All collections seem to begin innocently enough right? You see something cute, you buy it, then, suddenly, obsession takes over and you must own EVERY SINGLE THING associated with it.
Add to that desire a national craze and the prospect of owning something worth thousands of dollars and you have just entered into the world of Beanie Babies.
In the early to mid 90s I worked at a coffee joint/collectible store that dealt in these stuffed animals and was amazed how seemingly normal people had melt-downs when you refused to sell them more than one fricken animal. I'm talking swiping expensive crap off of shelves, throwing themselves to the ground and threatening yours truly with bodily harm.
It was a crazy time and luckily, I was so thoroughly baked on pot brownies, I could handle it.
But while the craze eventually died out, I often wondered about those weird individuals who spent massive amounts of money and time trying to get all these inconsequential bean bag toys, and if, perhaps, those collections eventually ruined them.
And for the Robinson family of LA, it did.
About $100,000 worth of ruination.
After the break is a short film that Chris Robinson made of his family's downfall.
I suggest you watch it and ponder over your own desire for Comic-Con exclusives and what it could eventually lead to.
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