I’m obsessed…with…beanie…babies.  No, I never collected the dang things when they were all the rage about 20 years ago.  Between 1995 and 2000 prices were sky-high, and middle-aged women were beating each other with their handbags all over this great land to nab a precious “Princess” or “Valentino” or (GASP) the rare and valuable Royal Blue Peanut!  I was oblivious.  At that time, I was an avid doll collector.  My collection mainly included Lenci and Sashas, and you can google these if you’re interested.  They’re obscure dolls that only a weirdo would collect, but this weirdo really loved them and had over 100 dollies back in my heyday.  I started thinning the herd about 10 years ago when I figured out eBay and I only have a handful left.  Here are a couple of my babies on auction right now.

This is Modestina. She’s a Lenci doll from Italy and made entirely of felt.

Prince Gregor, from the UK. He’s a Sasha doll.

How did all this get started?  Well, I was trolling antique stores in Montgomery for a little table for my 1940s phone when I stumbled upon a huge Rubbermaid bin of beanies.  I curiously pawed through a few of them and found a delightful little chicken for 99 cents.  Well, who could pass that up, right?  I dug deeper and found a cute cat and a bunny also for 99 cents.  They were clean and still had their tags.  Thinking myself a fortunate woman I purchased my treasures and took them home.  I got curious about their value so I looked them up on eBay and lo and behold, there is still a rabid group of collectors who will pay a bit of coin for these critters.

I have no intention of trying to make buck off of my new obsession, but I will admit that it is thrilling to find these little guys for $1, $2, & $3 dollars in a local antique/junk store.  I caught the bug and began to scour Montgomery for cheap beanies, and you’d be quite surprised at how many I’ve been able to find.  Jim is surprisingly OK with my new hobby.  It doesn’t bother him too much that I’m now hunting down toys that you can buy with pocket change instead of ones that cost in the hundreds of dollars.  Plus Beanie Babies take up much less room than full-sized dolls so I can get MANY, MANY MORE!

Yes, I’ve gone completely insane.

Jim made me this bookcase right after we were married and it used to house a large collection of children’s lit.  I have a whole room upstairs filled with toys and decorated for a grandchild I am still patiently waiting for.

…and getting no cooperation from this one.

Sometimes kids come over with their parents and I let them loose in this room for an hour or two.

More Beanies!

I have a great collection of Brio trains and track, some great stuffed aminals and a secret closet set up like a little clubhouse with a play kitchen and baby bed.  Come over anytime and bring a rug rat with you for some fun.

Jim shot this moose on a hunting trip. JUST KIDDING! it’s a stuffed toy! 🙂

Can you even imagine Jim killing anything?  Sheesh!

Frogs & Bunnies and Turtles OH MY!

Sweet dreams.

This rug reminds me of my sweet kitty Bootsie. 😦

Reading nook.

I spend way too much time creating a spreadsheet with all the pertinent info (name, year created, retired misc. info, etc.) and I make little arrangements all over the house staring my favorites.  My husband and even my animals think I’ve completely lost it.  Mr. Mulder cannot for the life of him, understand why a grown up woman would want to have a stuffed toy when she has the real thing already!

Mamma’s gone cray cray.

OK, maybe this is a passing phase and I’ll come to my senses soon.  In the meantime, if you have any Beanies from your misspent youth, and you’re looking to find a new home for them, who ya gonna call? 🙂