OK, I just did a search of eBay for SPECKLES and found 120 items listed, MOST of which are for the new e-Beanie. Not a big surprise, as all but 2 are Pre-Sells. BUT, I almost croaked when I saw TWO listed as IN-HAND, with their respective pics! And look where they travelled to LONG before most people could even get their orders in and confirmed on a site which was NOT even functioning correctly -

Hey, I have always been rather naive - BUT I certainly was NOT just hatched! Both auctions were placed on 3 July, and I assume that the 2 seemingly DIFFERENT pics (thus also the bear) was available to them when everybody else was trying in vain FOR HOURS to get their orders in on a site that was NOT even functioning as one might expect! They were both placed for 3 days -- of course, to get the most $$ as soon as possible -- and one of the very honest sellers said they had 2 of them on eBay, one of which they retracted to keep, due to the potential early retirement or some other thing that Ty might invent.

My question is - since Ty says he has such a tight hold on his stock and all, NOT allowing leaks of any kind, how the blazes did these 2 individuals get a bear that has NOT even been shipped yet? Come on, one does not have to be Sherlock Holmes to see that something is wrong with this picture! And Ty did NOT even have the auctions removed, as he has in many cases in the past! Because he is said to be in Hong Kong, while they dedicated his fabulous new several-acre Memorial Park right outside of his headquarters yesterday?? Inquiring minds want to know!!

When will people, the so-called collectors, wise up and wait a few weeks/months? These crazy bidders will find that their VERY expensive treasures, even though they were perhaps the first to get them in their greedy little paws, MAY, with any luck, be worth 1/10th of what they threw away for them on the seemingly unstoppable EVIL secondary market! Instead of the so-called authentication experts, what a LOT of Beanie people need are crisis intervention counselors!

CYRK is the company which managed/produced/acted as agents for TY in the BBOC sales and McDonalds Teenie promotions. Their stock quotes used to be on the TY main page, but since that entire page format changed a while back, NO mention of CYRK is to be found anywhere. So I did a search for what they have been up to, and found some info which may shed some light on this mystery.

I cannot say that I fully understand it all, but my interpretation of WHAT I FOUND is that :

1) they HAD a considerable percentage of their overall revenues from TY related promotions

2) their connection with TY has changed several times over the last couple years

3) they no longer represent McDonald's Europe in their promotional services, and although they state that "The fees for these services have historically not been material to the overall results of operations. This action has an adverse impact of $150 million to the Company's sales levels." Not material?? OMG, IF I had a loss a million times less, I would be pulling my hair out!

4) they also no longer manage the BBOC promotions -- I only hope that TY can do a MUCH better job at it than CYRK was noted for!

5) Due to the fact that their connections "with the Ty relationship are difficult to predict", their overall earnings may suffer -- and if you check out their stock fluctuations for the last few months, they are now HITTING BOTTOM!, causing one "long-time investor" on a comment board to question what is happening.

OK, Ty promised that this NEW part of his vast imperial domain would be activated this month, and it really took him a while to get it rolling, as usual! I logged on and repeatedly got the following message -

Inactivity Timeout

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Description: Too much time has passed without sending any data for document "http://www.tytrade.com/".

So much for his great foresight and planning! A friend had a little more luck and actually got to the sign-in part, adding that << I've been trying to get in and after getting a message that no data existed in that file, I now get a message that the page to list your city and state does not exist yet, so try again later.>>

It seems as if, as I predicted last year, that he will now be selling Beanies on the WEB, AND also have his own auctions for general collectibles and other merchandise, authentication services, message boards, Ty Trade News, pricing history, collector's corner, and some kind of TyTrade Cyberpoints!! GAWD, he really wants a piece of the cyber action!

The first Beanie being offered will be Speckles the Bear for $8, including shipping. Although he promises a delivery time of 6-8 weeks, many of you already know how reliable his shipping practices can be from your experiences, first, with Clubby, then with the Clubby Buddy!!

PLUS he is the first of the NEW cyber line of critters e-Beanies, etc., which I predicted last year!! Sometimes I really surprise myself!

And while we are at it, are we all ready to start chasing after the NEW Canadian exclusive (IF this unofficial pic is real! I can hardly see where the poor thing's eyes are! Ty would not make such an UGLY critter, now would he?)??

A Canadian source told me that this pic is faked, and that the new Canadian bear will be named PRIDE -- hopefully she meant PRIDE 2000, which seems to be the very original and creative way (NOT!!) some Beanies have been named so far this year! PRIDE was the first name for Maple, and VERY few of them exist.

Beanies - Cinders the black bear, Righty 2000 (red white and blue version of the old elephant), Lefty 2000 (red white and blue version of the old donkey), Peek-a-boo the turtle, Cashew the brown teddy Cheeser the mouse, India the Tiger, Sniffer the Beagle, Squirmy the worm, Fetcher the brown doggie, Runner, the Mustelidae (this is the scientific Family name for a group of predacious animals including the weasels, skunks, badgers, otters, wolverines and martens - Ty seems to be getting a tad vague all of a sudden!)

Steg Buddie!

Beanie Kids - There are 4 new ones - BUZZ, CALYPSO, PRINCESS, COOKIE

Attic Treasures - Baron the Bear with leather jacket, Kingston the Lion, Franny the American Bear, Easton the Panda, Scarlet the Red Bear, Marigold the Yellow Bear, Calliope, the Jester Bear, Mulligan, the Golf Bear, Clay, the Orange Bear, Fern, the Green Bear, River, the Blue Bear, Armstrong, the Aqua Bear

13 June - OK, today is the start of the new McDonald's Teenie Beanie (29 in all!) hunting season in the United States and Canada. And don't forget to get a side order of those dinosaurs.

1) BUSHY the Lion   - 2) FLIP the Cat  - 3) DOTTY the Dalmation   - 4) FLITTER    - 5) SPRINGY Bunny  - 6)  SLITHER the Snake - 7) SCHWEETHEART orangutan   - 8) SPINNER spider  - 9) LIPS Fish   - 10) LUCKY ladybuy    - 11) GOOCHY jellyfisth    - 12) NEON seahorse   - 13) Blizzard Tiger  - 14) TUSK walrus    - 15) CORAL Fish    - 16) BUMBLE Bee    - 17) SPIKE  rhino    - 18) STING ray AND THE ~11~ PREMIUM SUPERSTARS   Teenies SET - 1) MILLENNIUM FIRST DAY BEAR (one day only!) - 2) THE END BEAR (LAST Day ONLY)   - 3) REX  - 4) STEG - 5) BRONTY - 6) OSITO - 7) GERMANIA - 8) SPANGLE  - 9) ROYAL BLUE PEANUT, - 10) CHILLY - 11) HUMPHREY

I wonder why our European friends don't seem to get theirs until months later, and, at least in Germany, they are OLD sets and some may even have different names??

And somebody mentioned that in each sealed bag there is a chance to win a $25k scholarship! Is this an attempt to get everybody to OPEN the bags? If so, then there may be a LOT fewer tbbs available that are still in their factory sealed baggies! Do I sense desperation here?

And, of course, there are the employee's pins, the store displays banners, signs, and special employee bears to add to your collection!

9 June - <<ARIEL HAS LANDED IN CANADA! Ty hasn't made us Canuks wait for this new product! I just got a call from a couple of shops I buy from and Ariel, Rex Buddy and Wisest the Owl have arrived at our stores! I'm almost ready to forgive Ty for all his past boo boos!>> Joanne in Ontario

Ty registered the Domain name BeanieTrade.com on 22 May 2000. Will he use the new site to sell his critters in the VERY HOT etrade market? Everybody else is doing it, so why not join the herd? Although eSales reached 3 TRILLION buckies last year, MANY commercial sites are disappearing due to poor planning, preparation and infrastructure.

The official TY site says that we should watch for the opening of the new site this month, June. I can't wait to see what new marketing scheme he has up his sleeve!

A friend emailed me (3 June) the following : <<Our retailers each got one set of the Kids and they came in this cute carrying case. It's white cardoard with a handle and a big red heart sticker with Ty Beanie Kids on it. It looks like a little suitcase. I don't know if this is a Canadian only thing or what. I've never heard anyone mention them before.>> Thanks Joanne. I never heard of it either. Wish I had a pic!

And my wish was answered! <<I just got 2 sets of Canadian Beanie Kids and they were packed in a wonderful carrying case! The case is made of white cardboard and has a handle. There's a large red heart with TY BEANIE KIDS on on the front of the case. Inside, the case has three compartments each which holds 3 Beanie Kids perfectly! Retailers each received only one of these sets per store. I assume these little critters, complete with carrying case will be few and far between because many of the retailers put the Kids out and got rid of the case!>> SMOOCH, Joanne!

You may email her directly for more info at JOANNE.

After the finding of a new BeanieKid named MO, somebody posted on a board (30 May) that they had a --

**MINT WITH MINT TAGS SAKURA, BUT IT HAS A SPECKLES HANG TAG, THAT READS DATE OF BIRTH- FEBUARY 17, 2000. THE POEM READS-

SURFING ON THE INTERNET. I THINK OF FRIENDS I'VE MET. THEY'RE ROUND THE WORLD BOTH NEAR AND FAR. I HOPE THEY KNOW HOW DEAR THEY ARE.**

I'll believe it when I see it! I already emailed the poster and IF he sends me the PIC, you will be the first to see it, right here!

Hey, I really like them! I have been trading some stuff, and got the following. They are rated on my usual scale of from 1 = forget it! to 6 = kewl.

Boomer, a curly blonde boy [6], Chipper, a long haired blonde boy [6], Ginger, girl with plaid jumper [6], Rascal, a darkish boy [6], Tumbles, brown haired boy in jeans shorts [6]. THEY ARE ALL KEWL!

Did you discover any PROMO Bears yet? They are VERY Limited Edition Bears that were usually made as promotional items BEFORE their normal version was released to the public.

Several beanie makers include one PROMO when a retailer buys a case or a factory-sealed bag of 12 Bears. They usually have a different color or some special marking, and may even have a PROMO hang tag. There are also SPECIAL Edition PROMOs that have their individual Limited Edition number on the hang tag, and may even have PROMO embroidered on the Bear, like on one of its arms. Editions may range from several hundred to 3,000.

In terms of COLLECTIBILITY, these PROMO critters are MUCH RARER, and it is probable that nobody else in your town will have one, unlike MOST Beanies! I traded several BINS full of retired beanies for some of these kewl Bears, and you can find them, with their PICs and special Certificates of Authenticity on my PROMO BEAR page.

Rumor has it that Beverly Hills Plush will NOT be issuing any more of their really innovative bears due to their creator's health. A notice to that effect may appear in a leading beanie magazine shortly. I do have several of their Bears and Bear sets on my new **Bear** page, and at way below the values in the Beanie magazines! They are TRULY Limited Editions with individual edition numbers on their hang tags!

Last year I predicted that TY, in his infinite creativity, would name a new owl WISEST - he just did!

And although I don't usually include info on Buddies, I HAD TO mention that the new one is my all-time favorite, REX!

If you haven't yet signed up for PayPal, it is a really great FREE service for buying online by using your VISA or MasterCard AND for selling by accepting . You can even use it on eBay and other auction sites. It is CONVENIENT, SECURE and FAST! You get an account with them IMMEDIATELY, and it takes you about a minute to sign up. You then receive your new Beanies way faster and also receive payment in a flash for your sales!

Bunny Bean really does board Bunny Beanies..If Bunny Bean boards Beanie Bunnies..are Bunny's Beanies real Beanie Bunnys?..FLOPPITY + FLIPPITY + HIPPITY + EARS + BAMM BUNNIES..you better buy Bunny Bean's Bamm Beanie Bunnies before Easter begins

CARNIVAL time again..Carnival means EASTER..Easter means BUNNIES..Bunnies means BEANIES..Beanies means FLIPPITY + FLOPPITY + HOPPITY + EARS..HOP on over to my BUNNY hatchery.. my BAMM BUNNIES are up 4 adoption 2..get them while they are minty fresh.

BEANIES..POKEMON BEARS..COCA COLA BEARS..SCRUNCHY BEARS..GREATFUL DEAD BEARS..HARLEY DAVIDSON BEARS..A&W ROOT BEARS..LIMITED TREASURE BEARS..CELEBRITY BEARS..did I mention that I have many Bears? And CATS and DOGS and more BEARS!

Hey, Kids..WHAT TIME IS IS?..it's HOWDY SUPER TUESDAY and time to elect the next President..Vote 4 my Beanies in the Primaries..PEACE 4 soundbite..BRITANNIA 4 great foreign policy..ERIN 4 tollerance..WISE spells correctly..MAPLE 4 friendly..SNORT did NOT ever..VALENTINO 4 heart..FORTUNE 4 less taxes..HOPE 4 the future..ADOPT MY CANDIDATES while they are still in the running!

If you like BEARS I have entire dens of bears..BEANIES..POKEMON..SCRUNCHY..GRATEFUL DEAD..HARLEY DAVIDSON..COCA COLA..A+W ROOT Bears..ATTIC COLLECTIBLES..plus loads of other really cute COLLECTIBLE TOYS and all DISCOUNTED during my WINTER SALE

So much for GLOBAL WARMING..it is SNOWING again and my 200+ BEANIE flavors are half FROZEN..CHECK THEM OUT and use the secret word *NIEVE* to get a 15% discount on any Beanie or Bear or ATTIC you need..offer good while the snow still covers my house!

HELP..My BEANIES are half buried in the snow drifts and need to be rescued..OVER 200 FLAVORS shivering to get to your WARM house..MINTY FROZEN FRESH with iced tags..bring your snow shovel and scoop them up at my WINTER SPECIALS before the THAW begins

IT'S MIDNIGHT and my over 200 BEANIES flavors are asleep in the nursery. Use the secret word *MIDNIGHT* + get 15% OFF the listed adoption fees.OLD ones + MANY BEARS..come visit + see the critters but PLEASE do NOT make noise so they don't wake up

Remember the famous words by SHAKESPEARE..To BEanie or not to BEanie.That is the question.Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the outrageous prices of older retireds..or get a 15% discount off marked adoption fees..over 200+ actors 2 choose from..no GLOBE THEATRics here!

Well the NEW Beanies appeared at the NY show and the excitement grows..BUT there will still be NOTHING like the original LAST MILLENNIUM ones..GARCIA..STEG. .SLITHER..REX..PRIDE..BRONTY..come see my 200+ OLD flavors..ALL discounted.. WHILE THEY LAST

20 January - WOW, just as I predicted last year! The TY site has an entirely new CYBER-MODERN upgrade! It shows what I had imagined as a foreward to his online ordering of the forthcoming e Beanies and e Bears. Stay tuned!

15 January - I was invited out to some malls for my birthday (14 January) and you would NOT BELIEVE the discounts on Beanies and Attics! I saw 3 Beanies or small Attics at 3 for $10, and the CLUBBY II kits at $10! What a difference from the last time I went hunting over 13 months ago! Unfortunately, I still don't have extra $$ to stock up on the critters I don't have! Go and check them out at a mall near you.

Wendy's has a set of four critters in their WILD LIFE series - a bee, coral fish, wild cat and one other (can't remember what it was). They were FREE with the kid's meal bag-full. The fish seems to be a change purse, cause it has a zipper on top.

In the Keebler Grahams Cinnimon Crisp boxes of 9 Stay-Fresh Inner Wraps you get a FREE Weebeans Toy inside, and each box has the one you get marked on the top - Ma, Doc, Ernie or Buckets. They are cute! Got mine at Sam's Club.

WOW..TY won the GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS for AMERICAN BEANIE and TY STORY 2..I saw part of it on my 8" B&W TV BEFORE the SNOW downed the lines..Michael J.SLY, Jim CURLY + Angelina JOLLY got awards too..adopt 200+ AWARD WINNING BEANIES on my SITE

ARE YOUR BEANIES REAL or just VIRTUAL IMAGES created by THE MATRIX using FRACTALS, ALGORITHYMS and the L-SYSTEM of VIRTUAL REALITY..KEANU helped me get REAL BEANIES from the 1900s..You would NOT believe what we went through to get them..GET YOURS NOW

2001..A BEANIE ODYSSEY..CHRISTMAS 2000 IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER..Get your missing 20th Century Beanies BEFORE HAL does and their prices RISE with deliveries via SPACE SHUTTLE to your LUNAR LEISURE CHALET..OUT OF THIS CYBER-WORLD DISCOUNTS

I cannot believe it..these Beanies are now a MILLENNIUM old..Come see all my FOSSIL Beanies before they get even more PETRIFIED..STEG..BRONTY.. REX.. BROWN TEDDY..NANA.. RADAR..TRAP..CEDRIC..OVER 200 SPECIES FOUND AT MY QUARRY..NO BONES ABOUT IT!

Gourmet Beanie Menu..PUMPKIN Salad with SEAWEED..Large Selection of BEAR Entrees..Waffles in MAPLE or CHOCOLATE Syrup..Music by GARCIA and his DINO Trio..Service in a FLASH..FORTUNE Cookies..PEACEful ambiance..VELVET Seats..HAPPY times..TAKE OUT AVAILABLE

Blair wanted to do a Beanie Science Fair Project..BUT she did not know WHICH ones to use...It became known as the BLAIR WHICH PROJECT..WHICH of my 200+ RETIRED BEANIES do you need? Visit my site in the woods to see them all..bring your Video Cam

ANTIQUE 1900s BEANIES..MINTY FRESH..UNBITTEN BY THAT NASTY FAIRYTALE Y2k BUG..GARCIA..PRIDE..FLUTTER..TRAP..DINOS..over 200 FLAVORS AVAILABLE while they last..HOLIDAY DISCOUNTS still IN EFFECT..HAPPY 2000..12 months BEFORE the new MILLENNIUM

BRONTY..PRIDE..NANA..GARCIA..RADAR..CEDRIC.. REX..BRITANNIA..STEG..TRAP..BROWN TEDDY + other ANTIQUE 1900s BEANIES are up for ADOPTION..NO burocratic hastles..REASONABLE PRIORITY adoptions..entire DENS of BEARS..DOGGIES + KATTYS + RATTYS + BATTYS