Beanie Babies

Shortly after the original nine Beanie Babies were introduced in 1993, the demand for the small plush toys became insatiable. Beanie Babies are named for their unique beanbag-style stuffing that is a mixture of plush filler and plastic beads. The stuffing allows for the toys to be manipulated into several different types of poses. These popular toys are shaped like animals and are made of basic color combinations and minimal detailing. Even though the craze for Beanie Babies has died down, the toys continue to have a high secondary market value.

The original nine Beanie Babies were first sold to the public in small retail establishments in the Chicago area in 1994. The original nine are Legs the Frog, Squealer the Pig, Brownie the Bear, Flash the Dolphin, Splash the Whale, Patti the Platypus, Chocolate the Moose, Spot the Dog and Pinchers the Lobster. They came labeled with a two-sided hanging tag and a sewn cloth tush tag. These toys have long since been retired from production and today they are the most valuable of all Beanies, selling for thousands of dollars. They are even more valuable with the tush tag intact because many tush tags were removed due to the choking hazard to children.

The manufacturer of Beanie Babies continues to introduce new varieties of Beanie Babies. Through an arrangement with McDonald's, the company regularly introduces Teenie Beanies into the market, a miniature version of the standard Beanie Babies, distributed in Happy Meals. Teenie Beanies also have collector's value as they are only distributed for a limited time. In 2004, McDonald's introduced a commemorative Teenie Beanie to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Happy Meal, an instant collector's item.

Fans of Beanie Babies must always be weary of counterfeiters. The demand for these toys unleashed countless copycats who aim to profit from sales to unsuspecting customers. Buyers who purchase Beanie Babies through online auctions must take the time to ask detailed questions and review the seller's feedback record. Counterfeits can easily be spotted because they are listed well below market value or because the seller is evasive or unknowing about the origin of the toy. Buyers should take the time to seek out original Beanie Babies because they have a greater market value and are usually a higher quality product.