**HEADLINE: MILK and MOCHA? STARBUCKS' MIFFY COLLAB IS the NEW "BEANIE BABY MANIA" – AND IT'S ALREADY BREWING CHAOS**

HEADLINE: MILK AND MOCHA? STARBUCKS’ MIFFY COLLAB IS THE NEW “BEANIE BABY MANIA” – AND IT’S ALREADY BREWING CHAOS

DATELINE: SEOUL / TOKYO / NEW YORK – History is repeating itself, but this time it’s dressed in a bunny suit.

Industry analysts are drawing immediate parallels between this morning’s launch of the Starbucks x Miffy collaboration and the infamous 1996 McDonald’s Teenie Beanie Baby craze. In both events, a fast-food giant paired with a soft, collectible icon, triggering a frenzy that could be described as “The Great Dutch Bunny Panic of ‘24.”

“This isn’t just a cup; this is the Tickle-Me Elmo of 2024,” said Dr. Helena Vance, a behavioral economist studying the phenomenon. “You’re seeing the exact same pattern: resale bots crashing apps, customers buying $70 worth of pastries just to hit the purchase limit, and chaotic early-morning queues. It’s the Furby Fever loop all over again.”

The comparison is striking. Just as the 1996 Beanie Baby boom saw adults fighting over a toy that was supposed to be for kids, today’s Miffy drop has seen 20-something collectors openly weeping over empty display stands. In one Tokyo store, a customer was reportedly overheard saying, “This is my Dutch Tulip Bubble moment,” referring to the 1637 speculative mania where a single tulip bulb could cost more than a house.

“Starbucks has essentially created a high-value, low-supply economic bubble wrapped in a plastic cup,” noted one historian. “The last time we saw this level of collector hysteria over a simple consumer good, it involved **Cabbage Patch Kids