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2000 ELECTION TEENIE BEANIE BABIES

(All are in the Factory Sealed Packaging)

The Tale of the Donkey and the Elephant

The History Behind the Democratic and Republican Party Symbols

OAKBROOK, Ill. (October 16, 2000) – For nearly 175 years, the
two predominant political parties in U.S. politics have been known
by two symbolic animals, the donkey and the elephant.

According to the Democratic National Committee, the donkey was
first used during Andrew Jackson’s presidential campaign in 1828
and embraced by Jackson to celebrate his own stubbornness. In
1870, political cartoonist Thomas Nast used the donkey as a
Democratic symbol in Harper’s Weekly.

Nast also gave the Republican party its moniker, according to the
Republican National Committee. In 1874, Nast used the pachyderm
to symbolize the Republican vote, which evolved over time to
symbolize the party itself. 

In 1996, Ty Inc. produced two Beanie Babies® in honor of the two
parties, Righty™ the Elephant and Lefty™ the Donkey. Issued to
commemorate the 1996 presidential election, they are highly
sought after in collector’s circles.

In October 2000, McDonald’s® will issue teenie versions of
Righty™ and Lefty™ in its American Trio collection with Libearty™ the Bear.