The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute

By: Zac Bissonnette

Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

There has never been a craze like Beanie Babies. The $5 beanbag animals with names like Seaweed the Otter and Gigi the Poodle drove millions of Americans into a greed-fueled frenzy as they chased the rarest Beanie Babies, whose values escalated weekly in the late 1990s.

A single Beanie Baby sold for $10,000, and on eBay the animals comprised 10 percent of all sales. Suburban moms stalked UPS trucks to get the latest models, a retired soap opera star lost his kids' six-figure college funds investing in them, and a New Jersey father sold three million copies of a self-published price guide that predicted what each animal would be worth in 10 years. More than any other consumer good in history, Beanie Babies were carried to the height of success by a collective belief that their values would always rise.

Just as strange as the mass hysteria was the man behind it. From the day he started in the toy industry, after dropping out of college, Ty Warner devoted all his energy to creating what he hoped would be the most perfect stuffed animals the world had ever seen. Sometimes called the "Steve Jobs of plush" by his employees, he obsessed over every detail of every animal. He had no marketing budget and no connections, but he had something more valuable—an intuitive grasp of human psychology that would make him the richest man in the history of toys.

Through first-ever interviews with former Ty Inc. employees, Warner's sister, and the two ex-girlfriends who were by his side as he achieved the American dream, The Great Beanie Baby Bubble tells the inspiring yet tragic story of one of America's most enigmatic self-made tycoons. Best-selling author Zac Bissonnette uncovers Warner's highly original approach to product development, sales, and marketing that enabled the acquisition of plush animals to activate the same endorphins chased by stock speculators and gamblers.

©2015 Zac Bissonnette (P)2015 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Enlightening.... He writes fluently and has structured his tale artfully.... Most impressive of all, Mr. Bissonnette refuses to gratuitously trumpet his story as an emblematic critique of American culture, human folly or entrepreneurial greed—though of course it is all that and more." (The Wall Street Journal)

"Thanks to Bissonnette’s balanced and thorough reporting, the account of Ty Warner, founder of the Babies, becomes a portrait of a creator obsessed with perfection, making money in a business he loved, in a company built on his dreams." (Booklist)

"Bissonnette offers a crisp, investigative and presumably unauthorized biography of creator Ty Warner, 70, and a look at the rise of Beanie Babies and their swiftly ensuing three-year consumer craze.... A spicy portrait of a taciturn toy magnate made entertaining with sensationalistic testimonial." (Kirkus Reviews)

Dark story, sad life

Where does The Great Beanie Baby Bubble rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is in the lower half of my favourites, but the story is so different and dark I kept listening

What three words best describe P.J. Ochlan’s voice?

Robotic, monotone, suitable

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Dark story, sad life

Any additional comments?

Ty Warner's life is so sad and there is no redemption. Even going through the book, I knew there would be no happy endings for anyone. The narrator's voice was sort of Stephen Hawking like. But given the material, it seemed to fit the material

A truly fascinating account

As a pre-adolescent I discovered a Beanie Baby in a small gift shop in Old Town Spring, a cutesy old-timely town in suburban Houston, 15 min from where I grew up. My 11 yr old self was captivated, and pretty soon I discovered these guys were being collected. By the time the Beanie Baby craze really peaked I had aged out of it’s draw, but not before amassing a collection of about 50, replete with tag protectors.

My childhood Beanie collection has sat in my mother’s garage, in ziploc bags in a big Tupperware tote for about 20 years now. I have reflected on the craze often over the years, with great amusement and bewilderment. Zac Bissonette’s book was the perfect antidote to my deeply curious Beanie Baby obsession. His research was amazingly thorough, he shines light on every possible element of Ty Warner’s unhinged empire. Don’t be surprised if you find a random weird book of poetry about Beanie Babies written by me at some point. People are insane and inspiring in their insanity. Thank you, Zac for indulging my morbid fascination with Ty Warner and Beanie Babies. Highly recommend this book for anyone who was swept up in, or even just confused by, the Beanie Baby craze!

Very interesting story!

What did you like best about this story?

Great story about the persistence in following your passion (Ty Warner) and the downfall of his company lead by greed. However this is not your standard cautionary tale. The craze that swept the nation over little stuffed animals in mind boggling. The craze also coincided with the beginning of mainstream Internet and Ebay which makes the story even more compelling.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could not stop listening to this book. The Great Beanie Baby Bubble has all 3 attributes I look for in an audiobook - Great story/ well written / excellent narrator

Any additional comments?

Take a chance on this one. It's worth it.

A compelling narrative of an Economic Bubble

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would, it's a compelling story and strangely gripping.

What did you like best about this story?

The intensely gripping narrative, and the message it sends, if you are involved in a craze, if it's for tulips or beanie babies cash out asap? There is a reason they say "take the money and run"

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but it was very interesting.

Any additional comments?

After reading this story I of course checked out beanie babies on eBay and was shocked to find they are still being sold for prices of up $60. I think it's important to point out that there is still a market out there though it maybe very reduced ? I didn't look very hard to find out how common it was.

Loved it!

Thank you so much for the additional info about Ty and the beanies we all love. I still have my very large collection and am always filling in the gaps. I would love to connect with other collectors still collecting. I hope Leon and Sondra open the museum, I would certainly visit!

Loved it so much I bought the book so I could quietly read it in bed

This is not only a wonderful look at the bubble we all remember so well in the 90s it's also a look at the nature of bubbles in general. Ochlam does a wonderful job treating a subject which could so easily be taken to comedy as a study in economics and human nature. The narrator fit the tone perfectly, and it's the only audio book I've listened to multiple times.

King of Crushed Dreams

If, like me, you remember this craze well, I think you'll find this book fascinating, appalling, and a bit unnerving. If you're too young to recall the time, then consider it a cautionary tale.

Never a fan or collector, I do remember being shoved around in line at McDonald's during the frenzy for "teenie beanies". I was there for a fish sandwich and quickly gave up in the wake of shrieking people grabbing Happy Meals they would throw into trash bins outside the store.

So, what is the benefit of listening to this sad tale? Well, it does give whatever insight can be given into the brain and motives of a worthless, hollow billionaire. He's a freakish, intriguing case, but of more interest to me, at least, is the story of the "delusion" mentioned in the title. Beanie Babies may have been a particularly intense example of the boom/bust cycle, but the human psychology behind such phenomena remains forever with us.

Those of us not attracted to that particular plush toy (at least not in adulthood) can still recognize the all too human tendency to be swayed by salesmanship, media hype, mass hysteria and general greed. And to the lies and excuses we are prone to use in justifying rash behavior after we come to our senses. The fact that the one undeniable huge fortune accumulated during the Beanie Baby bubble was that of Ty Warner, a man so insensitive and lacking in gratitude or generosity, pretty much sums up the result of most of the not-infrequent financial bubbles in history. Few benefit, most lose, then we start all over again.

We shake our heads and laugh at the folly of the fans of Ty and his babies, but there's a lesson here for all of us! And it's a lesson interestingly presented and very well narrated. Listen and marvel!

Great analogical view of bubbles

Way easier to grasp than CDLs or tech bubble debacle from 2001. This is an interesting discussion not only of the beanie baby hysteria but also a bio of the man who created it

Unbelievably compelling tale of a plush empire

Of course, like all empires, it went bust. The characters in this plush to pauper story (for some of the characters at least) is incredibly eye opening. I was in my late teens and then twenties as this story unfolds, so remember the media attention Beanie Babies received. To see behind the curtain is quite a fun ride. An addictive listen.

Surprisingly engaging

Sucked me into the crazy world of not just Beanie Babies but Ty Warner's as well. I never knew how much went into plush toys.