    

>>    Not the TYCO brand, but you tell me the difference!

It's Ty, Inc. that makes Beanie Babies, not Tyco.  I don't believe Tyco and Ty
are related, but I could be wrong.

						Brian

    REG. .14 I didn't mean to indicate that it was filled with real beans
    It was also filled with plastic pellets....the animal is just larger.  
    
    Teri

    .16
    
    I stand corrected, but glad I don't even know the correct name!
    Shows how little I buy into the mess.
    
    						cj *->

    Get your laughs in now, cj. Your time will come. :-)
    
    I'm just glad they're $5 each, and not $20.

>>    I'm just glad they're $5 each, and not $20.

Ah, but that's one of the major reasons for their success.

						Brian

I love them.  They are affordable to the children, nonviolent, appeal to
both boys and girls, well made, and cute to boot!

    Carol  :-)

    There are many copies out there.  If you're in a bind with a kid who is
    "desperate" for a Beanie Baby, you could always get one of the "copies"
    and call it a "Beanie Baby Cousin."  Just a thought.  I didn't know
    this toy was so hot till I tried to buy one for each of the kids for
    Easter.  They're awfully cute, and the price is right.

    
    My son wasn't at all interested in the Beanie Baby when they were
    plentiful. However one week day I was off I was in a Learning Express
    to buy a birthday present and couldn't believe the grown up women
    grabbing 5, 6, and more Beanie Babies. It was quite a scene to behold
    the sales staff trying to unload them out of boxes and the women
    grabbing them right out of their hands.  I was actually sickened a bit.
    I had this impression the toys weren't so much for the kids as for the
    moms and grandmothers. And why did they need so many?  Anyway, I think 
    they are cute and since I longed for my son to like something other than 
    Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, action figures, or cars  I bought 
    a dalmation to put in his Easter basket.
    
    Imagine my surprise Easter morning when the dalmation got as much
    attention (AND more love) than his Black Power Ranger, Batman or Robin.
    We took the dalmation with us to the family Easter gathering where we
    showed the cute little dalmation to my mother.  My mother has quite
    advanced Alzheimers and lives in a nursing home but was at my sisters
    for Easter day.  We told her Alex got the dalmation (whatever its name
    was) from the Easter Bunny but she didn't hear that part.  Since she
    is now about 3 years old mentally, she only saw the puppy and clutched
    it to her breast and there is stayed the rest of the day.  She talked
    to it, named it, and just took it over.  I had to explain to my son we
    had to let Grammy have it but I would get him another on Monday.  He
    was quite upset but actually understood pretty well about Grammy.
    
    I went from store to store and called others not only were there now no 
    dalmations, there were no Beanie Babies anywhere (as everyone now
    nows.)  Meanwhile, my mother who was getting sicker and sicker and we 
    thought was going to die (she just had a giant cancerous tumor removed from 
    her stomach and still the poor little thing hangs on), was sleeping with her 
    dalmation resting on her stomach.  It was so cute.  That lasted a week when 
    some bas@#*d at the nursing home stole it.  Can you imagine how pathetic that is.    
    When she first entered the nursing home several of her things were
    stolen, sometimes even nail polish and lipstick. We leave nothing of
    value now but I guess since Beanie Babies are prescious commodities, it
    was too vulnerable.
    
    We managed to find "Snip"for Alex and he is happy with that.  I found a fake 
    beanie puppy for my mom just before her surgery and she is happy with that.
    
    Kathy      

    Wow, Kathy, I can't believe that someone swipped the beanie baby
    from your mother.  That is just totally incredible to me!
    
    I do have to agree (after my episode) that these toys are definitely
    more for the moms & grammys than for the kids.  I went to the Paper
    Store last week to buy some mother's day cards and upon entering the
    store I noticed a sign on the door stating that they only allowed
    the purchase of 10 beanie baby's per person.  I knew of these toys
    because my neices and nephews are into them.  My kids were given some
    for Easter and their birthdays and they could care less about them
    right now (they're 1 and 3).  Anyways, to make a long story even
    longer......I couldn't believe the women hoarding in front of the
    beanie baby display - most of whom had baskets FULL of these toys.  I'm
    sure they had to be purchasing the limit (10).  It was quite a scene. 
    I was actually nervous about going over there to check them out for
    fear of getting mugged - yikes!!
    
    I just don't understand the craziness of it all and I find it
    genuinely scary.
    
    Sorry to hear about your Mom and I hope she is recovering from her
    surgery.
    
    /Karen

    Sometimes I wonder if the attraction to the beanie babies by adults
    isn't really so much that they are totally captivated by them but
    instead, a form of gambling...
    
    I could be very wrong but...  these things only cost $5.00 (the biggest
    attraction for the little kids, many of whom save up to buy their own).  
    Yet, some of the original ones, that are now out of circulation, have 
    gone up significantly in price.
    
    My kids (2 and 5) have five each.  They actually PLAY with them, and
    SLEEP with them.  They, and other kids in their classes, take them to
    school to cuddle with at nap time.  I don't expect any of them to end
    up worth hundreds of dollars, but they've made great, inexpensive toys.  
    
    Still, I can't see any reason, other than the possibility of "winning
    the lottery" for an adult to horde so many.
     
    Peggy

>>    Sometimes I wonder if the attraction to the beanie babies by adults
>>    isn't really so much that they are totally captivated by them but
>>    instead, a form of gambling...

Or investing, but that's pretty much the same thing, isn't it?  :-)

Ty does very little to push the product, BUT the one thing they do is retire
old models and bring out new ones.  The kids I know all seem to care mostly
about the new ones; the adults seem to be hoarding the ones that might get
retired.

I don't know whether there is a realistic market in retired Beanie Babies, so
perhaps this ridiculousness will die out.  After all, you don't see a huge
market in retired Barbie dresses, even though Barbie is till quite popular. 
And witness what happened with those Tickle Me Elmo dolls; now anybody can get
them.

Bravo to the Paper Store for putting on a quota; now, if they'd just change it
to THREE, I think very few kids would be disappointed.

						Brian

I just wanted to put my 2 cents in about this Beanie Baby craze.

I read an article back in November in the Boston Globe about the popularity
of this toy.  I had never even heard of Beanie Babies back then, but the
article stated how popular it was with kids from 4-10, or something like that,
and how it was good because it was one of the few things that brought boys and
girls together in play.  The article also stated that kids in some 3rd grade
class in MA had built towns for their Beanies.

A few days before XMAS, I was in a Learning Center in the mall, saw the cute
animals, noticed they were the toy that was hyped in the article, and bought 
one for each of my sons' stockings.  I don't think they ever heard of Beanies
at this point in time, but they sure were a hit!

A couple of months later, the kids saw some in the mall, and they each bought
another one with their own money.  I bought a couple to be used as birthday
gifts when my youngest son was invited to a birthday party.  That was in early
March.  Shortly after that, I started noticing long lines wherever they were
sold - people buying them by the bunch.  My sons each bought one more about this
time, and that was about the last time I ever saw them for sale anywhere.

As for grandmothers buying them all up...  My youngest son wanted one or two 
for his 6th birthday, in mid-April.  I asked my mother-in-law if they had any
where she lived (Minneapolis), but she stated they were very popular there, too,
but she should see what she could do.  She saw a store advertising a new ship-
ment it was about to receive, so she waited 2 hrs. in line for the store to
open, and managed to buy some for my son.  Then she became obsessed with it -
anytime she saw or heard of Beanies for sale, she'd go check it out and end up 
with more Beanies.  She ended up buying 12 for my two sons (6 each).  I don't
know how many she ended up buying for my neice.  She bought my kids Beanies
they didn't even ask for.  I keep telling her they have all they need or
want, but she can't be stopped.  It's almost like a hobby with her - to see
how many Beanies she can snare.  She even joked to me that it's like an
obsession, and I think she's right.  She and my father-in-law are driving to
Florida on Sat., and she's still talking about checking for them in the various
states they pass through.

(Speaking of FL, we just got back from Disney World on Saturday, and we had no
trouble getting the Teenie Beanies with the Happy Meals at the McDonald's near
Disney World.)

- Lori

    Another perspective.  I am probably guilty of buying 10 beanies at
    once.  I have 4 godchildren and a son.  For Easter I saw the beanies
    that were lambs, chickens and bunnies and thought they would be a good
    Easter present instead of candy.  So, I bought 10 of these three
    varieties...one for each godchild and one for each of their sisters and
    brothers and one for my son.  This makes 10!  My son has about 5 of
    them.  He likes them and plays with them.  He is 2.  He doesn't like
    them any better than any of his other toys though.  So, my point is
    that not all women buying quantities of 10 beanies are hoarding them,
    trying to make money, or keeping them for themselves.

    Another reason to buy a large quantity......for my daughter's birthday
    party favors this year, we gave each guest a different beanie.....
    
    Roberta

My 4 year old certainly likes his imitation beanie dog puppy.  It goes most
everywhere with him.  Our one year old isn't too impressed.

Interesting to note reactions from different store folk; a "kid" (under 20) at the
mall instantly knew it was an immitation, whereas someone older than me figured it
was the real thing.

Jamie doesn't care.  ;-)

Charlie

    Well, now I'm drawn into this, because of my big softie heart :->
    
    My friend's son (second grade) has wanted and wanted one but has 
    none.  His own grandmother got six of them at a store where people 
    were waiting in line.  She was fresh out of the hospital and for 
    whatever reason or whatever she said, she got to go to the front 
    of the line.
    
    She went over to my friend's house showing my friend's son (her
    own grandson, remember) how she got all six and then went on to
    say (and did it too) that she was giving them all to her neice
    that lives with her.  Boy, was he crushed.
    
    I found that so thoughtless and cruel.  So now I have my eyes open
    and my ears to the ground for just one lousy (he has to, of course,
    have the *real* one) beanie baby.    *sigh*
    
    						cj *-> 
    

There seems to be a huge secondary market in Beanie Babies.  One of the
WWW auction sites currently has more than 2000 lots of Beanie Babies.
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/list.html

    You know, people in here are very good people (but then, I've
    known that for a while!).
    
    I really meant to just tell the story in 1277.31.  I figured
    eventually I'd hear where some were to buy, or someone might
    see one and grab it for me.   I hadn't figured on the people
    offering to sell me one.  A few softies out there!
    
    I bought one from the first person (I'll protect all names :-),
    but you know how good you are).  The others I declined, but
    I'll tell you, it got tough!  ;->   But my daugher is happy 
    with her one piggie and the skunk (beanie baby look-alike).  
    
    The one I did get was a horse named Derby, and he is so
    cute.  I stopped at a store in the Nashua Mall which has the
    best sleeping bags out of any of the ones I've seen out there.
    They had a couple of camouflage ones the last time I was there
    buying a bag for Angeline's skunk.  Still had them, so I grabbed
    one of those.  The horse looks really good in it.  See, Aaron's 
    stepfather is in the Reserves, so it was kind of appropriate.
    
    This kid was so happy!  He still cuddles/sleeps at night with
    various stuffed animals and all, he's a real loving little boy.  
    
    Really, really made me (and him) feel good.
    
    				Thanks so much!
    						cj *->
    

    The day care center my five year old goes to 
    will not allow Beanie Babies.   There have been
    too many fights.  During school vacation week
    they did have a Beanie Baby day (is this a good
    message, who knows?).  All were marked on the tag
    as they came into the classroom.  I had sewn
    bias tape with my son's name to his two Beanie
    Babies ears.  
    
    In mid-April I went to a toy shop in Newburyport and
    casually asked what was a big seller.  The clerk 
    told me a story about when they receive a Beanie
    Baby shipment the UPS truck has barely pulled away
    from the curb and then all these "white haired ladies"
    come out of nowhere and it gets wild.  She didn't 
    tell the story with a chuckle, more like a haunted
    house story.    Hmm.

    I mentioned this previously, but was at the store last night
    and just had to bring it up again.
    
    There's a store in the Nashua Mall (just outside of Bradlees
    as you enter the mall) that sells the sleeping bags for the
    beanie babies.   These things are well made and a bit different
    from any others I've seen.
    
    They have the top corner folded over and sewn down so that it 
    looks just like a sleeping bag (not an eyeglass case, which I 
    think all the others look like).  Usually there's a little bow 
    where it's sewn down, or a little metal fastener (for the camouflage
    bags).  The inside is a nice soft material, and some are even
    the same material as the inside of a regular sized sleeping bag.
    The prints are varied and beautiful.   They would be adorable
    for a small doll as well.
    
    These things only sell for $3.95 (or $4.95, I forget now) and
    are better than some $6.00 ones I've seen in the malls.
    
    But besides all that, I was there two nights ago and now they
    even have them for the McDonald's teenie beanie babies.  
    
    The name of the shop is Rainbow Crafts ( I just looked it up).
    
    						cj *->