Cecil The Lion Has Been Immortalized As A Beanie Baby

By Emma G. Gallegos in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 4, 2015 4:15PM

When Cecil the Lion left this earthly plane, he left a gaping void in our hearts, so it's really only a small consolation to hear that Cecil will live on as a Beanie Baby, of all things.

The Illinois-based Ty Inc. has pledged to sell a plush version of Cecil for $5.99 that will go on sale in September. The company pledged that all profits from those sales will go to WildCRU, the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit of University of Oxford in Oxford, England.

"Hopefully, this special Beanie Baby will raise awareness for animal conservation and give comfort to all saddened by the loss of Cecil," Ty Warner, founder and chairman of Ty Inc, told the Tribune.

This move may also burnish the image of a company that has lost its luster since the '90s Beanie Baby bubble and of the billionaire owner's tax evasion conviction. The company has supported animal causes in the past, including creating a line of toys for the World Wildlife Federation and partnering with zoos and aquariums around the nation. So this isn't all that unusual for the company.

And many companies and groups are using Cecil the Lion's death at the hands of a reviled Minnesota dentist as an opportunity to call attention to endangered species and call out trophy hunters.