In 2021, Beanie Mania, a documentary on the absolute wild ride that Beanie Babies had in the ’90s was released. Now we have The Beanie Bubble, which dramatizes the story of Ty Warner (Zach Galifianakis) and his business partner, Robbie (Elizabeth Banks), who Ty tried to push out of the business after their success took off.
Known as a kooky character, Ty started off making stuffed, poseable cats, but it was when they started underfilling the stuffies and creating a sense of rarity around their product that the mania began. There are infamous photos of divorce courts dividing up Beanie collections, stuffies selling for thousands, and a whole line of Teeny Beanies that McDonalds put out. It’s definitely a weird piece of history to look back on, but one that turned Ty Warner into a billionaire. Is he a likable guy? Not particularly. But Galifianakis is such a treat to watch in any role, as is Banks.
You probably have heard some of this story, but The Beanie Bubble will open your eyes to the inner workings of this weird slice of history and the people who were really behind it. (110 min.)
—Anna Starkey
