Wealthy Ty Warner, inventor of Beanie Babies, wants privacy

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BY PHILIP POTEMPA
ppotempa@nwitimes.com
219.852.4327 | Monday, July 31, 2006 | (No comments posted.)

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You may not immediately recognize the name Ty Warner, but the people of Westmont, Ill., certainly appreciate his generosity.

I took my parents to an afternoon lunch matinee of "Do Black Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?" last Thursday at Theatre at the Center in Munster, and was pleased we shared our table with a group of senior citizens who were part of a bus trip from Westmont.

Identical twins Doris and Dorothy Karl, 75, told me they live together in retirement condos just across the street from Ty Warner Park in Westmont.

They asked my parents if they knew who Ty Warner was (they thought they were saying Time-Warner?).

Warner is the man who invented Beanie Babies in 1993. He is the CEO and sole founder of Ty Inc. and his estimated wealth, according to "Forbes" magazine, is nearly $5 billion. He recently donated the 36-acre park, complete with elegant fountains, playgrounds and rose gardens, in Westmont that the Karl twins and so many others enjoy every day.

Warner, who lives just a few miles away in Oakbrook, Ill., will celebrate his 62nd birthday in September. He's never married, rarely, if ever grants interviews to the media and he's very reclusive, according to Dorothy.

"His company's office headquarters are right next to the condos where we live, but there are no signs marking the location," Dorothy said.

"There used to be signs, but too many people bothered him. And still today, we still get these soccer moms knocking on our door asking which building is his office trying to get these stuffed toys autographed."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

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