FREE: The 18-Year-Old Who Made an Unsettling Beanie Baby Famous

And what Cookie's rise to fame can tell us about human nature

It’s not every day that you get a Twitter Main Character who is simply famous for spreading joy, not discourse and drama. But the Twitter collective has received the gift of holiday cheer in the form of an 18-year-old named Devin (aka “Fartpog”) thanks to an unexpected run-in with a disturbing-looking (and yet heartbreakingly adorable) Beanie Baby gingerbread man, whose official name is Cookie.

Before I get into the story, let me just say that Devin/Fartpog was an absolute joy to interview, and I expect everyone to be extremely nice to them. I will not stand for any Fartpog or Cookie slander. Although these articles are typically paid, I’ve decided to make this one free. It’s the holiday season, after all! That said, if you like what you see, I strongly suggest becoming a free or paid subscriber.

It started innocently enough, with this tweet:

At the time, Devin didn’t think much of it. They were doing Uber Eats with their sister Lexi, to make a bit of extra money. Lexi had to use the restroom and pick up some eyebrow tweezers, so they wound up at a 24-hour CVS. “We walked around for a bit,” says Devin/Fartpog. “Got some Ben and Jerry’s, and as we were waiting for the lady to unlock the ice cream freezer (odd that it has a lock..) I turned around and saw a stand of a bunch of Beanie Babies. I saw an army of Cookies, and my first thought was how freakish they looked. So word for word as I tweeted, I repeatedly said ‘ew’ out loud to my sister, and we laughed. Then she said something along the lines of ‘you just hurt his feelings. He’s been waiting for someone to take him home,’ and I felt so bad I started tearing up. She didn’t notice until we were at the checkout counter, that I had brought him along and set him on the counter to buy.”

It’s a Christmas miracle! Cookie, the uncanny not-quite-humanoid gingerbread keychain, found a home. But the fun was just beginning. Devin had no idea that they had unlocked something primal in the Twitter collective, and the Cookie would soon become a celebrity—even attracting the attention of Ty, his brand.

Many people reacted to strongly (and positively) to the initial tweet because Cookie probably triggered the same feelings in all of us: it (sorry, I should say he) is weird, a bit unsettling, but also…incredibly worthy of love. It’s the ultimate sad/cute dynamic that makes all of us feel deeply nurturing and overprotective. And Devin wasn’t joking about crying for Cookie. I couldn’t help but be reminded of one of my very first Substack articles, about humans’ capability to feel sadness and empathy for inanimate objects. I thought this was something that a small percentage of people felt—and perhaps it is—but even if that’s true, all those people seem to have found Cookie.

“We walked out of the CVS into the rain, towards her car,” Devin says. “I dropped him on the wet asphalt when I was getting in. I cried a little again out of guilt but also laughed so hard at the entirety of the situation.” Just to confirm, I asked Devin if they truly cried real tears for Cookie. They confirmed: “real tears!”

When Devin initially tweeted the image of Cookie, they didn’t expect much of it. Devin has a history of enjoying stuffed animals and collecting cute trinkets and toys. “I have a lot of frog stuffed animals and trinkets,” they say. "I just think they’re really cute.” As a young child and one of four siblings, Devin was obsessed with unicorns. In a way, having empathy for Cookie, personifying him and documenting his adoption was right in line with Devin’s interests and personality. But they didn’t expect things to get as big as they got.

Devin began posting Cookie in various locations, updating on the deepening love they felt for Cookie. Many Twitter users noted that Cookie actually seemed to look happier as time went on, fueling the belief that Cookie was, to some extent, a human being with feelings. Don’t read into it too much, just enjoy it.

As the photos of an increasingly-contented Cookie hit the timeline, Cookie became the new Stanley collectible cup (or, more appropriately, the exact thing that Beanie Babies were in the ‘90s.) Twitter users were rushing to multiple pharmacies in one night to snatch up any remaining Cookies. It’s giving:

Cookiemania had begun:

You might notice that the above image includes a larger gingerbread man who is decidedly not Cookie. As it turns out, there’s an entire Cookie family, and it also includes Nutmeg (the above giant Cookie) and Crispin. Nutmeg is currently in stock, Crispin is not. Also, from the below image, it appears Nutmeg comes in multiple shades? Curious.

Crispin looks much more old-fashioned than Nutmeg, which is one reason that Devin actually prefers Crispin to Nutmeg: “Crispin is adorable— and unpopular opinion, but I like Crispin more than Nutmeg… still want both for sure.” Devin’s reasoning is that Crispin has a softer, more vintage look, while Nutmeg looks a bit more like a “copy-and-paste plushie.” I actually agree.

Crispin

But the lore goes way back beyond Cookie, Nutmeg and Crispin. A Twitter user found their old Beanie Baby ornament from 2007, who may very well be Cookie’s biological father:

It wasn’t long before 2007-era Cookie had his own fan (and/or hater) art:

Of course, there’s been loads of fan art. One of the most compelling was this absolutely heartbreaking image of Cookie’s initial discovery. Literal trigger warning because it may make you cry:

It wasn’t long before someone created a Twitter account for Cookie, but Fartpog was quick to point out that they were not behind it:

I asked Devin what their favorite fan art images were. They cited the below images from Twitter user C0ffeegg. The below image was the first-ever Cookie fan image, and included the caption “I gave him a little backpack.”

The same Twitter user put together a new image, deepening the lore of Cookie’s backpack, showing him on his first day of school, hoping to be a “real boy.”

This image/caption from a different Twitter user also straight up makes me want to cry:

It wasn’t long before Cookiemia began reflecting in the market. This is the Google Trend for “Cookie Beanie Baby.”

Cookie broke containment. Redditors searched for him frantically:

Cookie sold out repeatedly, across various pharmacies and online. The story even hit The Daily Mail. Cookiemania also attracted the attention of Ty, the brand that manufactures Cookie.

I asked Devin if Ty had offered them anything in return for the accidental viral marketing campaign for Cookie. They told me Ty had asked for their address to send some merch. Someone else offered to send them an embroidered Cookie sweatshirt:

What can Cookie’s story tell us about human nature? I like to think Cookie confirms that there is some joy still left in the world, and that Twitter is actually capable of rallying around something purely wholesome and happy (or, actually, quite sad, but in a happy way. Ugly in a cute way. Funny in a crying way. *joker voice* you wouldn’t get it.)

However, there was some drama surrounding a Twitter user who remarked on Cookie’s “labia”—which Devin didn’t mind—but which sparked drama about “sexualizing a child” since Cookie was assumed to be underage.

Akshually it’s polyester

Okay, the classic Twitter craziness had to be in there somewhere. Good to know we’re still living in reality.

But anyway, Cookie’s story is proof that we all (or at least mostly) share the collective nurturing instinct to protect and love things that look vulnerable, cute, but importantly, kind of sad and ugly. And the longer we look at Cookie, the less ugly he appears.

I just hope, at the very least, that Devin/Fartpog is paid for their accidental marketing campaign—more than a sweatshirt! At the very least, Ty could send them Crispin! Or this thing….(ew ew ew ew)

You want to cry now, don’t you?

Also, a research opportunity for an app in development for married couples:

If you're a married man, Jan Gebauer would like to talk with you for 15 minutes about your struggles in your marriage and how you deal with them. If you are interested, please email wifeguy@sunshineworks.eu

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