MARK MY WORD: TEENIE BEANIE BABIES CREATE FEEDING FRENZY

Not since "Jaws" has there been this kind of feeding frenzy.

Of course, I'm talking about Ty Teenie Beanie Babies, those bean-bag miniatures of the regular-sized Beanies.

In the animal kingdom, there's nothing quite like these Beanie Babies.

Recently, McDonald's made available a dozen styles of Teenie Beanie Babies in a nationwide promotion.

Area McDonald's restaurants sold out of the Babies within a few days.

The whole affair gave new meaning to survival of the fittest.

Beanie Baby collectors like my wife, Joni, practically camped out at the fast-food restaurant in an effort to get Doby the Doberman, Bongo the Monkey, Twigs the Giraffe, Inch the Worm, Pinchers the Lobster, Happy the Hippo, Mel the Koala, Scoop the Pelican, Bones the Dog, Zip the Cat, Waddle the Penguin and Peanut the Elephant.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a happy hippo, but then you don't normally go to a restaurant for big game.

Of course, a hippo would have felt right at home in McDonald's. It was a jungle full of hunters, only these ones didn't carry guns. They were armed with nothing more than their pocketbooks and the ability to stand in long lines without fainting.

In Jackson, the police were called out for traffic control. Fortunately, the men in blue were up to the task. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

I witnessed the craze up close and personal. In other words, Joni recruited me to help her round up all those Teenie Beanie Babies.

It was McDonald's fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The first day of the promotion, Joni and I lunched on five Happy Meals, complete with five small drinks.

Those bean bags of the animal kingdom came for free in Happy Meals. But you could buy them with any other food or drink item for an additional $2 charge.

By Saturday night, even the restaurant workers seemed ready for the promotion to end.

At one McDonald's in Cape Girardeau, customers were allowed to buy up to six Beanie Babies with each purchase of a small soda.

Many of the customers then returned to the end of the line where they waited for another chance to buy six more Beanies.

Moms weren't the only ones standing in line. There were plenty of dads there too.

One top official at Southeast Missouri State University dragged his whole family to the fast-food joint so he could round out his collection.

Joni had three extra Teenie Beanie Babies that she didn't need. She gave them away as customers stood in line at the restaurant. Her generosity nearly caused a riot.

I admonished her for giving them away when she could have auctioned them to the highest bidder and paid for our children's college education.

Joni, who keeps tabs on Beanie Babies like some people follow the stock market, has informed me that a reserve shipment of Teenie Beanie Babies is expected to land at area McDonald's restaurants next weekend.

If that happens, you're sure to see us camped out for another chance at bagging Bones and all those other fluffy, stuffy critters.

Forget alcohol and drugs, nothing is as addicting as Beanie Babies.

Any day now, I expect to hear that Organized Crime is taking over the Beanie Baby racket.

It's only a matter of time before Congress starts investigating this whole affair and proposes regulations to control the explosion of Beanie Babies in our society.

But until then, we're free to join the stampede.

~Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.