In 1996, McDonald’s introduced a kid’s happy meal toy called the Teenie Beanie Baby. They were a miniature version of the larger Ty Beanie Baby that had become so popular at the time. This small stuffed toy was first introduced in 1991, and became a popular collectible by 1995. To say there was a passionate devotion to find the miniature versions is an understatement. McDonald’s offered these small toys and new ones were offered each week. However, some restaurants offered different ones. In order to try and get a full set, you had to keep hitting different restaurants over a period of months, and the biggest fear was to somehow end up with less than a full set.

Jon was hooked and obsessed over this conquest. I remember going on a trip to Ohio and hitting up multiple restaurants over the course of one day to add to our sets, as Jon wanted one full set for both Sam and Joelle. Jon would even go back through the drive thru multiple times, hoping to get a different Teenie Beanie Baby To hit restaurants across the nation was an effective approach, as it seems geographically different ones were being offered. Keeping to its marketing strategy, certain ones were released at a later date, so it took months to acquire a full set. Sam and Joelle were intrigued by this quest, as at the time they were only ages 5 and 3. They seemed as excited as Jon was to see the accumulation of these small toys, but knew the packages would remain sealed in their bags, in order to keep the entire collectible set intact. They could only play with them if a duplicate toy was had. We still have two or three full sets of these toys stashed somewhere, and I know they have long since been forgotten. But I will never forget Jon’s excitement over securing an entire set, and he didn’t even like McDonald’s food items. I could tolerate the food a bit more, and we always would get a burger plain with onions meal. Or a cheeseburger meal for the girls. If I had to wonder how Jon got so excited about this quest, first I would say that when it came to his children, he would do anything to please them. Second, he welcomed any challenge, and this truly was a challenge that required persistence and strategy to complete. Third, I believe there was always a kid at heart hidden inside of Jon.

When talking to Sam recently about the Teenie Beanie Baby craze, it reminded me of the Coke campaign with personalized cans. If Jon was here now, he would be looking to get a personalized can of soda with all of our names, which also would be a challenge. If there was no Dane or Joelle, that would not stop him. He would have written directly to Coke to remedy the situation. So if you find one of those cans, buy it immediately. It will be in honor of Jon, because he would have found a way to snatch one up long ago.