“The Beanie Bubble” is now available for streaming on AppleTV+, offering a captivating depiction of the Beanie Babies phenomenon. The story revolves around the rise and fall of these beloved stuffed toys, with Geraldine Viswanathan playing a fictionalized version of Lina Trivedi. In an exclusive interview with Insider, Trivedi shares insights about her time at Ty Inc., as well as her current work in artificial intelligence.
Trivedi’s role in the creation of Beanie Babies was instrumental. As Ty Inc.’s 12th employee, she conceived the idea of including birth dates and rhymes on each Beanie Baby hangtag. This idea stemmed from her observation that the “To:” and “From:” sections on the tags were rarely used in practice. Trivedi wondered how this space could be utilized to foster a deeper connection with customers and generate engaging content for the company’s webpage.
After pitching the concept to CEO Ty Warner and creating a quick mock-up in Photoshop, Trivedi was tasked with writing over 80 Beanie Baby poems in just 24 hours. These poems, including the one recited by Maya (played by Geraldine Viswanathan) in “The Beanie Bubble,” became a hallmark of the brand. However, it is worth noting that while the movie portrays Trivedi writing all these poems in a single day, the reality was that she wrote most of them over a span of three days.
Trivedi expressed relief when she found out that Viswanathan, who identifies as Indian American, had been cast to play her role. She had feared that a white male college student would be chosen, which would not only have been personally disappointing, but also a setback for women in the technology industry.
While “The Beanie Bubble” accurately portrays many aspects of the Beanie Babies story, certain elements have been embellished for dramatic effect. For instance, the movie shows Maya working in a cubicle, but in reality, Trivedi did not have a cubicle at Ty Inc. Additionally, the film suggests that Trivedi left the company to work for The Pokémon Company, which is a fictionalized ending. Trivedi’s real story after leaving Ty Inc. involved starting a website development business with her brother that did not succeed.
Trivedi did not comment on the claims made in Bissonnette’s book about her legal troubles. However, she did mention having been in jail multiple times during the 1990s for various minor offenses. She described herself as a rebellious person who often clashed with authority figures at that time. Nevertheless, Trivedi emphasized the importance of focusing on the positive outcomes of her experiences, particularly her work with a non-profit organization that provided job opportunities to underprivileged communities.
Presently, Trivedi is a single mother residing in Wisconsin. She continues to play a role in the tech industry as the co-founder of an AI startup called Joii.AI. One of her current projects involves developing a program that aims to address feelings of loneliness and social disconnection through the use of AI.
Trivedi has not had any contact with Ty Warner since leaving Ty Inc. She acknowledged that Warner is a very private individual, making it difficult to reach out to him. While the character of Warner in “The Beanie Bubble” is portrayed as somewhat egotistical, Trivedi remembers him as quirky, intelligent, and visionary. She was grateful for his appreciation of her work and found him to be kind and courteous.
After seeing that Ty Inc. had released 30th-anniversary versions of some older Beanie Babies, Trivedi felt tempted to reach out to the company. She noticed that the poems inside the tags were not updated and jokingly suggested that new poems should have been written to provide character updates. However, she ultimately refrained from writing new poems and currently keeps two Stripes Beanies, one of which holds a special personal significance.
Trivedi shared a heartwarming anecdote about a 12-year-old boy who expressed gratitude for her contribution to the world through the Beanie Baby poems. It is a reminder of the impact her work has had on people’s lives, even to this day.
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