• Discover the History of Beanie Babies

• Explore the Beanie Baby Universe

• Collect and Value Beanie Babies

• Find Beanie Babies on eBay

• Buy Beanie Babies With Confidence

Discover the History of Beanie Babies

Discover the History of Beanie Babies

Ever since their introduction, Beanie Babies have been a hot collectible, and time has only improved their desirability. Toymaker Ty Warner introduced the original nine Beanie Babies to collectors at the World Toy Fair in 1993:

• Legs the Frog Beanie Baby  

• Squealer the Pig Beanie Baby 

• Brownie the Bear Beanie Baby (later renamed Cubbie the Bear)  

• Flash the Dolphin Beanie Baby  

• Splash the Whale Beanie Baby  

• Patti the Platypus Beanie Baby  

• Chocolate the Moose Beanie Baby  

• Spot the Dog Beanie Baby  

• Pinchers the Lobster Beanie Baby

What made Beanie Babies different?

When Ty replaced traditional stuffing with beans, or small PVC pellets, it introduced a new style of easy-to-pose plush animals to the toy market. Beanie Babies favored simplicity with minimal detail, basic color schemes, and little facial expression.

Beanie Baby tags

Beanie Babies are authenticated by their hang tags. The first generation Beanie Baby tags were straightforward: double-sided with a Ty logo on the front and the animal’s name and style on the back. Locket-style tags with poems came in later generations. Beanie Babies also had white “tush tags” with black lettering. It’s difficult to find the original Beanies with tush tags because they were often removed for child safety.

Not just for kids: a collectible craze begins

Yes, children were the primary consumers for Beanie Babies at the start. The collector craze didn’t really begin until 1997, when Ty began “retiring” the original nine. In 2000, Ty announced it would stop making Beanie Babies altogether, but ultimately left the decision to consumers. They overwhelmingly voted for the continued stuffing of Beanie Babies.

Explore the Beanie Baby Universe

Explore the Beanie Baby Universe

Since 1993, the Beanie Baby universe has expanded to include Beanie Buddies, Beanie Boppers, Beanie Kids, and Teenie Beanies.

• Beanie Babies: Beanie Babies, the oldest and arguably most popular Beanie creations, come in a variety of styles including 822 types of animals (144 have multiple versions). Collectors must choose carefully when shopping for retired Beanie Babies as those produced in mass quantities are valued below their suggested retail price. However, rare Beanie Babies produced in limited quantities such as Spot the Dog and Peanut the Elephant typically have a much higher value. Beanie Babies with first-, second-, and third-generation heart tags or black and white tush tags are usually most valuable. Beanie Babies missing their chest emblems are also collector items.     

• Beanie Buddies: Beanie Buddies are larger than Beanie Babies and are made of a soft terry cloth called Tylon. Beanie Buddies were offered in 361 styles, including several variations on early Beanie Buddies.    

• Beanie Kids: Beanie Kids were on the market for just two years between 2000 and 2002. The 24 Beanie Kids are about 10 inches tall and their soft bodies are carefully shaped and stitched.    

• Beanie Boppers: Beanie Boppers measure in at 12 inches tall and have the same soft bodies as Beanie Kids. Six Beanie Boppers girls were introduced in 2001 - Huggable Holly, Rockin’ Rose, Kooky Kandy, Pretty Patti, and Sassy Star - and two boys, Bronx Bomber and Ivy Leaguer, joined the crew in 2002. Also in 2002, the Boppers tush tags changed to include stars in a holographic background. Now there are 58 Beanie Boppers to collect, including two that were made in more than one version. Beanie Boppers express their individuality with their names, hometowns, birthdays, and favorites.    

• Teenie Beanies: During a four-year Happy Meal promotion, McDonald’s gave away 71 different Teenie Beanies, which are essentially smaller versions of Beanies.

Collect and Value Beanie Babies

Collect and Value Beanie Babies

When shopping for any of the Beanie Babies, you should always consider condition.

• Mint: Mint condition Beanie Babies show no signs of wear, are defect-free, and have perfect hang tags and tush tags. You may also see MWT, the abbreviation for "mint with tags," in item listings.    

• Near mint: Beanie Babies in near mint condition have slightly bent tags and often sell for 80 to 90 percent of the price similar mint-condition items command.    

• Excellent: Beanie Babies in excellent condition have creased or worn tags and typically sell for 65 to 75 percent of top value.    

• Very good: Beanie Babies with missing tags in very good condition usually sell for about 45 to 60 percent of maximum value.    

• Damaged: Well-loved Beanie Babies with damage such as worn fabric, stains, tears, or missing parts typically sell for 5 to 35 percent of identical items in mint condition.

The more valuable of the Beanie Babies are any of the original nine that are in mint condition. Most valuable is the No. 1 bear, given only to Ty employees.

To ensure you’re getting real Beanie Babies, keep the following in mind:

• Look for the tush tag: The tush tag on the bottom of a Beanie Baby should have the Beanie's name in red lettering (not orange) with no space between the name and trademark symbol.    

• Check the heart-shaped hang tags: The heart-shaped hang tags on authentic Beanie Babies should have smooth and even gold foil that does not appear bumpy. The gold should not rub off easily. Also check that the listed year of production matches the year the toy was actually produced and that the tag contains no misspellings. Finally, make sure the font and font color matches the font on other Beanie Babies from the same generation.     

• Examine the ribbon: Find out if the Beanie Babies you want were issued with ribbons. If the Beanie is supposed to have a ribbon, the ribbon ends should hang loosely, rather than sticking out to the sides. Also, look for sheen on both sides of the ribbon.

Find Beanie Babies on eBay

Find Beanie Babies on eBay

Once you know what type of Beanie Babies you want, go to the Toys & Hobbies portal, click Beanbag Plush, Beanie Babies, and start searching for items on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Accessories, Disney, Celebrity Bears, Ty, and more. As you dig deeper into the site you'll also be able to narrow down your choice by subcategory.

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a mint condition Beanie Baby that’s been retired, type "mint condition beanie babies retired" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

eBay Toy Finder can also help you find hot and award-winning toys appropriate for kids of any age.

Buy Beanie Babies With Confidence

Buy Beanie Babies With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.