Staying Kind to the Animals : 5,000 Beanie Babies Lovers Gather at Convention for Buying, Trading, Gawking

There are levels of madness when it comes to Beanie Babies.

There are die-hard collectors, folks who wait hours to pay big bucks for a bean-filled animal they will plunk into a clear plastic container and never, ever touch.

And there are the profit seekers, who know every detail about all 146 Beanie Baby models and who have stepped into the toy industry’s hottest phenomenon to make enough, they hope, to help pay their children’s college tuition.

On Saturday, they converged in a cavernous building at the Orange County Fairgrounds for the Beanie Fest Trade Show, one of dozens that have cropped up in Southern California in the past 18 months, since the craze of collecting the bean-filled toys became an international hobby.

Close to 5,000 buyers and more than 100 vendors swapped and hawked the pocket-sized stuffed animals that retail for $5 and have sold for up to $5,200 per.

Hard-core collectors were on a mission, scouring rows of tables for the rarest Beanie Babies of all. Rita Goodwin of Capistrano Beach had one--and she sold it for $4,600.

“It was one of only 400 ever made,” she said, noting that the bears were given to Ty Inc. employees for Christmas one year. “I mean, what do you expect?”

Among the hottest, hard-to-find treasures were complete collections of the Teenie Beanie Babies that are distributed exclusively with McDonald’s Happy Meals. The giveaway has boosted sales more than any other promotion in McDonald’s history, and on Saturday, full sets of the 1997 collection went for $250 to $300.

Joyce Rosenberg of Woodland Hills showed off several complete sets, including all 12 from this year’s Happy Meals, each in its original wrapper.

Many shoppers did little more than gawk at the little stuffed animals. Ramona Evans, 44, of Corona, stood frozen in front of one display, where a green bear perched on a pedestal behind glass.

“It’s Jade Teddy,” Evans said. “You see Magenta Teddy, Teal Teddy, even Violet Teddy. But Jade Teddy, now that is really something.”

A price tag of $2,800 dangled from the toy’s plush, jade ear.

Kim Barlow of Costa Mesa, a collector who organized the event, said the dolls’ cuteness sparked widespread appeal, but the decision by manufacturer Ty Inc. of Illinois to discontinue certain Beanie Babies quickly increased their value. More than $20,000 in sales were recorded at a Beanie Baby show in Van Nuys last week, she said.

“I kept thinking the madness would have to die down eventually,” said Barlow, 40. “But it just keeps multiplying.”

Proof of that was everywhere, from the elderly couple wearing matching “I Dream of Beanies” shirts to the young man from San Diego who, for $5 apiece, engraved personal Beanie Baby name tags. For the Princess Bear, a purple Beanie made in honor of the late Princess Diana, sparkling crowns were sold for $24.99.

“Now that’s a little much,” Joan Renaldo said of the crowns. Clutching a bag filled with three new Beanie Babies, purchases that totaled $400, she laughed. “Like I’m one to talk, huh?”

Another embarrassed shopper from San Dimas bought a discontinued Manny the Manatee for $150, bypassing a $75 one because it was not in mint condition.

“It had a teeny tiny fold in the tag,” she said.

She blushed. “Oh Lord, I’m so ashamed.”