Most Valuable Beanie Babies

by Dr. Lori Verderame

Want to know which Beanie Babies are the most valuable Beanie Babies? Read on. At public events, online submissions on this website, and video calls with clients from all over the world, I review and appraise thousands of Beanie Babies every week. When people want to stop the nonsense and get passed the incorrect and confusing information that is just about everywhere online, they come to me. So, as you sort through those plastic tubs full of Beanie Babies in your attic or basement that your kids or their grandmother collected over the years, these are the Beanie Babies to single out because they are valuable. Who collected Beanie Babies? You ask. EVERYBODY. Nearly everyone the world over has a Beanie Baby and I know because I have appraised them from collectors everywhere.

—that’s right the most common Beanie Babies collectors were children of the 1990s (now collectors in the 25-35 year age group) and grandparents of the children of the 1990s who purchased Beanie Babies for or with their grandchildren—these are the definitive Beanie Babies to single out as valuable.

When I appraise these popular 1990s collectible toys, I review them for many features including but not limited to condition (is it stained? does it smell? are tags intact, etc.), quality of the materials, hang heart and tush tag characteristics, type of toy, style of toy, tag information, tag errors, character names, types of pellets, date of birth, date of manufacture, location of manufacture, distribution sites and other traits that all point to value. And, values for these cute little kiddie toys are high and have remained high since the mid 2010s.

I have been appraising Beanie Babies since the early 2000s before the major spike in the market that brought collectors to open their wallets and pay for the little stuffed toys. Here, I want to share with you my expert list of which Beanie Babies are the most valuable. I have discussed the original nine Beanie Babies which bring good value on the market but there are other beanies which I have classified into what I call “classes” of Beanie Babies. You should be looking for these classes or categories of collectible Beanie Babies in order to cash in on a collection or add more valuable toys to an existing Beanie Babies collection.

Some of the Beanie Babies classes that you should be looking for are the Celebrity class, Controversy class, and Confusion class. What are these classes of Beanie Babies? The Celebrity class of Beanie Babies toys are based on or related to Celebrities. The Controversy class of Beanie Babies are those Beanie Babies toys that have some type of controversy associated with them such as a marketing or sales controversy in the marketplace or some controversy about the type of or style of Beanie Baby toy. And, the Confusion class of Beanie Babies are those Beanie Babies that have caused confusion in some way with collectors over the years because of Beanie Babies’ names, attributes, tags, etc. There are other classes of Beanie Babies too like the Historic class which are the Beanie Babies that relate to history, the Holiday class which are the Beanie Babies that relate to specific holidays or seasons of the year, and other classes which I discuss in my List of Valuable Beanie Babies article.

Original Nine Beanie Babies

The Original Nine Beanie Babies from 1993. They are discussed at length in my Beanie Babies article. The original nine Beanie Babies that are coveted by collectors include Brownie (later called Cubbie) the bear, Chocolate the moose (get it?), Flash the dolphin, Legs the frog, Patti the platypus, Pinchers the lobster, Splash the killer whale, Spot the dog, and Squealer the pig. To remain in the ever-popular limited edition collectibles realm, Ty Inc. offered only 50 official Beanie Babies to be sold in one calendar year when they were first introduced. This was a very smart marketing idea and one which served the company well.

Here are the Beanie Babies by class that you should look for:

Celebrity Class of Beanie Babies

Princess-The world famous purple Beanie Baby toy that pays homage to Princess Diana and which raised money for a Memorial Fund which supported charities close to the Princess’ heart. The popular “People’s Princess” died tragically on August 31, 1997 in an automobile crash in a Paris tunnel and this purple Beanie Baby bear promises to spike in value around the 25th anniversary of the Princess’ untimely death. Princess Beanie Baby features a purple bear with a purple ribbon around its neck and a white rose with green stem on its chest. Tags feature a poem in memory of the late Princess of the British Empire.

Controversy Class

The cute little Beanie Babies toys are not without their share of controversy. And, it is true that controversy can be a very good thing when it comes to any collectibles. In particular, controversy impacts value positively when it comes to collectible Beanie Baby toys. When names were chosen for some Beanie Babies, there was some push back from parties outside of Ty Inc. Remember, if you have a Beanie Baby toy that had something to do with a controversial situation like a lawsuit or brand infringement, then both the original Beanie Baby and the solution, replacement toy bring good value.

Garcia- Garcia is a good example of how controversy can drive the market as this Beanie Baby toy became more popular once a lawsuit was waged by the family of Grateful Dead musician Jerry Garcia. The tie dyed multi-colored Beanie Baby bear was named Garcia but the family did not appreciate the use of the “Garcia” name without a formal legal agreement between them and Ty Inc. The result was a popular and sought-after Beanie Baby toy which was renamed Peace.

Peace bear is a tie-dyed Beanie Baby bear with a peace sign on its chest and it remains one of the most valuable Beanie Babies.

Another pair of Beanie Babies that stirred a controversy is Tobasco and Snort, the red bull. These two Beanie Babies were inspired by the traditional animated cartoon style bulls of the late 20th Century which had the angry bull changing from the traditional color brown to red. The controversy in this case was sparked because of the use and infringement of a company name. Tabasco® is a brand of Hot Sauce based on a recipe by founder Edmund McIlhenny using vinegar, tabasco peppers and salt. Tabasco® headquarters are located in Avery Island, Louisiana.

Tobasco-Tobasco was involved in a controversy for Ty Inc. Like the Garcia Beanie Baby bear which sparked controversy over the use of the name of a famous musician, Tobasco is another valuable Beanie Baby that fell under scrutiny because of the use of a brand name. The Tobasco company didn’t like the fact a red bull Beanie Baby stuffed toy was borrowing its famous name for hot sauce made in the deep south. The company decided to push the issue and Ty Inc. changed the cutesy name of the red bull toy, introduced in the early 1990s, to Snort. Hence, another Beanie Baby that you should look for is Snort.

Snort- Snort is the red bull with the new name that grew out of the Tobasco controversy. Snort is a Beanie Baby toy, specifically a red bull and a cute face, that is lying on its belly with white horns and a red body.

Confusion Class

I know this class sounds somewhat odd but some of the Beanie Babies caused confusion in the marketplace like Iggy and Rainbow. The reason for the confusion with these Beanie Babies is that the toys look alike but one is an iguana and the other is a chameleon. Some of these Beanie Babies have a razorback or a tongue while others do not. Names for these Beanie Babies have caused confusion in the market and with collectors because often times a multi-colored toy is called Iggy when one might think it should be called Rainbow. Iggy and Rainbow come in blue, blue green, multi-colored bright and multi-colored pastel colors and confusion remains for these Beanie Babies. Luckily, the confusion also prompts value.

Iggy-A rainbow colored iguana or a blue or blue green colored iguana. The heart shaped hang tag may be attached to the top of the Beanie Baby toy or to a limb or to a felt razorback. Some have tongues and some do not. Eyes on this Beanie Baby toy are exaggerated. Look closely at this Beanie Baby when evaluating it as some have many additions to the traditional stuffed toy form which impact value.

Rainbow-A blue chameleon or a multi-colored chameleon Beanie Baby with a collar and large eyes. The heart shaped hang tag may be attached to the top of the Beanie Baby toy or to a limb. There are many switched tags on the Iggy and Rainbow Beanie Babies, some incorrect, which cause greater confusion. Check both tags and compare. You will have a long list of traits when you are trying to identify these two valuable Beanie Babies toys.

The Beanie Babies listed here have enjoyed retail values in the collectibles market ranging from $100 to $25,000 based on many factors recently.

Read my other article List of Valuable Beanie Babies to see which others you need to find. Also, I discuss other traits to look for when collecting Beanie Baby toys which impact value and collectability. When it comes to selling Ty Inc. Beanie Babies, I offer many helpful tips about selling Beanie Babies toys in the article, How to Sell your Beanie Babies.

Watch videos on my YouTube channel where I show you how to identify the most valuable beanie babies. 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 for them.