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    The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute
    Unavailable
    The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute
    Unavailable
    The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute

    Written by Zac Bissonnette

    Narrated by P.J. Ochlan

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A bestselling journalist delivers the never-before-told story of the plush animal craze that became the tulip mania of the 1990s

    In the annals of consumer crazes, nothing compares to Beanie Babies. In just three years, collectors who saw the toys as a means of speculation made creator Ty Warner, an eccentric college dropout, a billionaire-without advertising or big-box distribution. Beanie Babies were ten percent of eBay's sales in its early days, with an average selling price of $30-six times the retail price. At the peak of the bubble in 1999, Warner reported a personal income of $662 million-more than Hasbro and Mattel combined.

    The end of the craze was swift and devastating, with "rare" Beanie Babies deemed worthless as quickly as they'd once been deemed priceless.

    Bissonnette draws on hundreds of interviews (including a visit to a man who lives with his 40,000 Ty products and an in-prison interview with a guy who killed a coworker over a Beanie Baby debt) for the first book on the strangest speculative mania of all time.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 3, 2015
    ISBN9780698180161
    Unavailable
    The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute
    Author

    Zac Bissonnette

    Zac Bissonnette is a New York Times bestselling author of several nonfiction books including The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute. He also writes mystery novels. He is an equity analyst at a hedge fund and lives in New York City with his partner and a tuxedo cat named Perry Como.

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    Reviews for The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

    4/5

    15 ratings6 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 4/5
      This was fascinating and a quick read. Ty Warner is a bit bonkers, but I will admit to having at least 30 Beanie Baby's in my closet so . . .
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book about the rise and fall of everyone's favorite plush collectibles and toys. Bissonnette's breezy and informative book covers a lot of ground but the story is really about Ty Warner and the ups and downs of his company and his signature product. I was riveted and frequently had to read passages aloud to my husband because they were so funny, or so strange, or so sad, or so interesting. I used to collect Beanies and I found the book to be balanced and informative, with a dollop of gossip on top. What emerges at the end is a story about vanity and greed and perfectionism, all for those little bean bag toys. If you ever bought a Beanie you should read this book.
    • 5/5
      So, this is a subject that normally shouldn't deserve a book of this length, but I found this book impossible to walk away from. It's all the best aspects of conspiracy theory, crazy people-watching, and nostalgia rolled into a neat little package that keeps the reader thoroughly entranced. An excellent read, definitely recommended.
    • 5/5
      One of the best business books I’ve heard or read recently.
    • 4/5
      Fascinating insight into an extraordinary mania. This book tells the story of Ty Warner and the growth of his toy company and associated bubble.
    • 4/5
      First I must admit I collected Beanie Babies, but I never did it for profit, I’m solely a collector. This is a well-researched book that once again shows that the toy business is not a kid’s game. Bissonette shows that to understand the craze, you have to understand the man behind it. He gives an in depth characterization of Warner and the collectors, both the good and the bad. This is just an amazing story that revolves around some beans and stuffing.Free review copy.