Former GH star loses $100,000 on Beanie Babies

Former General Hospital star Chris Robinson invested big in an effort to pay for his kids' education. That investment, like many others, didn't work out. Robinson didn't lose his money in the stock market -- he lost it on Beanie Babies.

Nearly every consumer has faced buyer's remorse at some point in their life. Should you have really bought that sparkly dress? Did you need another pair of shoes? Will the "as seen on TV" product really do everything that was promised?

Now imagine being left with $100,000 of regret. That's exactly what happened to former General Hospital star Chris Robinson, Sr. (ex-Rick Webber). In a 2009 short film produced by his son that has recently gone viral, Robinson tells his tale of losing a fortune investing in Beanie Babies, the bean-filled stuffed animals that created a collecting frenzy in the 1990s.

Robinson began collecting the Beanie Babies, but he didn't sell the stuffed creatures while they were popular and at the height of their value. Now Robinson is stuck with hundreds of the toys, whose worth are now just cents on the dollar of the original investment.

"This is like admitting to a drug addiction," Robinson admits with a chuckle. "You want to forget it."

Somewhat ironically, Robinson claims that he'd began collecting the Beanie Babies as a way to help finance his children's college education. The documentary, called Bankrupt by Beanies, was filmed by Robinson's son, Chris Robinson, Jr., for his Documentary Production class at the University of Arizona.

Robinson made a special one-day appearance on General Hospital in April to commemorate the ABC soap's 50th anniversary. He appeared as a series regular from 1978 to November 1986, and returned briefly in 2002.

Trending

You can watch the complete 8-minute documentary, Bankrupt by Beanies, below.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback