In January 1999 I wrote and article entitled "German Publisher gets hooked on Beanies!"
For those of you who may have missed the article, please visit the following link.

Many welcomed the original article and found it interesting. I have kept in touch with Perta and have followed the German Beanie craze.

I would like to make the following announcement. Please do not assume that I have access to Germania or retailers who sell Germania. I was covered with e-mail from my last article from collectors wanting information on how to purchase this special Beanie.

I work hard to establish contacts but it does not warrant me any special privileges. I do not own Germania nor do I expect too. I'm hoping one day that Ty will introduce it as a Teenie Beanie or may even make it available to the US.

Perta was kind enough to allow me to update my readers with another interview. She has even provided us with an address to a German website.

Here's hoping you all enjoy the interview.
*****************************
How has the Beanie market changed since our last interview?
In my opinion it has changed a lot. Retailers are much happier in selling
Beanies. A lot of people are collectors now; we got the Official club and Germania, the German bear. Ty was a big attraction at the toy fair this year.

Has there been much excitement and anticipation about the Teenie Beanie Promotion?
Not really. I didn't see any commercials before the Teenie Beanie
promotion. Now you can by them with every happy meal, but there is no
attention in the media and I don't think that McDonald's stores are
crowded by people looking for the Teenie Beanies.

Do you have offerings of Beanie magazines or paraphernalia available in Germany?
Since April there is the first magazine on the market, called
"Beanoldie". It is published every second month, mostly black and white
printed and very useful for German collectors, because it's about the
German market only.

Has Germania become the most sought after Beanie in Germany?
Yes, I think so, although it is not the cutest one.

What is the going price for Germania in Germany?
Up to 400 Dollars.

How difficult is it to obtain Germania in Germany?
I know some retailers, who got Germania. I don't think that so many
people in Germany are willing to pay such a high price.

Do you believe Beanies will ever be as popular in Germany as they are in the states?
No, I don't think so, although it is growing without media attention,
this is what astonishes me. Although collecting things is quite big
over here we don't have all this charity-events going on, in my opinion
not unimportant for the beanie-fad in the U.S.

What can you tell my readers about your new Beanie book being released in August?
I hope that we will manage the August release. It will be fun to read
for all Beanie-Fans, with lots of information and pictures. It will not
concentrate on Ty only, so Disney, Meanies, Salvino Bambinos will be in
it as well.

Are there Beanie trade shows in Germany; if so are they popular?
They are trade shows, but there are very small.

Do you view websites to gather information on Beanies and if so which ones do you view?
Yes, of course. There are a lot, and it' growing. I can recommend
www.bbspielplatz.de Beanie.de,

Do you see Beanies selling on the secondary market in Germany?
Yes, At trade shows and on the Internet etc.

Are German citizens buying the Beanies or are they being purchased by non-citizens and military personnel?
Military personal or German citizens with friends in the U.S. Now it has changed and children are buying them and of course more and more adults are collecting.

Do you see much trading of Beanies within collectors in Germany?
You can't compare it with the US, but they do.

Are the Ty Official Trading Cards available in Germany?
I saw them just once on a German website. I don't believe
they will grow as much as Beanies.

Once again I would like to thank Perta for keeping us all informed. Here's hoping Germany will eventually experience what most American's have experienced with collecting Beanies. It certainly sounds as if they are well on they're way.