==May 31, 2001==
LESSON OF KINDNESS
From: Ms. Janie
"I wanted to share a REAL story that took place right before Mother's Day. David and I were out shopping for cards and he decided that he wanted to buy me a Tender Tails figure for Mother's Day. The figure cost $20.00 not including tax. I saw him talking with the lady at the cash register and then I saw him walk away. I really did not think too much about it until I heard her say "little boy, come here little boy." I walked towards the register and was told to get away as he was buying me something for Mother's Day. 

As David and I left the store I noticed he was teary eyed and I asked what was wrong. He responded by telling me he felt real bad about something he had just done. Of course as a mother I'm thinking the worst! He proceeded to tell me that he had purchased something for me and did not have enough money to pay for it. He had $20.00 in his pocket and needed extra for tax. He said the lady at the cash register told him that today was his lucky day. She told him because he was purchasing a gift for his mother with his own money that she would pay the extra and call it kindness day! She explained to David that in turn he must also perform some sort of act of kindness for someone else. 

I was very touched by this act of kindness and it actually brought tears to my eyes. I tried to encourage David to take the money back into the store and thank the lady. He looked at me sorta strange and said, "mother, I don't think its about the money. I think the nice lady was trying to teach me something and if everyone did something kind for someone once in a while this world would be a better place." Well needless to say I lost it in the parking lot, when and how did this kid grow up so fast and smart to boot? It just goes to show that we need to listen better to our children and follow their lead once in a while they can be great teachers!

I would like too thank the VERY nice lady at Elmtree in Mapledale Shopping Center, Dale City, Virginia for showing her act of kindness and for teaching my son a very valuable lesson. I will never forget either one!"

Try to keep the story in the back of your mind and learn as my son has, this world would be a better place if we all showed more kindness! Ms. Janie

Beanies For Preemies
From: Beanieholics
Last week, a central Phoenix hospital unit started a Ty Beanie Babies drive to get more of the soft toys, which help with the development of premature infants. When the babies go home, the Beanies go with them. Click Here For Story

Wendy shares the following at the Planet Beans Yahoo! Club
"I just got a call from one of my TY dealers ... (well not mine but she calls me from time to time to see how we're doing) and on her most recent order, she mentioned TY had Poseidon marked off as Retired .... could this be the next to go? I called another Hallmark store and they confirmed that Poseidon was retired, but no NewsFlash .... any thoughts anyone?"

==May 30, 2001==
PLANETBEANS.COM IS WORKING AGAIN
Just to let you know they have activated the PlanetBeans.com domain name again for one additional week until I pay for the renewal. :o)

TY SUMMER 2001 TRADE SHOWS
From: Ms. Janie
Sly has spent a lot of time gathering the following information on upcoming trade shows. He offers some very valuable information along with dates and links. Please visit the following link http://www.msjanie.com/typhotos/summer2001shows.html

UK Deliveries
From: Bean eWonderland
Joy writes: I was surprised on visiting one of my local TY retailers this week end, that they had received a 2nd Delivery for May.  Receiving both Unity and Buckingham Buddy for the 2nd time within 2 weeks.  They said their Rep had stated that most UK stores would be getting an extra delivery for May.  Seems like they are trying to flood the market with Unity's.

"Who Am I?" Mystery CONTEST
IMA Hero Collection News - http://www.imahero.com
A new contest is underway.  The "WHO AM I?" MYSTERY CONTEST promises to be
full of fun and excitement.  It all starts in 2 weeks on Wednesday, June 13.

The rules have just been posted.  Go to http://www.imahero.com/contest.html
to get a peak at what you'll need to know to enter the contest.

Ty Trademark
From: Doodle's Page
12:25 am EDT ... On April 14,1999, a registration trademark filing was made by Ty for the words "The Heart of Collectibles". The description: "RETAIL STORE SERVICES AVAILABLE THROUGH MULTI-USER GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORKS FEATURING PLUSH TOYS, POSTERS, TRADING CARDS, CHILDREN'S ACTIVITY ITEMS, AND GAMES". An official registration trademark number has now been assigned, dated May 29, 2001. (This phrase can be noted on the TyTrade link on Ty's website.)

Note: Although the registration itself is not 'new', I thought it interesting to note that Ty officially owns the trademark now.

SMART THE OWL RETIRES
http://www.ty.com/announcements/ret_0530_smart.html

The Beanie Zoo [http://thebeanzoo.cjb.net] has informed us that Bev, the writer for the Tell It Like It Is section has posted her next installment. This week she discusses the random retirements and new introductions. http://www.geocities.com/hoganzoo99/trenches/index.html

==May 29, 2001==
According to GiftBeat Ty is still holding their own in a few categories.
From: Ms. Janie (http://www.msjanie.com)
Please visit the following link to see for yourself!
http://www.msjanie.com/typhotos/giftbeatmay2001.html

FBI cracks down on Internet fraud complaints
From: Ms. Janie (http://www.msjanie.com)
Center checks, consolidates claims for investigation by FBI, local law enforcement authorities. The FBI is cracking down on Internet auction fraud, a tidal wave of crime that now claims millions of victims a year. The most common rip-offs are nondelivery, misrepresentation of goods or ``shill bidding'' -- posting fake bids to drive up the price of merchandise. Of an estimated 500 million Internet auction sales last year, the FBI estimates that about 5 million were scams. The bureau announced last week that it was working with local authorities to round up 88 major online scammers who had bilked victims nationwide out of $117 million, mostly through Internet auction schemes. Read the rest at: http://www.ohio.com/bj/home/docs_business/001927.htm

HORSE & RAT ZODIACS RETIRE
http://www.ty.com/announcements/ret_0529_rathorse.html

Is Classy due for release soon?
From: Bean eWonderland (http://www.beaniewonderland.com/news/news.htm)
That is the question being asked at TushTag.com, they report that several Ty Retailers seem to think so, since they are offering pre-release purchase with Classy being shipped by the end of May. Full article: http://www.tushtag.com/index.php

Nectar And Some Other 'Buzz'
From: Beanieholics (http://www.randyandtheresa.com/)
Interest in the quickly retired Nectar Beanie Baby seems to be picking up steam. Nectar is going for about $16 on MetaExchange. The price on this Beanie spiked right after its retirement then fell a day or two afterwards. Now that is all changing as it seems collectors are beginning to realize just how scarce this Beanie was with most stores never receiving a shipment at all. On eBay, Nectar auctions are fetching winning bids of $21 or more and could go higher. Addison (the Beanie given away at the Chicago Cubs May 20th game) now has a pit listing on MetaExchange with 15 wanted and only 4 for sale, at a price of about $190. One other item, the price for a Sakura Beanie Baby has risen to over $100 again after dropping down to below $80 in February. This is truly a beautiful bear and a highlight in almost anyone's collection. Collectors may be bidding with more confidence on Sakura now that info is out on how to avoid getting a counterfeit. Click Here For Link To MetaExchange http://www.metaexchange.com/mx/floor/index.html?catid@TYPRODUCTS+partner@PCJSLRJBRFCRKJFG

==May 28, 2001==
Attic Early Retirement... 
From: BeanKid's NEWSLetter
"we have learned from a Ty retailer that their rep told them Genevieve would have a very short current status at Ty, due to the expense it takes to produce this remarkable $5 retail Attic!"

Classy On eBay
From: Beanieholics
We were kind of surprised when we read on the Ty Talk Cyberboard that auctions for Classy, The People's Beanie, had already started showing up on eBay. When we checked, sure enough, they were there. Guess these sellers feel that Classy will be announced in June.
Click Here For Classy eBay Listings

THE VENT AT UGB
"The Vent has been posted too - keep those vents coming folks."

You may want to check out the two new contests Nina has planned. The links are on the main page of her site.

==May 27, 2001==
THE VENT AT UGB
"The Vent has been posted today folks, what a whopper one this is.  Do you have something that you need to vent about?  You can't imagine how much better you will feel by merely putting it in writing."

Little Dinky
From: Bean eWonderland
Little Dinky learns the importance of Memorial Day from his Attic friends. Follow the link for the story at Sals Attic:

INFO BEANIE
Have you checked out the Info Beanie polls lately? I can't believe Cheezer and Dart are hanging onto the top 2 spots. It must be some kind of joke!! LOL
Cheezer - 25.7%
Dart - 25.6%
Cheery - 23.9%
Cassie - 3.9%

"ASK TY" - new page added with YOUR questions for Ty.

==May 26, 2001==
BEANIE NEWS 
From: Andrea's Attic
Latest word from my Aunt (the Ty retailer) is that Ty will be retiring a few more in the next couple of weeks before he introduces anymore. She also said she thinks she will be able to order Classy on her June order form.

Beanie Baby scam leads to arrests
From: Bean eWonderland
Federal indictments have been returned against three members of a Madisonville family accused of setting up online auctions and selling Beanie Babies and other merchandise they never supplied or even possessed. The 10-count indictment charges Sharon Baptiste, Heather Paxton and Craig Paxton with taking in about $20,000 from some 300 victims across the United States and Canada during 1999. Court documents allege that Baptiste and her son-in-law, Craig Paxton, set up auctions over the Internet on Yahoo and on eBay. Baptiste and her daughter, Heather Paxton, opened mailboxes in College Station where they had the checks sent for the items they never intended to provide, according to police. Full Story:

BUCKINGHAM BUDDY CONTEST AT ANDREA'S ATTIC
Would you like to be the proud owner of a beautiful Buckingham Buddy?? Here's your opportunity! Starting Saturday, May 26th, and ending on Friday, June 1st, we will be posting a new question each day on the trade boards under the "Contest Questions" section. Each question will be posted before 9 AM Pacific Time each morning. All answers must be sent in by 12 Midnight Pacific
Time each day to be eligible. Some questions will require you to post on the trade boards or search for something on the trade boards, so familiarize yourself with them! I will post entry stats as often as I can, which is about every other day. You will receive an e mail newsletter when the stats have been updated.
**The Prizes To Be Won**
Buckingham Buddy
"The Beanie Box" (4 available)
*The Beanie Box is a box filled with assorted Beanies, Buddies, Attics, Kids, etc. There are 5 different items in each box. So stay tuned to our Trade boards for the first question to be posted! http://www.andreasattic.com/forum

==May 25, 2001==
We Be Bobbing Beanies! 
From: Ms. Janie
Check out the latest news on this trademark shared by Sly - http://www.msjanie.com/pix/bobbing.html

The two new Patriotic Attic Treasures Washington and Uncle Sam hit the store shelves yesterday. 
From: Ms. Janie
The interesting thing about these two pieces is that Ty has changed the style of the tush tag. No longer is it a folded tush tag; it is now one single piece. Uncle Sam's tag line is "As American As Apple Pie!" while Washington's is "Land Of The Free!" Follow the link for pictures of Uncle Sam, Washington and their new tush tags http://www.salsattic.com/new_attics.htm

Beanie Kids go to the head of the class; 
From: Ms. Janie
If you have a special someone who is getting ready to graduate the following page may be of interest to you http://www.msjanie.com/kids/kids_graduate.html

Collectiblez has now established a page with a lot of information on Addison the bear Beanie Baby. The page also includes many photos of its commemorative card, hang tag, ticket stub, baseball emblem, and the bear itself! http://www.geocities.com/collectiblezzz/Addison/

1) Stocks of TY products in the warehouses WORLD-WIDE are LOW as production numbers are being kept LOW.

2) MANY NEW introductions & VERY FAST retirements ARE to continue.

3) The next introductions could number as much as 20 pieces as stocks of all current Beanies are LOW and there is a need to fill account orders.

4) Buckingham Buddy should continue to ship strongly for the next few months
at least. Retirement of this Buddy is not expected particularly soon and if it is there are plenty ready for shipping.

Issy Update
From: Bean eWonderland
Have a look at your Issy Bear, if you have the Dublin version make sure you hang on to it. We now know for sure that this particular version was made in fewer quantities than any of the other versions.

==May 24, 2001==
3 CONTESTS AT ITZMEAGAIN
Itzmeagain's Decorated Beans is having a graphic hunt over the long weekend. Once a graphic is posted, it will stay up for the duration of the contest, so participants can enjoy the holiday and still have time to play.  Please check out the contest announcements on my site  http://www.itzmeagain.com

FBI reports nationwide Internet fraud crackdown 
From: Ms. Janie
(Reuters Securities) A major crackdown on Web-based fraud has broken up pyramid schemes, phony ``Beanie Bay'' auctions and other Internet scams that had cheated 56,000 people out of more than $117 million, U.S. law enforcers said on Wednesday. A total of 88 people have been charged and 62 arrested in the operation code-named ``Cyber Loss'' involving 61 separate federal, state and local investigations, the FBI and Justice Department announced. The federal and state criminal charges range from fraud by wire to mail fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and intellectual property rights violations, senior officials told a news conference at FBI headquarters. Over the past 10 days, law enforcers from California to New York executed search warrants, unsealed indictments and entered guilty pleas in a crackdown ``of unprecedented scope against Internet fraud,'' Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson said. The alleged scams included online auctions of such things as Beanie Baby dolls and computer games that fleeced 200 people out of a total of $20,000 without delivering, FBI officials said. On the high end of alleged damages was a San Diego, California-based operation, where 39 people were indicted for taking in as much as $50 million over three years for selling undelivered Internet services and sham high-tech investments, said Ruben Garcia, assistant director of the FBI's criminal investigation division. For the full story, go to: http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/010523/n23542398.html

CHARITY ARIELS UP FOR AUCTION
Two of the past Ty Trade Charity Auction Ariels, are now up for bids on eBay! An Ariel signed by Drew Barrymore, Tom Green & Ty Warner is currently at $20.76. This auction ended on Ty Trade with an ending bid of $400 by shalimar. Another Ariel signed by Sarah Jessica Parker & Ty Warner is also up for bids currently at $10.50. This Ariel bear ended on Ty Trade with a closing bid of $1,370 by sig203. 
eBay Auction: Drew Barrymore/Tom Green Ariel - http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1600640525 
eBay Auction: Sarah Jessica Parker Ariel - http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1600639721 
Source - http://www.collectiblez.net

ZODIAC RETIREMENT - TIGER & RABBIT 
http://www.ty.com/announcements/ret_0524_tigrab.html

Ryan of Collectiblez shares the following:
"I recently got the wonderful opportunity to meet Nicole Moran, the winner of the Ty Trade Ty-signed Beanie Zodiacs, via the Internet. Upon hearing her story and how much she enjoyed her Ty-signed Zodiacs, I was inspired to write an article about the contest that was involved to have one lucky collector win a complete set of the Beanie Zodiacs collection, each signed by Ty Warner!" http://www.geocities.com/collectiblezzz/TyTrade/Challenge.html

READERS SEND IN QUESTIONS FOR TY
"My ty when will you make an all plaid beanie? 
Mr.Ty will you share your wealth with me 
I can make the usa beanies prettier for you? 
Mr Ty did you enjoy eating Pincher after you where sued? 
Mr Ty when will your beanie Bear have nice fat bellies and big ears? 
Mr Ty when will you make a laughing beanie? Mr ty. 
When will you make a beanie that can stand on its Head? 
When will you sell beans at $3.00"
Bernadette Basham - Moncherri@peoplepc.com

My only question for Mr. Warner is, "Will you marry me!" 
(But the answer "no" is not an acceptable answer!!) Barb G

Mr. Warner are you going to ship the "Black Batty Buddy" to Canada i want to get one for my granddaughter to go with "Radar", if not i'm sending Mrs Bobbit to pay you a visit LOL!!! Joan.

==May 23, 2001==
Brent from BeaNGO received the following e-mail from Annie Nickels of Ty Inc.:
Greetings Webmaster!

We would love for you to take part in an exciting new feature of our web page! "Ask Ty".

What we would like from you is 2 - 5 questions you would like Ty Warner to answer. The goofier the better! We can't give you too much info at this point (by now you should expect that) but it will all be clear shortly.

Please submit your questions to me ASAP as I have a deadline of 5:00 pm May 23, 2001.

Thanks for your help I look forward to hearing from you!

Sunless Cheery Auction Ends... 
From: BeanKid's NEWSLetter
The auction for the Cheery Beanie Baby without the sun emblem on its chest has now closed at a remarkable $762.24! The auction had 1574 hits, with 31 bids! This is one of the highest oddities we have seen in awhile, the prices for Beanie Babies have been steadily increasing due to the great marketing strategies Ty has entered lately! Auction | http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=588393943

You may want to check out the two new contests Nina has planned. The links are on the main page of her site.

==May 22, 2001==
Award-winning volunteer has gentle, fun-loving approach 
From: Ms. Janie
At Glacier Hills, Conlin spends 15 minutes to an hour each visit. On special occasions such as Mother's Day, she'll hand out carnations. On Thanksgiving Day, she made pumpkin pies for dessert. Residents really loved celebrating son Tommy's third birthday. They received muffins and drink boxes, the latter such a novelty they weren't quite sure what to do with them. "We also played hot potato with Beanie Babies," recalls Conlin. "Residents were fascinated with Beanie Babies and afterwards delighted in going off to their rooms with them." http://aa.mlive.com/news/index.ssf?/news/stories/20010521a830amc1noelle.frm

How Much to Pay...
From: BeanKid's NEWSLetter
Addison was released at the Chicago Cubs baseball game at Wrigley Field on Sunday, May 20, 2001. Only 13,000 Addison Beanie Babies were available at the game to the first 13,000 children, 13 and under. Since that day, we have watched as presales ended for nearly $200 in some instances, and as collectors scramble to find one, and find one fast! Right now the hype is high for Addison, so what should you pay? The average price for Addison is $174 for the top four for sale on MetaExchange and eBay. In about one month from today, Addison will become available at Ty retailers. You will find that this will satisfy many collectors and the hype for the Addison with commemorative card will go down a bit. If you just can't wait and are planning to buy now, I would suggest paying about a maximum of $150. If you are going to wait a month, I estimate Addison's value to decrease approximately $25-$30 and be worth closer to $110 to $140.

Responses Three
From: Bean eWonderland
Esther Writes: My daughter first started collecting in October 1997.  There is definitely a lot less collectors now than in the previous years.  But we like Ty products more now than ever. I think that there has been an increase in interest this year.  I also commend Ty and his company for the different ideas this year; including all the early retirements, small releases at a time, People's beanie, Issy, Addison, etc. Their marketing strategy is improving the overall market and secondary market.

==May 21, 2001==
OUTSTANDING PICTURE OF ADDISON
http://www.msjanie.com/typhotos/addison1.html

BeanKid's NewsCenter's Mall is now open and has some great rates on advertising space!  Be sure to cash in early on these main level rental rates before the first floor starts to fill up!  Webmasters, this is a great way to advertise your eShop or Beanie news website!  Rates start as low as $5 per month!  Don't forget to stop by the BKNC Mall today! www.bkncmall.com Kody has also added an Attic Treasure Checklist.

The "Closet Collector" has sent in his latest journal entry... He talks of how monkeys need venture capital to start up a business. Closet Collector - http://www.heatherlea.com/articles/closet.htm

Bean Watcher
Ty, through Ty Trade, auctioned more than 75 celebrity-signed Ariel Beanie Babies for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics AIDS Foundation.  Which celebrity auctions fetched the highest bid prices?  Which ones fetched the most number of bids?  Read the Bean Watcher's thoughts on these celebrity-signed Ariels. http://www.beaniewonderland.com/news/beanwatcher.htm

UNDERGROUND BEAN SPORTS A NEW LOOK
See it for yourself: http://undergroundbean.com

MY (Heather's) THOUGHTS: Beanie People are the BEST people: http://www.heatherlea.com/thoughts/

Mellow, Nectar, and Aurora Retire
http://www.ty.com/announcements/ret_0521_necaurmel.html

Dotty has written her 3rd article. This week its about the good & the bad about websites, newsletters, & contests. Visit http://www.beanyspot.com/dotty.html to view the article.

Michael's Beantown has just posted an
e-newsmagazine called "The Beanie 'E'nquirer", which currently features
happenings on other websites, a classified ads section, an interview with
Ryan Johnson of BeanySpot.com, and a monthly crossword contest which will
give away a Beanie, Buddy, Kid, Attic, or cards once each month! Check it all
out at http://www.geocities.com/downloader12/michaelsbeantown/enquirer.html

==May 20, 2001==
Addison Beanie Baby
From: Bean eWonderland
Today is the day that the first 10,000 children under 13 attending the Arizona Diamondbacks vs Chicago Cubs game receive the new Addison Beanie Baby. It will be interesting to see how many in hand ones hit the auctions soon afterwards.

Coming Soon (BIG CONTEST)
From: Bean eWonderland
Coming soon to Bean eWonderland will be a new look, we are having a face lift. The site had been in operation two years last month and I have always resisted changing the feel and layout until now. To launch this new look we shall be holding a joint competition with Daily Bean and Planet Beans. A format has not yet been decided but the first of the prizes have arrived. Thank you to Ryebypost for kindly donating several exciting prizes, for a list so far Please Click Here:

Beanie Popularity
From: Bean eWonderland
One of our readers writes: "I was out shopping for the new releases this weekend and stumbled upon some surprising sales. All of the Beanies were priced at 3.99 except the last set that was released that include Cheery, Poseidon, Regal, Patriot, Midnight and Cooky.

Our McDonalds still has some of the Beanies from the last promotion and just a few months ago we bought half a dozen 5th gen beanies from a local florist at 1.99. I know where I can go get a Jumbo Peace or a Jumbo Valentina anytime. They are collecting dust at a local floral shop. I also know a florist who still has her Thank You bear which I offered her $200 for and she said she would keep me in mind if she didn't get any better offers-which she hasn't.

Is the Beanie FAD over? Where will Beanie Babies be 10 years from now-just a faded memory? I still enjoy Beanie collecting but I am considering on quitting. TY really hasn't put a lot of excitement into it by retiring beanies that have been shelf sitters for 8-10 months. What about the E-Beanies? Sunny and Periwinkle brought the excitement level on that real quick and is Speckles still available?

How about making E-beanies net exclusive? wasn't that the original intentions or is Ty just trying to make more money by making them available to everyone? That takes the fun out of it. That is like making Sakura available in the US. With the exception of Billionaire bears, Thank you bear, and Employee bear I have every fourth gen and up Beanie and selling them would not even cover half the cost of purchasing them. There aren't any rare ones. They have more than mass marketed them. Oh well Im done for now. (Bean eWonderlands comment - I do feel that Ty has put a major effort in this year in an attempt to get the beanie market rolling again. Maybe it was a late effort which should have been done sooner or maybe it is a reflection of the economy and people are just not spending as much as they were 12-18 months ago?)

UGB SCAVENGER HUNT IS BACK!!
"We thought that it was time for a contest here at UGB ... a Scavenger Hunt maybe?  Are you ready to hunt high and low all over the internet for some hard to find items?
Check the Scavenger Hunt page to see the rules."

==May 19, 2001==
CUBS NEWS: 
From: Ms. Janie
Beanie Baby day: The Cubs and Ty will unveil their 10th collaborative effort Sunday. The first 10,000 children 13 and under will receive an "Addison the Bear" Beanie Baby. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cdh/20010518/lo/baylor_says_grace_shouldn_t_worry_1.html

McDonald's Says: No Teenie Beanies This Year
From: Beanieholics
McDonald's has confirmed that it will not offer its popular Teenie Beanie Babies promotion this year. McDonald's has given away the toys with Happy Meals since 1997 in its most successful promotion ever. Click Here For More

Insurance Company Will Pay For Stolen Beanies
From: Beanieholics
A jury has ruled that an insurance company must pay a Warren couple more than $30,000 for the loss of their Beanie Babies. But attorneys for State Farm Fire and Casualty may still appeal the judgment of $31,972 in favor of Michael and Nancy Klein. The couple claimed the collectible stuffed animals were lost after a February 1999 burglary at their home. Click Here For Story

==May 18, 2001==
Sealed Bags Update
From: Bean eWonderland
Hi Richard I thought you might be interested in a reply I received from Meta in response to an email I sent them. Here is the email I wrote to them: The average consumer's chances of finding beanies in stores will now be reduced. You have given retail stores a license to sell their beanies on Meta. As sellers names are not revealed on Meta unless you are the buyer you have made it easy for them to sell their beanies out the back door. The only person who legally has access to sealed bags of beanies is the retailer. It is bad enough that many stores sell to secondary without you making it even easier for them.

This is the response I received:
Thank you for writing to us regarding your concern about the new bags of 12 category.  I'm sorry to hear our creation of this new category has caused you to become angry.  I apologize for the length of my response, but I felt your concern warranted a detailed explanation. When a retailer receives a bag of 12 Beanie Babies he has a choice. He (or she) can sell them one at a time, either in his shop or on the internet.  He can also sell them as a sealed bag of 12 if he so desires.

What you may not realize is what you are concerned about has already been going on at the MetaExchange (and on other sites) almost since the beginning.  Even though we never made separate pits for bags of 12 retailers and dealers have been selling them that way anyhow. There has never been anything stopping the retailers from listing their bags of 12 on the MetaExchange (or Ebay, Yahoo, etc)  in the past.  In fact, since we started retailers have often times sold their beanie babies in minimum groups of 12 in the regular pits.  But the buyers who are looking for groups of 12 really aren't the same as the collectors who are looking to buy just one.  Collectors like that will always be the larger market.  Without them, there would be no secondary market for Beanie Babies. Therefore in order to sell Beanie Babies to collectors there will still be the sell side competition in the regular pits for smaller quanties just like there has always been, and because of this the prices of smaller quantities really won't be any different now and in the future than they would have been otherwise.

As far as making it more difficult to buy a beanie at retail cost, by offering the pits for the sealed bags of 12 we are not be forcing a change in the market price of a Beanie Baby in our regular pits in any way -- all we are doing is identifying the bags of 12 as a separate commodity, which they are and always have been.  As I mentioned earlier we do have dealers who have used the regular pits to sell their bags of 12.  But over time many dealers have told us they consider the bags of 12 to be a separate commodity.  In other words they felt they could sell a sealed bag for a different price than they could get if they listed a quantity of 12 beanie babies in the regular pits, which could have been opened and handled already.

Couple Sues State Farm Over Beanies
From: Beanieholics
A jury will decide whether a $27,000 Beanie Babies collection was really stolen or was part of a scheme to defraud an insurance company. Michael and Nancy Klein have sued State Farm Fire and Casualty for at least $31,000, alleging the company improperly denied their claim of losses in a February 1999 break-in they reported to police. Click Here For Story

==May 17, 2001==
Planet Beans has passed the 400,000th visitor mark. 
Thank you for making Planet Beans a great pleasure to work on. It's great to hear so many wonderful comments and suggestions from the readers. I know many of you have been loyal to the site for a long while and I thank you for that. :o)

==May 16, 2001==
Pre Sales for ADDISON Begin
From: Bean eWonderland
Lulu informs us that pre-sales for the Addison beanie bear have already started, highest Lulu managed to find has so far reached $100.00 View Here:

Zany Brainy Blames Beanies For Chapter 11
From: Beanieholics
From the New York Post: When it came down to it, Zany Brainy just couldn't digest Noodle Kidoodle. And soft beanie baby sales didn't help any. Zany Brainy, which specializes in educational toys and games, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday. The company listed more than $100 million each in assets and liabilities. Click Here For Story

==May 15, 2001==
THE HERO CLUBHOUSE IS HERE! ! !
The IMA Hero Web Site comes alive with the Hero Clubhouse.  Children can experience the internet in a safe and educational way with the Heroes at iamhero.com

The pre-registration for the Hero Clubhouse has been AMAZING!  Thank you for making the Hero Clubhouse even more FUN & ENTERTAINING.

If you haven't yet joined the Hero Clubhouse, SIGN UP NOW, to receive your own Hero Clubhouse Newsletter and receive a BONUS Coupon for your online purchase.

Plus, you can say, "I was a Member of the Hero Clubhouse from the beginning!"  Just go to, http://www.imahero.com/heroclubhouse.html#4

As a member of the Hero Clubhouse™, you will receive:
-A WELCOME LETTER and a 25% OFF COUPON for any online purchase
-FUN & EDUCATIONAL newsletters written exclusively for Hero Clubhouse™ Members
-Announcements of NEW FEATURES and MAJOR UPDATES to our web site
-Advanced notice of CONTESTS and PROMOTIONS
-EXCLUSIVE OFFERS only for Hero Clubhouse™ Members
-SPECIAL COUPONS for discounts on IMA Hero™ products

Beware Counterfeit Items
From: Bean eWonderland
While searching for Beanie Babies on eBay, I came across a relatively large  number of Sakura Beanie Babies being sold by just a handful of sellers. Some of these sellers coincidentally, were also selling many hard-to-find styles, e.g., Coral, Radar, and Manny -- all of which have been counterfeited before.  All Beanie Baby collectors should take special precautions before bidding on any suspicious items or sellers.  Don't be swayed by guarantees of "authenticity."  There are many entrepreneurs in this world whose primary purpose in life is to make profits at others' expense.  - Bean Watcher

From: BeaNGO
"I have just posted an article regarding Addision and it includes a picture and his POEM. I have also been informed of a new employee Beanie. Check it all out at http://www.bean-news.com."

"Last September, we knew about Ty's Billionaire III several weeks before it was given to employees. We posted the news five minutes after the Ty Employee party had ended. Now, we have been informed Ty employees will be given a blue bear in September. They are currently looking for a location for their event, but as of yet, no location has been chosen. We will keep you posted."

Picture Of Addison
From: Beanieholics
Smart Collecting has posted a picture of Addison, the new Beanie Baby bear that the Chicago Cubs will be giving away this Sunday. Click Here For Link To Smart Collecting

OATS & CARDINAL BUDDIES RETIRE
http://www.ty.com/announcements/ret_0515oatscardinal.html

**Special Bulletin from Andrea's Attic**
We just made the switch to a new server today and the changeover has not been a very smooth one. The trade boards are now up and running again, as I could not access them all day. I just rebooted the system and they seem to be working fine now. I suggest trying to clear your internet browser cache, refreshing the page, and if that doesn't work, rebooting the system. If it still doesn't work, e mail me! However, the e mail forwarding is still working out the kinks in it. Today only, please direct all e mail to AndreasAttic@aol.com and you will receive a response from me as quickly as possible. Thanks so much for your patience!

==May 14, 2001==
Are you my Mother?
From: Bean eWonderland
Sals Attic shares a cute Story for Mothers day about Little Dinky searching for his mother in Attic Land. View Here:

Sports Beanie Babies?
From: Doodle's Page
Although just a simple thought, with the upcoming debut of 'Addison' at the Cubs baseball game next Sunday ... wouldn't 'sports Beanie Babies' be an interesting collection? We already have 'Kicks' (soccer) ... how about football, basketball, etc. (My son is 12 years old and a big 'sports fan'; he has his Disney "sports Mickey's" lined up on his dresser ... referee, football, soccer, snowboarding, basketball, and hockey. Poor 'Kicks' looks a little lost.)

==May 13, 2001==
=Happy Mother's Day!!=
Without great Mothers there wouldn't be any great kids. Congrats to all of you that have a wonderful Mom and be thankful for the times you can spend together. Make the most of life as you never know when it will be cut short. If you can.. give your Mom a BIG hug today and reminisce about great times and smile about life. I don't know about you.. one of the things I remember my dear Mom saying to me when I was a child.. "I hope one day you grow up to have kids just like you!!" So I did!! LOL And Mom reminds me of it when we get into conversations. I wouldn't trade my kids for anything in this world and I hope they feel the same about me. God Bless all of your Moms AND Dads that play the Mom role as well. I know there are many Mr. Moms out there. 

SUNLESS CHEERY DISCOVERED! 
From: Smart Collecting
David from Boston discovered a Cheery Beanie Baby that was missing its sun. It is currently on auction on eBay. Auction ends on May 20th. David is known as david1collector! on eBay and has a feedback rating of 98. Go to auction! 

Woman Faces Mail Fraud Charges
From: Beanieholics
Beanie Babies' buyers who came up empty-handed led to a two-count federal indictment of a Dierks, Ark., woman for mail fraud involving $10,000 worth of the popular stuffed toys.
Click Here For Story

CONTEST TIME HAS ARRIVED AT MS. JANIE'S! 
A couple of weeks ago I announced that I was gearing up for a fun contest. This contest was initially going to only include prizes from myself. My sponsor have been VERY generous in the past and I did not feel comfortable asking for prizes for this contest knowing that I will be launching a BIG contest in July, which will include them. Since then Mary from http://www.iluvcollectibles.com has contacted me and offered to donate the grand prize and a few other surprises. 

It's time to have some fun and let our hair down! My next contest will be called (Beanie Personality, one on one) Which Beanie reminds you of yourself? 

You will be asked to submit a paragraph or more explaining which Beanie reminds you of YOU! Please know that all entries will be posted and shared with others. Use your imagination, have fun and be as descriptive as you wish! Poems, animation, jokes, riddles and rhymes are welcomed! Remember that these entries will be shared so please mind your manners! 

You will be allowed to submit (1) entry a day for 7 days. During the 7-day time period all received entries will be posted for all to enjoy. 

If you need an example of how fun this can be please visit the following link for a similar idea I used a few years ago. http://www.msjanie.com/articles/beaniechallenge_results.html 

Each day a winner will be chosen and posted. On the 8th day the 7 entries will posted on one page for you to vote the grand prize winner. FURTHER DETAILS WILL BE POSTED IN SUNDAY NIGHT'S NEWSLETTER:

Colorful kaleidoscopes highly collectible 
From: Ms. Janie
Who can't help be fascinated by kaleidoscopes? A couple of twists and colorful prisms of glass create ever-new designs. What began in 1816 as a scientific instrument today is recognized as a serious, collectible art form. When mid-19th century kaleidoscopes make a rare auction appearance, listed as optic devices, the prices can begin at $650 and go into several thousand dollars. Sir David Brewster was a scientific genius who created a telescope when he was only 10 years old. As an adult, he was a multifaceted scientist who researched diverse subjects. Of greatest interest to him was the effect of different angles of light on glass. His theory on the polarization of light involved a simple way to calculate the angle at which light must strike a substance for maximum polarization. http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/05/12/tem_colorful.html

Collectiblez [http://www.collectiblez.net] is proud to introduce a new page featuring the TWENTY-FIVE variations involved with the twelve Beanie Zodiacs! The variations involve changes in material, style and also the placement of the hang tag on the flashy plush toys. The page is complete with nine photos as well, so see what variations you have and what you're missing! http://www.geocities.com/collectiblezz/Zodiacs/Variations.html

==May 12, 2001==
From: Ms. Janie
Sly shares the following: 
Hi Ms Janie!! On may 3,2001 Ty Applied to register a New Trademark on the word "BEANI" and listed "Plush Toys" as The goods and services. It could be That by registering for this trademark That Ty Inc Might be trying to prevent others from using The word "BEANI" on their products as it could be confused with Ty's "beanie" Or It could be that Ty is trying to register this Trademark for a New Product. As Always... Tyme will Tell!! Have a Great day!! Oh and Happy Mother's Day to You and your Readers!! Your Bud, Sly The Beanie Guy 

From: Ms. Janie
The following information regarding Addison the Beanie Baby was posted on the cyberboards. 
Addison on Cubs game tonight...... 
Binger (09:19 pm. May 11, 2001 ) 
Message Id: 869244 Binger writes: I happen to be watching the cubs game tonight and they showed Addison, who is to be given away on Sunday May 20th. Did anyone else see this? Chip Carrey's wife was holding him. He is a light blue color with a double bow of white and red and has a baseball on his chest. He looks to be made of the same fabric as fuzz and groovy. My kids can't wait to go to the game next Sunday--I hope I can bribe one out of theirs. Oh yeah he is the classic bear style and not the pooh style. If anyone else saw this please post. http://www.ty.com/cyberboard/news/msg869244.html

From: Ms. Janie
Deb from Doodles has posted a beautiful photo of Glory the buddy. Please visit the following link http://www.doodlespage.com/news.html

NEW BUDDY RUMOR FROM HEATHER OF THE DAILY BEAN
Hi, Have I got some interesting news! While shopping for Beanies today, my mom found out that there are a couple of new Buddies on the way!! She was shown the order list and saw a Cardinal Buddie and a Mellow Buddie. She called me because she hadn't heard of these and wanted to know if I wanted them when the store got them. Of course I said YES!! The store owner was really nice to her and let her look at the order form and told her that these were new Buddies he was going to order next week. Time will tell if this is indeed true! Stefani

Planet Beans Comments: Cardinal Buddy has been out for a while now. It would be nice to see a Mellow buddy though. ;o)

==May 11, 2001==
Itzmeagain's Decorated Bean's is celebrating Mother's day with a mini-hunt, which runs Friday through Sunday. http://www.itzmeagain.com/comingsoon.htm

Young entrepreneurs making mark on Internet's new economy 
From: Ms. Janie
Chris Kolner pauses to reflect before he answers the question. Why did he and his pals band together to launch a start-up? "Well," he says, "it has been my dream for a long time to invent things. I figured it was a good idea to start a company early on in life." How early? "I am 9 1/3 years old," Kolner said. "I like being exact," he explained matter-of-factly. Kindergartners are picking up business skills trading baseball cards and Beanie Babies. Teens are going away to business boot camps instead of summer camps. Venture capitalist Tim Draper even started BizWorld, a Redwood City-based organization that brings volunteers into the classroom to encourage third- through eighth-grade students to learn about business. But the Internet is the great equalizer. Kids can just log on and hatch business plans. In the next five years, 1.2 million, or 6 percent, of teens will have started an Internet business by the time they graduate from high school, according to Computer Economics, a research firm in Carlsbad. And, based on his conversations with teen entrepreneurs, vice president of research Michael Erbschloe estimates as much as 1 percent of elementary school kids contemplate starting an Internet business. http://www.journalstar.com/business?story_id=678&past=

Police Cite Boy, 7, for Taking $6 From Mom 
From: Ms. Janie
BISMARCK, N.D. (Reuters) - As part of a program aimed at cracking down on youthful offenders, a 7-year-old North Dakota boy faced a criminal theft charge after police cited him for stealing $6 from his mother, police said on Wednesday. According to police, the Bismarck mother discovered $6 missing from a pile of cash she had left lying on the counter in her kitchen over the weekend. When she questioned her two sons about the missing bills, the 7-year-old admitted taking the money. ``She called the police, she wanted him cited for theft, so that is what we did,'' said Bismarck police Lt. Nick Sevart. Upon questioning, the boy said he took the money because he wanted to buy a ``Beanie Baby'' toy, Sevart said. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010510/od/boy_dc_1.html

From: Ms. Janie
Sly shares the following information that has many up in arms! 
Is this unreal or what? The metaexchange has opened a seperate selling pit for selling beanie babies in sealed bags of 12 http://www.metaexchange.com/mx/floor/index.html?catid@BBX-SEALED12

Virtual museum in works
From: Bean eWonderland
Forget boring, stuffy museums. This one will be open 24/7, and can be found by pointing your browser to a site under development by two local men. Clancy Cross and Ron Thomas, systems analysts at the University of Dayton Research Institute, are putting together a "virtual museum" -- an online compendium of anything and everything that people collect. From Beanie Babies and baseball cards to first-edition comic books and balls of yarn, the site aims to be an "extensive and comprehensive Internet museum" of collectibles, treasures, antiques and other stuff. Full Story

BYE BYE PIG & ROOSTER ZODIACS
http://www.ty.com/announcements/ret_0511pigrooster.html

REGAL BEANIE 
From: Andrea's Attic
Thanks to everyone who has sent in info on their Regal Beanies! Looks like Ty decided to remove the collar after they deemed it a choking hazard :(

==May 10, 2001==
BUDDIES ON TV
"Lisa,  Was wondering if anyone besides me is noticed that on yesterdays episode of "All My Children" (5-8-01), two beanie buddies were shown on the show.  One of the characters, Laura, is in the hosptial and when her "friends?" dropped by, they had Groovy buddy for her and there was a Grace Buddy on her hospital bed table. Beanies and Buddies seem to be showing up on more and more TV Shows." Granny Annie

IN RESPONSE TO BUDDIES ON TV
" Hi Just wanted to comment on Buddies on "All My Children".  It was not Groovy. It was Peace and Hope Buddies, and without the Ty hang tags. "
Thanks
Joanne

BG writes: "The buddy on All My Children was Peace."

GUYBONN writes:  BUDDIES ON TV    OOOPS YOUR WRONG IT ISNT GROOVY BUDDY   IT WAS PEACE BUDDY ON ALL MY CHILDREN YESTERDAY.  JUST A NOTE TO LET YOU KNOW. THANKS     

Judy writes: "I too noticed the buddies on All my Children.  But it was not the Groovy
buddy it was the Peace and the Hope buddy.  If you looked real close you
could see the peace sign on his chest.  I taped the show so I watched it
again to make sure."

Collectiblez now features an article about the secondary market of Ty Beanie Babies. This article covers the history of the secondary market, what exactly the secondary market is, and what of the Ty collection would possibly be most valuable to collect for the future. Article ~ http://www.geocities.com/collectiblezz/SecondaryMarket.html

In response to D. in Texas
" He didnt make a Thank You bear for the customers?  I thought that's exactly what the People's Beanie was!  Though I agree on the Issy's!  I do hope he doesnt retire them early, id rather have LOTS of them without a whole bunch of value, then hard to find, and worth a little. " Nickolis

NEW CONTEST COMING TO ANDREA'S ATTIC
"We will be hosting another contest this weekend! Prizes will be Glory Buddy, Patriot Beanie and more! Stay tuned for more details right HERE!

Who is analyzing this market anyway?
From: Ms. Janie
Analysts would like you to believe that the collectibles market is soft, but after my monthly visit with Ms. Clairol, I gave this matter some thought. Here's the way I see it: Beanbag collectibles played a large role in the numbers that indicated a strong collectible market. It has often been reported that the beanbag hobby never developed, as a normal collectible should… Now, what the heck does that mean? Read the rest HERE

A Pre-Sellers System -an Underground Bean Article
Many sellers seem to come out of the woodwork with fraud in mind when new Ty products are released, selling oodles of presales at high dollars.  But are these sellers intentionally doing this, have they always been there or have they just gotten behind in their presales.  Presellers that do this regularly have a system that they work by, but then again, so do those that intend fraud. Read the rest of the article HERE 

==May 9, 2001==
A GIFT FROM WENDY'S WEB
How do you like the new flash opening of Planet Beans? Wendy surprised me with it today. She does wonderful work so if you need any kind of web design work done or any beautiful drawings.. please visit her site. :o)

TOPICA IS STILL DOWN FOR MAINTENANCE
I am unable to send out a newsletter at this time. I hope most newsletter subscribers will check here on the news page for any updates. 

CONTESTS
Issy was moved earlier.. and please do a FREE entry into the Win 6 Beanies contest since I'm unable to send out the newsletter with the question. :o)

MINI HUNT AT ITZMEAGAIN
Nina is having one of her famous mini-hunts starting on Friday and lasting through the weekend. While you are checking out the contest details.. be sure to check out Nina's GORGEOUS dyed Halos and other Ty-dyed Beanies and Buddies. Her prices are great and you can get something custom made and shipped to you in time for any special occasion. Speaking from firsthand knowledge, her work is exceptional. :o) http://www.itzmeagain.com/

7-year-old cited for theft
From: Bean eWonderland
A 7-year-old Bismarck boy was cited by police Saturday after he admitted to his mom that he took $6 from the kitchen counter. He later told police he had planned to buy a Beanie Baby stuffed animal with it. Full Story:

ISSY WITH EXTRA TAG
"Dear Ms. Janie I have a "New port Beach" Issy Beanie Baby and he has a tush tag with an extra small tag of number (27) printed on it. Do you know anything about this, all my other Issys do not have this extra small tag. PLMK Thanks Patricia" You can view the pictures of this very unique Issy at:  http://www.msjanie.com/typhotos/issyextratag.html

Thank You Bear Auction
From: Doodle's Page
I have been made aware of an auction, which I wish to pass along ... Three (3)'Thank You Bear' Beanie Babies, with original "Thank You Cards". All proceeds from this auction are to be donated to the Spinal Cord Society of Washington. Click here to view the auction

CINDERS AND HERO RETIRE
http://www.ty.com/announcements/ret_0509cindershero.html

==May 8, 2001==
DEBBIE SHARES HER THOUGHTS
Ty should make a THANK YOU ll for the public ( us ), we are the ones that made him all that money for getting addicted to BEANIES, LOL  I like to say that I paid for one of the closets in his new  Santa Barbara Ranch, LOL

Planet Beans Comments: You go girl!! I think Ty should consider doing this for all of us loyal Beanie addicts.

NO MORE TY TRADE ARIEL AUCTIONS
Brent from Beanie News Galore Online!~ shares the following:
There have not been any Celebrity Ariel Auctions on Ty Trade in the last few weeks. I have contacted Adam Coyne, the Communications Manager at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Adam has informed my that "The auction is officially over." This means that no more Autographed Ariels will be placed on Ty Trade benefiting the foundation.

TY.COM WORKING AGAIN
I really thought the site was down for a new look.. everything looks the same to me so who knows what Ty is up to. As always, keeps us on our toes. ;o)

BEANS EVERYWHERE is back up with new features: 
FREE Auctions http://www.collectibleauctions.cjb.net 
Banner Exchange http://www.collectiblebanners.cjb.net

CONTEST AT BEANIEHOLICS
"Today we begin a series of giveaways that will lead up to our Big Birthday Blow Out next month. We have three of the 'Mom' bears from Celebrity Bears to giveaway this week in celebration of Mother's Day." Visit HERE for details

OX & MONKEY ZODIACS RETIRE
http://www.ty.com/announcements/ret_050801OXMONKEY.html

BEANIES ON OPRAH
Collectiblez reader, Donna, shares today that on Oprah with Dr. Phil, they had a show about money and being in debt. There was a girl who got into dept partly from buying Beanies. They showed her collection of 180 Beanies. News Source - http://www.collectiblez.net

The Folly of our Addiction By: Chris Melcher (AKA Teenbeanieholic or TB)

==May 7, 2001==
email to Share
From: Bean eWonderland
I own two stores and have done very well by Ty for several years. We bought our ten acres of land with beanie money and call it beanie acres. We built a house a couple years ago. We now have to close our smaller store since it has always depended on beanies to survive and they are not doing well enough to keep the doors open anymore. I have told my employees that unless Ty starts shipping us more product or the economy turns around they are out of a job. I hear that not only is Ty not enforcing their strict pricing and other policies, but that they are actually opening new accounts. This astounds me since for over a year we have been able to order beanies in 3 dozens and they do nothing but ship in two dozens. Shouldn't Ty reward those loyal accounts that did nothing but jump though hoops to keep their account, with better shipments of at least three dozen or even four dozen new releases? No, instead, they look for new accounts and let the old ones hang in the wind.

I have been happy to deal in beanies, but I hear that huge numbers of small stores that relied on Ty are going out of business. My second store was small and always relied on beanies so I knew if they started to flounder, I would have to close it. I hoped that the traffic that the beanies brought would bring new customers that would buy other things and keep the store going after the beanie craze. Instead, all I see is a flurry of dealers and collectors at the beginning of the month who come only for beanies and look at nothing else. I know some of these people are good customers that occasionally buy other things, but mostly I view the rest of them with little respect.

Ty is still an excellent line for our other bigger store and we will survive without it when that day comes. We were reluctant to try the plush and attic lines and they had done great for us. All we ask is that if Ty wants to keep things going is to reward their old accounts with better shipments. They whittled their accounts down to the best and most honest. You'd think they could adjust their shipping strategy for the sake of their retailers as well as  themselves. Hope this doesn't sound too pessimistic. Thanks for your time. -Dealer in Michigan Sean (Bean eWonderlands comment - I am sitting on the wall with this one, I know some will agree and that some of you are these smaller accounts, only too pleased to get the Ty products back. Several weeks ago we reported on how florist accounts were having their accounts reinstated by Ty, if you would like to comment let us know, I feel sure this is one for debate) .

Kiah hanging onto humor in fight vs. cancer 
From: Ms. Janie
He spent a lot of his time sleeping when he had the fatigue-inducing radiation treatments. The last 12 days of his 30-day cycle involved double radiation treatments. He is gradually regaining his strength and works up to four hours a day at the high school these days. “I get discouraged. I’d like it to be over. But I know it’s still there and I have to accept it and keep doing the things I’m supposed to be doing,” said Kiah. He has been deeply touched by the outpouring of support from the students, faculty, former players, and friends everywhere. 

Specialized sports cards popular First we put baseball cards in our spokes. Or we threw out the cards and kept the gum. That was in the 1950s and 1960s. When collecting sports cards became a money business, we called our parents and asked if they had saved the cards even though we knew we threw them out. There was the boom in the 1980s and 1990s, but Web site companies like eBay have cut into the business and interest has waned. “We’ve seen a drop in singles [cards] because of places like eBay which can sell them for a fraction of what they book for in the price guides,” said Rob Gilbert, owner of Collectors Corner in Brewer. “We still sell a lot of sports card packs every week religiously,” added Gilbert. He also said that the card companies are returning to their roots and printing cards that resemble the ones they first marketed in the 1950s. 

As has been the trend in recent years, the business has expanded into non-sports items such as comic books, Pokemon cards, Beanie Babies, and a collectible card game called “Magic The Gathering.” “Magic is for people of all ages while Pokemon is for kids,” said Gilbert. “Magic has been around for five or six years and, this year, it has really exploded again. I’ve seen a little boost in Pokemon recently.” Among the sports cards, baseball is a clear No. 1. http://www.bangornews.com/cgi-bin/article.cfm?storynumber=33639&a=1

From: Ms. Janie
HolyBears Charity Auctions is proud to present a Preemie Prayer HolyBear(TM) autographed by Rosie O'Donnell! All proceeds benefit Beanies For Preemies, Inc. (http://www.beaniesforpreemies.com). For more information, please visit http://www.holybears.com.

BEANIE NEWS FROM ANDREA
News has been a bit thin lately...but like they say, there is always a calm before the storm. From what my sources have told me, Dearest and Issy will be seeking quick retirements. Ty retailers were only able to order 24 (not the usual 36) of Issy on their May 1st order forms!

Two Indiana Youth Honored for Volunteerism At National Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright And Miss America 2001 Angela Perez Baraquio Pay Tribute to Young Heroes as Part of Four-Day Recognition Events. 

Mollee, an eighth-grader at Western Middle School in Russiaville, raised about $15,000 to ease the financial straits of a local home for unwed mothers and their newborns. After learning about the "Nesting Doves" home and its funding difficulties, Mollee, an avid Beanie Baby collector, organized four benefit shows called "Beanies for Babies." Mollee contacted local radio stations about the event, posted fliers throughout her community, and recruited volunteers from her school and Girl Scout troop. In addition to the money raised at the shows, Mollee's publicity has heightened community awareness of the vital assistance that Nesting Doves provides young mothers. Mollee and other Girl Scouts in her area are now working on a quilting project to benefit the home. "As time went by, I realized how important the Nesting Doves was," explained Mollee. "It gives young women and their unborn children a chance at a bright, promising future." Read the article HERE

Heather of the Daily Bean shares the following:
Ty Talk Cyberboard posters are going through cold turkey withdrawals as the message boards remain down for the third day in a row. The extremely active Daily Tymes, Grins & Gripes, Mixed Bag and Bright Ideas boards are frozen with no new messages since 3 p.m. on May 5. Regular posters are frantically wearing out their refresh buttons waiting for the boards to come back up... and some have reportedly turned to alternate activities such as housework, television, or (heaven forbid) their "real jobs" while the Ty site is down. A few have even ventured into the sunlight and are taking the opportunity to search for new beanies in "real" stores, rather than cyber-stores and auction sites. Could this mean Ty is revamping the boards? Perhaps the entire site? Will this involve improvements to Ty Trade as well? Joyb-bug from Utah reporting in with more questions than answers. joyb

	The Folly of our Addiction By: Chris Melcher (AKA Teenbeanieholic or TB)
Introducing a new section to Planet Beans. If someone sends me an interesting article they've written and want to share.. it will be on the Articles page.

==May 6, 2001==
Man gets life in prison
From: Bean eWonderland
A former Department of Defence employee was sentenced to life in prison yesterday for kidnapping an 18-year-old woman off the streets of Mira Mesa last summer and trying to rape her. On Aug. 15, the woman was riding a bicycle on Westonhill Drive near the Mira Mesa Center shopping mall where she bought some Beanie Babies for her younger brother. Full Story:

HAVE YOU NOTICED...
When clicking on Beanies, Buddies, or any of the other pages at Ty.com this message comes up: http://www.ty.com/error.html

This Ty.com feature is currently unavailable. Please try again later. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Regards,
Ty

MADAME ALEXANDER
Good evening!  I have been working hours on BeanKid's NewsCenter's newest article regarding the Madame Alexander playset, Playdate with Spot.  The newest article covers a brief history of the Madame Alexander doll company, a overview of the promotion itself, a look of what was included in the promotion, and even a production prediction and a value estimate!  We have worked hard to create this information page at www.BeanKid.net  and hope that each person finds it useful in keeping up-to-date in this ever changing world of Beanies!

SUNNY & PERIWINKLE CONTEST
"I am having a contest on my web site below for "Sunny and Periwinkle". Could you please tell everyone about it."  http://www.vianet.ca/~dandar/

FROM: BJ of the BEAN SOURCE
"While re-doing Bean Source i've managed to create some interesting Articles. If you could please share these articles with your beanie sites I would be very greatful."
Ty Ambassadors Jacket http://216.234.169.13/beaniebabies/articles/ambassador/ambassador.html Unity the bear http://216.234.169.13/beaniebabies/articles/unity/unity.htm 
Contact Ty Inc, Ty europe Inc, Ty canada Inc and many more! http://216.234.169.13/beaniebabies/articles/contacty/contacty.htm

A CONTEST WINNER'S PICTURE
Traci won a beautiful Coral Beanie from Andrea of Andrea's Attic in the Planet Beans March contest.
CORAL CONTEST WINNER

==May 5, 2001==
Currently on auction on eBay are tickets to the Sunday May 20th Chicago Cubs baseball game at Wrigley Field, as the Chicago Cubs give away 10,000 Addison Beanie Babies! Addison will be unveiled at the ball game and will be very rare with its commemorative card and ticket stub. The below eBay auction is giving away 1 adult and 4 children passes to the 10 top bidders. The current price is $34 for these five tickets--a real bargain! eBay Auction - http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=585581582
News Source - http://www.collectiblez.net

Deb from Doodles shares the following http://www.doodlespage.com 
From: Ms. Janie
Deb has done some investigative work and has stumbled upon some interesting news. On April 27th Ty HAS registered the name Fancy. As Deb would say, "Gives a bit of room for thought anyway". :) Way to go Deb!!

SAD STORY 
From: Ms. Janie
Classmates recall friends who sold lemonade, liked Beanies Liberty and Faith Battaglia were like most young girls. They played with dolls and rode their bikes. Earlier this week, they sold lemonade outside their Highland Park house for 25 cents a cup. Their young lives ended Wednesday night when their father shot them inside his Deep Ellum loft apartment, police said. Their father, John David Battaglia, was arrested early Thursday. Neighbors grappled with the events and said 6-year-old Liberty and 9-year-old Faith were "precious, perfect children." Leah Black, a counselor at Bradfield Elementary School in Highland Park, said the two girls were a pleasure. http://www.dallasnews.com/metro/stories/357122_faithliberty_0.html

RyeByPost Lottery 
The RyeByPost Lottery server experienced problems with lottery entries at some point on Friday and this has resulted in almost 2,000 lost entries. Because of this we think it would be very unfair to conduct a draw today and have decided to declare this week's lottery to be VOID. The problems have been worked out and the lottery WILL open again tonight at 9pm UK (4pm EST) as usual. 

There have been EXTRA prizes added to next weeks drawing as a way to say sorry to those playing, we are very sorry for this to have happened but it was a situation that beyond our control. 

In next week's lottery the prizes will remain:
6 Numbers = Billionaire #1 Bear 
5 Numbers + Bonus Number = New York Issy with Card 
5 Numbers = Unity the Bear 
4 Numbers = Sewn-On Patch Britannia Beanie Bear
3 Numbers = Chinook Beanie Bear

==May 4, 2001==
Dotty's Spot -- New Article @ BeanySpot.com! 
Visit http://www.beanyspot.com/dotty.html -- See what "Dotty" has to say about Website Contests!!

POUCH BUDDY ON SURVIVOR
From: BeanKid's NEWSCenter
"While watching the "after-Survivor" party in which all of the castaways and the newly announced winner, Tina meet and chat about the show and experiences... it showed a quick clip from a Survivor watch party in Boston and in the audience a lady was waving around a Pouch the Kangaroo Beanie Buddy!"

NEW CONTEST AT ANDREA'S ATTIC
Our next contest will begin on Tuesday, May 8th. This will be a one day only contest! It is a Mother's Day theme with prizes such as Dearest the Bear, Mom the Attic Treasure, and Yankee Candles! Come on over and win prizes for your Mom for Mother's Day! The contest will be held in our chat room where I will ask attendants at random a Beanie oriented trivia question. There will be 20 winners! I will release more details in Sunday evening's edition of the newsletter. 

The chat will be held at 7:30 PM Pacific Time (10:30 PM Eastern Time) on Tuesday, May 8th. If you wish to sign up for the contest, e mail the following information to Register@andreasattic.com 

Name (First & Last): 
E Mail Address: 
Screen Name you will use for our chat room (One word only): 

You must register by noon, Pacific Time (3:00 PM Eastern Time) on Sunday, May 6th to be eligible to participate. I will e mail instructions on how to access out chat room along with a list of registered entrants on Sunday night. 

In the meantime, feel free to stop by our Chat room by clicking the "Chat Now" button from our Chat & Trade boards web page. I will be popping in and out of the chat room today myself to help familiarize people with our chat room! 

NOTE FROM ANDREA I will be out of town until Sunday night. I will respond to all e mails at that time. Thanks!

CLOSET COLLECTOR
The "Closet Collector" has sent in his latest journal entry... In this entry, you can find the following:
-What to do in the summertime.. 
-Zoo at home...
-Jumbo Bongo
-How to make money with your collection...

New May beanies are in The Scottish Borders. 
From: Ms. Janie
Not enough Unity and Cheery to go round so I had to chose one or the other (how cruel!) As blue is my favorite color Unity came home with Issy, Kooky , Midnight, Regal, Nectar and Poseidon. Best of beanie luck to you all out there in the hunt. Edith, Scotland.

From: Ms. Janie
Beaniemom offers scans of 7 of the NEW Beanies http://www.beaniemom.com/

From: Ms. Janie
Sly shares the following link for Ty's Cyber boards 
Get ready everyone!!! Newbies have started shipping! 
Petunia (08:20 am. May 03, 2001 ) 
Message Id: 864829 Petunia writes: Just checked my retailer page and all the newest beanies have been shipped to my store in quantities of 24. (ordered 36's) I suspect we've seen the last of Dearest because I ordered 36 and I'm receiving "0". Also, only getting 12 of Hero. I fully expect a newsflash any day now about the retirement of Dearest. Many of my customers didn't get one the last time...36 doesn't go far. Anyway....gas up those cars, drink plenty of Starbucks, wear comfortable shoes and get out there! Smiles :-) Petunia http://www.ty.com/cyberboard/news/msg864829.html

Planet Beans Comments: Deb has informed me that Dearest is NOT on the order form. It wouldn't surprise me to see a quick retirement as Mother's Day is next Sunday.

Not to burst your bobble, but it's just a fad 
From: Ms. Janie
A few weeks ago the Wall Street Journal ran a front-page story on the resurgence and widespread popularity of bobble-head dolls. The article noted the following: 20 major league baseball teams will release bobble-head dolls this season; 12 NBA teams have or will be releasing bobble-head dolls this season (like the Sixers' high-demand Allen Iverson doll a few months ago); and 40 colleges also are planning to release dolls. The story refers to bobble-head dolls as the "Beanie Babies of the new millennium." One of the reasons for this comparison is that many of these bobble-head dolls have been appearing on online auctions and selling for significant sums. What the writer doesn't seem to grasp is that because a small number of bobble heads (or anything else) sell for big dollars in auction does not mean a large number of the same item would fetch those prices, or even generate much interest. The key to any auction item is finding that one person willing to pay more for something than anyone else. People have been making judgment calls like this in the hobby for years, usually with scant success. http://dailynews.philly.com/content/daily_news/2001/05/03/sports/TAYL03S.htm

NEW BEANIE POEMS AND BIRTHDATES ADDED
to the Beanie Babies Information pages.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY FROM TY.COM 
http://www.ty.com/mothersday/

ANDREA'S UGB ARTICLE IS READY
http://www.undergroundbean.com/andreasattic.htm

==May 3, 2001==
COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF
Colleen shares the following on the Beanie Phenomenon Guestbook
In response to a link being posted with ONE seller having DOZENS of Issy Beanies in original Ty bags: "That's just plain infuriating! Thanks for the links, Anne. Every time I see those, I send a link to Ty and complain... not that I think it will ever do any good, but I always preface the email with my comments, and they've grown more curt as time goes on ~ LOL. Here's an example of my most recent email to Ty: This seller has no less than TEN DOZEN Issy bears for sale at this very moment, ALL in sealed Ty bags.... what does that tell you????? It tells me that the "Ty philosophy" is no longer in effect, or at the very least is studiously ignored by the corporation. Here's another: This POOR retailer is complaining that he/she had to "go through" over 1400 Issys to get the set to sell at an exorbitant price on Ebay.... this flagrant abuse of a Ty licencing agreement is outrageous, but it also speaks volumes about the lackadaisacal attitude of the corporation, doesn't it? It proves that retailers do not take the alleged "Ty philosophy" seriously, and that the Ty corporation doesn't either."

READERS COMMENTS:
DOROTHY WRITES: "I am fairly new to beanie collecting and just wanted to make a comment regarding your site.  I found your site because of contests but to my surprise your site is different from others and now the one I visit first every day.  I really like the beanie info pages. They are the most complete and accurate ones on the web. Even TY.com does not offer all the information you have and it is so great to have a one stop site for the best information on the web.  Thank you for the work and diligence you have put into your site."   
Dorothy Ferris

Planet Beans Comments: It's comments like Dorothy's that make all of the hard work worthwhile. Thank you for taking the time to send me such kind words. I always welcome comments whether negative or praise. So if you have something to say.. please send it in. :o)

PICTURE OF THE NEWEST BEANIES
TAMI SHARES THE FOLLOWING LINK
http://www.northumbrian.clara.co.uk/6maybeans.jpg

BEAUTIFUL CALENDARS FOR YOUR DESKTOP
Grannie Annie shares the following:
The wallpaper calendars are free with instructions on how to load them on your system. Please go take a look. http://www.flsuncoast.com/calendars/may2001.shtml

Registration for our Challenger contest over at the Daily Bean has started... 
Not many details have been released besides the prizes! Prizes include: Righty2000, Lefty2000, USA, Osito, Osito Buddy, Right Buddy, Lefty Buddy, Libearty Buddy, Spangle Buddy, Red Face Spangle, Blue Face Spangle, White Face Spangle, Germania, Niponnia, UNITY and MUCH MUCH MORE! Challenger: http://www.heatherlea.com/contests/challenger.htm

==May 2, 2001==
Beanie Baby Vacation
From: Bean eWonderland
Whilst looking for news I stumbled on a site which I feel is worth sharing, it started out as a joke, its popularity grew and it has now made the online news pages of USA Today. What is it all about, why not Click Here and take a look for yourself.

Unity Auctions
From: Bean eWonderland
Elaine writes: While checking out the availability of Unity Bears (in hand) on eBay I saw a dozen for sale, upon checking the sellers other auctions I found he had no fewer than  11 separate dozens for sale View Here: I am at a loss to know how someone is able to get 11 dozen (in sealed TY bags) direct from a Ty retailer so early in their release. It's no wonder there are never any available in the stores, or we are told "They didn't come in with our order." It's about time Ty chased up sellers like this and found out where they are getting the beanies from and then cancelling the Ty account of these retailers. Maybe then people would stand a better chance of getting the Bears without having to buy on the secondary market. (Bean eWonderlands comments - I have always wondered why Ty cannot find out who these people are, maybe it is easier said than done. It also gives the genuine retailers a bad name, I know some who really have not received their order only to be abused by a customer and accused of 'Back Door' selling)

BULK UNITYs ON eBAY
From: Underground Bean
There seems to be yet another bulk Unity™ dealer on eBay (pez2001), like SeymoreJane the user is from Germany and while trying to ascertain what this user has bid on recently to see if there might be a connection, I entered this users information under the Bidder Search for completed auctions and found this message: "German privacy laws do not allow us to pass on information involving bidders from Germany. If you want to find all auctions this user has bid on, please contact the user directly by email." Read the rest at Underground Bean

MOM & SOCRATES TO RETIRE?
From: Ms. Janie
I have received a few notes throughout the day from Sly and others about a rumor on Mom and Socrates the Attic Treasures. The following e-mails have been shared with me from Ty retailers. I would appear that the rumor is TRUE and these two should be expected to retire soon. Read retailers comments HERE

May 2001 Ordering Parameters 
Ms. Janie has posted this info HERE

BEANIE CHASE CONTEST - http://www.heatherlea.com/contests/chase.htm 
BEANIE CHASE ~~ This is a beanie collecting contest. I have set up a gameboard where the players are going to move about by rolling dice and land on spaces to collect beanies. At the end of the contest, the persons who have the collection that is worth the most money will win. Prizes: Ariel Beanie, Bones Beanie, Bones Buddy, Bubbles Buddy, Buzzie, Dart, Dearest, Glory Beanie, Hero, Jester, Smart, Britannia

Ty Hotel Planning Facelift
From: Beanieholics
Underground parking, additional acres of landscaping, a private spa and an ocean-view restaurant on the Coral Casino's second floor are among changes to the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel in Montecito planned by billionaire owner Ty Warner, the maker of Beanie Babies. Warner, who is also building a mansion in Montecito, purchased the 236-room seaside hotel a year ago for an undisclosed sum and immediately began planning changes there. Detailed applications and supporting documents describing Warner's vision for the Biltmore were submitted to county planners late Monday, launching an extensive permit review process expected to last one to two years. Click Here For Story

A Warning from Ms. Janie: 
I have been sent many notes concerning the quantity of Unity being sold at auction. PLEASE BEWARE that Holybears offers a Unity bear. Make sure that the auction you are bidding on is in fact what you will be receiving. Some auctions indicate Unity In Hand…but do NOT say if they are Ty or Holybears. Some have questioned Unity's name as a possible trademark problem. Please know that because Unity is a European Exclusive and therefore the name only had to be registered there and not in the U.S.A. Ms. Janie

==May 1, 2001==
WINNERS ARE POSTED...
Planet Beans Contest Page

==THE NEW CONTESTS FOR MAY==

Collectiblez [ http://www.collectiblez.net ] has now started a new contest where you are easily able to win an Issy Beanie Baby with Scotsdale tags! Visit their website for more details!

Good evening... I am eMailing you all to let you know that BeanKid's NewsCenter at www.beankid.net has now reopened with a new format to help kick off our new contest, Who Wants to be a BeanBagaire that has now started! 

New Beanies and Buddy have been added to the Beanie Info pages. The checklists were updated on the day of the introductions. :o)

From: Ms. Janie
Peace the beanie travels to DisneyWorld and meets Mickey Mouse. Check out the adorable photos sent in from Megan. I thought you might like to see the newest update to my beanie page. Peace bear tagged along with us on our recent little trip to Orlando. He had a fun time! :o) http://people.atl.mediaone.net/scottmegan/peace-disney.html Megan