March 2001 News

==March 31, 2001==
TOPICA SENT 2 NEWSLETTERS TODAY
Yesterday I accidentally hit send twice as my connection was slow so you may have received 2 yesterday. Today.. I hit it ONCE so this is a Topica error.

MARKET WATCH HAS BEEN UPDATED
MarketWatch this week to include a Beanie Spotlight of Kaleidoscope with 15 PICTURES of every piece of fabric on its body along with descriptions of colors and where each piece is located! Now on MarketWatch... Beanie Spotlight: Kaleidoscope, with 15 detailed pics! Beanie Babies: Nipponia Beanie Buddies: Extra Large Ears Beanie Kids: Angel
Regards, Kody Looper
BeanKid's NEWSCenter www.beankid.net

From: Ms. Janie
Just a quick heads-up - The fun is not over with yet! The Info. Beanie leaves more hints about this weekend. Friday March 30, 2001 9:07 p.m. Have you voted yet? Make sure you do it right away if you haven't already. There are only about 15 hours left to vote! It looks like Prince is way ahead now but anything can happen. Golly, I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight with all of the exciting things happening around here! It's not even the weekend yet either! I think this is going to be the best weekend ever! I'm going to read a little before I go to bed. I hope that will help me to go to sleep. Maybe I should have some warm milk too. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night! http://www.ty.com/infobeanie/lastpage/

Minneapolis man's Rubba Ducks could be next Beanie Babies
From: Ms. Janie
Mark Boldt didn't set out to create the next toy collecting craze. But judging by the reception his Rubba Ducks received at last month's Toy Fair 2001 in New York City and the orders for hundreds of thousands of the personified, 4½-inch-tall rubber icons, he just might have done that. "Rubba Ducks was the talk of the Toy Fair," said Lee Schneider, president of Commonwealth Toy and Novelty Co., which is distributing the ducks. "We believe it's going to be the greatest thing since ... Beanie Babies." The ducks are debuting today, when 15,000 SlamDucks (orange, dimpled ducks resembling a basketball) will be given away to those attending the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Final Four basketball games at the Metrodome. SlamDuck and 11 other uniquely designed ducks, retailing for about $6 each, will reach Toys "R" Us stores and specialty retailers next week. The batch includes Sitting, who's painted like a bull's-eye and is always in the wrong place. And there's P.King, their crowned leader. Since Boldt hatched the idea for the ducks three years ago with his then-4-year-old daughter, Savannah, he has come to realize that many people of all ages just love rubber ducks. http://www2.startribune.com/stOnLine/cgi-bin/article?thisStory=83892139

Ty Looses Out
From: Bean eWonderland
The Lanesborough hotel in London, where suites cost up to £4,500 a night, looks set to be sold to Simon Halabi. Mr Halabi’s investment vehicle, preferred bidder status ahead of high net worth individuals such as Ty Warner, the Beanie Babies billionaire. Full Story:

'E' In eBay Might Stand For Expansion
From: Bean eWonderland
And then there was one. In the year of the Internet meltdown, eBay has emerged not only as a survivor but as the Microsoft of online auction services. The company, which built its reputation as a virtual swap meet for Beanie Babies and Britney Spears collectibles, has embarked on an audacious path to meet CEO Meg Whitman's goal of $3 billion in revenue by 2005. Full Story:

NEW CONTEST STARTS TOMORROW...
Check the contest page for a sneak peek of the graphic for the new contest.

BEANIE ZOO HAS NEW MESSAGE BOARD
From: Nathan
I just wanted to let you know that my site The Beanie Zoo has just launched a new interactive Message Board. I'd love it if you'd share with your readers about this great new place to chat about all the Beanie happenings. http://pub57.ezboard.com/bthebeaniezoo

==LAST DAY TO ENTER THE CORAL CONTEST!!==
Looks like we will pass 5,000 entries!! :o)

====VERY IMPORTANT!!====
The PlanetBeans2@yahoo.com mailbox is 99% full. The entries from today will put it over the top and I'm not sure what will happen with the entries once the 100% capacity is reached. For today.. please send your entries to planetbeans@yahoo.com. I will combine the entries at contests end. Thank you!!

	*5,070 entries-to-date* WIN CORAL CONTEST WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED...
	WIN CORAL CONTEST #31 (yesterday's question) During Andrea's "Canada" contest.. what did Elizabeth Pritchard win? ANSWER ~ Shamrock BONUS: On the Planet Beans Contest Winners Archive page you will find this answer: What entry number did Andrea pick as the winning entry for the "Win Germania" Contest? ANSWER: 13

==March 30, 2001==
IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT SAKURA BEANIE BABIES
From: The Shoppes - I Luv Collectibles
We, at I Luv Collectibles.com, have decided to stop selling Ty Beanie Babies Sakura until further notice. In the last few days, too much controversial information has come to our attention from various news sites about the authenticity of the Sakura's that are available in the marketplace. To protect our valued customers, and until we have complete information in from authenticators on what determines a "fake" or "authentic" Sakura, no Sakura's will be sold on our site. We feel it is better to be safe and cautious than sorry later.

At this time we are sending our complete stock of Sakura Beanie Babies out to be authenticated. Once our stock has been authenticated, and only then, will we continue to sell Sakura Beanies.

Sakura is a beautiful, very popular retired Beanie Baby that is a Japan Exclusive Beanie. It is not available to retailers in the United States. All Sakura Beanies that are acquired in the United States have to be purchased from secondary market sources. It is very sad that there may be someone manufacturing "fakes" of this beanie in mass quantities to try to fool dedicated Beanie collectors. We want no part of this fraudulent practice. We have never pulled a Beanie off the site before, but we feel very strongly that our customers only deserve 100% Authentic product from us. We stand behind our solid reputation for protecting our customers interest. We apologize to any of our customers that may want to purchase Sakura from us but it will be worth the wait until all information is complete on what determines a fake from authentic on Sakura Beanies. IF you do purchase Sakura Beanies from another source, make sure you have your Sakura authenticated from a licensed Ty Beanie authenticator to protect your investment.

IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL Sakura's purchased from us to date have been 100% Authentic Ty Beanie Baby Sakura's. None of our customers need to worry!

Please note this does not apply to Sakura Buddy. There has been no problem with authenticity of this Buddy to date.

Best regards,
Mary Rena Milazzo
The Shoppes - I Luv Collectibles
www.iLuvCollectibles.com

==BUDDIES==
Ariel the Bear I Hornsly the Triceratops I Baldy the Eagle I Cassie the Collie I India the Tiger I Inky the Octopus I Trumpet the Elephant

==ATTICS==
Mom the Bear I Socrates the Owl

Beanies On TV
From: Bean eWonderland
On last night's episode of the TV show "The Job" on ABC, the main character (a police officer) had to remember to pick up Butch and Iggy for his wife. He sent 2 young officers out on the errand. They thought they would be picking up suspects or informants, but it turns out to be beanie babies!! The funny thing is that the store owner said that they are very rare and that they were the last ones in the Tri-state area. The officers handed over more than $40 for the two beanies. One of the officers was also playing with India on the counter. Just another example of how far beanie babies have made their way into our lives and culture. Brian Mohs Wisconsin (Thanks Brian)

If nothing else, the Cubs lead the league in Beanie days. This will be their 10th in five years. The nine previous have been sellouts. The collectible won't hit retail outlets until about a month later (although it might show up on some Internet site about six pitches into the game; inspired parents may choose to rent out their children for the day).
"This is where baseball and Beanie Babies were born," Cubs vice president of marketing and broadcasting John McDonough said of the Wrigley promotion. "We anticipate the collectors market will be out in full force."
News Source - http://www.suntimes.com/output/quickhits/1hit29.html

VERY HOT BEANIE NEWS!
From: Andrea's Attic
In from my Aunt, the Ty retailer...
She met with her Ty rep yesterday. She showed me the sign they gave her for the “People’s Beanie” for April 1st. What it is: People are able to log on to the Ty website and until April 4th design a Beanie Baby bear. There will be swatches of fabric and all online for you to chose from. Then, after the 4th, the Ty company will pick two finalists. The pictures of the bears they created will be posted in all the Ty retailers shops. THEN, we get to vote again for the one we like best. That will be the new Beanie!

MORE HOT BEANIE NEWS
From: Andrea's Attic
A new batch of Beanies is being introduced sometime within the next 3 weeks. That is why there have been so many retirements! And just when I thought I had finally purchased all the Beanies out there....Ty has to go and do this! LOL!

From: Ms. Janie
Keep a close eye on the Ty site or your e-mail box the next couple of days. The Info. Beanie is once again dropping more hints about retirements! Good morning! Ever since I realized that Prince or Hornsly could retire between now and Saturday, I've been so excited! If they were both retired, that would mean that Cassie would be in the lead followed by Tricks. Gosh, this weekend just keeps getting better and better! http://www.ty.com/infobeanie/lastpage/

BEANIE BABY IN YEAR 3000 TIME CAPSULE
From: Ms. Janie
Hundreds of items sealed in capsule to be opened in 3000, included are a unicorn Beanie Baby. Now, it's sealed. Not for a year. Not for a decade. Not for a century. But for a millennium _ a thousand years. Sealed until 3000. A 2-ton stainless steel time capsule, built for The New York Times newspaper, was stuffed with artifacts Wednesday in a ceremony here. The configuration is designed in eight geometric forms. It contains books, objects from a typical suburban American town, foreign items, internet material and a baseball. A.R.T. Research Enterprises _ a local business which produced the capsule for the nationally and internationally read New York City newspaper _ built it at a cost of $60,000 in three months as a millennium project. "This is one of our most impressive projects," said Becky Ault, one of the owners of the business. For several months, the time capsule was on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Then, it returned to the East Hempfield Township plant at 3050 Industry Drive. Now full of artifacts that tell about our world, the time capusle will go back to the museum in April. If all goes right, it will be opened in 1,000 years. People will see what their ancient, long-gone ancestors _ us _ thought was important to preserve for posterity. The time capsule has hundreds of objects, including: A purple heart medal from a Vietman veteran, a unicorn Beanie Baby, a cellular telephone, a friendship bracelet and dog tags. http://www.lancasteronline.com/newera_news/capsulek.htm

HAVE A HEART AND HELP THE HOMELESS CHILDREN
Granny Annie here. The Easter project is on! I didn't think I would be able to do it this year because of health and other issues but Dee Reynolds (oldaladee) from Ricks club has offered to do the assembly and distribution. This year the baskets will go to needy kids in MN, not FL but it really doesn't matter where they go. It's the thought of making a child smile at Easter that really matters.

We don't need beanies this year, my SIL donated 40+ and Dee has the rest she has saved for this project but we do need donations for other items. Can you place the URL in your newsletter and help us get the word out? We are on a really tight time frame right now, Dee has to have the baskets to the donation center by April 11th. I didn't think this was going to happen at all this year but Dee came forward and volunteered! God Bless Dee Reynolds!!!!!!

Fake Sakura
From: Bean eWonderland
If your thinking of purchasing a Sakura Beanie baby or maybe you have purchased one from a secondary dealer than you might want to check it. PBbags have some disturbing news on high quality fake Sakura beanies that is well worth a read. Visit Here:

A little suggestion for the "Easter Bunny" this year.
Traci shares the following:
We don't hear a lot about the TY Classic line. If you want something really great to stuff in the baskets I suggest Gumdrop and Sugarplum. The colors are definitely Easter colors and are so cuddly. I have both of them for myself and my Son told me he wished the Easter Bunny would bring him Gumdrop. Also April and May the Attic Treasures. So cute. I have them too. And Baby Ty. Any of them. Perfect for toddlers. Just thought I would share that with you. Have a Great Beanie Day.

Snakes & Ladders Contest Reminder
Heather of The Daily Bean shares the following:
ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER: Don't forget to sign up for the Snakes and Ladders Contest! There are going to be some GREAT prizes given away!!
1st Place - Nipponia, Chinook, Germania
2nd Place - Set of March 2001 Beanies! (not including Issy)
3rd Place - Set of January 2001 Beanie Kids Rules & Details - http://www.heatherlea.com/contests/snakesnladders.htm

Closet Collector
Heather of The Daily Bean shares the following:
I just received the "Closet Collectors" journal entry from yesterday evening. Enjoy! If you have not been following the "Closet Collectors" journal, I suggest you visit now. This writer is quite amusing!! "Closet Collector" - http://www.heatherlea.com/articles/closet.htm

Sherry shares the following in the Planet Beans Club
Hi gang, I'm not sure if you guys had seen this already, but if you log on to the BBOC page, it says that a new BBOC site will be coming this summer. Will Clubby IV be introduced at the launch of the new site? Only tyme will tell. You can check out the BBOC site at http://www.beaniebabyofficialclub.com. :-) Sherry

ONE TO SHARE
From: Ms. Janie
I have got some of the best Beanie people in the world on my list! You all are full of imagination and creativity. Here is a Beanie Easter episode you will never forget! http://people.atl.mediaone.net/scottmegan/beanie-easter.html

SPEAKING OF BEAUTIFUL HALOS
Be sure to check out the following link. You will find some really nice Dyed/Painted Halos among other characters. Nina also has many gorgeous Peace Bears for sale. http://www.itzmeagain.com/

ADVERTISING AT PLANET BEANS
Now's the time to reserve your advertising space. The News and Contest pages have been renewed for April so they are unavailable at this time. If you are interested in advertising on ANY page of Planet Beans with a banner ad AND a blurb in the daily newsletters, please email me at Advertising@planetbeans.com You may be surprised at how inexpensive it is to get the word out to so many people daily. I will provide you with detailed information, such as, an average number of daily visits, the extra advertising you will receive, and cost per month.

The best indication of results from advertising is when someone advertises repeatedly. Andrea of Andrea's Attic has had the same position on the News page each month since she started which was around the middle of last year. She has recently told me that about 75% of her traffic comes from Planet Beans so this means the advertising really works.

NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING
If you would like a blurb of advertising in the daily newsletter that's currently going to 700+ collectors daily, it will cost you only $5 per ad. When you advertise with a banner on Planet Beans your newsletter blurb is included at no additional charge.

==March 28, 2001==
PAY attention when reading auctions!
From: Ms. Janie
The following auction is VERY misleading! Very Rare PEANUT Royal Blue Perfect Shape No need for a description, this one is listed at $4500, if your looking you know what it is. A perfect TY Beanie Babie Peanut in the elusive Royal Blue. The babie comes from a non smoking home and no children have ever played with him. The babie has the original tag and tush tag. I am liquidating a whole collection of babies and will have them up soon, so keep watch for my other auctions. I also have a Yappy which will be one of the ones up soon. Rest assured peanut is in A-1 condition and has been kept in a closet in a plastic bag for a very long time. If you have any questions please feel free to ask, if you want more pictures let me know, I'll be glad to send any angles you want. This one will not be cheap sorry. We will only accept Cashiers Checks and Paypal on this auction!!

MarketWatch...
MarketWatch has now been updated! In this update I talk about the market outlook on Issy the Beanie Baby, both retail and exclusive versions as well as Buckingham Buddy! We also have the Float Beanie
Spotlight and a Beanie Kid MarketWatch on Shenanigan! http://www.beankid.net

Ty's SIGNED drawing sold for $5000.00!
From: Ms. Janie
The charity raised a total of $251,000.00 This is a truly remarkable piece of TY art! This sketch was drawn by Ty Warner himself! HERE

Sports fans losing their heads over suddenly hot collectibles
From: Ms. Janie
This season, some of baseball's biggest draws will be about 7 inches tall. And only their heads will move. Don't laugh. Hopeful team marketers predict bobblehead dolls--also known as bobbing heads or nodders--could hit ballparks with the kind of wallop Beanie Babies packed in 1998. "This is the next Beanie Baby," said Rob Gallas, who oversees White Sox marketing. And that's saying a lot. Attendance figures suggested the furry toys were as big a fan draw that season as Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, even though those sluggers were chasing Roger Maris' single-season home-run record. http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/bob25.html

Girl woken up by badger playing with Beanie Babies
From: Bean eWonderland
A nine-year-old girl woke up to find a badger playing with her Beanie Babies. It crawled into Sophie Bernard's home in Hastings, East Sussex through the catflap. Sophie's parents locked the badger in her room before calling the RSPCA. Officers found the badger asleep among the toys. Full Story:

ADVERTISING AT PLANET BEANS
Now's the time to reserve your advertising space. The News and Contest pages have been renewed for March so they are unavailable at this time. If you are interested in advertising on ANY page of Planet Beans with a banner ad AND a blurb in the daily newsletters, please email me at Advertising@planetbeans.com You may be surprised at how inexpensive it is to get the word out to so many people daily. I will provide you with detailed information, such as, an average number of daily visits, the extra advertising you will receive, and cost per month.

ANDREA'S ARTICLE
The Third installment of Andrea‘s Attic has been posted at UnderGroundBean. Check it out at: http://www.undergroundbean.com/andreasattic.htm

Linda shares this adorable picture:
Can you find little Bailey? LOL
She was born on 3/12/01
Hint: She's the one without the plastic nose.

==March 26, 2001==
NEW CONTEST AT DOODLE's "SPRING HAS SPRUNG"
"Spring has finally arrived ...
Easter is just around the corner ...
and Doodle's Page is 5 years old this month!" (WTG Deb!!)
There are 7 different prize packages to be won. Stop over quickly so you can catch the first days Beanie graphic. http://www.doodlespage.com/contest.html

Northern Trade Winds
From: Beanieholics
unauthorized Beanies showing up in Manitoba stores, the end of Chinook shipments and there's a significant decline in the number of local authorized Ty vendors. Click Here For Northern Trade Winds

Mystery Beanie No Mystery (Or Beanie)
From: Beanieholics
The free mystery Beanie that Canadian retailers are to receive in Easter pre-paks is not a Beanie at all but an Attic Treasure instead. At least in email reports we have received so far:

Just a quick update from Ontario. As Laura indicated, our local retailer also ordered the Easter pre-pak and received Azalea as their mystery gift. They had ordered the smaller pak so it would interesting to know what the retailers received that went for the larger pak. The retailer has also been advised that they will be receiving a pre-pak of the new Beanies shortly. Unknown if Issy will be one of them. As far as the People's Beanie Contest, Ty Canada hasn't sent out the fax yet to the retailer I deal with. That makes me wonder if Canadian retailers will be participating in the contest or maybe it is just in the USA. --Bryan from Ontario, Canada

Writing The Book On Staying Alive
From: Beanieholics
John Olsson grimaces slightly as he mentions one of the tools that helped his eponymous group of book and record stores survive the battering that independent booksellers have suffered over the past decade. Beanie Babies. "The day we changed was when we took in Beanie Babies," he said. "That helped us get through." Click Here For More

Just arrived... New Winey Bears by Cascade Toy.
From: Handcrafted Beauties
For those new to Sally Winey designs, this is the line that she and Dave Perry of Cascade Toy came out with so everyone could afford a mohair type bear at reasonable prices. The wait was worth it! Once again Sally did a great job with these designs. I think my favorite is Taffy. http://www.handcraftedbeauties.com/wbcascade2001.html However, my all time favorite is still Clarence. I only have one or two extras of each design in stock of the entire Winey Bears by Cascade Toy Designs, some with signatures. Once the inventory is gone, they are gone forever as many are retired or limited editions. http://www.handcraftedbeauties.com/wbcascade.html

==March 25, 2001==

Lisa - just wanted to comment on Debs comment about the Schweetheart found on the court of the KU - Illinois basketball game. He is a symbol now of 'getting the monkey off the back' of the KU Jayhawks. LOL! It was reported that Coach Roy Williams actually took Schweetheart into the locker room, placed him on his back and let each player knock him off!!! Poor little guy! LOL - It's been all over the news since the 'Big12' began In Kansas City earlier this month.

MORE ON RETAIL ISSY
From: Ms. Janie
Hawk Eye Sly does it again!
Ms. Janie, I found this Kind of interesting! I was looking thru the Issy auctions on Ebay and Noticed that there were a few auctions for the Retail Version of Issy with The Four Seasons Hotel "Shanghai" Tags. I Know from surfing through The Four Seasons Hotel's Website that The Four Seasons Hotel in Shanghai is not set to Open Till Late in 2001. So why would Ty make a bear for a hotel that does not exist yet? Is Ty giving us a clue that Issy will be around for a while and it won't be retiring anytime soon? If so, then this might Be Mr. Warner's way of letting collectors know to be patience? Looks like Ty is planning to have Issy be a current Beanie Baby and available for awhile. Well at least till The Shanghai Four seasons opens! I would think that would Give collectors a fair shot and plenty of Time to Find Issy at retail. To quote the man himself "Patience is a virtue" Scroll down on this page and you will see that it says The Shanghai Four seasons hotel is NOT set to open to late in 2001 http://www.fourseasons.com/newOpenings.html

Here is a link to an auction on ebay with an Issy bear "in hand" with Shanghai tags http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=572737320 Of Course You never Know with Ty But judging from this info it does look like Ty was planning to keep Issy around for awhile. As always! Tyme will tell!

I Luvcollectibles News:
From: Ms. Janie
NEW!!! Blossom Bears® by Sally Winey Designed by renown Teddy Bear artist Sally Winey, each bear has a different flower theme. The first four styles include; Rose Bear, Sunflower Bear, Daisy Bear and Dahlia Bear. Colorful silk flower petals surround the necks of the bears and make each fully-jointed bear unique and very collectible. Each bear is 10" tall. Also in stock are the new Spring designs just in: Kimchee a multicolor 15" mohair bear whose design is new and unique! Also in are Taffy, Preston, Christy, Sunny and don't miss the irresistible Bradford. All Winey Bears by Cascade Toys are collectible AND affordable. Please visit: http://www.iluvcollectibles.com/cascadesally.html

WIN NIPPONIA
The Bean eWonderland club (http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/beanewonderland)located on Yahoo is holding a prize draw for a MWMT Nipponia Beanie Baby. You can earn FREE entries by completing small tasks detailed below. Each task is worth 'Club Points', the more 'Club Points' you have the more entries you can make. The start date is Sunday 25th March and the closing date for entries will be the 14th April and the draw made the following day on the 15th April. A table with point values is listed below and be sure to scroll down the page for some basic rules. GOOD LUCK !!

I've copied the from the page that Richard has made on his site that explains how this works. For the rules go HERE If you join.. please post that GotBeans invited you. I'd much appreciate your help. :o) When you join you automatically receive one entry for a chance to win Nipponia.

Over 5 Billion Served
From: Beanieholics
It's official. The counter on Ty's website has passed the 5 billion-visitor mark. It happened this afternoon a little after 4 CST. Click Here For Link To Ty.com

"Riley" Coyotah (Coyote + Cheetah)
"Leopold" Leopird (Leopard + Horned Bill Bird)
"Filbert" Blabbit (Bluebird + Rabbit)
"Darwin" Duckey (Duck + Monkey)
"Corky" Pigbit (Pig + Rabbit)
"Arthur" Camelot (Camel + Ocelot)

SERiES ONE will be coming soon with the new "Tibear" to replace endangered species "Giraffalo" now in the JUMBiELAND Reserve.

All the Best,

Bazoo T. Stork

Editor-In-Chief

The JUMBiELAND Journal

www.jumbies.com

info@jumbies.com

==March 24, 2001==
Deb shares the following:
LARGE SCHWEETHEART Buddy
cited on the court last night during the NCAA playoff game between Kansas & Illinois. It was some players mascot/good luck charm!

CASHMERE RETIRES
From: Ms. Janie
Ty Retailer site News - Cashmere Is No Longer Available

SAKURA BUDDY CONTEST!
It begins TODAY! Keep your eyes on our News Page and also on this newsletter for when the contest image has changed locations and also hints at where it might be! Our Contest Information page should be updated soon! Please, only one entry per e mail address per day! Once you have found the Easter Image, submit your answer via our online entry form found here: http://www.andreasattic.com/andrea_contest_entry.htm The first image will be posted Saturday (tomorrow) between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM Pacific Time! BEST OF LUCK!

Nipponia Prize Draw
From: Bean eWonderland
Would you like to have the chance of winning a retired Nipponia Beanie Baby by the 15th April, if so then Click Here for details.

Bean Watcher
From: Bean eWonderland
Ty retired Kaleidoscope the Cat Beanie Baby on March 14, 2001. How much do you know about this multi-colored cat? How did the market react to the retirement of this short-lived style? Should you buy this curious-looking cat now for your collection? Read the Bean Watcher's thoughts on this Beanie Baby by clicking HERE

People's Beanie Contest Poster
From: Beanieholics
Imagine our surprise when we walked into our favorite retailer's store to see they already had mini posters up concerning 'The People's Beanie Contest'. The colorful poster has the silhouette of two bears on it covered in question marks. In between them is a red Ty heart. The print on the poster reads:

Now it's your turn to design a BEANIE BABY!
What will it's name be?
What color will it be?
THE PEOPLE'S BEANIE
April 1st www.ty.com

When Michael Ovitz ran the Creative Artist's Agency (CAA), it was hailed as the most powerful talent agency in the world. Ovitz is now poised to hoist his newest big project, AMG, even higher than CAA. Already many big CAA names have crossed the line to join AMG. Claire Danes, Laren Holly, Minnie Driver, Marisa Tomei, Mimi Rogers, Syndney Pollack, Martin Scorsese, and Robin Williams all came from CAA. AMG also represents Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio. JUMBiES™ Inc. is managed by the AMG Animation division in Beverly Hills, California.

JUMBiES(TM) are the hottest, new original collection of beanbag toys. JUMBiES(TM) , which stands for jumbled babies, are combinations of two breeds from the animal kingdom. The designs utilize characters derived from mammals, reptiles, birds, insects, and even dinosaurs. Apparently, the Stork Delivery Service (SDS) jumbled up countless species when they continually crashed into one another resulting from their faulty air traffic control center. The results, for example, are hilarious combinations like the DINGBAT(TM)=(Dingo + Bat), the BLABBIT(TM)=(Bluebird + Rabbit), and the PANDAPOTAMUS(TM)=(Panda Bear + Hippopotamus).

JUMBiES Inc.

PH: 949-448-7088

FX: 949-448-7188

info@jumbies.com

www.jumbies.com

NEW CONTEST
This email is being sent to you on behalf of both Collectiblez and The Daily Bean. We want to let you know of a GREAT contest that is going to start on April 1st between Collectiblez and The Daily Bean. A contest of this type has never happened before on a beanie related website. This contest is a "Snakes & Ladders" type of contest! All the details and rules can be viewed HERE. Registration is now going on until 11:59pm EST on March 30th. People must visit the following link to register.

Both Ryan and myself would be most appreciative if you could let your readers know about our contest. Here are the prizes:
- 1st Place - Nipponia, Chinook, Germania
- 2nd Place - March 2001 Set of Beanies (not including Issy)
- 3rd Place - January 2001 Set of Beanie Kids

We have a new writer over at The Daily Bean! He wishes to stay anonymous though...
Closet Collector - The journal of a collector that hasn't come out yet...
http://www.heatherlea.com/articles/closet.htm

Today, March 23rd, is Patricia Roche's birthday.
Ryan of Collectiblez shares the following
Patricia, if you didn't know, is Ty Europe's chairperson. In order to celebrate her birthday, Collectiblez has created a page with some pieces of information about this lovely lady! An interesting note which I have never seen reported before on any site is that Ty Europe apparently was a sponsor of the Robin Smith Golf Classic, a pro-celebrity golf event to raise funds to take children between the ages of 3 and 11 with serious heart conditions in July 2000! There are more details at the link below! http://www.geocities.com/collectiblezz/Patricia/index.html

WINEY NEWS
BOOK SIGNING & BEAR MAKING CLASS
From: Handcrafted Beauties
Sally will be at The Royalty Store in Thousand Oakes, California for a book signing and class on April 19-22. These will be her first classes from her new book Rainbow Bears to Make and Collect. Class participants will be making a 12" white mohair bear and airbrushing it. This should be a lot of fun. For more information call 1-805-495-8989 The following week Sally will be in Maui, Hawaii for a book signing and class. I will be getting that information out later or you can call the number listed above for more information.

Where Toys Go to Have Fun for Only $3.99!
From: Ms. Janie
(Business Wire) ActionScapes are large backgrounds for toys. Think of ActionScapes as being like the scenery in a stage play. ActionScapes announces its scenes are available in stores for $3.99 or less. ``Scapes represent a lot of value for the money. This is important in tough economic times. Kids are delighted by the huge size, and adults/collectors love the price. It's a great combination,'' said Eric Ulwengren, CEO of ActionScapes. As mentioned on NPR, Scapes help stimulate the imagination in children and adults by promoting story-telling and play. Michael Brody, M.D. of Potomac, Maryland wrote that his 9-year-old nephew took a scape and pretended his toys were competing to capture a planet. Scapes allow a child to create their own stories, unlike video games in where the stories are pre-made. Best of all, Scapes are priced for all children and adults to be able to afford. ``These are the first toys available since Beanie Babies® that are collectable, affordable and fun for kids and adults,'' said Matt Owen, creator of ActionScapes. For the full story, go to: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010322/0270.html

'People's Beanie' Contest Details
From: Beanieholics
We have received more details on Ty's 'The People's Beanie' Contest. The retailer that broke the story has sent info contained in a fax from their Ty rep. The fax tells how the contest works and how long it runs. Our thanks to 'T' for sharing this info. Click Here For Details

Everything Is Now Collectible
From: Beanieholics
According to a report issued by the North American Collector's Association, every single thing currently being manufactured is officially categorized as a collectible. "Rarity is nothing. Do you have any idea how many Beanie Babies are out there?" asked Barbara Mason, editor of Beanie Baby Illustrated. "Let's put it this way: There are approximately twice as many Scoop The Pelican Beanie Babies on the planet Earth than there are actual pelicans. And they're worth more, too." (Our thanks to Dale for sharing this article.) Click Here For More

Ty Boosts Girl's Hospital Campaign
From: Beanieholics
When Ty Inc. discovered that Ashley Finley was collecting Beanie Babies to give to patients at two children's hospitals, they decided to donate 336 more Beanie Babies to her cause. (Pat has sent us a readable scan of the newspaper article we mentioned in our news yesterday.) Click Here For Article

Now on MarketWatch... we have the MOST IN DEPTH MarketWatch since the beginning of MarketWatch! From more Spotlight pictures, to more coverage of the product markets! We have updated it all... be sure and read this MarketWatch!

http://www.beankid.net/
We have an Issy Checklist will all locations available now at BeanKid's NEWSCenter. We do not have values to place on each Issy at this time, as they have not been fully distributed yet. We will continue to update this checklist as we receive information!

==March 22, 2001==
Collectors BEWARE!
Heather (The Daily Bean) shares the following:
To anyone that is seeking to purchase a "Hotel" Issy, please purchase from an auction that shows an image. There are many auctions out there that sell the "Issy Card" for cheap, and there will be many people out there that will try to pair a "Retail" Issy with the "Issy Card" to create a "Hotel Set." These hotel sets are fetching much more money than the regular "Retail" Issys are getting on auction. Now, how can you tell the difference? First, the "Hotel" Issys will ONLY have "New York" as the Four Seasons Hotel Location. Second, the "Hotel" Issys will have the "2000 Beanie Tag." The "Retail" Issys have the newest "Beanie Baby" tags. Please see the image below to compare. http://www.heatherlea.com/articles/issyimages/vs.jpg

SPECIAL WARNING: BUYER BEWARE
From: Ms. Janie
I'm afraid that people may be trying to pass off the retail Issy cards as New York Hotel cards. I think you will find the following interesting. http://www.msjanie.com/pix/tyissy.html

ISSY NEWS:
From: Ms. Janie
The following interesting note was shared by Sly from Ty's Cyberboard. Looks like this Beanie will benefit two charities.
proceeds from Issy now going to a different Charity?
U2fan (06:40 pm. Mar 21, 2001 ) Message Id: 827939
U2fan writes: I was looking at the tag scans of the retail version of Issy at beaniemom. I Noticed That now all proceeds are going to the Terry Fox foundation for cancer research and not Sloan Kettering cancer research like stated on the original New York City Four seasons hotel Issy beanie baby hang tag. Ty changed the Charity on the retail version of Issy! I wonder why? any Guesses? http://www.ty.com/cyberboard/news/msg827939.html

Newsmaker:
From: Ms. Janie
Sister's bravery prompted desire to encourage other cancer patients When her younger sister died of a rare form of cancer three years ago, Mary Jean Dietrick's grief was compounded by the fact she couldn't do anything to stop it. Just months before, Dietrick, 36, of Cranberry, had lost her father, John A. Semes, to lung cancer. Two weeks after his death, Dietrick's sister, Patty Semes-MacKrell, then 31, got her diagnosis: adenoid carcinoma. "I felt helpless," said Dietrick, fitness director at the Windwood Health & Sports Club in Bradford Woods. "Cancer has that effect. You feel there's nothing you can do. It was like being kicked in the stomach." So two years ago, Dietrick and Sloan created the Silver Lining Basket Project, delivering baskets filled with gifts to Butler County residents with terminal cancer and their caregivers. The baskets are filled with an assortment of treats, including tea bags, magazines, biscuits and a Beanie Baby, Semes-MacKrell's favorite. http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_north/20010321nnewsmaker6.asp

From Giftbeat
From: Ms. Janie
Ty Tops in Strong Month for Plush Sales NEW YORK—Plush is one of the most vital categories each month in Giftware Business’ POSwire survey, and according to the 300 randomly sampled retailers polled for the March survey, last month was extremely strong. Ty, despite the evaporation of the Beanie Baby craze, was the bestseller in plush for February with a total of 222 points, including 64 retailers who named it as the best-selling line of plush. The Boyds Collection and Russ Berrie & Co. were the second and third bestsellers, respectively.

==March 21, 2001==
Sly shares a link into E-bay that offers Issy with Atlanta Tags.
From: Ms. Janie
YOU ARE BIDDING ON THE ACTUAL ISSY BEANIE BABY PICTURED BELOW JUST PURCHASED FROM AN AUTHORIZED TY DEALER, MWMT'S AND TAG PROTECTED, FROM MY NONSMOKING HOME. IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THESE BEARS WERE SHIPPED WITH A VARIETY OF WORLDWIDE LOCATIONS FOR FOUR SEASONS HOTELS ON THE TUSH TAG AND HANG TAG. THIS BEAR'S TUSH AND HANG TAG ARE FOR FOUR SEASONS ATLANTA. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE E-MAIL. S/H IS $4 USPS PRIORITY WITH CONFIRMATION. I ACCEPT PAYPAL AND M/O'S ONLY, NO PERSONAL CHECKS AT THIS TIME. EMAIL RESPONSE IS EXPECTED WITH 3 DAYS OF END OF AUCTION AND PAYMENT WITHIN 7 DAYS. IF YOU CANNOT COMPLY WITH ABOVE, PLEASE DO NOT BID. PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS AND ++FEEDBACK. THANKS http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=571973409

NIPPONIA RETIRED?!
From: Ms. Janie
This just in! The following note was shared by a collector.

Thought you might be interested - I got this in an email from a secondary dealer in Japan.

In a message dated 3/20/01 7:24:51 PM Pacific Standard Time, E-MAIL ADDRESS REMOVED BY MS. JANIE

NIPPONIA....IS FINALLY RETIRED OFFICIALLY! No more coming. A bit late, some of you might think! I went to the Ty Japanese web site, but I am at a disadvantage since I do not speak Japanese. But even on the Japanese site, it is still listed with the current Beanies. Anne

A note from Ms. Janie, This is either a good attempt of someone trying to make us believe that Nipponia is retired OR could it be a hit of what's to come? I'll allow you to be the judge! Have a good evening, Ms. Janie

Where all the retired Beanies go
From: Bean eWonderland
John writes: All the retired beanies are winding up in Japan. A friend's father just returned from an extended stay in Japan and said in the 6 months he was there he was able to buy many different so called "retired" beanies. Months after The Beginning Bear retired stores were getting shipments of them. Most were gobbled up, by the hundreds and shipped back to the states. Various stores are receiving odds and ends like Doby, Bones in the shipments.

"The People's Beanie"
From: Beanieholics
The Ty website now has a graphic which appears where the Ty heart is that reads:
The People's Beanie
April 1, 2001
www.ty.com
Be Here!

We received info last night from a retailer talking about "The People's Beanie". The letter is posted below. Click Here To Visit The Ty Site

A Survivor Bear From Ty?
From: Beanieholics
Well, kind of. You'll at least get to vote bears off of the Ty website. Our retailer friend sent the following note about a new contest involving both Ty retailers and collectors:

My Ty Rep just dropped off a flyer about a contest that Ty will be holding. We will all be able to vote for the next beanie bear that we want to see made. Votes can be cast for the color, style, ribbon, name, etc. There will be 9 finalists and the pictures will be posted on the Ty website. Each day afterward, one will be voted off, until only one remains as the winner! This bear is being called "The People's Beanie", but from my understanding, it will have a name that will be decided by the collectors. My Rep will be dropping off additional information this week, but it sounds very exciting. Will keep you informed. --T

Hi, Randy and Theresa. I spoke with a Hallmark retailer yesterday who described for me the Easter prepak offer from Ty Canada. There were two available.....The least expensive one includes a dozen of a "mystery" beanie being included free. The more expensive prepak includes two dozen. I wonder.....Could the "mystery beanie" be Issy???? I'll keep you posted and let you know when those prepaks arrive. --Curious in Canada, Barbara

==March 20, 2001==
NEW ISSY PICTURE
http://beaniemom.com/ Here you will find an Issy for the Four Seasons Scottsdale.

From: Ms. Janie
TyTrade adds two more signed Ariel bears to their line-up Drew Barrymore & Tom Green Autographed Ariel The auction ends on March 23rd. http://www.tytrade.com

MORE ON ISSY SHIPPING
From: Ms. Janie
Folks keep a look out for ISSY at retail. I have received much e-mail today from collectors and retailers saying ISSY is on its way!

Hello, Just wanted to let you know that Issy IS shipping. My retailer friend got her 12 today. She had ordered them at the New York show, although we live south of Chicago. The tush on my bear says 4 Season's Hotel - Mexico City. All that she had in the box also said Mexico City. It will be interesting to see what the others will say. It also came in a plain brown box (didn't get a real good look) and it didn't say Oakbrook as Ty products usually do. Thanks, Kathi

Re: Issy Shipping!! southsider (06:54 pm. Mar 19, 2001 ) Message Id: 826791 southsider writes: My favorite retailer in northern Wisconsin received 12 Issy today . They were ordered at the New York toy show in Feb . They are gorgeous ! http://www.ty.com/cyberboard/news/msg826791.html

Teachers Rewarded For Creative Methods
From: Beanieholics
Three Baton Rouge teachers received Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching as a result of the creative teaching techniques they used. One math teacher had their third-grade students plot the different sizes and types of Beanie Babies on a graph.
Click Here For Story

==March 19, 2001==
The NEXT contest is right around the corner!
From: Ms. Janie
Get ready to win some more fabulous prizes. Spring Scavenger Hunt contest beginning March 20th at 9:00PM ET; 8:00PM CT; 6:00PM PT. And goes through Saturday March 31, 2001 You must send in one email with all 12 correct URL's by Sunday April 1st, 9:00 p.m. EST and 8:00 p.m. CST - The email address will be: Beaniephenomenon@aol.com The 23+ contest winners will receive retired Ty™ products and 3 CASH PRIZES!! Forget the Hay Fever or Spring allergies and have fun hunting instead! Good luck! http://www.peggyg.com

Ty Drops 50 Places
From: Bean eWonderland
Forbes ranking of the top 500 Private Corporations dropped Ty Inc. from #133 in 1999 to #185 in 2000. The information provided by Forbes is based on estimated revenues of $1,200 ( millions) representing an 11% decrease. For the full story and links please visit Sals Attic:

Bean Watcher
From: Bean eWonderland
Ty retired Zip the Black Cat Beanie Buddy on February 27, 2001. How much do you know about this Beanie Buddy? How did the market react to its retirement? Should you buy Zip now for your collection? Read the Bean Watcher's thoughts on this adorable black cat HERE

Ty Beanie Baby ISSY Update!
From: The Shoppes - I Luv Collectibles
This morning we had asked anyone if they had seen or heard reports of the "retail" version of Issy shipping to email me directly.

I received an email from a Ty Retailer in California. We are not including her email address to protect her identity. She was kind enough to write in to me immediately after our earlier newsletter was posted.

First Email: Good morning from California. I checked our ty account online and it looks like they shipped Issy!!! They only sent 12, but at least its on the way! Just thought I'd let you know. Have a great day!

Second Email: I actually have a tracking number for the shipment. I'm soooo excited!!! I luv getting all the great newsletters from you...Thanks a lot for all the great info. Tracey So it looks as if Issy will be arriving shortly! This is great news - thank you Tracey :)

MORE ON ISSY
La Rue of Kansas Brass & Pewter shares the following:
Just checked with my retailer in Colorado, and even though they attended the Gift Show, they were unable to order Issy and cannot place an order until the first of April. She stated also that they had not received any of the of the new March 1st releases. They are in the system but delivery has not been made. Kansas and Nebraska retailers have already received shipments of the new ones a couple of weeks ago. Interesting, isn't it?

==March 18, 2001==
Bidders vie for £1m-a-room hotel
From: Bean eWonderland
London's Lanesborough Hotel, where the Royal Suite commands £6,500 ($9,600) a night, is to become the most expensive hotel ever to change hands. The potential sale price has surprised the industry, and several bidders who offered about £105m have been turned away. Ty Warner, the entrepreneur who made a fortune from the Beanie Babies, is also thought to be interested. He recently paid $150m (£105m) for the luxury Four Seasons hotel in Santa Barbara, California, and is known to want to buy more. Full Story:

Students succeed in cuddle quest
From: Bean eWonderland
When students at Grand Blanc Middle School's Brendel campus began collecting stuffed animals for children, they never dreamed their peers would donate more than 500 cuddly toys. For two weeks, the kids in a new club called Service Quest used catchy P.A. announcements and a contest between homerooms to get students interested in donating everything from safari Beanie Babies to teddy bears.

Ty Interested In Another Hotel?
From: Beanieholics
According to an article in the London Times Sunday newspaper, Ty Warner is thought to be interested in London's Lanesborough Hotel, where the Royal Suite commands £6,500 a night. The hotel is set to become the most expensive hotel ever to change hands. The London paper says that Ty Warner recently paid $150m (about £105m) for the luxury Four Seasons hotel in Santa Barbara, California, and is known to want to buy more. Click Here For Story

From: Cajun Connection
Beanie Mom has posted an interesting press release from MetaExchange. The company says that its trading volume in Beanie Babies has reached 30% of eBay's volume and that this success in the face of eBay's marketplace dominance shows the inherent strength of the spot market over the auction format for many collectibles. Click Here For More

==March 17, 2001==
=~HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!~=

Check out this fun loving Jumbo Peace with two American Eskimo dogs. http://www.msjanie.com/pix/2peace.html

Issy Theory
Sly shares a theory with Ms Janie as to why Issy has not yet been shipped. It appears there is already a stuffed toy named Issy. Read the article HERE

Girl donates toys to children's hospitals for her birthday
From: Bean eWonderland
In lieu of asking for birthday presents, 8-year-old Ashley Finley of East Alton collected Beanie Babies to give to patients at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Shriners Hospital later this month. While many people from age 8 to 88 can only sit around hoping to collect as much as possible on their birthdays, Ashley is sitting this one out. Instead of gifts for herself, she's collecting Beanie Babies that will be donated next week to St. Louis Children's Hospital. Full Story:

Horoscopes are silly
From: Bean eWonderland
Horoscopes are silly. Our fates are not shaped by the stars. The zodiac was dreamed up by primitive peoples to explain planetary movements and other celestial phenomena. No right-thinking person truly believes in such superstitious claptrap. So how come I devour three horoscopes a day? I might be too busy to read beyond the headlines when it comes to world events, but I've always got time to see whether it's a good day for us Aquarians to embark on new careers or to invest in Beanie Babies. Full Story:

Doug Flutie And HolyBears Take The Field Against Autism
From: Beanieholics
The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism, Inc. and HolyBears, Inc., have teamed up to produce the Dougie's Team HolyBear to help raise funds for the foundation. The Flutie Foundation was co-founded by Doug Flutie, star quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, and his wife Laurie.
Click Here For Picture And More Info

ADVERTISING AT PLANET BEANS
Now's the time to reserve your advertising space. The News and Contest pages have been renewed for March so they are unavailable at this time. If you are interested in advertising on ANY page of Planet Beans with a banner ad AND a blurb in the daily newsletters, please email me at Advertising@planetbeans.com. You may be surprised at how inexpensive it is to get the word out to so many people daily. I will provide you with detailed information, such as, an average number of visits, the extra advertising you will receive, and cost per month. Advertising on Planet Beans has proven to be a valuable asset to many. Just ask Andrea of Andrea's Attic, who has seen an increase in sales and visits coming from her advertising here.

Small businesses pull back
From: Bean eWonderland
Small businesses — which create the majority of the nation's new jobs — are tapping the brakes on growth in the face of a weakening economy. Nearly 90% of the USA's 5.6 million employers have fewer than 20 workers, so their hiring, spending and pricing decisions are an important barometer of the economy's direction. And, for now, they're behaving cautiously. Larry Clarke, for example, is holding steady with three employees at his gift and greeting card store in Rhinelander, Wis. Sales are down 60% from a year ago. The culprit: Customers don't want to shell out for Beanie Babies, the store's one-time hot seller, when they're worried about a possible recession. Full Story:

Meta Takes Bite Out Of eBay
From: Beanieholics
Beanie Mom has posted an interesting press release from MetaExchange. The company says that its trading volume in Beanie Babies has reached 30% of eBay's volume and that this success in the face of eBay's marketplace dominance shows the inherent strength of the spot market over the auction format for many collectibles. Click Here For More

==March 15, 2001==
'N Sync Autographed Super Bowl Football Up For Auction
From: Ms. Janie
'N Sync has put an autographed Super Bowl XXXV halftime commemorative football up for auction at the website allstarcharity.com. The white, green, orange, and light blue-colored Wilson football is signed in black ink by all of the members of 'N Sync, Britney Spears , all of the members Aerosmith , and rapper Nelly . The entirety of the winning bid will go directly to 'N Sync's Challenge For The Children, a charitable organization whose mission is to offer financial support to children's programs, including funding schools that have suffered educational budget cutbacks in sports programs and music education. Challenge For The Children also assists children's health-care causes such as pediatric AIDS, adoption and foster care, teen pregnancy, alcohol/drug programs, and the fight against teen violence. The football also comes with a certificate of authenticity from allstarcharity.com. The auction is open now through April 12. View HERE

One to Share
From: Bean eWonderland
The following email was received yesterday: Hello, I am one of your daily readers. I come on line and search for the missing pieces of my many hours and well spent money of a beanie collection. I realize there are a handful of us left that are hanging on strong to reach that goal of satisfaction when that one last piece of bag of beans is sitting with it's friends. I'm writing this to you because I want the true beanie collectors out there to know that there are still some of us out there. I have spent close to $6000. on beanie babies through out the last 3 years. I know I will never see that from this collection and I don't care because I set the goal and I still plan to complete it. Although it's hard at times, I have been taken by the selfish people out there that use beanies to get your money and with all of the fakes it's very hard to determine whether or not you have the real thing. When these first came out everyone went crazy and it was really fun. I enjoyed doing beanie lines at the nearest bean store. But now people say it was a fad. And it may be, but if you are still buying a beanie baby to come home and add it to your precious collection and still have a list of every bean that you have and that you need. Then you know your in it for the long run. I wish every true beanie fan out there good luck and I hope you succeed your goal. Sincerely, MDB

Heather (The Daily Bean) shares the following:
Hi all! I just received an email from Ty! :) Have you received yours yet?

From: Your Friends At Ty [mailto:Your_Friends@ty.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 2:45 PM
To: dailybean@mail.com
Subject: DON'T FORGET TO WEAR GREEN !!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from your friends at Ty!
Here's hoping you have the luck o' the Irish everyday!
http://www.tytrade.com/st_pats

Whats the scoop on Issy, anyone know?
Heather (The Daily Bean) shares the following:
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/beaniebabiesrock
Interesting in our last shipment, the bill showed we had 36 Issys on backorder, even though he was never on the order forms!! And he is not showing up on any of our outstanding orders online....anyone know what the scoop on this bear is?
Carolyn
the reps sure don't!! :P

I found out about this promotion over a year ago. I have since received 3 beautiful fleece vests and a t-shirt and hat set. You can receive a Free T-Shirt and Hat set, an Anorak Jacket, a Fleece Vest, or Adventure Shorts. You can easily end up with one or more of these items at no charge. You know me.. I wouldn't steer you wrong. :o) This is a great promotion that really is FREE.

By signing up, you are eligible to get gear as well. Just ask your friends or family members to join Asimba and tell them to use your email address as the referral. Once your friends use your email address as the referral, Asimba will credit your account with one point per friend. And they'll keep crediting you for every friend that signs up for you, there's no limit!

Now's the time to reserve your advertising space. The News and Contest pages have been renewed for March so they are unavailable at this time. If you are interested in advertising on ANY page of Planet Beans with a banner ad AND a blurb in the daily newsletters, please email me at Advertising@planetbeans.com. You may be surprised at how inexpensive it is to get the word out to so many people daily. I will provide you with detailed information, such as, an average number of visits, the extra advertising you will receive, and cost per month. Advertising on Planet Beans has proven to be a valuable asset to many. Just ask Andrea of Andrea's Attic, who has seen an increase in sales and visits coming from her advertising here.

LAST DAY!
Well, today is the last day of selling Ty products for Andrea's Attic! All day long, everything is an additional 10% off! Thanks for all of your support! We will stick around to provide you with some of the best Beanie contests and Beanie news around!!

Planet Beans Comment: Here's hoping Andrea comes back soon with her great prices and unbeatable customer service!! She's one classy lady. Good luck Andrea.. enjoy the time with your precious Sophia and please keep us all posted on special happenings in your life. If ever you need anything, I'm here to help. :o)

==March 14, 2001==
Connecticut man sentenced to 21 months for selling fake moon rocks
From: Ms. Janie
A Connecticut man who sold rocks that he claimed were gathered from the moon's surface during the historic 1969 Apollo 11 lunar landing was sentenced Monday to 21 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silver in Phoenix sentenced Richard Keith Mountain, of New Milford, Conn., after he pleaded guilty last October to six counts of mail and wire fraud for selling the ''moon rocks'' in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mountain, 53, using an alias, owned and operated several businesses in Arizona and California that sold artwork and collectibles dealing with space exploration. He earned almost $100,000 selling what he claimed were lunar soil samples collected by Neil Armstrong and Edwin ''Buzz'' Aldrin. The Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Houston analyzed the granules sold by Mountain and determined they were not from the moon. View the story HERE

This week on MarketWatch... http://www.beankid.net
Beanie Spotlight...
Mellow
Market Watch Updates...
Beanie Babies: Cassie
Beanie Buddies: Erin
Beanie Kids: Calypso

Be sure to check out these latest updates on BeanKid's NEWSCenter's MarketWatch!

Issy Rumour
From: Bean eWonderland
I work in a Ty Retail Store in Ontario, Canada. I wrote to you a few months back about the Chinook shortage and thought you would like to hear this new information. We received our Ty shipment today and Ty has stopped shipping the retired Chinook Beanies. Shortly after we opened the boxes, the Ty Rep called to see if we had received everything we had ordered and to check to make sure we were satisfied with the shipment. My supervisor asked if we should expect to see Chinook again and he told her that the warehouse was empty. She also asked about receiving the new Beanies, and he said we could expect the new ones within about a month. She asked him about the Issy situation and he told her that their
had been problems and Ty had decided not to manufacture the bear for retail sale after all. She asked what he meant and he informed her that Issy will never be shipped, not just in Canada, but world-wide. He said that at this time, not to ever expect Issy at a retail store. Jeremy. (Bean eWonderlands comment - Please remember that this still has to be treated as a rumour, lets hope if they are going to be delivered to stores it is sooner rather than later).

Issy Rumour Update
From: Bean eWonderland
Hi Richard, as you know I am a secondary market dealer. Anyway my supplier attended the show in NY and actually met Ty himself. He was told at the show that the Issy's were already manufactured and most of them were already in the warehouse in the states. Therefore the person that rumoured that they were not going to be manufactured is wrong. (Thanks Leigh)

Please Help Update (original posting was yesterday)
From: Bean eWonderland
I wanted to forward this message from Beth's Ty Rep Julie to you. I wasn't aware of the additional item that comes with the Billionaire Bear #3. which is a gold Ty letter head which has also been signed by an important person at Ty. This letter head could not be duplicated anywhere. The letter is thanking the employees for a great job we have all done in 2000. Also if you are interested in this raffle and you are not from the Chicagoland area, you will need to make your cheques out and send them to: Attn: Susan Barrett, c/o Bank One, 5 North Randall Road, Batavia, IL 60510. Please include your address, telephone number and email address with your check. (Thanks Carolyn Schwartz).

==March 13, 2001==
The following was found on Ty's Cyberboards:
From: Ms. Janie
**Gramma Pat's Daily Bad Trader Update**
New Info on GrammaPat (07:47 pm. Mar 12, 2001 ) Message Id: 823249 GrammaPat writes: New bad traders. Please check the newsflashes at traderlist. Bad trader updates are also available for bad traders from Pennsylvania, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, California, and England. Please check the bad trader list daily, and of course I know that you all will ALWAYS INSURE EVERYTHING..won't you? :) http://www.ty.com/cyberboard/news/msg823249.html

The Info. Beanie writes about a St. Patrick's Day Party.
From: Ms. Janie
It is the hope of many that Ty retires beanies on this day. If you recall last week I posted a note from the Info. Beanie that gave us hints of retirements to come! I guess with Ty anything is possible and we should continue to expect the unexpected! Monday March 12, 2001 8:59 p.m. We have our party menu and our grocery shopping list all done. We had a great time thinking about the wonderful things that we are going to have for our party. It was making us really hungry so we made a big bowl of popcorn. I guess we weren't as hungry as we thought though because there was an awful lot left over. That was ok because we just put it outside for the birds and squirrels to have. We also put out some birdseed and nuts for them. With all of the snow that we got over the weekend, they really need the extra food. Maybe I should add birdseed and nuts to our grocery list. I think I'll do that! I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night! http://www.ty.com/infobeanie/lastpage/

Ty Revamps Retail Channel?
From: Bean eWonderland
The following article was posted on Tushtag.com: "Last week Ty published a picture of a new hanging mobile that is included in their new Authorised Retailer Kit. This new mobile will allow retail customers to identify Ty Authorised Retailers more easily. Could it be that Ty is about to smarten up its act with regard to retail, maybe even its business model? Whilst the article is nothing new, one reader shares their opinions on the subject and they do make some valid points. View Follow-Up:

Please Help
From: Bean eWonderland
I know this is a little unusual for a beanie website to do, but I am in need of your help. My best friend Beth's husband Al is in need of a liver transplant. We need to raise $185,000.00 in two months. Beth used to own the Gallery of Dolls in Elgin, Illinois which was a fantastic place to not only purchase porcelain dolls, but she carried the full line of TY products. To all us beanie fanatics, she's a very special person. Unfortunately, due to the progressive nature of Al's illness, she was forced to close her business after Christmas 2000 in order to find a job with health insurance without much luck. Her old TY Rep, Julie, has graciously offered to raffle her Billionaire Bear #3 Signed By Ty Warner for $10.00 a ticket. We are running this event from March 10th through April 16th, which is when we will be drawing the winning ticket. The bear is on display at: Abby's Hallmark, 79 S. Randall Rd, Batavia, IL 60501, (630) 879-0888. For more information please Click Here:

==March 12, 2001==
eBay Scam Artists Face Criminal Charges
From: Ms. Janie
Federal prosecutors issued an indictment on Friday against three eBay users for self-bidding on their own art auctions in an attempt to spike bid prices. The indictment alleges that the three men used 40 different names on eBay to place over 50 false bids on paintings they auctioned online from November 1998 to June 2000, including a fake Richard Diebenkorn painting that garnered a US$135,000 bid. Rob Chesnut, eBay's deputy general counsel, told the Associated Press that he believed the indictment marks the first criminal case to result from alleged shill bidding online. eBay spokesperson Kevin Pursglove told the E-Commerce Times that the Web auction house assisted the investigation by providing federal authorities with access to eBay tools that can help pursue individuals who perpetrate auction fraud. "Anytime we see a series of listings that may be a fraud, we will often contact the authorities and let them know what kinds of information we have available," Pursglove said. "A lot of the information we have is confidential and covered by our privacy policy, but we make it very clear to our users that if they engage in any fraudulen