Beanie Babies

collectibles · 1990s fad · stuffed toys

Plastic bean filling. Instead of soft cotton or polyester like regular stuffed animals, Beanie Babies were packed with tiny plastic pellets that made them feel different in your hands and helped them keep their shape.

Ty Warner's creation. An American businessman named Ty Warner invented Beanie Babies and started Ty Inc. in 1986 to bring his idea to life, eventually creating one of the most famous toy lines ever.

Investment craze. In the 1990s, people didn't just collect Beanie Babies for fun, they bought them hoping the toys would become super valuable and worth lots of money when they resold them.

First internet sensation. Beanie Babies became the world's first big craze that spread online through the early internet, with collectors buying and trading them on websites before social media even existed.

Many animal designs. Ty created Beanie Babies in hundreds of different animal forms, from common creatures like bears and dogs to unusual ones like platypuses and jellyfish, each with its own unique name and personality.