Hi Kids,
I sincerely apologize for the time it took me to write this article. A lot has happened since these questions were posted.
I would also like to thank each and every child who participated in the questionnaire. All of the answers were very good, I wish I could post each and every one, unfortunately 621 responses would take us forever to read. Believe me, I've done it!
The formats for displaying the results are as follows:
I will type each question and give the top 5 (Five) responses.
I will also be posting several e-mails, which have been submitted for this questionnaire.
The first two questions related to the child's first name and the state in which he or she resided in.
Responses came from some of the following areas.
Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, California, Iowa, Illinois, New Jersey, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, New Hampshire, Michigan, South Dakota, Texas, Germany, Canada, Washington, DC. , New York, Indiana, Louisiana, United Kingdom, Alabama, South Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, and the list goes on an on.
The top five states with the most response are as follows.
The average age group, which participated in the questionnaire, was between 6 and 14 years old. There were a few participants that wrote their responses with the help of mom.
How long have you been collecting Beanie Babies?
If you have been a collector for a while, is there anything that made you decide to no longer collect?
I'm sorry, this question did not receive five top responses, only two were available.
If you are a new collector, what made you decide to start collecting?
Top five answers are as follows:
Do you attend Beanie Trade Shows/Swap? If so, what are your likes and dislikes?
Top five answers are as follows:
LIKES
I will have to admit, there was not much positive information generated on this question.
DISLIKES
Do you view the Ty site regularly? What are your likes and dislikes?
Top five answers for both questions are as follows:
LIKES
DISLIKES
What are your favorite Beanie websites?
Top five responses are as follows: Not in any particular order.
Kids also view the following sites quite a bit.
http://www.bbbclub.com/index.html
If you had the opportunity to talk with Ty Warner, what would you say to him?
Top five responses are as follows:
What is your worst experience collecting Beanies?
Top five responses are as follows:
What is your best experience collecting Beanies?
Top five responses.
Can you offer any suggestions on how Ty and website owners can make their sites better for children?
Top five responses.
How do you feel about not being able to purchase Beanies from other countries?
Top five responses.
I was very surprised that some children felt this way. It really shows maturity and knowledge on their part! "Way to go kids!"
I felt in order to give you an overall view of kids expression, it would be nice to print several of their responses. For protection purposes, I have removed their e-mail addresses, but have let their names intact. Consider this a summer reading project. This article can be rather long, but it's from the kids and worth it.
Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 19:42:23 EDT
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: Survey
Hello, my name is Astrid, I'm nine years old, and live in Newburgh, IN. I
would like to participate in the Beanie survey.
1. I have been collecting Beanies ever since December 97 (I got my first one
for Christmas, and all my others I have got in 98)
2. I defiantly want to keep collecting!
3. When I got that first Beanie on Christmas, I decided to start collecting.
For one thing, everyone else was. Another, they were so cute! It was my first
Ty Beanie Babie I'd ever owned except for Teenie Beanies!
4. No, I don't. But I probably will because I have two sets of doubles!
5. Yes, I visit the Ty website every day. I like the news, Info Beanie, and
the BBOC. I don't like the Beanie Connection because it doesn't work! I don't
really care about the other products, just Beanies!
6. My favorite Beanie sites to view are: Beanie Philes, Beaniemom, and Ty
Offical website.
7. I would say: I LOVE BEANIES!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe I'm talking to Ty
Warner! I think I'm going to faint! I think Beanies are the coolest, and can
I have your autograph? Will you please make a Beanie called Talon the Raptor?
Can I faint now?
8. When Stripes' tag came off.
9. I don't know. Maybe when I found out that most Beanies are $5. Maybe when I
got the miss-tagged Iggy. OR MAYBE IT'S EVERY TIME I GET A BEANIE!
10. Well, I think that they should add a section where kids can right letters
to their favorite Beanies and the Beanie replies! (a different letter each
time)
11. I think that they should sell them all in the US, but, on the other hand,
some countries don't get any of the Beanies in the US!
Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 22:30:57 EDT
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: Kid's Beanie Survey
1.First name or initials please. Rachel
2.State in which you reside in. Texas
3.How long have you been collecting Beanie Babies? I started a couple
years ago, quit, and then started again.
4.If you have been collecting for a while, has anything happened which made
you decide to no longer collect? We moved from Illinois to Texas, and I
"slacked off"
5.If you are a new collector, what made you decide to start collecting? Not
new
6.Do you attend Beanie Trade Shows/Swap shows? If so, what are your likes and
dislikes? No
7.Do you view the Ty site regularly? What are your likes and dislikes? Yes,
and I like that they give you newsflashes.
8.What are your favorite Beanie websites to view? BeanieMoms, Beanie Philes
9.If you had the opportunity to talk with Ty Warner, what would you say to
him? I would give him my ideas about new beanie babies and ask him if he has
a son I could marry, or get a job at Ty.
10.What was your WORST experience collecting Beanies? When my mom almost
bought Web and all three dinos, but didn't because she thought that they were
"ugly." We also had Sting disappear from our home, and we threw away many
tags to valuable beanies.
11.What was your BEST experience collecting Beanies? When I discovered that
my Nip is all gold.
12.Can you offer any suggestions on how Ty and website owners can make their
sites better for children? No, most sites are okay for kids
13.How do you feel about not being able to purchase Beanies from other
countries?
I think that they should make them universal and be able to sell them
anywhere.
Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 19:47:48 EDT
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: beanie survey
1. Kyle (I'm a girl.)
2. Ohio, I'm 13
3. About 2 years
4. No
5. My friends had some and I thought they were cute, so I bought Waddle.
6. I attended one beanie show and I didn't really enjoy it. The prices were
way too high for me, since I am on a low budget, and too many people had
bought some of the less expansive beanies.
7. I view the Ty site about once a week, and I kind of like the new format,
but I think it takes a little too long to load. I was angry about the
Retirement because my computer was too slow to view the slide show. I also
don't like that you have to fax the sheet to Ty to join the Beanie Connection
if you are under 18, because that is a burden to me.
8. I like Beanie Philes & Beanie Mom.
9. I would ask Mr. Warner to try harder to regulate beanie prices, and to make
the website more user friendly. Also, I would ask him why no new beanie babies
were released in May.
10. My friend, who doesn't collect beanies, won Princess! It made me very mad.
Also, many of the people in beanie shops assume that I am automatically
looking for beanies every time I go into one of their stores. (They say as
soon as I walk in, "No beanie babies today honey. You don't need to waste your
time looking here.)
11. Just getting the chance to buy beanies was exciting.
12. Some of the sites need maybe a kids section for kids to read beanie news
made for them. (I don't need that, but it would be nice for younger kids.)
13. I would LOVE to get my hands on Maple or Brittania, but I don't have too
great of a problem with that.
Thanx for letting me fill out the survey!
Kyle :)
Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 13:19:16 EDT
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: For Kids Only questionnaire
1. My first name is Nick.
2. I live in Massachusetts
3. I've been collecting Beanie Babies for almost 2 years now.
4. Yes, there have been some times I wanted to stop collecting Beanie Babies.
The reason is my brothers. When I first started collecting Beanie Babies, they
did, too. They have done that to almost everything I have ever collected. I
feel sorry for my family having to buy 3 complete sets of Beanie Babies. We
have now worked out an agreement that we will collect together. When we're
done with the entire set, I'm getting them all!!!! (Yeah!!!!)
5. I'm not a new collector, but I'll tell you how I started collecting. It
began about 2 years ago when I first found out about them. (Believe me, I wish
I knew about them earlier :-) ) My friends told me to start collecting them
because some of them would be worth a lot in 2007. I did. Today, I don't
collect them because of their value, because of the joy and love they give to
us children.
6. Yes, I do go to Beanie Baby shows. I don't usually trade, I buy. ( My dad
gives me the money.) My like is I always meet a lady named Sue, they call her
the Beanie Queen. I like her a lot. She even said we're her #1 customers. My
dislike is that my dad has to pay those outrageous prices just to make me
happy. Sometimes I feel we're going to go poor.
7. Yes, everyday I go to the Ty web sight. It's the first thing I go to and
it's at the top of my Favorite Places. My likes are the Info Beanie (She/He's
always so kind), and the pictures they give you of everything made by Ty. My
dislikes are the guestbook because I always see bad dealers trying to rip you
off (I'm not using any names because I could be wrong. There are always good
trades everytime I visit) and the web page graphics. They always take too long
to load and I'm started to get mad.
8. My favorite Beanie Baby web sights to view are www.ty.com ,
www.ctoys.com/news , www.lemonlaineydesign.com , www.beaniemania.com ,
www.bbbclub.com/index.html , members.aol.com/SmartyKid , and many
others. The addresses are too long and I don't like to waste space.
9. If I got to talk with Ty Warner? Hold on! You mean the real Ty Warner!
Whoa!!! Stop right there!!!!! I'd have a millions of things to ask and tell
him. I'd say he's a really nice guy to actually make Beanie Babies. I'd guess
he really loves kids and animals. At the end, I'd ask if he could make a
Beanie Baby just for me and I'll get 10,000 copies of that Beanie to give to
all my friends and me!
10. My WORSE experience was when I bought the last Beanie in the store. Then,
some little kid asks if he/she could have it and starts crying. This has
hapened to me about 2 times and I end up selling it or giving it to him/her.
11. My BEST experience was when my dad and me went to a store to buy some
Beanie Babies. Guess who they had there? PRINCESS!! This was like in December
of 1997. The bad thing was she was selling for $400. When I got in the car, he
pulled out Princess from the bag. I was soooooo excited.
12. Yes I can. Please, try and cut down all the bad stuff. Like in the ty
Guestbook I saw people telling others to send angry letters to Ty because they
didn't come out with new releases or something. I think there should be a
program were they can terminate their accounts with Ty's Beanie Connection. As
for the other sights, keep the violence down to keep children like me safe,
only if you're not violence-safe
13. I feel really mad. I can't purchase them because of the outrageous prices. I
see Maple everywhere going for $500+ because you can't go into Canada and
bring Beanie Babies over the boarder. Same thing with Britannia. I see her
everywhere for $1000+. All of this happens because they are not an American
Beanie Baby.
Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 17:01:42 EDT
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: kids questionnaire
1. Mike
2. Michigan
3. Over a year
4. Nothing has made me to decide to not collect. Although I am quite upset
over Ty not making any new beanies on May first.
5. I am not a new collector, but the Teenie promo and seeing my little cousins
with them made me to decide to collect.
6. On an occasion I will visit a trade show with my mom. I enjoy seeing rare
beanies like Web and Slither. I hate seeing high prices for current, easy to
find beanies. I also hate seeing people with bags of Princess, Erin, and
Peace, those beanies could have been on store shelves so 36 people could have
had the chance to purchase them for 5 dollars.
7. I visit the Ty site regularly. I don't really like the site, I just go
there to see if anything has been announced.
8. My favorite Site to visit is the BeaniePhiles, I think the Beaniemom site
could use some improvement, last year they always posted hunting stories, etc.
but now they never update those pages.
9. I would say, "could I please design some new beanies"
10. My worst experience collecting beanies was at the Cracker barrel in June
of 1997.
I woke up at 4 am hoping to get the new releases, I was so disappointed to
find out that if I was there a little bit earlier I could have got some.
11.I have had some really great beanie experiences, like getting chops for 38,
Radar for 25, Grunt for 8, Garcia for 30, Bubbles and Digger for 30. and just
recently getting the last Erin at an amusement park in Virginia.
12.I can't really think of anything for them to make websites better for kids.
13.Since I live really close to Canada, I go there often. last June i gave my
name to a store there to get Maple, hopefully by Christmas I'll have it. My
mom recently went to England in March, she said it would be impossible for
anyone to get Britannia.
To: <j81459@erols.com>
Subject: Survey
Date: Sun, 21 Jun 1998 09:45:18 -0400
Hi!,
I would love to be in a beanie publication if you use what I write!!!
1.Jeff
2.Pennsylvania
3.A year (Since June 97')
4.No, It just makes me sad what people do to get them.
5.I'm not new but I find it fun to go beanie hunting when I go to the mall.
6.I don't attend them.
7.Yes, I think that the interface could be better, it could give more information. We all know that they know what is going on with Beanie Babies.
8.Beanie Philes (So much in depth info, it's great!), www.beaniemania.com, www.beaniebits.com, much much more.
9.If I had they opportunity to talk with Ty Warner I would say that he makes a wonderful product that is usually fun to collect but he needs to make more of the hard to find beanies and do a reform of distributor policies. I know a store that holds beanies for someone and won't hold them for anyone else, the way some people get beanies by kicking toddlers and stuff like that makes me sick.
10.It's hard to say really, I haven't had a really bad one. Oh! Once I walked into a store and the lady yelled at me, "We don't have any beanies kid!", that was mean, what if I wasn't coming in there for beanies? I not going back to that store.
11.Well, I go to work with my dad sometimes and he works in Philadelphia and there are beanie stores all over, I walked 15 blocks just to get 2 beanies and 6 block round trip twice to get to another store. It was fun, and I got some exercise too.
12.Offer princess and other hard to finds to children only, how they could know they were selling to children I don't know but I'm sure they could find a way. I know it's asking a lot but maybe a thing so you can write to Ty. And he'll actually read the letter.
13.Well, I think if you pay it's okay, we don't have a bear exclusive to USA that I know of. Was Libearty USA only?
Thanks it was fun filling out your survey. Someone that will listen to my view. Jeff
To: j81459@erols.com
Date: Sun, 24 May 1998 00:57:05 -0400
Ms. Janie
My name is Shawn, I live in Texas. Last year I answered your
questions. I saw some of my answers in your book, Way Cool! I'm 12
years old and have collected Beanie for over a year. I think I will
stop buying Beanies because its just to hard. My mom use to think I
was to old and now she collect, I think she is to old. I went to two
Beanies show, I did not like them because the prices were to high and
the dealers don't like kids. I think many Beanie so called experts have
gone way over board! My dad said a lot of them are money hungry
people and I should watch out for a lot of misleading info., I visit the
Ty site once and a while, they need new writers, who cares about a nursery?
I also visit a couple sites on the back of your bookmark. BBWorld News
and BBBClub, there are pretty cool, lots of things to see and do. If I
could talk to Mr. Warner, I would ask him why he is so quiet?
We never see or hear from him. My best is I own a couple of old ones.
Ms. Janie, website owners need to do more for kids. They all are to busy
trying to make money and are taking care of the adults, they forgot
about the kids. I use to go to a few different popular sites, but now
they are all the same. Im glad you still love the kids and ask us to write,
it means alot. Will these answers be in another book you write?
I cant wait to see them.
Date: Thu, 28 May 1998 20:36:10 -0400
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: Survey
1.First name or initials please.=A.B.W.
2.State in which you reside in.=MD
3.How long have you been collecting Beanie Babies?=God only knows
4.If you have been collecting for a while, has anything happened which
made you decide to no longer collect?=I keep on collecting, they are fun and cute and
cuddly, nice to have if people weren't so greedy.
5.If you are a new collector, what made you decide to start collecting?
6.Do you attend Beanie Trade Shows/Swap shows? If so, what are your
likes and dislikes?=I have, once. Prices are WAY too high and
ridiculous.
7.Do you view the Ty site regularly? What are your likes and
dislikes?=Yup, I like how they update and the animation. I hate the
greedy sellers.
8.What are your favorite Beanie websites to view?=Don't have a fav
9.If you had the opportunity to talk with Ty Warner, what would you say
to him? Mr.Warner, I love your product. But there is a slight problem.
No one follows your pricing philosophy. I'm only 13, and can't afford the
beanies that I really want. I collect for fun, but greedy sellers make
it impossible for us kids. This toy was made for kids, right?
10.What was your WORST experience collecting Beanies?=Standing in line
for an hour at McD's for TBB
11.What was your BEST experience collecting Beanies?=Having my dad come
home with Chops, the beanie I was dying for when it retired
12.Can you offer any suggestions on how Ty and website owners can make
their sites better=not really except to sell beanies to the correct
customers (kids) and the correct prices (5.99) for children?
13.How do you feel about not being able to purchase Beanies from other
countries?=It stinks. I want Maple and Britannia, but can't get it
because they cost so much. Plus if you got to the country to buy em, at
the border they'll be taken and ripped. Real nice, huh?
To: <j81459@erols.com>
Subject: survey
Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 21:38:34 -0600
1. Whitney
2. South Dakota
3. Since July 1995
4. No, but I slowed down, and quit buying so many because they're so common
now, I don't get the thrill of owning something that nobody knows about.
5. NA
6. No, I think beanies should be bought from small dealers for five
dollars, like it was always intended.
7. Yes, at least weekly. I liked it better when it focused on Beanie Babies
more, and other TY toys less.
8. Beaniephiles, and Beaniemom
9. What a great idea, congrats on your success, and sorry it had to get so
out of hand.
10. When I began to find out how much people were starting to pay for toys
that cost maybe $3 to make.
11. The day I learned why people could become so obsessed over little
stuffed animals, and bought my very first beanies, for FIVE DOLLARS EACH!
12.Make all the beanie info more assessable and easy to find for little
kids.
13. Mad, because TY claims that they do this for kids, and that they don't
like how the secondary market increases value so much, while at the same
time they make beanies that are only available in 1 country, knowing it
will increase the value significantly.
Date: Mon, 25 May 1998 13:56:21 -0500
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: Kid Survey
My name is Lauren I'm 12 years old and I live in Texas. I have been
collecting beanie babies since Christmas of 1995. Nothing has really
happened that has made me decide to no longer collect except for
counterfeit beanies. You can no longer feel safe buying because you are
afraid that it isn't real. But anyway, I still collect them. I always
visit the Ty website to see what is going on. I love it that they have
a guestbook where you can talk and sell. I really don't like that they
dropped the games page because that gives you something to do. I like
all beanie websites as long as they are updated alot and give you alot
of information on the lastest things. If I could talk to Ty Warner I
would tell him that Beanie Babies are great and that they should keep
making more. The worst experience in collecting beanies was when my dad
went to China and he got me some old retired beanies. Well we later
found out that they were counterfeit and worth nothing. My best
experience was all of them that I actually got beanies. People can make
their sites better by telling and actually researching the latest news.
They tell the rumors as they here them. They update their site as often
as possible and have some games and surveys and voting poles to get
people involved with their website and make them feel good about
actually making a contribution to the site. The way that I feel about
not being able to get beanies from other countries is rotten. It isn't
fair that there are some beanies that are only sold in one certain
country.
To: <j81459@erols.com>
Subject: What I think of Ty beanie babies
Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 09:43:01 -0500
Hi, my name is Matthew, and I'm a HUGE beanie baby fan. I live in Missouri, but have only been a collector for about 3 months, and are already THRILLED and OVER-JOYED with beanie babies. I decided to start collecting when my best friend, Jessica, got me a Snort for Valentine's Day. He was so cute, I decided I wanted more. I don't attend beanie trade shows, because there are none around me, if they had many around me, I'd attend every one of them. I really enjoy the Ty homepage, it has photos of beanie babies and LOTS of information. My favorite web sites to veiw are: http://www.expage.com/page/beaniebabiesgalore, http://www.ty.com, http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/6954/janiefiles.html, and http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/2249. If I had the opportunity to talk with Ty Warner, I'd ask why he decided to create and make beanie babies. I haven't had any WORST experiences while collecting. My BEST experiences were when I got a chance to get (according to me) the 3 cutest beanie babies of all, Peace, Valentino, and Princess. I have no suggestions for web site owners other than put more photos and factual information on their sites. I feel like people from all countries should be able to collect beanies from different country's for example, Maple (CANADA) and Libearty (USA).
Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 15:12:20 EDT
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: Survay
Hi I am Elizabeth from South Carolina. I am a 12 year old girl who is a
Commonly known "beanie freak". I have been collecting beanies since around '95
or '96. My first was Squealer then Flash at a church bizarre for $1! Things
that have discouraged me not to collect were friends telling me how dumb beanie
babies were and how they wouldn't waste their money on them and my mom telling
me it was just a fad, boy was she wrong!! She thought it would be all over
last Christmas! I have attended 1 beanie show in Atlanta and I loved it! I
loved the atmosphere, but the high prices were really annoying, especially
on currents. I am a regular on the ty site, and I love that too! I really
like the guestbook, but now I have found that it is impossible to place an add
or register for the guestbook. The new rule making anyone under 17 who wants
to join the Beanie connection have parental authorization I find annoying,
being a 12 year old and having to go through this process everyday, you'd
think you'd get a break with beanie babies. My parents, my Mother of which is
the only one who even touches computers, never goes online and when she does
she just reads mail, most of which she doesn't understand anyway. I think the
rule shoud be anyone under the age of 10 should have to get permission, but
what could happen anyway?! My favorite beanie sites are Beaniemom
(http://www.beaniemom.com/) and the ty site (http://www.ty.com/). If I could
ever talk to ty warner I probably ask him why he retired Seamore, and a lot on
the March '98 retirement. I would mention some beanies I think should be made
too. I would tell him to go on the news and make a long speech about the
secondary markets high prices. Maby that would bring them down. Some of the
Worst experiences with getting beanies were when dealers try to force you to buy
a beanie that is overpriced and they try to take advantage of you because they
think your just a stupid little kid who don't know what their doing. That
drives me insane! I also hate those usually middle age women who always barge
in line when trying to get a beanie and buy out the whole store of all the
beanies you want (no offence to anyone, these are my views). Some good
experiences of mine were when one time when I was in Atlanta I went to a
Halmark and they said they were getting a huge shipment in the next morning.
At the time, Rainbow, Iggy, Hissy, Pounce, Prance, Bruno, and the rest of the
crew had just been released into the public. My mother and I went to the store
when it opened at 7:30 in the morning and waited in line. When we went in lo
and behold there was the entire bunch of the new releases, all at $6 a piece
WITH peace there too for $6!!!!! I was sooooo excited!!!! We got all of them,
everyone was allowed 1 beanie style per person, and I got all of them!!!!!!!!
I went into major debt with my mom but it was worth it!!! A girl at my school
had just 2 weeks earlier gotten all 10 for $15 each!!!!! When i told her her
Expression was sooooooo Funny, she looked so disgruntled!!!!! I think that a
way to make the websites better for kids is to have more printable stuff, like
posters and stuff to put in their rooms! I think it is a good idea to have
beanies from other countries, but I wish you could like order it through ty
for like $25 and get it, how else are you supposed to get it!?
I hope you like my answers, byeby -Elizabeth :)
Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 15:36:04 -0500
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: Survey
Hi. The following are my answers to your survey. Thank you.
1. First name or initials please: Rachel
2. State in which you reside in: Connecticut
3. How long have you been collecting Beanie Babies?: 22 Months
4. If you have been collecting for a while, has anything happened which
made you decide to no longer collect?:
No. However, I have almost been turned away because of the fact that
Princess is never low here. There has only been one store that has
not charged more than $150 for the bear, and being a kid, I cannot
afford that.
5. If you are a new collector, what made you decide to start collecting?
N/A
6. Do you attend Beanie Trade Shows/Swap shows? If so, what are your
likes and dislikes?
I have never attended one, although I would like to in the future.
7. Do you view the Ty site regularly? What are your likes and dislikes?
I view the Ty site on an every other day basis. I liked the site
better now that there is more about each kind of animal they make.
However, I think they should update it more often. I also would like
to see other sections like Beanie Birthdays again.
8. What are your favorite Beanie websites to view?
Beanie Philes ( http://www.beaniephiles.com/ ), Beanie Mom
( http://www.beaniemom.com ), The Beanie Babies Buddies Club
( http://www.bbbclub.com/index.html ), Ty
( http://www.ty.com ), and Beanie Mania
( http://www.beaniemania.com ) are among my favorites.
9. If you had the opportunity to talk with Ty Warner, what would you say
to him?
I would be very happy to meet him, although I might not have much to
say. One thing I would mention, though, is that the Ty company should
produce more Princess bears. I know that some places are having
charity raffles for the ones they receive, but the majority of the
places here make a profit of their own, while the charity only gets
the $5. More profits could be donated to the charity if more bears
were made, which is why I would ask him to produce more Princess
bears.
10. What was your WORST experience collecting Beanies?
My worst experience is to see people on the internet charging
prices like $500 for Princess.
11. What was your BEST experience collecting Beanies?
Last May, I was able to find a Radar, Bubbles, Manny, and Garcia at
a store for regular price and was able to purchase them for my
collection.
12. Can you offer any suggestions on how Ty and website owners can make
their sites better for children?
I am not sure. Most of the beanie sites I have seen were pretty
safe.
13. How do you feel about not being able to purchase Beanies from other
countries? Example - Maple
I am not really bothered by this. We had Libearty a while back. It
is only right that other countries get a special beanie. However, I
know from having cousins in Canada that it is just as hard to get
Maple at a low price as it is here.
Thanks again. -Rachel
To: <j81459@erols.com>
Subject: kids survey
Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 10:00:16 -0700
1. Cody R.
2. Ohio
3. I really started collecting December 26, 1997. I bought my first
Beanies. We were only allowed 6. At $5.00 a piece I spent $30.00 of my
Christmas money on Beanies. So, I've been collecting about 6 months.
4. No, I love my BBs
5. I just liked them.
6. No. But I might be going to one tomorrow. I've always wanted to go to
one.
7.Yes. I like the information it gives. Like Clubby, New Beanies, ect....
I don't like how it is aimed at little kids. Like Daisy's big surprise.
Remember eyeryone thought there was going to be new Beanies, and the suprise
was that the Beanies got to paint their playroom. Also they should update
the E-mail part of the diary. It still says it's Erin's diary.
8. www.beaniephiles.com www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/3098 (it gives a
whole lot of news). www. beaniemania.com and there are some other too.
9. I'd say "Mr. Warner, you have mad people happy, donated money to the
Diana fund, and so much more. How do you see yourself"?
10.When my Grama got Peace bear and sold it to my Aunt because she asked
for it first.
11.When I got Patti after she was retired.
12.Make announcements earliar because kids have bedtimes. And most don't go
to bed at 3.00 am.
13. Well, that really doesn't bug me. I get all the ones that I can.
Well I do love you articles on this site. I'm on the Beanie Philes
Discussion
Date: Mon, 25 May 1998 01:13:46 EDT
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: kids survey
I don't know if I would count as a kid or not because I'm 12 and I collect
beanies seriously. I don't cut the tags off or anything and I buy multiples (
I got 7 tbb Dobys) Anyway here is my survey.
1.Julie Hill
2.Washington
3.I've been collecting for 5 months
4.no
5.I started collecting because I got a copy of Mary Beths BeanieWorld at the
store and decided to start collecting.
6.I like going to beanie shows and looking at stuff but I usually don't buy
anything at them.
7.Actually I think the Ty site is really boring, all it has is pictures and
the Internet diary, I like the guestbook but how many ads can you read? The
site wouldn't have rumors or anything but it should have articles and stuff,
and maybe an interview with Ty Warner or a beanie executive.
8.My favorite beanie sites are beaniemom, lemon lainey and knk collectibles
9.I don't know what I would say actually, he looks identical to my moms
Chiropractor though!
10.The worst thing that happened to me in collecting was before I started
collecting, I saw new horned mystic, some sitting bears etc. and I didn't get
anything. This store down the street had shelves and shelves full of beanies.
11.The best thing that has happened to me in collecting is probably when I met
Jan, a really nice store owner who puts out her beanies in the afternoon so
kids can get them.
12.I don't know how people can make places better for kids, i guess just have
more info on websites cause I pretty much like reading the same stuff as
adults.
13. I think it is good that there is beanies for other countries too because
some of the beanies from here don't ever get there (plus I live near the
Canadian border and if you act innocent the guard guys don't check your stuff
and even if they do you can hide one or two beanies somewhere)
14. I know this wasn't one of the questions but I think McDonalds should only
sell tbbs in Happy Meals, one McDonalds near me would only sell them if you
bought an extra value meal (thats what i get anyway but still) and paid $1.99.
Luckily my mom collects beanies too and we went to like 12 McDonalds, as of
today one is still on Doby!!
Julie (12)
Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 11:14:37 -0700
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: Kids only survey
Hi, my name is:
1. Nicole, age 12
2. California
3. I've been collecting beanie babies for about 2 years
4. Nothing has made me stop collecting, because I figure, even though
I have been pushed out of line or some adult has done something rude to
me, these toys were made for me and by god I'm going to collect!
I love them too!
5. I started to collect because I went to Europe to visit my grandma and
aunt in Holland and Israel. I only went with my dad and brother
and my mom stayed at home because she HAD to go to work. We stayed in
Europe for a month and when my mom met us at the airport, I used my
money at the gift shop to buy her Bongo(in 1994!). I wonder what I could
have gotten! Two years later, I started getting interested in them, then
by the next month in January 1997, I was a beanie expert!
6. Since I'm a kid, I can't drive myself to a show or swap meet, and my
parents, they aren't really into this driving three hours away to spend
hundreds of dollars on toys. But, my mom, is getting into it, my dad, on
the other hand, is starting to get mad at me when I immediately go to the
hallmark store to buy a beanie with my allowance, he prefers that I buy
a book! So, so far, I have not attended a beanie show or auction yet,
but I hope I will!
7. I go to the TY site for announcements, like retirements, and new
releases! I like the newsflashes, and I wish they would have more
activities.
8. I like YOUR website and beaniemania. I like the beaniemania
classifieds a lot. I also like the Up4Sale site. It is an auction site
and I like how it works.
9. I would say NICE things, a lot of people say "don't let Ty fool
you...." and I believe that they can't control the secondary market.
So I'd probably tell him how much I love the beanies and how much I
have.
10. My WORST experience was when I stood in line to get a 97 teddy.
It was really heartbreaking for me to see everyone walking out
of the store carrying about 5 97 teddy's. Then when I was second to go
in, the lady came out and told everyone that there were no more new
releases in stock, so I ran out of line to my mom across the store
crying. But, now, I have a 97 teddy that I found at a different store.
11. I don't know my BEST experience, but every time my mom came home
with a new beanie, it was great! Another thing that was really neat, was
when, I traded beanies. it was really fun receiving beanies in the mail!
12. I'm not sure on how to make it better, but it would be nice to have
a kids only section filled with contests to win a free current beanie!
Like, write a beanie story or things like that!
13. I would really like to buy those, but I know that I can't because
they're too expensive. I really wish I could have those beanies, they're
cute! I wish that Ty would make a lot more of those beanies so everyone
could have those, and I don't think it's right that only
the British can have Brittania.
Thanks for the survey, I love doing surveys!
To: <j81459@erols.com>
Subject: Kid Beanie Survey
Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 13:45:06 -0000
Dear Ms. Janie,
Here are the results of your survey:
1. My initials are J.L.
2. I live in the state of Wisconsin.
3. I have been collecting beanies for a year and a half.
4. I thought of quitting collection them because the shops that sold them
were getting very crowded and unless you were there at the right time you
didn't usually get the ones that you needed.
5. I first started collecting them because I thought they were cute and
most of my friends at school were collecting them.
6. I have attended a few swaps and the things that I didn't like about them
was that the sellers were very pushy and quite nosy of which ones one had
with you.
7. I view the site quite often and I like the fact that they have some
games and that they have a separate part for members only. I don't like
the fact that on the guestbook the dealers are selling for outrageous
amounts of money.
8. My favorite sights to visits are: Ty The Official Home of Beanie Babies,
The News Digest, and the Toybox.
9. If I got to speak to Ty Warner I tank him for creating these wonderful
toys, I would also ask him for the ones that I don't have and also ask
which ones are coming out and which ones are going to retire.
10. My worst experience with beanies is when I walked into a shop and saw
Princess and Erin, the 2 that I need the most for outrageous amounts of
money.
11. My best experience was when I walked into a local shop and the lady
asked me if I was looking for a Peace bear. When I answered yes she told
me that she had some in the back!
12. I think that they could make sights better by making them more fun and
exciting.
13. It makes me mad that they make beanies for certain countries because
that just makes the price rise and make them more unaffordable for innocent
kids collecting them.
To: <j81459@erols.com>
Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 23:16:10 -0400
1 d.e.
2 ohio
3 late96
4 no
5 n/a
6 yes, secondary market is too greedy
7yes the times that he retires i don't like and also I don't like how the guestbook is run
8 beanie philes ,beaniemom, ty
9 well actually Ty Warner was friends with my grandfather and he stopped by in his store every week to sell his teddy's music boxes , etc...until before he launched the beanie thing and they have never seen each other since , I would love it if Ty Warner would come back to Cleveland and I could meet him with my grandfather and talk just about beanies' success
10. getting nasty e-mail letters about beanies
11 being able to get Erin for $5
12 make it more kid-friendly , don't let the adults on somehow , like a password from a bboc kids only club
13 I really don't like that whole idea
NOW!! Ms. Janie will take her own questionnaire. "Kids, please let me know how I did with my results.
Ms. Janie and I live in Virginia
Almost two years!
Hmmm.. good question! Although I get very frustrated at times, I will never stop collecting Beanie Babies. I thoroughly enjoy their personalities and acting like a kid. "It's no fun being an adult!"
I have attended one show and was not impressed. The show was overcrowded, hot and the prices were to high for my small pocketbook. Either I need to make more money, or get a bigger purse! <Grin> "Come on kids, lighten up a little"
In my opinion, the Ty site is where it's at. If Ty is going to make an announcement, it will be on their site. Although Ty is working very hard to make the site the best it can be, I do feel that there is still room for improvement. Why not have a kids corner? Kids can draw pictures, write poems, share Beanies ideas and experiences with other kids. I'd also like to see an operating e-mail address. If collectors take the time to send an e-mail, then their messages should be answered. I realize that Ty probably gets thousands of messages a day, but what's the use in having a dead e-mail address?
I think that anyone who dedicates as much time to posting and updating a web page should be congratulated. I visit a lot of sites on a daily basis, each site is unique in it's own way. My favorites are as follows:
I think I would be dumb founded for a moment or too. After I regained my scenes, I would ask several questions.
How actively involved are you in your company? Is Ty, Inc. going to come out with their own line of Beanie accessories? Having many people represent your company can be good and bad. What have some of the good experiences been and what have some of the bad experiences been?
What does the future hold for your club members? How heavily do you promote Beanies in Canada and England? Are collectors cooperating with helping the Ty Company track down fake Beanies? Can I have an interview?
Having difficulty finding new releases.
Buying Tabasco for $30.00 after it retired.
The problem with the Internet, is you never know who's behind the keyboard. I get extremely upset when I go into guest books and read the foul language. If a site offers a guest book, them monitor it. I also feel that sites can offer more kid oriented pages. So many sites are geared towards adults, let's not forget the kids! Sites can offer kid games, allow kids to send scans of their Beanie drawings, write Beanie poems, and offer contest. If I ran my own website, I would ask kids for suggestions of what they would like to become actively involved with on my site!
As a collector, I'd want the whole set. I would want the opportunity to be able to purchase Beanies from other counties, and at a reasonable price. I'm hoping that Ty will eventually allow us to purchase these exclusive bears from other countries. I truly believe that once Ty has resolved the counterfeit Beanie war, he should become more flexible.
I'd like to thank everyone who participated in this questionnaire. Kids the music you hear in the background is the theme song from ROCKY. Rocky was a fighter, keep this music in mind and never stop fighting for your right to collect your Beanies.
Big Beanie Hugs,
Ms. Janie
