There are more than six dozen different bean-bag animals to collect. The Beanie Babies even have their own Web site. Shipments are infrequent, and the stores selling them are few and small. I have like 45 of them. I call every morning at 10 o'clock.
Eager shoppers line up before the stores open in hopes of nabbing some of the more prized toys.
But I've also gotten them for my grandchildren, my friends and things like that. Some of those desperate enough for the toys have apparently lost their heads, enduring cracked eggs and beans dumped on their heads to win free Beanie Babies from an Atlanta radio station. The craze actually started three years ago in Chicago, and has spread in spurts to other cities. The manufacturer, Ty Inc., is based in Oakbrook, Illinois. Ty Inc. The Beanie Mom's Net Letter Beanie Baby Buddies Club External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.