- 13 hours ago
From ultra-rare treasures to childhood staples, the Beanie Baby craze of the 90s gave us collectibles of all kinds! Join us as we explore the stuffed animals you'd need a miracle to find today and the ones that practically everyone had in their toy box. Our countdown includes Sparky the Dalmatian, Teenie Beanie Babies, Brownie the Bear, and more!
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00:00What people are waiting for is the arrival of a shipment of small, understuffed, plush beanbag dolls called Beanie Babies.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:08And today, we're looking at some Beanie Babies that you'll have to search the ends of the earth for to find,
00:13and others that were in practically everybody's childhood collections.
00:17But isn't that cute?
00:18Would you rather have a new car or Peanut the Elephant?
00:22Super Rare, Sparky the Dalmatian.
00:25Not even toys are safe from copyright laws.
00:34When Sparky was first introduced to the line in 1996, it seemed fans would have the chance to scoop up the Dalmatian of their dreams.
00:41Less than a year later, however, he was retired due to having the same name as the long-serving and trademarked National Fire Protection Association mascot.
00:48If you give Sparky a helping hand, we'll work together and we'll never give a fire a place to start.
00:57To avoid any pitfalls that may come with an infringement lawsuit, he was quickly ushered out in favor of Dottie, his replacement.
01:05Since he was on the market for such a brief time, only a lucky few were able to get a hold of him.
01:10While some originals with his tag and poem are still out there, they're nowhere near as common as his successor.
01:16I'll pay you twice what they're worth, come now.
01:18I'm being more than generous.
01:19500 pounds.
01:227,500 pounds.
01:25Fair?
01:262 pounds per spot.
01:28Everyone had.
01:29Teeny Beanie Babies
01:30Beginning in 1997, tinier versions of the stuffed animals people knew and loved were included with McDonald's Happy Meals.
01:43The aptly named Teeny Beanie Babies were a hit, so much so that some restaurants couldn't keep up with the demand and sold out.
01:50They proved to be popular with both children and adults, with some opting to just buy the toy rather than the meal it came with.
01:57Even after the promotion ended, the hype did not die down.
02:00I got Pinky and Patty in the same week.
02:02Would Vanessa catch something?
02:04Teeny Beanie Baby-itis.
02:05The fun-sized toys were circulated throughout non-official markets to those who couldn't get their hands on them in the store.
02:11The promotion occurred twice more in the 90s alone, ensuring that lots of fans had at least one in their collections.
02:18This Teeny Beanie Baby-itis, will she outgrow it?
02:20Not necessarily.
02:22Super rare.
02:23Brownie the Bear.
02:24Sometimes all it takes is a misprint to turn a standard teddy into a prized jewel.
02:29Oh, special you say.
02:32Special.
02:34Think, think, think.
02:36In 1993, Brownie the Bear was rolled out as one of the original Beanie Babies.
02:40His time in the spotlight was limited, however, as the manufacturers quickly realized they'd released him with the wrong name.
02:47Oh, bother.
02:49Double bother.
02:51He was retired immediately after, and the correctly named version, Cubby, took his place in the lineup.
02:56Some customers were lucky enough to snag him before retirement, having no idea that they'd just acquired what would become one of the rarest toys the company had made.
03:06He's still a coveted find for collectors and sellers alike, with authentic versions being some of the most valuable of the entire bunch.
03:13I guess there's a lesson to be learned here.
03:16Sometimes life just isn't fair, kiddo.
03:18Some Beanie Babies in the original drop fared much better than their incorrectly tagged counterparts.
03:27I reckon you want a kiss.
03:30Kissing would be nice, yes.
03:32Legs the Frog was part of the brand at the very beginning.
03:36He was originally in circulation for three years at the height of the initial craze, allowing fans from all over the globe to purchase him.
03:43Some superfans noted how much more available he was compared to others in the lineup,
03:48allowing him to hop into plenty of hearts throughout the years.
03:51Isn't he cute?
03:52Oh, I suppose he's cute.
03:55I'm not one for frogs myself.
03:59But he's cute.
04:01Some subsequent modernized versions have been created and released by Ty since then.
04:05Though they may not be the same as the one from the 90s,
04:08it's ensured that multiple generations will be able to add some variation of him to their collections.
04:13That's what I thought.
04:14And now, if you don't mind, I've got some schmoozing to do.
04:20Super rare.
04:21Billionaire bears.
04:22What must have seemed like a small gesture for such a big accomplishment ended up being more valuable than anyone could have guessed.
04:28He picked up the check, he told Mark they'd talk again soon, and he was gone.
04:32But not before he made his biggest contribution to the company.
04:38Drop the the.
04:39Just Facebook.
04:41It's clear.
04:42After Ty achieved $1 billion in sales in 1998, they thanked their employees with a fitting gift,
04:49a classic Beanie Baby bear with a dollar sign embroidered on its chest.
04:52They were retired immediately afterward, with just 1,400 being produced.
04:58A second billionaire bear was created the following year for a similar achievement,
05:01and much like its predecessor, it was limited to the employees.
05:04The Billionaire 2s came with two green dollar signs.
05:09It's a Kelly green, very similar to the Billionaire 1 bear.
05:13The embroiderer on it is done, is very sharp, and it looks really good against the maroon fabric.
05:19Only 475 of the 1999 version were made, making both it and the original extremely hard to come by.
05:27Fake versions have been created and sold, making the authentic ones even more coveted.
05:32On the right is the authentic Billionaire Bear, where the color of the fabric is a very variegated brown fabric
05:41with different browns, cream colors, tans.
05:45On the left side is the counterfeit, which is a solid brown color.
05:49Everyone had.
05:50Squealer the pig.
05:51Some Beanie Babies were made more rare thanks to an early retirement,
05:55while others stuck around so long that they became a mainstay in people's collections.
06:00Squealer the pig easily falls into the second category.
06:04Sean Pig.
06:05That's what it says, all right.
06:06Hey pig, Sean Pig, look this way.
06:10He was released in 1994 along with the rest of the original nine,
06:15and soon became a near-permanent fixture in their catalog.
06:17He had one of the longest lifespans of his counterparts in the first drop,
06:21with a shelf life of just over four years.
06:24Go on.
06:28Go on.
06:30He was eventually discontinued in 1998.
06:33His longevity meant that countless customers had the opportunity to find him well before he was made unavailable,
06:39and as such impacted his rarity among hardcore enthusiasts and the general public alike.
06:44That'll do, pig.
06:45That'll do.
06:51Super Rare.
06:52The End.
06:53If I were you, I'd think I was nuts.
06:56But it's all true.
07:00It's okay.
07:01You can tell me.
07:03I'm here to listen.
07:07The End is coming.
07:11He signaled the abrupt end to a toy empire,
07:13or so everyone thought.
07:15In 1999, Ty suddenly revealed that they were retiring every Beanie Baby in the current lineup,
07:21and released one of their final creations, The End, to prove their point.
07:25It's official.
07:26Shop owner Joe Diamond had to post the news.
07:29Beanie Babies are dead.
07:30It's over.
07:31December 31st.
07:33Millennium.
07:34No more Beanie Babies.
07:36This Black Bear was only available for four months before being discontinued,
07:40not because the company had vanished, but because they had supposedly changed their minds.
07:45They rescinded their decision to shut down, and created the counterpart to their final drop,
07:49The Beginning, as a cheeky way of starting a new line.
07:52Even after the brand itself was revived, The End remained retired.
07:57His comparatively shorter manufacturing span meant that not every fan could have a chance to find him.
08:02To them, this is really affecting their life more than most things that you guys have on the news.
08:07This, to them, is everything.
08:09Everyone had.
08:10Chocolate the Moose.
08:12Though he was one of the first Beanie Babies to be released in 1994,
08:15he ended up holding even more significance a year later.
08:18Excuse me?
08:20I don't believe I heard what you said.
08:22I said I love Dew.
08:26I love Dew too, eh?
08:28His fourth generation variation came with a new, seemingly small addition,
08:33a poem on the inside of his tag.
08:35Not only did this usher in a new wave of stuffed animals with verses attached,
08:39it made him all the more popular.
08:41Hey, you know what this calls for?
08:42A pile of delicious barley and amber wheat on a cool bed of malted hops, eh?
08:47I like it.
08:48His groundbreaking status paired with the fact that he was the longest standing of the initial bunch
08:53meant that collectors had plenty of time and incentive
08:55to scoop him up before his retirement on New Year's Eve of 1998.
08:59He may be more common, but that does not make him any less iconic.
09:04Head down, head down.
09:05Oh, gee, I think you've seen us, eh?
09:07Now what?
09:07Act like we're not here.
09:09Super rare.
09:10Number one bear.
09:11If you thought the billionaire bears were an incredible gift,
09:14just wait until you hear about this.
09:16These are the feet.
09:17This craze is just, it's scary.
09:20A beanie.
09:21They're just cute.
09:22Crazed.
09:23That's the new patty.
09:25Collectors.
09:26In 1998, Ty was on top of the world.
09:29Their success netted them a huge profit.
09:31And so its CEO, Ty Warner, decided to give back to those who helped him to get to that level of success.
09:37At a Christmas party that year, he bestowed upon his employees a signed stuffed animal named Number One Bear.
09:43Woo!
09:44Yeah!
09:45Hooray!
09:47Way to go!
09:49Must be her lucky day!
09:51The name correlated with the company's achievements, but what made it even more interesting was the fact that only 253 were created.
10:01With there being so few, it's impossible for every collector to get a hold of one.
10:06Fake versions have also been sold, making an authentic one a true needle in a haystack.
10:11Help me with my hunt!
10:12I haven't got time, Redfurs!
10:13But I'm hunting the rarest creature in the world!
10:16Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
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10:32Everyone had Patty the Platypus.
10:34With a few different variations being out there, it makes sense that she would be one of the most common.
10:39Wow! I didn't know there were so many platypuses in Danville.
10:42Patty first hit the mass market along with the other original Beanie Babies in 1994.
10:47However, her true claim to fame is being one of the very first to be introduced and sold by Ty Warner a year prior,
10:53making her even more important to superfans.
10:56This is one of the originals. This is one of the ones made in, like, let's see the year.
11:00See, it says Beanie Original Baby. It says the date of birth, January 6, 1993.
11:04She was retired and re-released in a slightly different color multiple times throughout the 1990s,
11:10no doubt making her desirable to collectors who wanted to acquire one of each.
11:14That also meant she was consistently available during the height of the phenomenon,
11:19allowing everyone from connoisseurs to casual customers to take her home with them.
11:23Good job, Larry!
11:25Welcome home.
11:27Which rare Beanie Baby would you love to add to your collection?
11:30Let us know in the comments below.
11:31We'll see you next time.
11:32We'll see you next time.
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