Hollywood’s new craze

First it was Pet Rocks then came the many other collectible crazes like cabbage patch kids and beanie babies, but the hottest thing in the Hollywood A-list & celebrities collections these days are super cute foreign kids. We talked to Melissa, a Beverly hills resident who is an advanced collector and has all the inside info on this new trend. We asked her to fill us in.

Melissa: Well, you never know when a trend will happen. It just appears out of nowhere I guess. First it started for me when I adopted a baby girl from right here in the US. It was like a dream come true for me and my 7th husband. We tried but we could never have children because, well, let’s just say he had a problem in that area. We named him Justin but his birth name had sounds that you couldn’t pronounce in English, he was born in Nigeria or Jamaica, (laughs) It’s all kind of a blur now.

Unwinded: How many children do you have now?

Melissa: Honestly, I’m a little embarrassed to say I’m not quite sure. I’d have to ask my nanny when she gets back from Starbucks. All I know is the whole garage is filled with those little cuties.

Unwinded: Why is this so popular with the Hollywood celebrities?

Melissa: Like anyone, we all get bored with what we have and want what other people have. I know Madonna and Sandra Bullock had a lot to do with it. They adopted some really cute foreign kids and then we looked at our own and thought, I don’t think so!! So we set out to find better ones from even more exotic places. Before you know it, it’s totally out of control and you have a collection. It’s almost like an addiction. I know some people that have so many that the kids have to wear name tags. One of my friends who got in early on this collecting craze found what we call “the Holy Grail” of collecting. They adopted triplets from a rarer country and made out really well.

Unwinded: Made out really well, what do you mean?

Melissa: We have a monthly swap meet in one of the conference halls at the Beverly hills hotel and we all get together to swap, trade or sell. Oh My good it’s so much fun. My friend with the triplets, she broke up the collection and traded them individually for some very rare kids. She ended up with 7 kids in trade and one was even from France, those are totally hard to find.

Unwinded: So, some countries are harder to find then others?

Melissa: Like, yeah… you can get yourself 3 babies from Third world countries for one from a country like Denmark or Sweden. Right now I’d trade 5 of mine for a Finnish one.

Unwinded: What’s the least popular ones?

Melissa: Hmm, I’d have to say some of the middle eastern ones. The Babies are great and healthy, it’s just the parents like to strap bombs to them before they ship them through FedEx. If they make it through customs then you have the hassle of trying to deactivate the bomb yourself. Thank god for the internet.

Unwinded: Do you worry about about scams?

Melissa: Not so much but you have to really know your kids. At the Pasadena flea market we’re starting to see a lot of Chinese imports. They are darling little girls but the market is flooded with them. When they are little they are so cute with the little ponytails but when they grow up you can pretty much figure they’ll want to go to medical school. So those end up costing more in the long run.

Unwinded: Where do you see this trend heading?

Melissa: Right now it is so popular. All my friends are in on it. We’ve heard some of the everyday people are trying to get in on this… trying to put 2 kids in a suit case on your trip back from the Japan never works. Unfortunately nothing lasts forever. Look at the beanie baby thing. When the market crashed on those there were collectors left with hundreds of worthless toys. Trends change, out with old in with the new. It’s like buying a S Series Mercedes and still driving it after 2 years. You can’t show up at party or premiere with same car you had last time. Honestly I haven’t thought that far ahead. I guess when I get tired of them I can try the old “returning them without a receipt trick.” (laughs) No, I’m sure I’ll just let them all live in the guest house until they are old enough to kick them out.