Raise your hand if you collected Beanie Babies in the 90s. It’s hard to overstate the grip these sweet little animals had on us. They were currency in the moment, and we were all banking our retirements on them too. Why bother passing fourth grade? Beanie Babies would make us rich beyond our wildest dreams—as long as we didn’t cut the tags off.
I had a modest collection, grown slowly as I saved my allowance and convinced my mom to drive me to the Hallmark store for each new addition. Along the way, I even acquired a Beanie Babies Collector’s Guide that told me the value of each critter and gave tips on how to preserve them. I familiarized myself with the rarest and most valuable, like the elusive Princess Diana tribute bear, hoping one might fall in my lap someday. I calculated the value of my personal collection, weighing the pros and cons of actually playing with the toys.
I was a 10-year-old girl, so playing won out. I’m glad I picked the fun, as I’m sure my collection is worthless these days. (I do see a couple Princess Diana bears listed on eBay in the $19,000 range, so I guess that investment could have paid off.) But as a completionist, I sometimes let my drive to complete my collection rob me of some of the joy of what I had.
What I didn’t realize as a 10-year-old was that completing a Beanie Babies collection would be impossible. Given the toys’ popularity, Ty wasn’t going to stop with the original 9. I enjoyed following along as new characters were released. But I also found trying to keep up a bit stressful. My allowance only went so far.
As an adult, I can recognize my compulsion to complete a collection. I also love the idea of collecting something rare and special, but the internet has changed the game. The thrill of the hunt seems less exciting when all you’re doing is typing keywords into an eBay search bar.
Enter Little Golden Books.
Little Golden Books
No matter what decade you grew up in, you probably remember Little Golden Books. They were first published in 1942. According to Penguin Random House, The Poky Little Puppy was the eighth release in the series and is the top-selling children’s book in the United States of all time. Save that for your next trivia night. (Side note: The Poky Little Puppy makes no sense. There is no plot or moral. Get one with an actual lesson, like Scuffy the Tugboat.)
I love Little Golden Books. I loved them as a kid, I loved rediscovering them when I started babysitting, and I love them now. One of my favorites as a child was We Help Mommy, a great fit for my task-oriented personality.
Penguin Random House lists 839 Little Golden Book titles on their website. So I suppose it may be possible to collect them all. But the storage seems like an problem. And I don’t actually want this to become the all-consuming passion of my life. Nor do I want to type titles into search bars and fork over large amounts of money for them.
Instead, Little Golden Books have become an easy “yes” when a child wants to pick something out at a bookstore. They are a treasure to look for at thrift and consignment stores. They round out birthday lists and make their way into stockings and Easter baskets. They’re inexpensive but well made, and because there is such variety, we can easily find new titles to add to our collection.
I’ve even pre-ordered a Little Golden Book. Yes, believe it or not, a Gilmore Girls Little Golden Book was released January 7 of this year. I added that to my cart before it was even available. There are actually a lot of pop culture–themed books, including F Is for Friends, Seinfeld: Who Are These People?, The Office: Counting with Office Supplies!, and even Mean Girls.
If you’d prefer a slightly more educational approach, Little Golden Books also has a line of biographies. Yes, many of the subjects are from pop culture: Taylor Swift, Dwayne Johnson, Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton, and even Martha Stewart. (I’m assuming the jail time isn’t mentioned.) Of course, there are more admirable figures too, including Jane Goodall, Jimmy Carter, and (to round out the Js) Jackie Robinson. If you love a famous person, there’s probably a Little Golden Book to help you introduce them to your children (yes, even Betty White).
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the vast array of Disney Little Golden Books. As you might expect, every movie gets a book. I purchased the book for Frozen II specifically to try to make sense of the movie. But if you are a Disney adult like me, you will also appreciate the Disney Parks–themed books. Yes, even the Orange Bird has a book. Sure, you can read about The Princess and the Frog, but you can also get a book dedicated to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the rethemed Splash Mountain ride. And don’t forget Santa Stops at Disneyland!
That brings me to my final category: Christmas Little Golden Books. Many of these are extra special because they have not golden but red spines. You’ll find your classic movie editions, like Rudolph and Frosty, and extended universe titles like The Poky Little Puppy’s First Christmas (maybe the plot is better). I love to bring these out and add them to my shelf at Christmas time. It’s such an easy way to add festivity!
Right now, I have 123 books in my collection, not counting the red spine Christmas books and any that may have found their way into the car. Some of them are from childhood. Many of them are thrifted. All of them are special, but not so special that I refuse to let the toddler pull out stacks to look at (and throw on the floor) almost every day. Given that my collection represents only about an eighth of the titles produced, there is plenty of more collecting to do—but not to complete.
Now if only they would make a Little Golden Book about Beanie Babies.
Do you have a collection? Is it complete? Can you complete it? Tell me about it in the comments!
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