Shortage of Coveted Beanie Baby Toy Causes Brouhaha at Ventura Store

It started with a simple announcement taped to the door: The new shipment of Beanie Babies--including the coveted Princess Bear--would be in on Monday.

It ended with a ruckus that drew three squad cars, rattling shoppers who had stood in line since 4 a.m. and upsetting toddlers who had been hoping for a doll instead of a donnybrook.

When College Care Pharmacy opened its doors this morning, nearly 100 people surged in, some trying to shove their way to the front of a line that had started forming before dawn.

For five hours, things had been tranquil. People sat in beach chairs and chatted. Some ate doughnuts. The aim, after all, was not to bash heads but to purchase Princess Bear, a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Deep purple with a white rose over its heart, Princess Bear looks nothing like the late Diana. It’s cut from the same cloth as the other incredibly popular Beanie Bears--limited-edition $6.50 toys whose value in some cases has quickly soared into the hundreds of dollars.

The scene turned ugly when word spread that Princess and another beanbag collectible--kelly-green Erin Bear--were selling out. The store only had 12 of each.

One woman lost her temper, incensed that she was too far back to get her hands on what she’d come for. She began shouting obscenities at the children in line. She reduced some to tears, witnesses said, then threatened to beat up their parents.

Employees called police, who sped to the scene and ordered the unidentified middle-aged woman to leave.

“She was loud and profane and scared the little children,” Officer Jeff Killion said. “It should be a crime but it’s not.”

Lisa Flores, 29, of Ventura seconded that opinion.

“When the woman realized she wasn’t going to get what she wanted, she went ballistic,” said Flores, who clutched an Erin doll she had bought for her daughter, Alison, 8. “She was yelling at the kids who were crying, ‘Shut up, you stupid brats!’ ”

Although Flores and others said they purchased the toys for their children, many in line saw the Beanie Babies not as cute toys so much as good investments.

Bob Brill, who stood in front of the store brandishing a fan of $20 bills, was one.

As customers filed out of the store, Brill offered to buy their prized Beanie Babies.

The going street price: $50 for a $6.50 Erin with its Ty Inc. tag in mint condition.

Brill, who owns KC Kings Sportscards, offers the same toy at his store for $150. Both Erin and Princess toys can sell for as much as $300, he said.

Prices are driven up after rumors circulate--usually over the Internet--about the coming retirement of a certain Beanie Baby, Brill said.

The Princess Bear is in high demand not only because of the worldwide love affair with the dead princess but also because of rumors that copyright problems will result in the toy’s being pulled from store shelves.

Last week, a Princess Bear sold in an auction at Leslie’s Hallmark in Ventura for $500, store manager Cheryl Baudizzon said. The money will go to Make-A-Wish Foundation, a national organization that helps those with terminal illnesses.

When Baudizzon receives a shipment of the soft toys, she no longer has customers line up for them. She said that stopped after customers became too rowdy.

Now she sells the toys in a raffle. However, if it were up to her, she wouldn’t sell them at all. She’s troubled by the 40 to 50 daily calls from customers eager for a new shipment.

“It’s gotten way out of hand,” Baudizzon said.

“This is not about mothers and their kids. This is about collectors wanting to make a buck. Even some retailers are hiking the prices to $14.95 for each doll. This started out as something cute and turned into nothing but pure greed.”