List of Valuable Beanie Babies

by Dr. Lori Verderame

Since the early 1990s, cute and cuddly Beanie Babies toys have been a coveted and valuable collectible in the vintage toy realm. Do you have the ones that make the list of valuable Beanie Babies? Collectors and Resellers have been buying Ty Inc. Beanie Babies at yard sales, thrift stores, estate sales and antique shops in hopes of finding that rare stuffed toy with cute names like Claude the Crab, Lucky the Ladybug, Spinner the Spider, etc. As an expert regarding Beanie Babies as well as their history and market value, I appraised many of the toys over the decades. For some clients, I discovered some of the most valuable Beanie Babies and showed them which Beanie Babies are valuable to a broad international collecting market. Most of these valuable Beanie Babies have been stored away in totes, plastic bags, and storage bins and only recently brought out of hiding and into the light from dark basements and attic crawl spaces.

People ask me (because I am an actual expert in this field, unlike the many so called experts out there and online) about the authenticity and value of Beanie Babies toys by Ty Inc. For decades, I have been appraising Beanie Babies and discussed the market for these 1990s era toys with clients from all over the world. My interviews with major media outlets have allowed me to share my knowledge of the strange, expensive, and confusing Beanie Babies market with others.

Here, I share with you my list of valuable Beanie Babies. One of the most valuable Beanie Baby toy is Valentino, a traditional white bear with a red heart on his chest and a birthday that falls on February 14. Valentino, while often times collected individually, also has a mate. Her name is Valentina. There are some Beanie Babies that are related in pairs like Valentino and Valentina. These two popular Beanie Babies bears are designed with the same color scheme, red and white, and with a heart on the chest of both toys. Valentino is born on Valentine’s Day February 14 and is one of the early Beanie Babies to be introduced in 1993.

To understand what has become a complicated collectible categories because of so much misinformation posted online about which Beanie Babies are valuable, I have broken down the wide variety of Beanie Babies into categories that I call classes. Beanie Babies in certain classes bring good value on the open market when it comes to buying and selling. Look for Beanie Babies in these classes to add to your collection or to market to gain your best profit when reselling Beanie Babies.

Classes of Beanie Babies

I commented on the Celebrity, Controversy, and Confusion classes of Beanie Babies in my Most Valuable Beanie Babies article as these classes of Beanie Babies have shown market prowess and value over time both online and off line with collectors. These are not the only classes of Beanie Babies but they are important categories. In this article, I urge you to consider some other Beanie Babies classes that are experiencing a rise in value including but not limited to:  History / Political class, Holiday class, International class, Fantasy class, and Overlooked class of Beanie Babies toys.

For instance, The Historic class of Beanie Babies is the class of Beanie Babies that relate to history. Some of these Beanie Babies relate to the American War of Independence, Presidents and other Famous Figures, and Historical Events. Beanie Babies in the Holiday class are those Beanie Babies which relate and highlight specific holidays or seasons of the year. Beanie Babies in the International class are those which pay tribute to cultures or countries around the world like Osito, Maple, Brittania and others. The Fantasy class of Beanie Babies are those which integrate unique creatures like unicorns that are best known to the world of dreams.

Another class of Beanie Babies is the Overlooked class. This is the class that you need to watch in list of valuable Beanie Babies! The Overlooked class of Beanie Babies are those Beanie Babies that have been Overlooked in one way or another by the market since the early 2000s. Only now are these Beanie Babies coming into their own and showing renewed popularity in the market. It is the Beanie Babies in the Overlooked class that are selling for a song and are now attracting collectors to pay higher prices for them than they once did. These are the class of Beanie Babies that are getting a second look with impressive market value results.

Of course, these are not all of the classes of Beanie Babies nor are all of the individual Beanie Babies in these classes listed here. This is one of several articles on Beanie Babies that will help you learn about their collectability and value. See more classes in my Most Valuable Beanie Babies article.

Historic / Political class

Beanie Babies like many other toys are important to collectors and to the cultural fabric of toy collecting. When a toy relates to politics, its importance and value increases. Some Beanie Babies that are in the Historic/Political class include:

Spangle-American style Beanie Babies toys like this red, white, and blue toy named Spangle references the Star Spangled Banner and is very popular with collectors. It is one of many American themed Beanie Babies like Glory, USA, and others.

Lefty & Righty-The red, white, and blue animal pair of donkey and elephant known as Righty & Lefty are popular Beanie Babies and were introduced during the 1996 Presidential campaigns. In 2000, the year of the very close American Presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, saw the introduction of two more, newly designed, Lefty & Righty Beanie Babies toys.

Holiday class

The holiday class of Beanie Babies are associated with popular holidays or celebrations. Some of these Beanie Babies include:

Gobbles-Gobbles is the brown, white, and orange Turkey Beanie Baby toy that is often associated with Thanksgiving. This Beanie Baby is a popular and collectible example because of the toy’s many details and association with the annual holiday.  Tags are very important to assessing value of Beanie Babies including information like locations, birth date, name, style number, etc.

Hippity, Hoppity, Floppity-These three long eared bunny rabbit Ty Inc. Beanie Babies are highly sought after and valuable. They are a well-known set relating to the Easter holiday in pastel colors.

International class

The international class of Beanie Babies connected the stuffed toys with the history and tradition of flags, countries, and nationalities. Some of these valuable Beanie Babies are:

Erin-This green Beanie Baby toy related to Ireland features a white shamrock on its chest. The colors of the Irish flag–orange, white, green–have various symbolism including verdant Irish landscapes and Irish Catholic nationalism.

Maple-This white Beanie Baby toy related to Canada features a red maple leaf on its chest from the country’s flag.

Brittania-This Beanie Baby toy related to Great Britain has a recognizable red, white, and blue design with elements that suggest the colors and design of the Union Jack flag.

Osito-This Beanie Baby toy related to the country of Mexico has a flag on its chest.

Glory-This Beanie Baby toy related to the flag of the United State of America, Old Glory.

Fantasy class

The Fantasy class of Beanie Babies are those creatures, typically white in Ty Inc. designs, that relate to all things unknown, dreamlike, and fantastic. Some Beanie Babies that fit into this class include:

Magic-A white dragon Beanie Baby toy with iridescent details.

Mystic-A white unicorn Beanie Baby toy with iridescent details such as a horn and either textural fuzz mane and tail or a mane and tail of white yarn. The white Mystic unicorn Beanie Baby is introduced in a second style designed with a brown horn on the horse-like figure’s forehead and either a textural fuzz or yarn tail and mane.

Halo-An angel Beanie Baby bear by Ty Inc. that features a gold or iridescent halo and wings in the traditional Beanie Baby style.

Overlooked Class

I think the most important class of Beanie Babies is the Overlooked but valuable group as these are the class of Beanie Babies that many people may have in their collection but for some reason or other have overlooked them. Many people do not realize that these need to be included in the list of valuable Beanie Babies. In fact, these are the Beanie Babies that are increasing in value in the marketplace.

Fleece-Mary had a Little Lamb, the children’s nursery rhyme is the inspiration for the name of this Beanie Baby named Fleece from the phrase “it’s fleece was white as snow”. Many Beanie Babies are named for such literary or cultural relationships, among other reasons. Fleece, the lamb with its white body and cute engaging face is a Ty Inc. Beanie Baby that may also be attractive to the Christian community as a lamb figures prominently in the religious teachings and association with the Lamb of God. Other Beanie Babies that have a suggested religious undertone is Hope which is a kneeling Beanie Baby toy with hands together in prayer.

In the market, Fleece was introduced to the Ty Inc. line of Beanie Babies early in the company’s history however it has been an overlooked example until recently when many people have been looking for Fleece to add to a collection.

The Beanie Babies listed here have enjoyed retail values in the collectibles market ranging from $100 to $10,000 depending on many factors.

Watch videos on my YouTube channel where I talk about the list of valuable Beanie Babies and how to identify them. You can show me your beanie babies during a video call if you’d like me to identify them and tell you what people really pay.