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while i was never a huge collector of beanie babies, i consider it a necessary inclusion to my shrines for a couple of reasons. i was born in 1993, which is the same year that beanie babies were presented to the world toy fair in new york. manufacturing began in 1994 and product began hitting shelves soon after. even so, i didn't really become conscious of beanie babies until i was around 6-7 years old and by that time they had already exploded in popularity and were, in my opinion, starting to fizzle out a bit. i believe my first beanie baby came from the thrift store. beanie babies have been credited as being one of the world's first internet sensations- which feels significant to me in a way that both makes me feel warm and cozy, but also a little concerned and sad. i can recognize beanie babies as a predecessor for other similiar internet collecting fads- such as the blindbox/popmart craze we are currently seeing. even so, i find beanie babies to have a special sort of charm to them and i have recently been seeking out the ones that i resonate with the most to add into my own personal collection.
another reason i chose to include beanie babies in my shrines is so that i could include some scans from this book i had as a child. i can't remember the circumstances of me receiving this book, but i remember being obsessed with it and reading it over and over. i desperately wanted to cook some of the recipes in it and i remember begging my grandma to let me try some out at her house because my mom was not having it. (to which my grandma obliged!) i read the book so much it fell apart completely. recently- while looking for some halloween beanie babies, i found the book super cheap on ebay, had a visceral flashback, and promptly added it to my cart. i've included some of my favorites pages and recipes below. (myself, my sister, and my cousins made the chocolate chip cookie cups at grandma's ♡)

reading: babel by R. F. Kuang
listening to: desert song by My Chemical Romance
playing: neopets
watching: FRANKENSTEIN 2025 omggggg
eating: vegan shrimp fried rice
