And when was her first meeting with Ty Warner? She said, “The first time I met him was in New York at the Toy Fair at the J Center (Jacob K. Javits Convention Center), I went up to his booth intending to introduce myself, and he said right away, ‘Hi Mary Beth,’ and he proceeded to kiss me on the side of my cheek. I was a fangirl at the time and very flattered to be recognized. Also, to know that in some way, he probably appreciated what I was doing because he obviously knew about the magazine.”
In reflecting on the craze, she said it was nothing anyone could have predicted, that it just happened; it brought her both joy and guilt as the hours did impact her time with family. What started as a hobby catapulted Mary Beth into the limelight; she became a sought-after celebrity speaker and public figure. “I would take the 6:00 AM flight to Pennsylvania to be on the QVC TV show at least five or six times, and I would fly back and drive my kids’ carpool at 2:45 Central Time. There are so many days like that, and there were so many news shows, all the news stations on cable, and talk shows.”
The Mary Beth Beanie World Conventions held in London, New York, Chicago, and other areas gave fans access to meeting her and having their copy of the magazine signed. “I remember at the height of the craze looking at the endless line of people who were standing in line, and it was surreal; I really did enjoy meeting the collectors and hearing their stories; for me, this was the best part of my job. It bridged the generations so well; my mom and daughter were collectors. It gave you something in common with so many people. There were many fun times, like when Rosie O’Donnell called; she was having Penny Marshall on her show. Penny Marshall, at the time, was a well-known Beanie Baby collector; Rosie wanted to know where she could find the Princess Diana Beanie Baby, so we connected her with the right shop. Many days, I would get up at 5:45 AM. I would be interviewed on two or three radio stations before the kids woke up. Oh, and once in a while, you’d hear the baby cry; it was just bizarre. This all sounds so wonderful, but something has to give; yes, I’m working at home, but I’m working 24/7.”
Ultimately, she and her publisher were sued individually by Ty Warner for infringement of intellectual property. Mary Beth said, “We needed to change our name. It became “Mary Beth’s Bean Bag World.” from August 1998 through 2002. At the end of it, the Beanie market was starting to crash, and our publisher, H and S media, went bankrupt. I decided to stop collecting, it was taking up too much time, and the new releases were coming every six weeks. I gave away most of my collection, only keeping a few, and I’ve never looked back.”