Beanie Mania (2021 release; 80 min.) is a documentary about the Beanie Babies craze that took over America in the late 90s. As the documentary opens, we are in Naperville, IL, where a small group of housewives, including Joni, Mary Beth, and Peggy, recall the quiet times before 9/11 that were the mid-to-late 90s, and how a new toy called Beanie Babies, manufactured by a Chicagoland company called Ty, Inc., appeared seemingly out of nowhere and slowly but surely caught the attention of kids, and then the adults.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from UK director Yemisi Brooks (Made in Chelsea). Here she takes a look back at the various aspects of what would become Beanie Mania, and mania is exactly the right word for it. Along the way, Ty, Inc.'s sales would rise from just a couple of million dollars to over a billion (yes, billion) in a mere 2-3 years. The documentary does a great job tracking down the parties involved, from Ty employees at that time to the Naperville housewives (remember Mary Beth's Beanie World magazine?). And yes, also looking at the insatiable greed that inevitably rose when Beanie Babies became a classic example of a market bubble. Missing in all of this, though, is Ty Warner, the Chicago guy who started the company. When the director asks a former Ty executive what her chances are of getting an interview with TY for this documentary, the former executive laughs out loud and says 'None!'. I found myself smiling throughout most of the documentary, as I vividly remember these times, collecting Beanie Babies with my two young kids. Who doesn't remember the stampedes at McDonald's for their happy meals with Teenie Beanies?
Beanie Mania premiered a few days ago exclusively on HBO Max. I thoroughly enjoyed this almost nostalgic trip back in time, now 20-25 years ago. It seems like it was just yesterday. But hey, don't take my word for it! If you had any interest in Beanie Babies, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
