The Great Beanie Baby Bubble by Zac Bissonnette

genre: non-fiction, business, biography

As the sibling of a former Beanie Baby collector (back in the day), I was intrigued by this book when a friend reviewed it online. Both history and biography, this book tells the story of Beanie Baby creator Ty Warner as well as what happened in our country that such a thing as $5,000 stuffed animals came to be. And it’s fascinating.

It reads like a novel, sometimes almost like an expose or soap opera, Ty is such a bizarre character. I really found myself wondering about how human nature and crowd pressures can influence business.  And especially how rational people can loose their minds when it seems like there really is an easy way to get rich quick, even if it means investing all your REAL money in STUFFED ANIMALS. FASCINATING stuff, right? The whole idea of “bubbles” has affected my own life, as we entered the housing market as a bubble was on its way to the bursting point - my own friends and neighbors were truly financially hit, while others made out like bandits. It’s certainly a wake up call to the average consumer of both goods and debt that we need to pay attention to the greater economy before we make huge financial decisions.

Quirky idea for a business book but I liked it.