In 1998, a single Beanie Baby sold for $10,000. On eBay, Beanie Babies comprised of 10% of all sales. Suburban moms stalked UPS trucks to get the latest models, a retired soap opera star lost his kid’s six figure college fund investing in them, a New Jersey father sold three million copies of a self-published price guide that predicted what each animal would be worth in ten years. And, those crazy stories go on and on. Next on Life Elsewhere we will talk with Zac Bissonnette about his new book The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute. This is the never-before-told story of mass hysteria and the speculators who made and lost fortunes. It’s also the story of a troubled and reclusive college dropout named Ty Warner who turned his dream into creating adorable plush toys into the largest personal fortune in the history of American toy making – without a single advertisement. Warner’s success left him more alone than ever and in trouble with the federal government. Beanie Babies became the first viral craze of the Internet era – Norman B will asks how and why, next on Life Elsewhere. 

Life Elsewhere airs Sundays, at 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  Mondays,  5.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio

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