The year was 1997, and Teenie Beanies were serious business. Although, the commercial is technically for the 1998 run, you get the picture. These little guys were everywhere, and I mean... EVERYWHERE. Never in my life have I seen such a mass chaos around a toy, granted Elmo came close, but everyone was out to get these TY beanies no matter what it took.

I honestly feel terrible for any employee of McDonald's during the time of April 11th to May 15th, 1997 because when these toys broke out there were some of the longest lines I've ever seen just fighting and clamoring to get their hands on these toys.

This was during the height of the Beanie Babies craze, and I've never seen such an eclectic group of people all spazzing about trying to get these. Members of my family who thought I was dumb for wanting toys of the sort all lost their mind and decided they all needed them as well, and I could tell that's what happened in a lot of families based on how many people showed up to get them.

Even the bags were decked out in Teenie Beanie images, as were most of the McDonald's promotional posters that were strung about the restaurants. I honestly can't even remember what was so attractive about these toys, even though I was insanely obsessed with Beanie Babies at the time, sure they were cute, but apparently there had to be something else because the hysteria was amazing.

Restaurants would run out of the toys extremely quickly, especially if there were a particular one you were looking for, which imitated the way the original Beanie Babies sold out in stores all over the place. I used to get my Beanie Babies from the local Hallmark store, and at a point it became insanely rare not to see a "Beanie Babies: SOLD OUT" sign hanging in the window.

The first toy in the 1997 Teenie Beanies series was Patti the Platypus. I wasn't aware that Platypus were magenta, but TY was known for not always sticking to the real colors of the animals they represent, which that was part of the fun of the toys themselves.

Number 2 of the Teenie Beanies was Pinky the Flamingo, and I mean what more could you want than a pink flamingo?

Number 3 on the list was little Chops the Lamb, which makes me giggle as I totally used to have a Lambchop puppet as well, but that's a whole other matter.

Number 4 to be released was Chocolate the Moose, who has some of the cutest little antlers I've ever seen on a plush. There needs to be more moose plushies made, someone get on that!

Goldie the Goldfish was number 5 of those released, and it was kind of just really plain. The other toys seemed to have more detail than this one, so it just seems bland to me.

Number 6 was Speedy the Turtle and I'd have to say looking back on it now, he was probably my favorite. Of course the name is ironic, but he's just too cute not to love. I absolutely adore his little feet, as they're just too cute for words.

Next on the list is number 7, which was Seamore the Seal. Seamore seems a very weird way to spell his name if you ask me, but I see what they did using 'sea', har har. Some of the names were just too corny for me sometimes.

Now number 8 was Snort the Bull, which was kind of surprising to find out that among people I knew as a child this was one of the most sought after of the Teenie Beanies. Maybe that's because I hung out with boys more often, but he sure was popular here.

Number 9 on this quickly ending list is Quacks the Duck, who was based off the original Beanie Baby, Quackers. A lot of the Teenie Beanies ended up being based on their original sized friends, which they should be considering they're suppose to be somewhat like the Beanie Babies' babies.

Last up in the number 10 slot is Lizz the Lizard, and although I'm not sure what type of lizard it's suppose to be, Lizz was another of my favorite. Purple's one of my favorite colors, so that started it as a winner, but the tongue almost made me giggle insanely because I found it hilarious for some reason.

Unfortunately for us collectors out there, the Beanie Babies didn't hold onto their value much, and especially not the Teenie Beanies. At one point during the craze, the set of 10 beanies would go for over $100, but now you can find them for much, much less. It's lucky for those of you who are just now wanting to pick them up, for us who have Rubbermaid containers crammed full, we're still hoping for the revolution to come full circle so that they're worth something once again.

If this set's something you'd like to pick up, be sure to check out eBay now, as there are several auctions where you can pick them up for very low prices. Who knows, maybe if you pick up a set now they'll be worth something before you know it, and if all else fails you've got a nice set filled with cuteness on your hands.