The Gist: Zac Bissonnette on the Beanie Baby bubble, and fake colleges.

A Post-Mortem on the Beanie Baby Craze

A Post-Mortem on the Beanie Baby Craze

A daily news and culture podcast with Mike Pesca.
May 18 2015 7:42 PM

Why We Lost It Over Beanie Babies

How understuffed plush toys helped launch e-commerce and win our hearts.

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This bear has seen things no bear should ever see.

Photo Illustration by Slate. Photo from The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute

Listen to Episode 259 of Slate’s The Gist:

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Today on The Gist, we remind you of what’s in that crate in the back corner of your basement. Author Zac Bissonnette tells the tale of Ty Warner and the craze that launched e-commerce. He’s the author of The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute. For the Spiel, a Gist-vestigation into college diploma mills.

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Email: thegist@slate.com
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Mike Pesca is the host of the Slate daily podcast The Gist. He also contributes reports and commentary to NPR.