Looking over at the fireplace, I see them. On the piano, I see them. In the front room, in my childhood bedroom, in my mom’s bedroom and in countless boxes in the basement, Beanie Babies are EVERYWHERE in my parents’ house. It makes complete sense that someone would make a documentary at some point about the Beanie Baby madness in the 90s and early 2000s. This Thursday, December 23rd on HBO Max, Beanie Mania debuts.

According to the media release, here is the film description:

“Beanie Babies, the stuffed toys created by Ty Warner that inspired a collecting craze in the late 90s, are the subject of this eye‐opening, nostalgic, and endlessly‐entertaining documentary film. BEANIE MANIA is a layered and riveting look at how a children’s toy spawned an unprecedented investment bubble and a frenzy of American greed. The documentary features illuminating interviews with passionate collectors, notable influencers and company insiders.“

My own mother was definitely a “passionate collector” and I plan on making her watch this film with me. I am hoping that the “illuminating interviews” will shed some light on what to do now with the boxes and boxes of beanies — kept in individual plastic boxes with plastic tag savers — that fill a large portion of a decent sized basement.

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