Who Will You Save First? The Beanie Babies Court Case

1999. In Las Vegas, Francis and Harold Mountain got divorced but couldn't agree on how to divide their Beanie Babies collection. At that time, these toys were an investment craze: some rare specimens sold for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and many seriously believed they would only increase in value. The couple's collection was estimated at around 2500-5000 dollars. For those times, this was significant money.

When the former spouses still couldn't reach an agreement, family court judge Gerald Hardcastle came up with a very unusual solution. He ordered the entire collection to be brought into the courtroom, dumped the toys on the floor, and had them take turns picking one toy at a time until the collection was gone.

The first to 'go' was a plush bear named Maple. The judge then uttered the now-famous phrase: 'It's not about the toys. It's about control.'

He also noted that due to the couple's inability to agree, they were wasting the time of the judge, the bailiff, and the court reporter.

The photo of the two squatting on the courtroom floor, taking turns sorting through plush toys, spread worldwide and became one of the most famous images of the 'Beanie Babies mania' era. It is still regularly published as a symbol of bubbles in the collectibles market.

Doesn't it remind you of anything? 😁