Beanie Babies: Class of '99 and Class of '00

Today is graduation day for the current senior class at my old alma mater, Evergreen Park Community High School. I myself was Class of 2005, and I remember the occasion as bittersweet, as all fond goodbyes are.

Still, I figured that now's as good a time as any to give a shout-out to the classes of 1999 and 2000 with these two Beanie Babies, which I picked up at our annual "Memories to Go Village Garage Sale."

This ugly-cute duo represents the last class of the old century and the first class of the new century. In that way, they're perfect bookends. Also, their coloring is noteworthy: Class of '99 is a funereal dark gray, as if closing out the century with a knowing, slightly grim smile. Class of '00, on the other hand, is a vibrant light brown, like a sunrise that's full of possibilities.

One final observation: Class of '99's mortarboard shows off its year in a stately Brush Script MT Bold, whereas Class of '00 gets stuck with...Comic Sans MS. Points off for a new millennium.