Hundreds of unique Beanie Baby editions have been produced since the “original nine” first appeared in 1994, yet none have gone down in infamy like the Princess Diana Beanie Baby.
While no conversation about Beanie Babies would be complete without acknowledging the Princess Bear, there are plenty of other iconic Beanie Babies with fascinating stories.
Read on to learn about the stories of the Princess Diana Beanie Baby and three other notorious Beanie Babies.
Peace Bear
Who wouldn’t love this beautiful Beanie Baby with a positive message? Peace Bear was the first Beanie Baby to have an embroidered emblem. An equally enchanting fact is that every one of these beautiful plushes is unique because their tie-dye patterns differ.
The fascinating thing about Peace bears are all the variations that affect their worth.
Was your Peace Bear made in China or Indonesia? Is the lot number 108 or 113? Is it missing it’s peace emblem?
Because each Peace Bear is unique, there is also some subjectivity in how they are valued. Many collectors prefer red and yellow bears, others prefer pastel or whitewash.
Different Peace Bears vary so much in value, it can be hard to know how much your Peace bear may be worth. For this reason, if you are in possession of a Peace Bear, it’s a good idea to consult with an expert.
Claude the Crab
Like many Beanie Babies, Claude the Crab is really only valuable if he comes with a manufacturing error.
Most of these manufacturing errors occur on his tag. Sometimes it’s the wrong name or his name in all capital letters. A particularly valuable flaw is if his tush tag is missing a star.
Despite the fact that most are not worth much monetarily, the fact that this plush is named “Claude the Crab” makes him rather endearing.
Valentino Bear
Not to be confused with his sister, Valentina bear, Valentino is a handsome white bear with a red ribbon around his neck and a red heart embroidered on his chest.
It would seem that one of the reasons Valentino is so notable are all the myths floating around about him.
For example, contrary to what many articles may tell you, all Valentino noses are brown, not black. Unfortunately, finding a Valentino with a brown nose does not mean you’ve hit the jackpot.
Because of these rumors, Valentino has earned a misleading place on many lists of the most valuable Beanie Babies. This dubiously earned renown, however, certainly given Valentino the right to be called iconic.
Princess Diana Beanie Baby
In the aftermath of the death of the People’s Princess, Ty Inc. created Princess the Bear in 1997. This rare bear is a royal purple with a rose embossed on the front.
The proceeds from Princess the Bear went to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. Ultimately, an estimated $21,880,000 were donated to the fund from sales of Princess the Bear.
The Princess Diana Beanie Baby was so special at the time because of its initial limited release. In fact, stores could only buy 12 at a time. Also, this Beanie Baby had a charitable cause, along with people’s desire to memorialize such a beloved figure.
Sell Your Iconic Beanie Babies
Today, Princess the Bear, the Princess Diana Beanie Baby is still adored for all those same reasons.
Like the Beanie Babies mentioned above and Beanie Babies everywhere, the value of the Princess Diana Beanie Baby varies wildly. The rarest Princess the Bears are worth $1000 while the most common variety is only valued at a few dollars.
If you have a personal Beanie Baby collection with a Princess Diana Beanie Baby, or if you are a business owner who has extra product, overstock, or closeout merchandise that contains this iconic bear, you can easily sell it and other Beanie Babies online at Plush Collector.