Collector blames bears for starting the Beanie Babies craze for him

We all have something — or somewhere — that fires up the serotonin just by holding it or seeing it: the woods where you grew up playing hide and seek, a Barbie doll collection that dates back to the 1950s, a cabinet full of your mother’s old copper cookie cutters, the room in your house that makes you feel the most peaceful. An intermittent Sunday feature, “My Favorite Things” invites Northwest Arkansans to share those special things or places that bring them joy.

A 1973 graduate of Rogers High School, Robert Mayfield returned to Northwest Arkansas when he retired from a career in the travel industry in New York City. Now, he’s best known in the area for his work on stage at Arkansas Public Theatre in Rogers, where he most recently appeared as Lendall, the reluctant fiance, in “Almost, Maine” and Maury, the brave soon-to-be widower in “Disaster: The Musical.” And yes, he admits — also somewhat reluctantly — he does have a collection of nearly 100 Beanie Babies. Introduced by Ty Warner in 1993 at the World Toy Fair in New York City, Beanie Babies retailed for around $5, but at the height of their popularity in the mid- to late 1990s, sometimes sold for thousands.

What do you collect? I began collecting Beanie Babies in the late ’90s for no other reason than I thought they were fun.

How/when/why the collection began: I started with the bears but soon began adding cats. Whenever I would pass a display in a store window, I would have to go in to see which ones they had. I would usually end up buying one or two that I had not seen before!

What appeals to you about these items? They’re just so darned cute!

What’s the most expensive item in the collection? There might be some that are worth money to someone, but I have not had any reason to sell them so have not researched to see what each one is worth. I have a couple of favorites from the “early days” — Princess, Groovy, Mellow, Mistletoe and Valentino.

Where do you find most of the items in your collection? Flea markets? Thrift stores? Estate sales? Anywhere I see a display!

Is there “one that got away” – i.e., one you passed up and regretted not buying? Probably Snort, the red bull.

Is your collection finished, or ongoing? If ongoing, will it ever be finished? I probably stopped collecting sometime in the 2000s, when I decided I really didn’t have the room for any more. You never know. If I see one that I don’t think I can live without, you might see it added to my collection.

Is there a “white whale” you’re after? I started out only collecting bears, and there are so many from the early days that aren’t bears that I now wish I had purchased!

What do people say about your collection? I don’t often tell anyone about my collection, so I’m not sure what anyone else would say about it!

Will you ever run out of room for your collection and, if so, do you have a plan in that event? There is always room for more!

What else do you collect? I also have a small collection of vinyl from the ’70s and ’80s and many, many CDs and DVDs.

(Courtesy Photo) Robert Mayfield, best known in Northwest Arkansas for his work on the Arkansas Public Theatre stage, somewhat reluctantly admits he has a collection of nearly 100 Beanie Babies, which started with him buying just the tiny stuffed bears in New York City in the 1990s.

(Courtesy Photo/Chad Wigington for APT) Mayfield and Mary Maxwell Dispensa were Lendall and Gayle, a couple who had dated each other — and given each other oodles of love — for 11 years. Mayfield said he enjoyed playing the “bad guy” who had yet to propose to his longtime girlfriend in “Almost, Maine,” on stage earlier this fall at Arkansas Public Theatre.