Beanie Babies

An article in California’s Contra Costra Times highlights the obsession many adults have with collecting "Beanie Babies." Originally an inexpensive toy for children, the manufacturer’s marketing strategy has created another example of the all-too-American craze for highly-priced but otherwise less-than-really-important stuff (remember Pet Rocks? Cabbage Patch Kids? Tickle Me Elmo?).

The Times article refers to "the seedy underbelly of the culture surrounding these warm and fuzzy animals…Beanies reinforce values we’d rather not teach children, such as greed, envy, and even gluttony…The driving force behind the tremendous demand for Beanies is not moral or spiritual health…It’s dollar signs." And, says Paul Ehrlich, director of the addiction-studies program at John F. Kennedy University, "When people become compulsive in this way, some of the worst parts of human nature emerge."

He might be talking not just about individuals, but about our culture. The "Beanie Baby" phenomenon reveals the true American religion - material wealth – as opposed to the religions we profess. Jesus saw through this difference between intention and action 2,000 years ago, and his message carries the same power today: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Let’s admit that collecting can be a useful human activity. But rather than jumping on the Beanie Baby bandwagon, here are some other collecting suggestions:

Friends. Something we all need more of. If you come across someone who cares about you or others, who will be there when the chips are down, who has something to teach or something to learn, add that rare and valuable find to your collection.

Wildflowers. Beautiful and free. Collecting these also gets you out in the fresh air. Share them with friends (see above).

Books. The kind you find in used book stores. Collect the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita; anything by Shakespeare, Steinbeck, Joyce Carol Oates, or Dorothy Parker; books by Stephen Hawkings and other cutting-edge scientists; philosophy, art, history, and mythology; and maybe some how-to books. Share these, too, with friends.

Clothes and food for the needy. Now it’s your friends’ turn to help – you’ve shared so much with them. Collect clothes from their closets, canned goods from their pantries. Give them to people who can’t afford the bare necessities, let alone Beanie Babies.

Why bother, though, when you could be making a killing in children’s toys? A complete collection of all 207 Beanies is now worth $74,000 (that’s an average of $357 each for simple $5 toys). And I admit, you won’t make money collecting friends, flowers, books, and canned goods.

But you will be rich, in the things that matter most.