REMEMBERING Beanies

Thoughts and Commentary

Have you ever gone to the Beanie posting boards? The usual blurb is a list of Beanie names and prices-- sort of like a classified in those fliers you can find at all the local grocery stores! OR they will buy "in quantity" at 1/3 the going rate -- OR trade a new bear for some OLD retired!! GOOD LUCK!!

I have always tried to be a little more original in my ads, and as I was going through some of my old files I found the following examples of my "humor" (?) and attempts at having fun while doing something I ENJOYED doing, helping others complete their collection. As I find more of my older ads I shall include them.

"ENJOYED" because the fun is almost gone, except for my own liking for the critters. I always tried to get extras to sell at a reasonable secondary adoption fee, and until November of 1998 I was doing great at both selling and trading them. I had well over 400 trades/buys/sells on file. I had a successful Beanie Trading Point system, where every critter had its Trading Point value -- add up your trade points and get the same BTP value from me. That was before all the specialized sites grabbed onto the coattails of the Beanie craze with their inflated, often weekly, Beanie "Value Guides"-- which I refer to as the "Value-Guide-by-the-Noses"!! "Traders" no longer went by their own judgement and availability, they quoted the Guide price on any potential deal-- and the "values" varied from site to site!

Then the trades got worse-- MANY ratty Beanies in return for my mint ones, and even NONE AT ALL, both when trading AND buying!! I lost HUNDREDS of $$ at a time when I was not yet retired-- it hurt a lot, BUT not as much as it would have today. Some said they never got mine-- this was before I started using RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED, which increased my costs when trading!

You may not believe it but, aside from the ones I have sold on the Internet auctions at usually way below their "value", I have NOT sold a single Beanie from my site since Christmas 1998!!

I still continue trying though, and usually place from 30-60 ads among about 20-something boards on an almost daily basis, changing the ad at every post. My site gets "hits", the highest number on Thursdays and Saturdays, BUT nobody adopts any. It is more of a "TASK" now, rather than a purely fun thing.

Here are most of the active ones I frequent - (NP = need password) [Disappeared since this was written on 1 November 1999 = BLACK site color] - BOOKMARK them for your own use once you get to each -

Old "Ty" #1 = NoBiddingNP - Old "Ty" #2 = Addie's AtticNP

Beanie Heaven - Beanie Philes - a1-Traders - My Board - The Beanie Universe

Mark's Beanie World - Beanies for Less - BeanyShop - BeanieMania - CafeBeanie - Beaniez

Der Beanie Baby SpielplatzGERMAN-Trading ONLY - Lemon LaineyBritNP

Beanies-UKBrit - BeanieLandCdn - Maple-Gal'sCdn - BeanieTradeUKBrit-Trading ONLY

Anna's Beanie Site - CafeBeanZ - Dawn's Beanie World - GT Board - Kim + Kevin'sNP

Bekah's - Yule Log Beanie BoardNP - Beanie-Buddy - KJ's Beanies

Farelle's Beanies - CoolBeanys - Smart Collecting - TwoHogWild - Toy Zone - Absolute Beanies

I am NOT complaining, just observing. Things are certainly NOT as they were when Beanies first became popular. MANY of the older personal Beanie "web pages" have disappeared-- they were mostly kids with a hobby and a new computer to play with, and I traded with a lot of them. Does anybody remember the great Attic Collectible trading board? Check out some of the old ads and the FREQUENT, then NEW, BeaniePhiles additions! I do NOT believe it, even they are no longer!! Suzi's site was one of my favorites!!

For every one that vanished, 20 Beanie "Sites" took their place-- a lot of them with LITTLE CREATIVITY except for a price list, "We Accept All Major Credit Cards", LOADS of $$$PAID$$$ advertiser banners (I have always tried to be "independent", with NO ads on my site, only useful LINKS) and "Don't Forget to Visit Our Online Auction Site"! A handful are REALLY GOOD and offer a lot of useful information.

Beanie-related Message Boards and email Lists have also proliferated-- and they really get BORING when there are no new Beanies released or retired, or news that TY sued somebody for allegedly infringing on his bear market! How he ever wins a case is beyond me-- he certainly does NOT own the rights to the word Beanie and some of those "other" bears certainly DO NOT look exactly the same as his. A judge is said to have remarked, "My kid can tell the difference"!!

Other newer beanbag manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon and some made the mistake of issuing way too many different sets or models EVERY month, DO NOT RETIRE THEM FAST ENOUGH, and can not get rid of their current overstock at below what their original wholesale price was! Some were and still are better at the "business", and have really cute, innovative bears that retire after a really low issue number -- these are the REAL COLLECTIBLES and, with time, will probably greatly increase in value.

I have NOT been to a single official Beanie dealer since January 1999, and my only "new" ones since then (I still do NOT have a single anything from the last, supposedly "final", batch of news!) have come from friends who have sent me a few, or that I have traded at a local flea market for some of my older ones.

I even change my site backgrounds and contents regularly so that my visitors do NOT always see the exact same thing-- for whatever it is worth! At least I have fun trying to be creative.

My site prices are now ALL below what I paid for the critters when you take into account the holiday (Thanksgiving and Christmas) discounts which I am offering PLUS the PRIORITY SHIPPING and, in some cases, INSURANCE which is included in my adoption fees!! My nieces and nephews will get another bunch for the holidays, and I usually give a couple each Sunday to people with a young child who stop by my tables of junk at the flea market -- and to the pizza delivery person, the UPS guy, my favorite bank tellers, added to stuff I send to someone, to sick friends, and recently to the neighborhood goblins on Halloween night! Some of them must think I am BATTY!

Hey, and when REX had his CONTEST, he gave away more as prizes than I sold! Some parents of the winning kids even sent me gifts in return, which was entirely unexpected-- one was a box of THREE LIVE MAINE LOBSTERS! But REX got bored, as all dinosaurs do, because his emails from kids became fewer and fewer, so he decided he would just retire and relax! I wish I could!!

I know an evil secondary market dealer who gets all his Beanies from several TY accounts (I once saw him unload 14 FULL cases!! And he had most of them already sold before they got off his truck!) and sells them at a sizable markup to flea market vendors who ALWAYS have the latest releases piled on their tables at prices that I can not afford-- he will not GIVE a single one to any of his several nieces and nephews! And MANY people seem to have enough $$ to throw away to get them at greedy secondary market prices simply because they are new and they can tell all their collector friends that they got one!-- had they waited, they would probably find them at their neighborhood Official Dealer's at the normal price piled on the shelves, for some 5-10 times less than what they were scummed out of at that flea market!

Ty allows and encourages the wild and woolly "secondary market" to flourish partially because he NEVER discloses the number of critters produced / sold. Artists number their Limited Editions (between 50-500)-- some bear manufacturers tell you how many are produced before retirement (10-15k). And thereafter it is usually VERY DIFFICULT to find any of the retireds! How many times have retired Beanies and / or Attic Collectibles turned up in neighboring Canada or elsewhere, apparently due to "cleaning out the warehouse"?? What OLD warehouse items will begin to show up in the new Japanese market? Beanies are NOT sold in Spain and Denmark, and probably in other countries-- yet! Just how "collectible" are toys issued in the MANY millions, that just about every household already has?

His Tyness has ONLY done this in ONE INSTANCE!! That of his 1992 Collectible Bear. Each has a tag sewn on its leg with the hand-written Limited Edition number, one of only 5000.

I seriously doubt that I shall be adding to my Beanie pages in 2000, and will simply probably continue to offer my available RETIREDS until I have no more. We shall see.

Beanies are NOT dead -- yet!-- they have been temporarily eclipsed by Beanie boredom, Pokemon and a whole bunch of high-tech toys that will be available for the upcoming holiday season. Will Ty try his hand at some critters with chips, that talk?? Or the VERY lucrative online sales potential, which he has already tapped and experimented with through his Internet orders for the Clubby buddies?? Hey, Barbie has been around for years, and Beanies may probably go on to be just as successful. The Beanie saga promises to continue! And with his usual "creative genius", I assume that one of the first new E Bears will be a white one called THE BEGINNING!!

Have you noticed that the overwhelming majority of the items being offered on eBay are Ty products?? It seems as if all those who "invested" (hoping to make a quick Bucky) in his stuff are now DUMPING them to the highest bidder!! My suggestion is : BUY them for your kids or your own collection because you like them, NOT as an "investment" or substitute for adding to your retirement fund-- MOST "collectibles" take MANY years to mature in "value", and as I suggested above, the MAJORITY of Beanies are IN NO WAY OR FORM ever going to reach the so-called RARE or even "collectible" stage. One online friend says she has over 500 nicely colored PEACEs, and brags about it!-- that translates into a minimum of $3000 "invested"-- OK, now what?? Use them instead of ballons coming from the roof at the next Democratic Presidential Convention - winter mulch around those delicate plants in her garden - quilts for those long cold winter nights - as neighborhood tree ornaments?? Sometimes I wonder!

Now to some of my Beanie ads that I found -- ENJOY!!

December 1999

BRONTY..PRIDE..NANA..GARCIA..RADAR..SPOT..CEDRIC.. REX..BRITANNIA..BRONTY..TRAP..BROWN TEDDY and ALL my RARE BEANIE GEMS wish you ...HAPPY HOLIDAYS and NEW YEAR..BON ANNEE..PEACE and JOY..PAZ y PROSPERIDAD..FRIEDEN und FREIHEIT..in 2000

A NEW MILLENNIUM BEGINS in just OVER A YEAR..this may be your last chance to get OLD RETIREDS from the 1900s..GARCIA..REX..PRIDE..BRONTY..BROWN TEDDY..NANA..STEG and MANY OTHERS..TY will have new CRITTERS next year, U will C...BEANIES ARE FOREVER!

BRONTY..PRIDE..NANA..GARCIA..RADAR..SPOT..CEDRIC.. REX..BRITANNIA..BRONTY..TRAP..BROWN TEDDY and ALL my RARE BEANIE GEMS wish you a...HAPPY HOLIDAY..JOYEUX NOEL..FELIZ NAVIDAD + PEACE and JOY in 2000..VROLIJK KERSTFEEST..FROHLICHE WEIHNACHTEN

November 1999

This is GOBBLES and I want to wish you ALL a HAPPY THANKSGIVING..I hope you enjoy all of the PIZZA at that SPECIAL meal with your family..Sonny is home ALONE waiting for your orders for his OLD RETIRED BEANIE GEMS..MAKE HIM HAPPY + ORDER ONE..PLEASE

WE 3 KINGS OF ORIENT ARE..BEARING BEANIES WE TRAVEL SO FAR from ILLINOIS..TANK..MAGIC..GARCIA..WEB..VELVET..BROWN TEDDY..SPOT..SNOWBALL..RADAR..KIWI..97 TEDDY..CAW...BUNNIES, DOGS AND KITTYS..EVEN NANA + PRIDE!..Great Gifts while they last

DECK THE HALLS WITH BEANIES AND HOLLY..FaLaLa..TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY..GARCIA..PRIDE..REX. FLUTTER..TRAP..STEG ..NANA..BRONTY..CEDRIC and MORE..see PICS of the ONE YOU GET..HOLIDAY SPECIALS while they last..even SANTA gets his gifts at my site!

LINKS to over 25 POSTING BOARDS, loads of Beanie INFO and NEWS, CHECKLIST, CELEBRITY BEAR PRICE GUIDE, other TOYS..The BEANIE CONNOISSEUR also has a GREAT SELECTION of RARE BEANIE GEMS and 100s of RETIREDS + ALL with HOLIDAY DISCOUNTS!!...L@@K!

STARSHIP BEANIEPRISE beams OLD RETIREDS right 2 your HOMEship..STELLAR BIG BANG SPECIALS now active..NO ALIEN BEANIES here, ONLY the real thing..NANA, GARCIA, DINOS, PRIDE, TRAP, SLITHER, CEDRIC +a GALAXY more..energize URL TELEPORT MODULE 2 get here

Machupichu Alubakoi haz lotsa wealy old BEANYS..mani bearz..long nekked Tunder godz dat liv in jungle..literz ov kiti..dogz..swimink tings..muzt sakrifyce tu volkano godz if yous du nut resqu now..vizit Wed Ruf Hut fur lizts..me leaf lite on fir yuz

The BEANIE CONNOISSEUR not only has a GREAT SELECTION of RARE BEANIE GEMS..ALSO loads of Beanie INFO, BEANIE and BBOC NEWS, LINKS to over 25 POSTING BOARDS, CHECKLIST, CELEBRITY BEAR PRICE GUIDE, other TOYS and HOLIDAY DISCOUNTS!! Check it out

Where have all the Beanies gone..Long time passing..Where have all the Old Retireds gone..Long time ago..They've gone to Collections everywhere...When will you ever learn..to FIND THEM At The BEANIE CONNOISSEUR..at a Screen near U..just click + enjoy

I Love Beanies in the Summer When it Sizzles..and In the Winter When it Drizzles..I Love Retireds every Moment of the Year..Why or Why do I Love Beanies..Because Sonny has them Discounted 4 the Holidays...U 2 WILL SING WHEN YOU C HIS OLD BEANIE GEMS

As the END of the CENTURY approaches let us bow our heads in memory of our Dearly Beloved PRIDE, REX, RADAR, STEG, NANA, GARCIA, BRONTY, CEDRIC, and other ancestors of the BEANIE family..ALL to be HISTORY soon..I offer many at my ELYSIAN FIELDS RETIRED HOME

FOR THE NEW COLLECTOR..A 461 item CONNOISSEUR SET with..225 Tag Protected Minty BEANIES, 174 RETIREDS including GARCIA and a DINO..8 classical BEANIE BOOKS..2 TY RETAILER CATALOGS..BBOC GOLD KIT..BBOC CARDS..ALL 97-99 TEENIES..AN EXCEPTIONAL GIFT!...check out BEANIE SETS on my site for a complete listing of all the CRITTERS and GOODIES..

I have older RETIREDS like the FIRST Snake, Butterfly, Bat, Rat, and Canadian Bear..Prehistoric beasties..a colored bear with a squished face..a bear like PEACE but without the symbol..a 4-letter-named monkey..CEDRIC..my END OF CENTURY SALE ends soon!

RECIPE FOR BEANIE HOLIDAY DESERT..3 pounds of my MINTY fresh RETIREDS..remove baggies..wrap in leaves of Christmas flavor..garnish with different savory ribbons..add a spicey label..place in oven on OFF until 25 December..serves many under Tannenbaum..other THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS, CHANUKKAH and KWANZAA favorite menu delights are available on my site..remember, YOU CAN LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY at ASK SONNY!

LETS TALK TURKEY..If you need OLDER BEANIES I have what you are looking for at the LOWEST adoption fees anywhere..single RETIREDS + 25 BEAR SET + RARE BEANIE GEMS..GOBBLE them up at my THANKSGIVING FEAST..I don't want leftovers!..Loads of +FEEDBACK..

NANA..DINOS..GARCIA..SLITHER..TRAP..RADAR..BROWN TEDDY..o.f.TEAL..MAPLE PRIDE..FLUTTER..Very Rare CEDRIC (1992 TY Brit Bear)..+ 100s MORE at GIVEAWAY PRICES during my THANKSGIVING LIQUIDATION SALE..GET YOUR HOLIDAY GIFTS NOW while my BARGAINS last!

THANKSGIVING SPECIALS..15% OFF ALL Beanies on my site!!..OLD RETIREDS, RARE BEANIE GEMS, SETS, CELEBRITY BEARS, Sports Bears..NANA, SLITHER, GARCIA, MAPLE PRIDE, DINOS, all BELOW those "Guides"!!..Get them before they are gone..GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTS!

BEARS..SETS..GARCIA..DINOS..UltraRare CEDRIC..PRIDE..NANA..ALL my RETIREDS and RARE BEANIE GEMS are BELOW my COST + those GUIDES during my HOLIDAY BLOWOUT SALE!! CHRISTMAS is coming + you will NOT find them cheaper anywhere! On the GT Lists..

October 1999

WAY TO GO YANKEES!!..WOW!!. .the '98 WORLD CHAMPS BEAR SET.. includes JETER, HERNANDEZ, BROSIUS, STRAWBERRY, WELLS, MARTINEZ...ALL my BEANIES are DISCOUNTED until HALLOWEEN!!..get them while you can!..also 200+ BEANIE flavors..

IT'S 12am..DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR BEANIES ARE?..ASLEEP IN THE NURSERY WAITING FOR YOU TO ADOPT THEM!...from ALLY to ZIP, 100s to choose from..25 BEAR SET..very rare CEDRIC..459 ITEM BEANIE COLLECTOR SET..LOW EDITION Celebrity Bears and MORE!

in 1650 NOSTRADAMOS PREDICTED THE END OF BEANIES on 31.12.99...POOF..THEY WILL ALL DISAPPEAR!!..even IF you do NOT believe, GET THEM while you can...ONLY THOSE IN ZIP-LOCK BAGGIES will survive + ALL of mine ARE so NOT TO WORRY..200+ Styles available..HEY, even TY can't make his RETIREDS stay retired -- they keep showing up somewhere! I PREDICT that you will find many OLDER RETIREDS for ADOPTION at my castle turret...TRUST ME!...come and L@@K at all the RETIREDS in my CRYSTAL BALL

I have 200+ RETIRED Beanie flavors at my Beanie Home Depot (for all your do-it-yourself home improvement supplies) + am getting desperate!..Use them as wallpaper + noise reducing ceiling tiles..insulate those cold rooms..door mats..cushions for old sofas..pet beds + toys..computer covers..mobiles..woven in2 tapestries..scarecrows..winter quilts..snow treds..Please visit my RETIRED Beanie Home Remodelling Department - bring your pickup and shovel them in

SPOOKY HALLOWEEN SPECIALS..REDUCED to SKELETON ADOPTION FEES on ALL my 200+ SINGLE BEANIES or SETS.. visit my HAUNTED CASTLE...IF YOU DARE...and see the many lists of RETIRED critters just waiting to get loose HALLOWEEN at MIDNIGHT!!

SCAREY SKELETAL SPOOKY SPECIALS..Frightening DISCOUNTS on ALL my CRITTERS..entire DENS of BEARS..over 200 SPINE CHILLING Beanie Flavors..the TRICK is to get your TREATS before the end of OCTOBER!!..visit my HAUNTED CASTLE for complete lists

GHOST BUSTERS SPECIAL..At MIDNIGHT SPOOKY and RADAR and BATTY are taking my 200+ BEANIE flavors on a HAUNTED HOUSE HAYRIDE OF HORRORS..adopt some B4 they turn in2 pumpkins..SCAREY DISCOUNTS until HALLOWEEN!

ONLY a FEW DAYS LEFT...my SCAREY SKELETAL HALLOWEEN SPECIALS end on the 31st...spooky DISCOUNTS on ALL my RETIRED BEANIES and SETS...BEARS..NANA..SLITHER..WEB..GARCIA..very rare CEDRIC..low edition RETIRED CELEBRITY BEARS and more!!

I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS..call this CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER..OVER 200 Beanie flavors to stuff those stockings..check out my SLEIGHS full of BEANIES and BEARS, including TONS of OLDER RETIREDS..SPECIAL DISCOUNTS to FLYING REINDEER...

SLEIGHBELLS RING..ARE YOU LISTENING..In the nursery Beanies are glistening...A Holiday Wonderland of OVER 200 Beanie Flavors..DENS OF BEARS + HERDS OF RETIREDS...Stock up BEFORE the Christms rush + Prices SOAR higher than Santa's sleigh!!...

HoHoHo!!. Merry Pre-Christmas savings are hung by the chimney with care..You can almost hear the sleigh bells ring!..HERDS OF RETIRED + RARE BEANIES waiting to be adopted-- AVOID THE LAST MINUTE RUSH..Check out my SPECIALS before they are all gone

September 1999

TODAY IS FULL MOON..they are all HOWLING about IGOR'S LUNAR SPECIALS...sink your teeth in the DISCOUNTED 200+ BEANIES OR SETS on IGOR'S site..eMails MUST be dated and CONFIRMED the 24th-25th OR 26th...offer NOT valid in Transilvania..

HELP!..I'm headed 4 the Funny Farm unless you adopt my restless Beanies!..BRONTY eats plants in my garden..FLUTTER is flying S with his Monarch pals..RADAR is out all night hunting mosquitos..GARCIA plays guitar + CEDRIC sings Beatles songs all day..DIGGER eats my Koi..they are just like teenagers and I can't stand it any more!!..Next they will want their own cell phone + the latest flavor iMac!..BUT..they are CUTE, do NOT cost you an arm + a fin or eat very much + you do NOT have 2 take them 4 walks!! All they need is LOVE!

BEAR with me..You like BEARS..I have a DEN of BEARS..25 BEAR SET..RETIRED BEARS..CEDRIC..MAPLE PRIDE..GARCIA..BROWN TEDDY..97 TEDDY..GLORY...BEARY LOW ARCTOPHILE ADOPTION FEES...Celebrity Bears..Attic Collectibles...Visit my DEN and meet them all..

25 BEAR SET..OVER 200 BEANIE FLAVORS including MANY Attic Collectibles..PRIORITY Shipping always INCLUDED!!..Check out my bargains...GARCIA, BRITANNIA, MAPLE, PRIDE, TEDDY, GLORY, CEDRIC + loads more including Star Wars stuff!...

HAND SELECTED 459 ITEM BEANIE COLLECTOR SET...YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE ALL THE GOODIES IT CONTAINS!..All the work over several years has been done for you...A FABULOUS HOLIDAY GIFT for that special kid...ONLY ONE AVAILABLE!!..Complete list on site

IT'S 12am.DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR BEANIES ARE?.RIGHT HERE ASLEEP UNDER THE XMAS TREE WAITING FOR YOU!...from ALLY to ZIP, hundreds to choose from..25 BEAR SET..459 ITEM BEANIE COLLECTOR SET ..Attic Collectibles, RETIRED Celebrity Bears in Editions of 13k, and other BEARS and toys..REASONABLE PRE-CHRISTMAS PRICES, and they ALWAYS include PRIORITY SHIPPING!!

[I even try one in Spanish, just in case my English ones are not understood!] TENGO MAS DE 200 BEANIES RETIRADOS listos para ADOPTAR a precios realmente ASEQUIBLES..NANA..docenas de OSOS..DINOSAURIOS..el legendario CEDRIC, el OSITO de 1992, el UNICO CON EDICION NUMERADA..DESCUENTOS AHORA!..Ven a ver los Por Favor

April 1998

Psssst...LISTEN UP...JUST GOT A LATE NIGHT SHIPMENT OF HOT RETIREDS AT MY PRIVATE AIRFIELD...PREMIUM QUALITY STUFF ...CURRENTS from $7k. ..ALSO SELL BY THE KILO...meet me on the corner in half an hour OR GO TO THE WEBHANGOUT for LISTS....CAN MAKE VERY SECURE DELIVERY TO the HELIPORT of your REMOTE WAREHOUSE ...Bonnie + Clyde Ltd., an Offshore Corporation...ON THE GOOD BEHAVIOR LISTS...

MOST of our RETIREDS are NOW PRICED UNDER ONE MILLION DOLLARS...even LEGS...As Franklin once said, A Million Saved is a Million Earned....COME TO OUR Brokerage Website for some BEANIE TREASURES...ALSO TRADE FOR YOUR 70 ' YACHT or ISLAND PROPERTY..LISTED with DUNN + BEANIESTREET...

HELLO LITTLE CHILD...SORRY I DO NOT HAVE ANY PRINCESS or ERIN or NEW RELEASES...I SELL THEM OUT THE BACK DOOR to my friends and on the ONLINE GOING. GOING. GONE PLACES BY THE UNOPENED ORIGINAL BAG OF 12...TY CAN NOT CATCH ME BECAUSE I USE A FALSE NAME...WAIT a sec...I just found this one ERIN that dropped behind the counter and he is only $350....OR you can "DONATE" $10 for a raffle I will have in 30 DAYS..I sell about 100 tickets a day...all proceeds go to my favorite CHARITY..we are redoing our Guest House in the Islands and dredging a deep water port for cruise ships....do not cry now...ask your Mommy to take in laundry and buy you a computer like the one I use...and I am on the GOOD Greedy Retailers LISTS....B.U.T...IF you check out THIS website you can Find MOST of what you are looking for AT REASONABLE SECONDARY MARKET PRICES..from $7...

March 1998

@@ NEWS FLASH @@ PRINCESS AND ERIN WERE SEEN ENTERING THE OVAL OFFICE LATE AT NIGHT @@ STINKY, with Star up his tush (tag), issued subpoenas to BRUNO, the new White House dog, CHOCOLATE, a close advisor, and PRANCE, the family cat @@ PEACE, the Head of the United Nations, has categorically denied that SLITHER was ever involved, but there was a SMOOCHY or two @@ For these and our other more than 100 "Politically Incorrect" Beanies, email me for details @@ Our adoption fees are MUCH lower than those of most high profile lawyers! @@ We are on the Good Witness Protection Program Lists @@

January 1998

@@ Hear Ye, Harken Ye ! Get all Thyne Beanies here!! Why ryde Thye noble stede from Jousting Faire to Faire seeking them yon? @@ If ye can name it, we probably have it. @@ Single Beanies, sets, currents and mountains of retireds @@ The castle is dungeon-to-turret packed with the critters !! @@ FROM A PALTRY $9 IN ALMS @@ In this monthe of Janus we even have some Knightly Crusader Specials @@ Joyne in the Festivalis and let them begyne! @@ And to Thyne own Beanies be Treowe @@

@@ OK, so who needs a Peace real bad -- like looking for some cuddly Beanies already? Why go hopping from ad to ad IF all of your most secret Beanie fantasies can come true right here! @@ From singles, currents and retireds, to Bear sets, Retired sets, Current sets, and even some Rare critters @@ We don't stand you in waiting lines forever if we don't have what you are looking for! It's instant gratification with us! @@ And you can get a FREEBY Retired with your order ! @@ Come on over and have a peek at the sizzling RED HOT SPECIALS we've got ready and waiting for you at our HOUSE ! @@ NO 800 number, just email us or click the URL @@ We are already in a lot of important peoples' Special Address Book -- and also on the Good Traders' Lists @@

November 1997

Sometime in October of the year 1621 I saw Sonny in Patuxet, the old Indian name for Plymouth Colony, socializing with Capt.Miles Standish, Squanto and the entire REDSKINS team (KIWI was sitting on an egg trying to hatchet) when everybody started talking about a week-long feast to celebrate the bountiful harvest. This cute colorfull feathered critter came up to Sonny and said, "Hi, my name is GOBBLES and I heard rumors about being invited FOR dinner. Can I come to Trenton with you to escape persecution (the Pilgrims did it and made great Progress, albeit, with Bunyans) and play with your other Beanies?" So they took H.G.Wells' Time Machine and returned to the Garden State and lived happily ever after.

And, contrary to popular legend, the First Thanksgiving menu featured some new fangled worm-like things that Marco Polo brought with him from his long trip to China and the Orient, served with a fabulous Polish mushroom sauce made by Bertha Stewart's mother. Chef Pavorotti called this new dish "SPHAGETTI", after the sphagetti westerns he liked to watch on The Future Channel. They also had pots of steaming MAIZ, SQUISHES (squashed squash-- no relation to Sashquatch, who also attended the gathering), Collard Greens fried with bacon in cast iron skillets, and last but not least mountains of Buffalo Wings, an old Indian favorite. If you have never seen those Buffalos fly, you have really missed a spectacular sight! Even more thrilling than the flocks of passenger pigeons that used to obscure the skies for hours at a time as they passed overhead!"

The moral of this story is : "Don't look a gift Gobbles in the beak"! <End of shaggy Buffalo story> Email me for a list of my available Beanies.