Beanie Lover Video; How to Spot Counterfeit Beanie Babies

What do 'Chubbie', ‘Smoochy', ‘Twigs' and ‘Wrinkles' have in common? They're Beanie Babies which are selling like hotcakes!!! I have no less than a dozen friends who are ga-ga over these little "must haves." My chums are obsessed in their desperate search for the next plush thing...they ‘Pounce' on the new beanies and are ‘Happy' to beg, borrow and deal the most desirable collectible in history. The Beanie Lover Video gives neophytes the lowdown on the high and mighty Beanie-revolution and helps keep the seasoned Beanie-buyer abreast of Beanie-breaking news. Host and "Original Beanie King" Steve Cantin discusses the history (all the way back to 1993!) of the Beanie Babies phenomenon, walks us through some Beanie conventions, explains proper buy-sell-trade etiquette, quotes current prices (that will undoubtedly be obsolete in a few minutes), introduces movers and shakers in the Beanie world, and lists lots of resources--software, books, magazines, and a number of websites (including one that boasts over 350,000 hits a day!--now that's ‘Spooky'!) There's a whole segment on the "swing tag" (its date, style and barcode revision), a look at some bogus Beanies, and a run down on which Beanies are "retired," who's merely hot, and who's hot snot. While the production quality is fair and the audio is occasionally awful (especially at the conventions), this is one of those videos that has current (and time is relative here) information about a hugely popular subject. Strongly recommended for general collections. Aud: P.How to Spot Counterfeit Beanie Babies, using the same format as Beanie Lover Video, finds host Steve Cantin taking a stern look at the inventiveness of bad-guy entrepreneurs who are jumping onto the Beanie-bandwagon and bagging some big bucks. In incredible detail, Cantin and a panel of Beanie Babies experts describe the differences between the real McCoy and a dull-eyed, under-stuffed, poorly-sewn, character-less, phony-tagged counterfeit (and I, an unenlightened amateur, would be easily fooled). Using split-screen examples, the experts demonstrate how to assess overall craftsmanship, as well as quality of materials (or lack of), and the differences found on tush tags and swing tags, including word spacing and typing errors. The tape compares approximately 50 Beanie Babies, identifying and illustrating examples of the phony-balonies (also covered in a small guidebook included with, and mentioned on, the tape). Obviously, the focus is more narrow on this tape than the Beanie Lover Video, but library customers (and staff) collecting these little guys will find useful information about assessing the genuine article and spotting those fraudulent fakes. Recommended. Aud: P. (N. Plympton)