Usually, there is not too much competition, but there are usually two or three animals that draw a lot of interest.

The competition is going to be a little more than last year. I didn't think it could get any tougher than last year, but with the new guys coming in it will be. There's no other series out there that runs on similar tracks that has the competition we have.

Baseball is a significant part of the American landscape, as are stuffed animals, and that is why this partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals is such a fit. The Cardinals are our hometown team and we have been working with them for many years. Having a store in the new stadium was the logical next step in our relationship.

The number was as high as 25,000 in fiscal 2000.

A lot of people called in and asked questions or had ideas, but when the time came, there were no submissions.

We would be cooperative if state parks wants it.