Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    What drove Beanie Babies craze in 1990s — and its collapse?

    The documentary “Beanie Mania” looks at how the tiny pellet-filled stuffed animals from the 1990s fueled an investment bubble.

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Dec 21, 2021 • 15m Listen

    Beanie Babies — the tiny pellet-filled stuffed animals — were all the rage in the late 1990s. Peanut the royal blue elephant or Princess the purple teddy bear were supposed to pay for your kids’ college or your retirement. Eventually the hype and hysteria came crashing back to Earth. Yemisi Brookes tells the story of this Beanie Babies boom and bust in a new documentary called “Beanie Mania,” which debuts Thursday night on HBO Max.

    The full episode

    4 of 5
    Can you rely on at-home COVID tests amid Omicron?
    1. 0:00How accurate are at-home COVID tests amid Omicron spike?
    2. 9:08If Build Back Better dies, what happens to climate legislation?
    3. 19:21LA doctor tries getting food and funds to starving Afghans
    4. 28:36What drove Beanie Babies craze in 1990s — and its collapse?You’re reading this
    5. 44:06Warm up to Mexican ponche and Nordic glӧgg for the holidays
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Angie Perrin

      Producer, Press Play

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

    • KCRW placeholder

      Yemisi Brookes

      director of the documentary “Beanie Mania"

      CultureEntertainmentBusiness & Economy

    The full episode

    4 of 5
    Can you rely on at-home COVID tests amid Omicron?
    1. 0:00How accurate are at-home COVID tests amid Omicron spike?
    2. 9:08If Build Back Better dies, what happens to climate legislation?
    3. 19:21LA doctor tries getting food and funds to starving Afghans
    4. 28:36What drove Beanie Babies craze in 1990s — and its collapse?You’re reading this
    5. 44:06Warm up to Mexican ponche and Nordic glӧgg for the holidays
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand