12/12/96
Mad about the Beanies They're cute, they're cuddly and cost-effective, and everyone seems to want one of them

Source: Peoria Journal Star

By Clarence Moore

One morning recently, Laverne Collinge of Peoria hurried into Abe's in the Metro Centre. She was shopping for Beanie Babies. And although Abe's was temporarily sold out of the two particular Beanie Babies that Collinge was looking for, she was delighted to find more than she expected.

There were Beanie Babies to the left of her and to her right. A basket on the counter held several eenie-meanie-teenie Beanies that were soon to be retired from the market.

Beanie Babies were piled neatly in colorful baskets on the floor and there were even Beanies decorating a Christmas Tree in one of Abe's display windows. In fact, there were so many Beanie Babies in the store, Collinge couldn't easily decide which ones she wanted.

"They're all so adorable. They're so cute and cuddly. I've bought and given them away as gifts to my friends and family. They make great stocking stuffers, and my grandchildren just love them and I like them too. It's just real hard to find certain ones," Collinge said.

Eventually, she left the store with three more Beanie Babies.

What are Beanie Babies?

Although their name conjures up images of some chewy, confectionery treat, Beanie Babies are actually candy for the eyes -- a line of floppy, colorful and funny-looking stuffed toys, filled with beans and designed to look like cute and cuddly animals.

Beanie Babies are one of this season's hottest novelty items. In fact, you could safely call the little stuffed toys the 1996 version of the Cabbage Patch Doll.

And just like the Cabbage Patch Dolls, Beanie Babies come with name tags and birth dates. They also come with short and humorous poems, which distinguishes them from some of the beanbag animal knock-offs that have begun popping up on the market.

The toys were first created and mass-marketed about two years ago by Ty Warner in Oakbrook.

"Mr. Warner wanted to come up with a simple and inexpensive toy that children could buy with their own allowance money. When they were first marketed in 1994, they sold well. But since then, sales have increased dramatically with each addition to the Beanie Babies line," said Shelli Valdiserri, marketing manager for Ty Inc.

Ty's original Beanie Babies retail for around $5 or less.

But unlike Tyco's Tickle Me Elmo -- another one of this season's hottest plush toys -- you won't find Beanie Babies at any of the retail superstore toy chains or the big-name department stores.

Beanie Babies are manufactured in Korea and China and sold only at small or independently owned toy, gift and specialty stores such as Abe's in the Metro Centre, Leo's Flowers and Gifts on North Knoxville Avenue, School's the Rule on North University Street and Different Drummer at Tanner's Orchard in Speer.

Last summer, consumer demand for the stuffed animal reached a feverish peak at stores across the country. Some retailers reported difficulties keeping the toys in stock.

There are at least 99 different Beanie Babies on the market, with more additions to come. And so far, at least 25 or more of them have been retired (taken off the market by Ty). Some retired Beanie Babies can fetch as much as $100 each on the collector's market, said Ty's Valdiserri.

And Beanie Babies have become so popular with collectors they've got their own Web site (http://www.ty.com).

Perhaps, the largest selection of Beanie Babies in Peoria can be found at Abe's. Owner Larry Rainforth is amazed at consumer response over the novelty items.

"Some of them sell out almost as fast as they ship them to us. We've even got preorders that have already been sold to customers. Kids are buying them to pile up on their beds, adults are buying them to decorate their computer work stations or to give away as novelty gifts. It's a craze.

"In this part of central Illinois, there's a big demand for Tabasco, the bull -- thanks to the popularity of the Chicago Bulls . . . We went though 100 of them in one day. We can't keep them in stock," he said.

Rainforth's son Lance says Beanie Babies are so popular because they're fun, they're colorful and people enjoy looking at them.

"They're also very affordable and within the price range of everyone . . . kids are bringing in their allowance money and buying Beanie Babies instead of candy. . . But what amazes me are the adults who come in here and buy lots of them too," he said.

Peorian Terri Broms, wife of Jeff Broms of Broms Furs and Fashions, has been collecting Beanie Babies since last summer. "I bought one because I liked it. I thought it was cute. I didn't know I owned such a hot novelty item until someone else saw it and made a big deal out of it."

"Now, my family is definitely into this craze. We were into Cabbage Patch kids when they were hot, now we're into Beanie Babies . . . Each one of my children has a small collection of different Beanie Babies with some special significance assigned to them.

"For instance, my oldest daughter likes and collects zebras, so she's got a Beanie Baby designed like a zebra; my son likes the Grateful Dead, so I bought him Garcia, the tie-dye bear. Our bathroom is decorated with a fish motif, so we've got some Beanie Babies that resemble fish in it.

Brom said she has probably bought at least 50 of them. "But I've given most of them away to other people as gifts . . . They're cute and they're fun and they can give your spirits a boost. I know, they've made me laugh.