# Beanie Babies
Type: Trivia Card | Deck: Daft Inventions | Rarity: Common
URL: https://gamifeye.com/trivia/daft-inventions/beanie-babies

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# Beanie Babies
Type: Trivia Card | Deck: Daft Inventions | Rarity: Common

Beanie Babies were plush toys created by Ty Warner that sparked a major speculative bubble in the mid-1990s. Warner manufactured artificial scarcity by unexpectedly "retiring" designs, driving collector panic and secondary market speculation. The bubble collapsed around 2000, leaving most collections worthless.

Key facts:
- Peak 1999: Beanie Babies represented 10% of eBay's total sales volume
- Marketing strategy relied on artificial scarcity through unannounced product retirements
- Retail price ~$5; speculative prices reached thousands (e.g., "Peanut the Royal Blue Elephant" at $5,000)
- Ty Warner became billionaire from craze; later served jail time for tax evasion ($100M hidden in Swiss banks)
- Post-crash value: most specimens worth approximately original retail price ($5)
- Notable examples: Princess Diana commemorative bear among most sought-after designs

## Trivia Questions

Q1: What percentage of eBay's total sales did Beanie Babies represent at their peak in 1999?
A: 5%

Q2: What was Ty Warner's key marketing strategy that created the Beanie Baby craze?
A: Celebrity endorsements

Q3: Which purple Beanie Baby did collectors believe would be valuable enough to pay for college tuition?
A: Princess Diana bear

Q4: What legal trouble did Ty Warner face after becoming a billionaire from Beanie Babies?
A: Patent infringement lawsuits

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Part of: [Daft Inventions](/trivia/daft-inventions) trivia deck
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