• ummthatguy@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    55
    ·
    10 months ago

    Wasn’t this right before the market “value” on them tanked? All those collectors hoping for huge eBay auction payouts.

    • mrmhm@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      34
      ·
      10 months ago

      What do you mean tanked?! Sounds like you’re jealous of my 1.2 million dollars worth of beanie babies (once they sell).

    • Squids@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      10 months ago

      I think some of them are still still hoping for that sweet payout

      I was trying to find a specific beanie baby I had as a kid the other day and all the results were for these pristine in box listings that I don’t think anyone’s given a second glance in years going for like ten or twenty dollars

      …man I just want the dumb jingly elf I had as a kid I don’t really care about the tag

        • Squids@sopuli.xyz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          10 months ago

          True, but I always get the vibe from tise auction listings that they were originally for much more - they’re always set up nice and pretty with backgrounds and super nice shots and everything

    • sijt@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      10 months ago

      It was, yeah. The market crashed pretty much over night too. Really obvious in hindsight, but if you’re making six figures from reselling the things you’re probably too close to really notice the wider picture.

  • EmoDuck@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    53
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    No it wasn’t. It’s just that the problems we had back them have either been solved, forgotten, lost relevance or have become the problems of today. Sorry for being a downer but it really annoys me when people idolize the past like it had no problems.

    “Yesterday you survived which is a luxurious certainty you don’t have about today” Walt Whitman

  • Smokeydope@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    31
    ·
    10 months ago

    I wonder how these peoples lives turned out 30 years later. I can’t imagine the mindset and lifestyle of a beanie baby investor.

      • Mothra@mander.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        10 months ago

        Seriously I had to google it. I didn’t grow up in the States so I wonder perhaps a lot of people in some parts of the world never heard about it or seen one.

        After my research, I realised I’ve seen some toys like that during my childhood but they must have been knockoffs or other brands. Pretty sure I’ve never seen one that wasn’t a keychain. I had no idea people were investing in them as valuable collectibles.

        • hydrospanner@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          10 months ago

          Yep, while they were still being produced…so you had a situation where people were buying based on the assumed scarcity of a product upon which there was no pressure of limited quantity and in fact with the way they were selling there was every incentive for the manufacturer to keep making more and more, destroying that scarcity and in the process, the value.

          There were certainly “limited edition” models, but even those weren’t that rare, and the omnipresence of beanie babies in general likely mitigated any sense of rarity to all but the most dedicated collectors.

          I remember not knowing the bottom had fallen out, but thinking it was odd to see someone at a flea market selling them for like $3 each, then realizing I hadn’t seen them in a major retailer in a while, and then figuring out that the bubble had indeed burst.

          My sister had a few dozen, including some rare ones, and I had received one (not a rare one) as a gift at some point, but even at the peak of the craze, my parents were very good about explaining what was going on with them to us kids.

  • deejay4am@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    10 months ago

    I mean, they probably are technically worth more now…they just didn’t stop to think about what everything else would cost at this point lol

  • panggul_mas@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    10 months ago

    A movie about Beanie Babies just came out starrimg Zach Galafanakis, one of those “true story of the 80’s/90’s product” movies, on crapple+. It’s ok to watch while looking at your phone and also eating.

    • asteriskeverything@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      10 months ago

      I agree that the movie looks like crap but I can’t resist saying this, apple TV seems to be like old Netflix and taking risks on some shows that turn out GREAT. Mythic quest and severance that I watched a full season of. Currently watching silo and foundation.

      I’m not saying it is a great service or anything just wanted to point out that out of all the current services out there it is the only one that releases content that feels like the ppl are just left to do their thing and no meddling like the beginning of streaming was. Now streaming is feeling more similar to how cable was creatively strangled.

      Ok sorry sorry I don’t intend to disagree and argue with you I just have a loud mouth when I have to say something positive about anything