OAK BROOK, Ill., Jan. 28 -- The two Beanie Babies(R) Ty modeled after Punxsutawney Phil have proven to be popular with fans of the legendary weather forecasting groundhog. The limited edition Punxsutawney Phil(R) Beanie Baby(R), which was only available in the souvenir shop of the Punxsutawney Area Chamber of Commerce, sold out in an hour on Wednesday, January 8th.
Meanwhile the demand for the Punxsutawn-e Phil(TM) Beanie Baby(R), which is only available at http://www.ty.com, continues to grow as Groundhog Day draws closer. Ty, who has committed a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Punxsutawn-e Phil(TM) to the Jefferson County Pennsylvania American Red Cross, will present a check in the amount of $75,000.00 to the charity this weekend while in Gobbler's Knob to participate in Groundhog Day festivities.
"The Jefferson County American Red Cross is overwhelmed by this generous donation," said Sheila Reed, executive director of the Jefferson County American Red Cross. "Ty's support of our vital life-saving programs and services is greatly appreciated and we can't thank them enough. It has been a struggle to raise funds to maintain adequate resources for our mandated emergency services, disaster training and supply costs."
Punxsutawney Phil(R) and Punxsutawn-e Phil(TM) are the latest additions to the Beanie Baby(R) line which was launched in 1993 and is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year.
Founded in 1986 by Ty Warner, creator of the wildly popular Beanie Babies(R), Ty is the leader in plush toys. In addition to Beanie Babies(R), the company's product line includes: Beanie Buddies(TM), Classic(TM), Beanie Boppers(TM), Punkies(TM), Pluffies(TM) and Teenie Beanie Boppers(TM). The red Ty heart logo(R), recognized around the world, can be found on all Ty products available at finer specialty gift retailers. Visit Ty on the Internet at http://www.ty.com.
