Squealer the Pig, Brownie (Cubbie) the Bear, Spot
the Dog, Chocolate the Moose, Flash the Dolphin,
Splash the Whale, Patti the Platypus, and Punchers
(Pinchers) the Lobster. Since then, hundreds of new
animals have joined the Beanie Baby family.
The animals were made differently than other
stuffed toys because they were filled with a combina-
tion of “beans” (PVC pellets) and stuffing. This al-
lowed the animals to be posed and gave them a
unique, soft feel. Some of the responses at their
unveiling were negative, saying that the animals
looked dead. Although originally not popular, by
1995 Beanie Babies had become highly collect-
ible because of Ty Warner’s marketing strategy of
retiring animals, creating new characters, and mar-
keting them in small batches to specialty shops
rather than large toy stores. The Beanies grew in-
creasingly popular and, in 1997, the Ty company col-
laborated with McDonald’s for the first time and
manufactured Teenie Beanies, miniature versions of
famous Beanie Babies, which were included in
Happy Meals. Ty Warner ended Beanie Baby pro-
duction in 1999 but reintroduced the Beanie Baby
line in 2000.
Impact The Beanie Baby craze really took off in
1996 with the retirement of eleven Beanies. The toys
became increasingly difficult to find in stores and
were being sold on the secondary markets for prices
from two to twenty times their original cost. They be-
came so collectible because of their limited availabil-
ity and their “hang tags” and “tush tags.” Both tags
have gone through many variations; the hang tags
contain the animal’s name and a poem about the an-
imal. The older the hang tag, the more valuable the
Beanie Baby. Throughout the 1990’s, Ty Warner
continued to develop new Beanies, including special
editions, such as the 1998 Princess Bear in honor of
Princess Diana, the proceeds of which went to char-
ity. Other special Beanies have included a series of
NASCAR bears, national bears, and other charity
Beanies. Because of their tremendous popularity,
there are books, Web sites, conventions, and collec-
tors clubs devoted to Beanie Babies that survived
through the 1990’s and into the next decade.
Further Reading
Fox, Les, Sue Fox, and Jeanette Long.The Beanie
Baby Handbook. Midland Park, N.J.: West High-
land, 1998.
Holmes, Karen, ed.Ty Beanies Tracker. 3d ed. Brain-
tree, Mass.: Bangzoom, 2007.
Stowe, Holly, and Carol Turkington.The Complete Id-
iot’s Guide to Beanie Babies. New York: Alpha Books,
1998.
Leslie NeilanSee also Fads; Pokémon franchise; Toys and
games. Beauty and the Beast
Identification Animated film
Directors Gary Trousdale (1960- ) and Kirk
Wise (1958- )
Date Released on November 13, 1991
The eighteenth centur y romantic French fair y tale “Beauty
and the Beast” is a familiar stor y that has been shared in
many different languages throughout the world. In 1991,
Walt Disney Pictures released a magnificently created and
carefully marketed animated film based on the tale, the first
full-length animated feature ever to be nominated for a Best
Picture Oscar.
Disney’s thirtieth animated movie, and the fifth one
based on a classic fairy tale,Beauty and the Beastwas
one of the company’s first animated features to be
produced with Computer Animation Production
System (CAPS) software, which allowed artistic
drawings to be scanned into computers and then
electronically painted and enhanced with back-
ground scenery. This technique helped create col-
orful characters and lush background that appealed
to the visual senses. In this film, Disney brought
these fantastic illustrations to life with wonderful
songs and excellent casting that have amazed audi-
ences.
As the movie opens, the Beauty, Belle (voice of
Paige O’Hara), runs through the streets while read-
ing a book. Her heart is anywhere but in the French
town where she resides with her father, Maurice
(Rex Everhart), an inventor. The smart, strong-
minded, yet childlike girl has a modern spirit that re-
jects the advances of Gaston (Richard White), a self-
centered, vain man who cannot believe that Belle
does not swoon over him. After Maurice loses his way
in the forest and finds shelter in a castle, he is taken
captive by the Beast (Robby Benson), a prince under
the spell of an angered enchantress because of hisThe Nineties in America Beauty and the Beast 95