If you were alive during the ’90s, it’s safe to say you probably entered the twenty-first century with at least one Beanie Baby to show for it. Think of it as a badge of honor, little bean-filled trophies for having survived the 90s.
Beanie Babies were arguably one of the biggest fads of all time, spanning decades. Buyers were promised that these plush toys, which sold for mere dollars at the time, would see them hit mega returns on investment.
And with enough patience, collectors have begun to cash in and reap the rewards.
Whether you held out with hopes of becoming a Beanie Baby millionaire or just stumbled across your old collection in the back of your closet – you may be wondering, “Are Beanie Babies worth money?”
Keep reading to find out which Beanie Babies are worth their weight in gold – you might just be sitting on riches!
A Look at the Beanie Babies Worth Money
Bean Babies made their big debut into the world at the World Toy Fair in New York City in 1993. These first Beanie Babies became known fondly as the “Original Nine” by collectors around the globe.
These stuffed toys, created by H. Ty Warner, transformed the plush toy market altogether, replacing the usual soft stuffing that filled most plush products with a mixture of “bean” like materials together with ordinary filling.
This pellet filling made beanie babies unique; unlike other plush toys, they could be positioned sitting up, giving them a more life-like quality.
Though much skepticism surrounded the design initially, the Beanie Baby craze exploded beyond just a fad and into a financial investment. Eventually, they earned the title of the world’s first “Internet sensation.”
Certain distinguishing factors multiply a Beanie Baby’s value by tenfold. For example, new Beanie Babies in “Mint” condition or in unopened packaging are highly sought after and will earn the seller top dollar.
1. Claude the Crab
Valued at: $8,000
The Claude Beanie Baby was first produced in 1996, during the height of the Beanie Baby craze.
This multi-colored crab is adorable in its own right, but just like you and I – it’s his flaws that make him unique! Unusual misprints and errors on the tags of first-edition Claudes have reeled in some big bucks over the years.
These errors include extra features such as a star, an extra space between the last letter and exclamation point, capitalization errors in Claude’s name, and added symbols.
This cool crab was reported to have sold for $8,000 on eBay, while many collectors place its value at around $10,000.
2. Patty the Platypus
Valued at: $9,000
Patty the Platypus is one of the “Original 9” Beanie Babies and is considered a rare find. First released in 1993, this magenta platypus was the sixth in the series to be produced, with several versions having since followed.
Colors range from Magenta and Fuschia to Raspberry and Maroon. If you collect Beanie Babies, extra rare markings such as tags printed with multiple languages and grammatical errors are marks to be on the look for.
The magenta coloring is the most valuable version as it is part of the first released and sold at $9,000 as recently as 2019.
3. Mystic the Unicorn
Valued at: $9,861
This Unicorn is a legend among legends. However, four different versions of Mystic the Unicorn have been released over the years – all having values which fall in the “higher-than-average” category.
The first two Mystics were released in 1994 and share a tan-colored horn. Mystic’s mane is the only real differentiating feature between the 1994 releases, and even these editions sell for between $1,000 and $3,000.
A third Unicorn released in 1994 sports a rainbow mane which sold for a similar price. But the highest-selling version came out in 1997, featuring a soft pink, iridescent horn and a thick, white mane which sold for $9,861.
4. Iggy the Iguana
Valued at: $10,000
This neon, tye-dyed beanie baby was first released in 1998. Iggy exists in a variety of colors schemes, including tye-dye, multi-color pastel, blue-green, and neon-green.
Even more, this beanie baby comes with a variety of subtle differences, such as the presence of a tongue and variations in its color.
If your Iggy mistakenly has a Quackers tush tag, you’re in luck – this could garner you as much as $5,000. An even rarer oddity is a tag with no writing at all – this could sell for as much as $15,000!
5. Peace Bear
Valued at: $15,000
Peace bear is unique in that its coloration is distinctive to each individual bear, making it “ultra rare.” Additionally, this beanie baby has up to 50 variations between the hang tags, origin country, and filling type.
One of these rare versions recently sold for $15,000 at auction. That doesn’t seem to be an uncommon trend, either – to buy Beanie Babies Peace Bear, you’ll be looking at a $10,000 to $15,000 asking price, for an ultra-rare one.
6. Valentina Bear
Valued at: $20,000
You might recognize Valentina if you’re already familiar with her counterpart Valentino. Born on Valentine’s day of 1988, Valentina is bright Fuschia and “bears” a white heart embroidered onto its chest.
Valentino, who first appeared in 1993, is white in and adorns a Fuschia heart in the same place. Both these bears debuted on Valentine’s day of their respective year.
However, the Valentina bear was only sold for one year, making this one of the more rare beanie babies.Other oddities include misprinted tags and grammatical errors in the “tush tag” poem.
Recently, this Beanie Baby sold for $11,111, but the rarer forms are seen at values upwards of $50,000 or more if you sell beanie babies as a pair!
7. Princess Bear
Valued at: $25,000
Aka the Princess Diana Bear, this commemorative Beanie Baby was released in 1997 following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Princess Bear comes in deep purple, adorned with a white rose and purple neck ribbon.
Regarded as one of the most famous Beanie Babies of all time, the proceeds from initial sales were to benefit the “Princess of Wales’ Memorial Fund.”
Initially, producers only distributed twelve bears to vendors at a time. However, this bear became so popular that TY released thousands more than originally planned.
It’s unclear exactly how much one can garner for a rare Princess Bear, but online listing prices seem to range anywhere between sub $200 to hundreds of thousands! That’s just the asking price, though.
Join the Beanie Baby Boom
Collecting Beanie Babies has been a beloved pastime for many around the globe for decades. There are many Beanie Babies worth money if you know the right indicators to look for.
Whether you’re a collector or just taking a stroll down memory lane, head over to our page where you can find top, rare Beanie Babies at a fraction of the price – who knows, they could be worth a cool mountain of cash in the future!