CHATSWORTH FIRM CASHING IN ON NEWEST TOY MANIA : BEANBAG BONANZA.Byline: Deborah Adamson Daily News Staff Writer Move over Beanie Babies Sources: A Beanie Baby is a stuffed animal made by Ty Inc. Ty was founded by Ty Warner who promoted the line in specialty stores and gift shops. The Ty company's famous special "posable lining" is understuffed with plastic pellets (or "beans") rather than stuffing , here come the BeanMates. Wally the Walrus walrus, marine mammal, Odobenus rosmarus, found in Arctic seas. Largest of the fin-footed mammals, or pinnipeds (see seal), the walrus is also distinguished by its long tusks and by cheek pads bearing quill-like bristles. , Petunia petunia, any plant of the genus Petunia, South American herbs of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family). The common garden petunias, planted also in window boxes, are all considered hybrids of white-flowered and violet-flowered species from Argentina. the Pig and Matthew the Mutt are taking the place of Beanie Babies at many stores that have run out of the original, too-hot-to-find-now beanbag bean·bag n. 1. A small bag filled with dried beans and used for throwing in games. 2. A small folded bag filled with lead pellets, used as ammunition in a stun gun. 3. toys. BeanMates are on the shelves of many Hallmark stores, Sav-on Drug Stores, gift shops and mom-and-pop stores. ``We had Beanie Babies, but we haven't had a shipment since Christmas. They sold out,'' said Marlene Weismer, a sales associate at Farr's Stationers in Canoga Park. BeanMates ``are selling pretty good. We don't have many left.'' That's just fine for Sandra Baek, president of Sandra Design Pops Inc. of Chatsworth, maker of BeanMates. Last month, sales rose by 1,000 percent, she said. So far this month, sales of her soft, squishy squish·y adj. squish·i·er, squish·i·est 1. Soft and wet; spongy. 2. Sloppily sentimental. Adj. 1. , floppy toys are up by 300 percent. ``My expectation for the first year was to have $400,000 to $500,000 in sales,'' said the 48-year-old South Korea native, who immigrated to America in 1989. But now, ``I might have $1 million in sales this year.'' The year-old firm is riding the crest of the beanbag toy fad, begun during the last Christmas toy season and fueled by a recent McDonald's Happy Meal promotion. Demand is so high that the fast-food giant's restaurants are running out of Teenie Beanie Babies weeks before the promotion was scheduled to end. Many retailers stocking the full-size Beanie Babies from Ty Inc. of Oakbrook, Ill., have also sold out. Ty is expected to wholesale at least $200 million in Beanie Babies this year, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. industry estimates. The idea to make plush toys last year came naturally to Baek. In South Korea, she oversaw the manufacturing of beanbag toys as a local representative for a Hallmark subsidiary. With her good command of English, which she learned after joining the Peace Corps in 1973, she made a good living as an agent. Soon, she established her own firm in South Korea overseeing manufacturing for American businesses. But she left for the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in 1989, with two children in tow, to pursue bigger dreams. ``The U.S. market is the greatest market in the world,'' she said. ``If I can be successful here, I can be successful anywhere.'' With capital from her business in Asia, she started a flower and gift shop in Westwood. She stayed in the business for six years, with the hope of becoming a wholesaler herself someday. But a trip to the toy fair in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of motivated her to start building her dream business right away. She closed her flower shop and set up a wholesale business at home. In November, Baek moved her operations to Chatsworth. She began with a line of coffee mugs and moved into plush toys, which are made in China. Sandra Design started shipping BeanMates in February. The company sells 20 different kinds of beanbag animals, retailing for $5 each. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (Color) A craze for beanbag toys has led sales of Sandra Baek's BeanMates to jump 1,000 percent last month. Baek is president of Sandra Design Pops Inc. of Chatsworth. The company sells 20 different kinds of beanbag animals, retailing for $5 each. (2--Color) This squishy, soft reindeer reindeer, ruminant mammal, genus Rangifer, of the deer family, found in arctic and subarctic regions of Eurasia and North America. It is the only deer in which both sexes have antlers. is one of the briskly selling BeanMates. David Sprague/Daily News |
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