Music N' More: TY Beanie Babies

Beanie Babies

Aren't they just the cutest lil things? God, I love these cute lil angels! I love them so much. I collect them, it's a hobby of mine.

-Stuffed animal made by Ty Warner Inc. Later renamed Ty Inc in late 1993
-Each toy has an inner "posable" lining, and is stuffed with plastic pellets or "beans" rather than conventional stuffing, giving a Beanie Baby a flexible feel
-The original 9 Beanie Babies launched in 1993. They were:
1. Legs the Frog

2. Squealer the Pig

3. Spot the Dog

4. Flash the Dolphin

5. Splash the Whale

6. Chocolate the Moose

7. Patti the Platypus

8. Brownie the Bear

9. Pinchers the Lobster

-Stopped making the product in 1999; but a consumer demand they reconsider. In 2000, a Beanie Baby named "The Beginning" was introduced to remind everyone of their comeback.
-Teenie Beanies, an offshoot of the Beanie Babies line, was made by additional manufacturers for McDonald's Happy Meal promos. They are not new Beanies, but regular Beanies in a smaller size.

Collectibility
-Beanie Babie began to emerge as popular in 1995, and became hotter with time. Ty retired various designs, and the craze lasted through 1999.

Design
-Since the beginning, the Beanie Babies have had 2 tags for ID: a heart shaped "swing tag" at the top and a fabric "tush tag" at the bottom. Both tags have been redesigned completely over time. Between 1994-1996, the swing tags had "To" and "From" blanks in them for use as gifts. Starting in early 1996, the tags included 4 line poems related to the Beanie Baby, and a date of birth for the toy. It was not uncommon for Beanie Babies to be accidentally shipped out with incorrect or mispelled tags. On occasions, the poems, birth dates and even names have been changed on certain Beanie Babies.

Notable Beanie Babies

Garcia the Bear
-Released in January 1996, retired in May 1997.
-Tie dyed bear that seems to be a tribute to Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
-The bear was supposedly born the day Jerry died(Aug. 9, 1995)

Princess the Bear
-Diana, Princess of Wales, died on Aug. 31, 1997
-They made this bear in honor of her. Anyone who bought this bear, the proceeds went towards the Princess Diana of Wales Memorial Fund

Decade the Bear
-Made in honor of the Beanie Babies 10th anniversary.
-Made in purple, orange, white, royal blue, red, hot pink, green, gold, brown, light blue.
-Decade bears have sparkles on their bodies

Other Beanies