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The Great Beanie Baby Bubble
- Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
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The Great Beanie Baby Bubble
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Summary
There has never been a craze like Beanie Babies. The $5 beanbag animals with names like Seaweed the Otter and Gigi the Poodle drove millions of Americans into a greed-fueled frenzy as they chased the rarest Beanie Babies, whose values escalated weekly in the late 1990s.
A single Beanie Baby sold for $10,000, and on eBay the animals comprised 10 percent of all sales. Suburban moms stalked UPS trucks to get the latest models, a retired soap opera star lost his kids' six-figure college funds investing in them, and a New Jersey father sold three million copies of a self-published price guide that predicted what each animal would be worth in 10 years. More than any other consumer good in history, Beanie Babies were carried to the height of success by a collective belief that their values would always rise.
Just as strange as the mass hysteria was the man behind it. From the day he started in the toy industry, after dropping out of college, Ty Warner devoted all his energy to creating what he hoped would be the most perfect stuffed animals the world had ever seen. Sometimes called the "Steve Jobs of plush" by his employees, he obsessed over every detail of every animal. He had no marketing budget and no connections, but he had something more valuable—an intuitive grasp of human psychology that would make him the richest man in the history of toys.
Through first-ever interviews with former Ty Inc. employees, Warner's sister, and the two ex-girlfriends who were by his side as he achieved the American dream, The Great Beanie Baby Bubble tells the inspiring yet tragic story of one of America's most enigmatic self-made tycoons. Best-selling author Zac Bissonnette uncovers Warner's highly original approach to product development, sales, and marketing that enabled the acquisition of plush animals to activate the same endorphins chased by stock speculators and gamblers.
Critic reviews
"Enlightening.... He writes fluently and has structured his tale artfully.... Most impressive of all, Mr. Bissonnette refuses to gratuitously trumpet his story as an emblematic critique of American culture, human folly or entrepreneurial greed—though of course it is all that and more." (The Wall Street Journal)
"Thanks to Bissonnette’s balanced and thorough reporting, the account of Ty Warner, founder of the Babies, becomes a portrait of a creator obsessed with perfection, making money in a business he loved, in a company built on his dreams." (Booklist)
"Bissonnette offers a crisp, investigative and presumably unauthorized biography of creator Ty Warner, 70, and a look at the rise of Beanie Babies and their swiftly ensuing three-year consumer craze.... A spicy portrait of a taciturn toy magnate made entertaining with sensationalistic testimonial." (Kirkus Reviews)
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What listeners say about The Great Beanie Baby Bubble
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adam
- 21-09-16
No interest in Beanie Babies but WHAT A BOOK!
This was a shot in the dark, something I though heck ill give it a go. I'd happily put this as one of the better books iv listened to, it's interesting from beginning to end. Quite quickly paced but descriptive enough you understand the event that happened without being bored to tears.
An audio book that had made me buy the book just to have on my shelf. Highly recommended as an interesting and enjoyable 8 hour listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- pixie225
- 08-05-19
Company Man
I was recommended this book by the Company Man youtube channel and I am so glad that I have listened to it (twice)! A well narrated book that brings back memories of the crowded beanie baby shop I used to visit in the '90's where every day it was like Black Friday. It focuses on Ty Warner, the beanie baby creator, a modern day Howard Hughes, but also features both early collectors and those who spent college funds to collect these modern day 'antiques'.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amy
- 26-06-22
Who knew?!
Bought this based on the reviews and was not disappointed. Who knew a book about Beanie Babies could be filled with so much drama?! Fascinating.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- RCA123
- 31-03-15
A very interesting/detailed look at another bubble
Any additional comments?
For anyone interested in the psychology of bubbles, behavioural finance or just someone who wants to avoid this sort of thing it is a good and detailed case study. Well written and narrated I would recommend it.
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