ABSTRACT
If anything personified the suggestion that production follows trends in consumption, rather than the other way around, it is Beanie Babies. The American company Tyfirst introduced these plush, or fluffy, children's toys into the UK in the mid-1990s, having been around in America since 1984, since which time they have burgeoned into one of the most 'must-have' collectables for both children and adults. Fluffy toys or the 'plush trade' as it is referred to in the industry, are nothing new, of course. Ever since the early 1980s vintage teddy bears have been commanding high prices at auctions. The Beanies, however, were, and still ostensibly are, aimed at children. They retail for around f4 in toy and gift shops, but rare items such as the Princess and Britannia bear can go for anything from f320 to f 1 ,650. By 1998, so me 125 different Beanies had been made.
