… Beanie Babies?

Don’t hate me. I have an ongoing Google Keep document with ideas for “Whatever happened to” posts but I had success with Leo in the Brave browser this week so I thought I’d ask it a question.

what would be a good topic for a “whatever happened to” blog post?

And Leo’s response…

A good topic for a “whatever happened to” blog post could be “Whatever happened to Beanie Babies?” They were once a popular collectible toy, but their popularity declined over time. It could be interesting to explore what happened to the brand and how it has evolved. What do you think? 🤔

So, here we are! This wasn’t in my collection but it got my interest.

As I always do, I did my indepth research which involves thinking about it on my morning bike ride and asking my wife for details when I got home.

Apparently, they were a big thing with our girls and they each had a nice collection. We’re not sure what happened to them. Apparently, outstanding husband that I am, I gave my wife a daschund Beenie Baby which looked like our pup Beauregard.

And, she still has it hidden away in a dresser drawer. I’m not sure if it’s to keep it from the grandkids or from Jaimie who might be jealous that he’s not the first dog we’ve ever had.

Here’s what Artificial Intelligence thinks Beanie Babies look like.

They were official collectables and came specially marked for that purpose.

At one of those vendor displays that you often see, we ran across a lady who made Beenie Babies and had a table full of them. Her message was that she was able to make and sell them at a fraction of the cost of the “real” ones. Did you catch the spelling?

So, for a Sunday morning, your thoughts?

• did you or a family member own a Beanie Baby or two or many?
• do you still have them?
• do you remember what they were?
• who was the manufacturer of Beanie Babies?
• what was attached to a Beanie Baby to let potential buyers know that it was, in fact, an original?
• what Beanie Babies were of high value and highly sought after?
• can you still buy new Beanie Babies these days?
• have you ever done the unthinkable and operated on a Beanie Baby to see just what the beans look like?

Thanks, Leo, for the suggestion. That brought back memories here and I wonder what else my wife has hidden away in the house.

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

This is a regular Sunday morning post around here. You can read them all here.