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Restaurant industry

Teenie Beanie Baby Frenzy Sweeps Denver and Beyond

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As the promotional period drew to a close, McDonald's restaurants in the Denver area were still reeling from the unprecedented demand for the Teenie Beanie Babies. The small toys, given away with Happy Meals or for an additional fee, had captured the hearts of both children and adult collectors. Frenzied parents and collectors were scrambling to get their hands on the limited-edition toys, leading to chaotic scenes and exhausted inventory.

Key Takeaways:

  • 12 McDonald's locations in the Denver area participated in the Teenie Beanie Baby promotion, offering one of 12 toys free with the purchase of a Happy Meal or for $1.59 with an Extra Value Meal since May 22.
  • The promotion reached nearly 4.5 million people in the region, including Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, most of New Mexico, and parts of Nebraska and Nevada.
  • McDonald's estimated sales of 1,000 Teenie Beanie Babies per day per store, but many locations moved over 5,000 toys in a single day, with some stores running out of stock.
  • To cope with the demand, most stores rationed the Teenie Beanie Babies, allowing customers to buy only five or ten at a time.
  • The aftermarket for the new Teenie Beanies has already heated up, with some toys selling for up to $5,000, while a set of last year's 10 McDonald's Teenie Beanies was offered for $300 or best offer.
  • The promotion has attracted a large online community, with over 33,000 websites and messages tracking the rising market values of Beanie Babies.
  • Some collectors are taking the toys very seriously, hoarding them in the hopes of selling them for a profit, while others are using the toys as a form of currency in online marketplaces.

Statistics:

  • Over 270 million Teenie Beanie Babies were produced, down from 100 million last summer.
  • The Denver area alone accounted for nearly 4.5 million toys, with many stores selling out within days.
  • A set of last year's 10 McDonald's Teenie Beanies was offered for $300 or best offer on a Rocky Mountain News classified ad.
  • The aftermarket value of Peanut, a limited-edition royal-blue elephant, can reach up to $5,000.
  • The online community surrounding Beanie Babies includes over 33,000 websites and messages, with many tracking the rising market values of the toys.

Sources:

  • Mark Wolf, Rocky Mountain News, "Beanie Babies Craze Sweeps Area; Limits Soon, But Not Yet";
  • Jackie Strunk, McDonald's, "Customers Lined Up for Toy on Memorial Day Weekend";
  • Frank Sandoval, McDonald's, "We Thought We Had Our Bases Covered on Quantities, and It Still Wasn't Nearly Enough";
  • Val Vernon, Beanie Exchange, "Bongo and Doby Are Going for $15, and the Rest Are $5 to $10";
  • Jackie Litwin, Monkey Doodles, "Adults Take This Very Seriously";
  • Carolyn Gust, McDonald's, "It's Not Set in Stone, but We're Hoping to Do It Again Next Year".

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