Collect Them Because You Love Them
Written: Feb 28 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Attachment, sharing, learning how to be responsible.
Cons: Large collections will cost money, will need more storage spaces or containers.
The Bottom Line: If you are interested in a soft small toy that could be fun to play with and collect, get the Ty Beanies.
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| doehlberg's Full Review: Beanie Babies |
I'm prejudiced; I LOVE beanie babies. I will mention only the Ty beanies in this Epinion, as all kinds of brands of what I call beanies exist. Just in case someone has been in the dark all of this time, a beanie is a small stuffed animal (although I've seen the newer dolls like this) filled with beans. It doesn't necessarily sound appealing, until you see the colors and names given to the Ty beanies. Once upon a time, beanies were also seen as a hot collectible to save and to sell at the right time.
We never sold our beanies. We started with the mini-beanies found in the McDonald's Happy Meals, which led to the desire to collect all kinds and sizes. My daughter has gotten them several ways. One way is by saving her allowance. Another way is by trading other preteen items in her room that her cousin wanted in exchange for the beanies her cousin owned. Also, she received them as presents. She has purchased from a yard sale once (brand new Ty beanies for $3 each, figured we were buying from a dealer selling out), and from mall sales and various stores carrying these.
I recommend that if you don't want the beanies to get out of hand, as there are tons of them, you might want to specialize your collection. We did not do this. For instance, collecting all bears would have greatly decreased the collection size, but given the collection a different meaning. Second, we store the beanies in large see-through plastic boxes. We try not to put too many in each box, as the weight after a while could possibly destroy them.
We have been "tagging" our beanies, putting the plastic heart covers over the tags, just in case we did decide to sell or trade later on. Some stores sell individual plastic showcase type boxes for beanies for under $2. These are nice to use if you want to display a favorite one or themed one in the room. I have my praying bear in one of these.
I have heard of programs looking for stuffed bears in general for hospitals and the police force who come in contact with frightened children. I think it is a very charitable thing to do to give the beanies away every once in a while. I would rather see that than see the beanies rot away and not be used. So, that is what we will do when our collection gets too out of hand or my daughter outgrows them.
I also think that with the falling prices, it doesn't hurt to cut the tag off of one and allow a toddler past the mouthing stage to have one. These beanies are so cuddly! I'm an adult, and get excited holding one. Yes, I know I need a life! But, when I was little, I had a stuffed dog that I had to sleep with every night named Pinky. It did have pink fur, but my mom said that I ate all of the fur off of it. So, it was a bald and stinky dog, but I loved it. It helped keep my bad nightmares away.
I think that a Ty beanie can even be an apppropriate gift to the right adult. For instance, my father is a cattleman. If I see a Ty cow beanie, I'll get one for him as part of a bigger gift. He does have several soft cow collectibles on his couch that the grandchildren can hold when they come see him. If someone is sick in the hospital, scared of results, I think an angel bear beanie would be appropriate. You haven't blown a budget; and you've passed on the love.
Have a Blessed Day!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
doehlberg
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Member: Debra Oehlberg
Location: SC
Reviews written: 51
Trusted by: 39 members
About Me:
Baptist, refunder, couponer, sweeper, teacher
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