How Does a Person Find the Value of a Beanie Baby?

The first Beanie Babies were launched in 1993.

What Are Beanie Babies?

Beanie Babies are stuffed animal toys made by Ty Inc. Beanie Babies were created by Ty Warner, who promoted his line of Beanie Babies in specialty shops and gift shops. The Ty Beanie Babies are created with special "posable lining." The lining is stuffed with plastic beans rather than with stuffing. This allows Ty's Beanie Babies to be bendable and huggable. The first line of Beanie Babies was launched in 1993 and included a dolphin, frog, pig, dog, whale, platypus, moose, lobster and brown bear. By the late 1990s, Beanie Babies stuffed animals were a trendy, collectible item for many. In 1999 Ty retired its entire line and invited consumers to vote whether or not to continue making the toys. The company is currently producing a line they call Beanie Babies 2.0.

Finding the Value of a Beanie Baby

To find the value of Beanie Babies, first make sure that your stuffed animal is a genuine Beanie Baby. Look for heart-shaped Ty drop tag on your Beanie Baby, or look at the tag on the bottom or the side to see whether it states that it is a Beanie Baby made by the Ty Company. Visit the Ty Company's website to find out if your Beanie Baby is retired or not. The website provides a list of all the various types of Beanies and their present values. You can also consult with the Beanie Babies collector's guide to find out the value of the stuffed animals. A collector's guide may also be a valuable tool in determining whether a flaw on your Beanie Baby will decrease the stuffed animal's value.

Determining the Bottom Line

Beanie Babies that have been well preserved, having no factory defects or flaws and having tags in very good shape, are considered to be in "mint" condition. Beanie Babies that have slightly bent tags can be valued at 80 to 90 percent of the most favorable highest price. They are viewed as being in "near-mint" condition. Beanie Babies with creased tags but in otherwise excellent condition should be valued at 65 to 75 percent of the maximum value amount. Beanie Babies with missing tags should be valued at approximately 45 to 60 percent of the optimum valued priced. These Beanie Babies are viewed as being in "very good" condition. Beanie Babies missing parts or with tears, stains and worn fabric should be valued from five to 35 percent of the highest price for the stuffed animal. Beanie Babies in this condition do not meet the "very good" customary condition. If you can't locate the value of a Beanie Baby from the website or from a collector's guide, writing to Ty via the company's website might be helpful.

References

• Ty: Beanie Babies 2.0

Resources

• About Beanies: Original 9