Move over, Tickle Me Elmo; you’re last year’s news. The smaller siblings of Beanie Babies are the latest great sensation.
A five-week stock of Teenie Beanies evaporated after just days at McDonald’s restaurants in some areas, Lisa Howard, spokeswoman for the Oak Brook, Ill.-based chain, said last week.
“People are buying them like there is no tomorrow.”
McDonald’s grabbed hold of the hottest kid craze of ’97 to lure kid spenders and their parents into its restaurants. The chain ordered nearly 100 million of the colorful beanbag toys to put in its Happy Meals. But the Teenies disappeared faster than you could say “Big Mac” as parents zipped from restaurant to restaurant snapping up Happy Meals.
By the time McDonald’s began airing television ads for the Teenies, supplies were already scarce. The fast-food chain reportedly was preparing to air an apology for the shortage.
