I really wanted to be a mermaid when I was a little girl.  My mother said I also wanted to be a squirrel and a chipmunk but probably not as much since I don’t remember that.  It was a sad day when I found out I could not grow up to be a mermaid.  So I figured if I can’t be one, at least I can draw myself as one.  I kept busy drawing such things and other random silliness well into my college years as I studied film and animation at NYU.  It was there that Bean first appeared on my notes and since then, he’s been bringing joy and stealing hearts.  I hope you like Bean and share him with your friends.  How else will he become a beloved national icon so much so that he’ll be a permanent float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?