==January 31,2000==
Children's favourite, Lego, has been named the Toy of the Century.
Monopoly - the pastime for aspiring capitalists - was named Game of Century.
And the yo-yo rose to victory in the Craze of the Century category.
Go here to read the article.
~*~
Ty Inc.^® Copyrights
Take a look at the copyrights registered by Ty Inc.^®. This list, while not a complete record, shows many of the individual styles copyrighted by Ty Inc. Click here for link to copyright list.
Story Source: http://www.beanbagworld.net/
~*~
There have been rumors that the new beanies will be announced tomorrow. While this is just a rumor, there are MANY people that would like this to become a reality.
~*~
BYE-BYE TO SWEETHEART & INCH BUDDIES
After much speculation of the retirement dates, Ty.com has made if official. You can view the retirements of Inch and Schweetheart.

==January 30, 2000==
JUMBO PEACE BUDDY (bigger than your toilet!):
http://www.beaniemom.com/jumbopeace.jpg
Thanks to Kim for providing this link
~*~
For all Beanie Baby Lovers
The new Beanies, I've been tentatively been told, should be in UK stores sometime between the third week in April and the 1st week in May. No exact date is as yet decided. There is a TY rep meeting on Saturday morning before the Birmingham trade show. Details from this should become available during or just after the show. There are as far as I'm aware to be no major name or hang tag changes. (Still to be called Beanie Babies).
Story Source: Beanie Wonderland.com

==January 29, 2000==
Beanie Kids™ Graphic Has Moved
The "Coming Soon" Beanie Kids™ button on the Ty.com website has been moved. It was in the 5th position now it's in the 1st position. Maybe this means Ty plans on making some kid of announcement about Beanie Kids™ in the near future..
~*~
Rare Kids
Reports have been coming in that suggest the Beanie Kids are going to be a one off and that they are all going to be retired once the trade shows have finished. One Ty rep I know of has also stated that they will only be available to order at the trade shows. It must be remembered that the same rumor was circulating about the summer trio last year. However, if this is the case, then they are going to become very much sought after ( similar report at Smartcollecting ). I would not be surprised if this was the case as I cannot see how Ty Inc. would manage to keep up the demand for Ty products once the Beanie Babies hit the shelves again. The Ty range is already extensive with many new Buddies in various sizes and you have to wonder how Ty will cope with the demand. Beanie Wonderland also states that Beanie Babies might be making an appearance in a few weeks.
Story Source: Beanie Wonderland.com
~*~
TAG CONFUSION
Sara and Darcy in Minnesota sent us this scan of the tag that is attached to their Lamybaby for the Baby Ty collection.  As you can see on the left hand side it says, "The Pillow Pals Collection."  Another Smart Collecting member wrote in stating, "Just a note to let you know that I have purchased all 6 of the new TY Babies and all 6 have "The Pillow Pals Collection" on the inside of the swing tag. They were purchased from 2 different retailers in Indiana a week apart."  
Story Source: SmartCollecting.com


==January 28, 2000==
Second Death Related to Burger King's Pokemon Toy Shows Consumers are Unaware of Product Recalls or Ignore Them (BusinessWire)
As a second recall alert was issued today on a Burger King Pokemon toy due to the suffocation death of another child, it is becoming clear that consumers continue to either be unaware of dangerous product recalls or, worse yet, simply ignore the warnings and the recommended corrective action plans.
For the full story, go to:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000127/md_registr_1.html
~*~
McDonald's Ends Hello Kitty Sales
SINGAPORE (AP) - The violent scramble for Hello Kitty toys that broke out at McDonald's restaurants across Singapore on Thursday led the fast food giant to rethink a promotion involving the outrageously popular feline.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000127/wl/singapore_hello_kitty_1.html
~*~
Jumbo Peace Hits eBay
A collector reports a Jumbo Peace Beanie Buddy has hit a candy store near Elk Grove, Illinois. This Peace is up for sale at http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem=247538210 
Where it is reported to be 48" tall. It is shipped in an individual box nearly 3' by 3', Peggy says the Jumbo Peace Beanie Buddy is nearly twice as big as the X-Large. Watch for Jumbo Peace at a Ty authorized dealer near you!

==January 27, 2000==
HOW BIG IS BIG?
Check out our news page for a great photo of the Extra Large Peace Bear being held by a preschooler, who is 421/2" tall. The Extra Large Peace is very pastel in color compared to the normal size Buddy, which has more vibrant colors. To see and hold one of these larger Buddies is truly an exciting experience! You just don't want to let go!
http://www.smartcollecting.com/news/beanbagnews.htm 
Story Source: SmartCollecting.com
~*~
CUSTOM DECORATED HALO SELLS FOR $264!
A very exquisite custom decorated and dyed Halo sold on Collecting Nation for $264 yesterday.  The bear was had been dyed rose pink and jeweled with crystal rhinestones! There were 17 bids in this 5-day auction!
http://www.collectingnation.com/auction/1452000/item_1452883.shtml/asc"
Story Source: SmartCollecting.com
~*~
More Details on Chicago Cubs Peace Beanie Buddy Promotion The Chicago Cubs will be hosting the first-ever Peace™ Beanie Buddy™ promotion at the Sunday, April 30 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The first 12,000 fans 13 and under will receive a Peace Buddy and a commemorative card. "We have kept our relationship with Ty® very alive," said John McDonough, vice president of marketing and broadcasting. "The last seven Ty promotions have been a huge success, we are really looking forward this one." The Cubs' choose the Beanie Buddy because they are highly visible and generate great interest. "We think the Buddy is a wonderful fit with our fans," said McDonough. "We expect the game to be a sell-out." Because of the great success of the Ty promotions, the 2000 Cubs' season will include familiar toy favorites including Pez and Furby promotions. Tickets for Cub games go on sale Friday, February 18. Group tickets can be ordered by mail only starting February 11. For more information, visit www.cubs.com.
Story Source: http://www.beanbagworld.net/


==January 26, 2000==
THE UNDERGROUND BEAN CONTACTED BY TY
As of right now The Underground Bean Greeting Card service is gone! All the beanie babies (oh boy, we are going to be contacted again for using their word too) in our graphics are gone, in fact all the Ty products in our graphics are gone (the pics that you see below are used under the Fair Use Act that allows such posting for news reporting, educational purposes and the like).  We will be loading new graphics in a short time!  After 2+ years worth of work on our graphics ... free and those used on our site for holidays and special events, we have been told to remove them and the card service because it also uses the Ty products in those cards.   If you missed the letter we received from Ty litigation counsel, you can read it here.
The card service will be back online as soon as we complete the new graphics so all of you that have used it - don't panic, it will be back soon. We would like to thank all of you that have sent us email with regards to this letter and all of you that have shown your support, we appreciate it all.
Story Source: The Underground Bean


==January 25, 2000==
THE SAD TRUTH ABOUT TYRA
When Tyra the cheerleader attic treasure was announced on August 31st, it was a bear many collectors immediately put on their "wish list."  Her cheerleading dress with the Ty logo and the red pompom sewn to her hands made her too adorable to pass up. But poor Tyra, she was quickly retired, stripped of her pompoms and bow, and her dress was replaced with a green shamrock sweater.  She is now a He named Blarney! Dean explains,  "On one of Blarney's hands is a red string coming out (where the pompom used to be) and another thread coming out of his left ear (where the bow use to be)." What an awful thing to happen to such a pretty little girl! Pictures are available at SmartCollecting.com.
Story Source: SmartCollecting.com
~*~
Autographed The End Bear Card Sells for $910
An Autographed The End Bear Card sold on eBay yesterday for $910.  It was number 008/400 and it came with the printer's plate for the yellow tones. There were just two bids in this seven day auction Go to auction
Story Source: SmartCollecting.com
~*~
Silver Digger Sells for $416.17
A silver Digger Card from Series III sold for $416.17 on eBay on January 15th.  Instead of the gold numbers often found on the back of chase cards, this card had silver numbers.  We have confirmed with the seller that the auction did result in this sale.  The seller commented that she was "shocked and amazed" at the final auction price. (For comparison sake, an autographed Gold rover card from Series 4 just sold for $402!) Go to auction
Story Source: SmartCollecting.com
~*~
Info Beanie Still MIA
I just checked Ty.com and the Info Beanie is still missing in action!! 

==January 24, 2000==
Sally Winey and Cascade Toy join hands !
Renowned teddy bear artist Sally Winey and her company Winey Bears has entered into a long-term licensing agreement with Cascade Toy of North Bend, Washington. Cascade Toy, well known for it’s unique puppet collection and realistic wildlife line of stuffed animals, will be adding teddy bears to their line for the first time.

Sally Winey, in her 17 years of making handmade collectible bears, has done design work for many of the leading plush companies. The agreement with Cascade Toy will make her designs exclusive to Cascade with the exception of her handmade "artist" bears which she will continue to make from her Morgantown, PA studio.

Dave Perry, President of Cascade Toy has said this in regard to the agreement, "Cascade Toy has waited to enter the Teddy Bear market until we had a strong reason to do so.  As a maker of realistic wildlife plush and puppets, we wanted to have more than just cute generic bears like so many other manufacturers.

    We are anxious to roll out of first introductions of  The Winey Bear Collection by Cascade Toy."

The initial offering of The Winey Bear Collection by Cascade Toy, will be 9 styles  with more to be added soon.  High quality Mohair/acrylic along with deluxe synthetic materials will be used  in handcrafting each bear with the unmistakable "Winey Bear" look. The first availability of these new bears will be mid-April, with new releases scheduled for the summer, fall and winter.

You can view pictures of the new bears at Handcrafted Beauties.
Story Source: Handcrafted Beanies


==January 23, 2000==
Ty® Bans Beanie Kids Photos!
In her weekly column in the Chicago Sun-Times, Mary Beth Sobolewski answers questions concerning the photos of Beanie Kids™, Series V BBOC Cards™, Halo™ in pink and states that Ty® Inc. is a private company ranked Number 133 in Forbes Top Private Companies. http://www.suntimes.com/output/beanie/bean23.html  
Story Source: http://www.beanbagworld.net/
~*~
Clubby II Beanie Baby is now listed as retired at Ty.com. I don't recall seeing an announcement from Ty with a retirement date.
~*~
HolyBears Introduces Agape™The Love Bear™
HolyBears, Inc. introduces Agape™, The Love Bear, the latest religious creation from HolyBears, inspiring interest and enthusiasm in church teachings. This would make a great gift for that special someone for Valentine's Day or any day you want to give a gift from the heart. You can read the story of St. Valentine at  http://www.holybears.com/village/valentine.html
~*~
It looks like most people are now realizing the Light Blue Peanut Buddy isn't as rare as they thought. I've seen numerous reports of this buddy showing up all over the country. I've always believed patience pays off. If you can't wait you might want to check out the auction sites. I searched on ebay for Light Blue Peanut Buddy and found prices ranging from $20 to around $99.


==January 21, 2000==
LIGHT BLUE PEANUT BUDDY IS NOT RARE
This was posted on the Ty Cyberboard:

Star0lyght writes:

  I talked to the manager of one of my favorite stores. They said their TY Rep had told them they had just changed the
  color and to tell people they were in the process of updating the page that the picture of the Light Blue one would be on
  soon. They are telling people it is NOT rare. That would probably be supported by the over 1000 on various auction
  sites I have seen tonight and the 500 plus I have seen posted on various trade boards. Please don't pay 200 for a 10
  buddie that will be sitting as soon as the Bear buddies arrive. Talk to your dealer, they will tell you.
~*~
InfoBeanie is MIA
The InfoBeanie (Jumbo Peace™) has taken a brief leave of absence from the Ty® site -- no word yet on when it will return.
This is the last message left by Jumbo Peace™ January 19 and no word since:
Hi everyone, Jumbo Peace here! Our friends at Ty asked me to let you know the Info Beanie will be back shortly. In the meantime, please nose around our new web site! It's so cool! Have you registered for a TyFolio yet? I'm going to do that right away! Keep in mind as with any new site, there may be a few technical difficulties, so please "bear" with us!

Jumbo Hugs!

JP
~*~
ANOTHER RUMOR?!
It was rumored there may be a new Kuku buddy. This new buddy has a blue crest instead of a pink one like the beanie. Keep checking your favorite Ty retailers for this and other unannounced surprises.
~*~
OSITO BUDDY - USA EXCLUSIVE
According to Ty.com, Osito will be exclusive to the USA. 

==January 20, 2000=
TY.com HAS A NEW LOOK
The new look is VERY nice. It looks like someone has put a lot of thought and work into the new design. I think it looks much better and more professional than the old site did. See for yourself at http://www.ty.com 
~*~
Chicago Cubs to Give Away Peace Beanie Buddy
The Chicago Sun-Times Daily Southtown news incorrectly identified the Ty promotional item as a Beanie Baby. The April 30 Ty Promotion will be a Ty® Peace Beanie Buddy.
http://www.chicagocubs.com/season/press/2000/011800promos.htm 
~*~
Blood Bank Shortages - Try Beanie Babies
David Waters of the Nando Times suggests "If blood donors got free Beanie Babies, the blood banks would have a surplus, not a shortage of blood. If Beanie Babies required blood transfusions, donors would be lining up at the blood bank."
http://www.nando.net/noframes/story/0,2107,500156624-500194221-500843509-0,00.html 
~*~
Joe Montana Keeping Busy
Montana has distanced himself from the S.F. 49ers since the trade to Kansas City in 1993, however most connect him to the 49ers. As he was leaving a sushi bar in Silicone Valley, a waitress pulled out a Joe Montana bean bag toy (incorrectly identified as a Beanie Baby in the article) complete with a full 49ers uniform. ''Yeah, they sent me some,'' Montana said, embarrassed by the concept. ''I don't know what to do with them.''
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20000119/1856389s.htm  


==January 19, 2000==
1st BEANIE SPORTS PROMO for 2000 is the Chicago Cubs on April 30 against Arizona.
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dssports/pro/194sd2.htm  
~*~
LIGHT BLUE PEANUT AUCTIONS
Check out the following links for "In Hand" auctions for the newest Lt. Blue Peanut Beanie Buddy.
http://woma.ebay.com/search/search.dll?MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&query=light+blue+peanut+buddy+hand 
Pictures can be found at the above auctions as well as pictures sent to Bean Bag World by HJ in Wisconsin and Gary aka Mule NE below:
http://www.beanbagworld.net/images/news/lbpeanutbud.jpg  
http://www.beanbagworld.net/images/news/lbpeanutbud2.jpg 
One last note is that Gary states the eyes on his light blue Peanut are gray compared to the black eyes on the royal blue Peanut. From my own view, perhaps a dark gray that may even be because of the reflection of the lighter material.  Also note that the eyes on Flippity and Dotty look gray until you shine a light on them or twist them a certain way then they change to a orangish/red.
~*~
SOUTH POLE BRITANNIA FOR SALE
The Britannia which traveled with Catherine Hartley in her expedition to the South Pole is up for bid at
http://sothebys.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y03X0149123X0353964/qid%3D948302350/058-4644594-0075033

==January 18, 2000==
PASTEL PEACE BUDDIES?!
From Bean Bag World.net - Hermalatta says: Hello all, just went to the WA gift show and Ty had a glorious booth.  I was immediately drawn to the Jumbo Peace (very nice!) and noticed that the regular Peace buddy is definitely different then the ones shipped thus far. They are all pastel (Jumbo, XL, L and reg. sized). I asked the rep. if these were just hand selected to complement one another and he said NO, they have re-released the Peace buddy in pastel. SO hang on the those ugly brown, peach and oranges because they are no more! The newbies resemble Birthday bear's color and are very very pretty!
~*~
ANOTHER TY LAWSUIT
Ty Inc. has taken BargainBeanies.com to federal court in Chicago over the use of "Beanies" in a domain name.  BargainBeanies has hired the services of a trademark lawyer, Joan Norek to defend them in the lawsuit.  They also have plans to raise legal defense funds though the sales of new line of bean bag toys called "Cry Babies". We want to wish Ruth Perryman the best!!


==January 17, 2000== 
PLANET BEANS REOPENS: The Planet Beans website was shut down for a few days. Robin, the creator of this great website has appointed me as the new Webmaster. She has a LOT of things going on in her life and isn't able to put in the time and energy required to run Planet Beans. My name is Lisa, my Yahoo! Beanie Club friends know me as GotBeans. I hope you will visit often as I will try to keep this site updated often to offer you the  most current and complete Beanie Baby info available.
~*~
LIGHT BLUE PEANUT BUDDY?!
From The Underground Bean -

I haven't seen this reported anywhere as of yet and thought I would tell you first as I always seem to get the best info from your site. I purchased a Light Blue Peanut Buddy today from my local Hallmark. It came in with the new buddies that have been reported as shipping in the past few days (i.e. Congo, Dotty, Flip, Zip, etc.). It is the same color as the new bunny buddy Flippity, has the same info on the hang tag for Peanut, but is one of the new style hang tags with the multicolored star. I couldn't believe my eyes. Everyone keep your eyes open for this one.

Well it looks like Ty didn't disclose ALL the new buddies or is this a Peanut version of the Wingless Quackers Buddy?  Stay on the look out for this buddy folks, it could be one that will become a great collectible.