Don’t know about you, but throughout the 90s we experienced an intense cuddly toy phase. Beanie Babies are just one we can’t forget. If you were a small child, had a small child, or just had a love of small cuddly things at that time, there’s a strong chance you went down to your local toy shop and purchased a Ty Beanie Baby.

Ty History

Ty Inc. was founded in 1985 by H Ty Warner. He wanted to make a stuffed toy after being a salesperson for Dakin Inc, a San Francisco based stuffed toy manufacturer. He built a reputation for being flamboyant and eccentric. In 1980 he left he Dakin Inc to spend some time in Europe and pursue his Ty dream.

“The companies philosophy has always been to create products of unique design, products of the highest quality, and to price these products so they can be easily affordable to children.”

In 1994, the phenomenon of Beanie Babies were born! The Beanie’s featured unique plastic pellet stuffing which made them floppier than conventional teddy bears. The first collection that was released featured a range of styles and colours. They went on sale in the US with no huge marketing campaigns, no deals with big national chains and despite this (and because the toys weren’t widely available, which made them more sought after) the craze began.

New Beanie Baby characters were periodically released and a Beanie Baby Club was introduced where super-fans could pay a small membership fee to receive insider information and be eligible to purchase a special range of Beanies that were developed specifically for the scheme.

Beanie Babies were becoming so popular that collectors were paying hundreds of pounds for certain toys and even today you can find rare Beanie Babies sold for hundreds. Sadly, by the middle of 1999 the Beanies popularity was beginning to fade. It was announced that Beanie Babies would be retired. Ty’s founder wanted to give the Beanies a dramatic send off and brought out 10 new products signifying the end of the well loved toys. The collection included an aptly named black bear called “The End,” and collectors everywhere were disappointed.

Luckily the disappointment was very short lived! In 2000 Ty held a consumer vote to decide the fate of Beanie Babies. To no one’s surprise the company was voted to continue making the toys and over the coming years expanded its repertoire with Beanie Kids, Teenie Beanie Boppers, Bow Wow Beanies and more recently Beanie Boos.

Today, we’re sharing our top five most nostalgic Beanie Babies! These adorably squishy little bears bring back great memories, and we hope they do for you to!

1. Princess Diana Bear

This Beanie was introduced in 1997. The first-edition model does come with a poem on the tag: “Like an angel she came from heaven above; she shared her compassion, her pain, her love; she only stayed with us long enough to teach the world to share, to give, to reach.”

2. Peace Bear

Also introduced in 1997, each Peace Bear was unique because of it’s tie dye exterior. Peace was the first Beanie Baby with an embroidered emblem and features the poem “All races, all colours, under the sun, Join hands together and have some fun, Dance to the music, rock and roll is the sound, Symbols of peace and love abound!”

3. Mystic

There are four different versions of Mystic the unicorn, all with variations of horn colour. Nowadays a 1st edition Mystic (with brown horn and fine mane) can still go for over £100. “Once upon a time so far away, A unicorn was born one day in May, Keep Mystic with you she’s a prize, You’ll see the magic in her blue eyes!”

4. Valentino Bear

Valentino is a very common Beanie Baby from the nineties. Depending on his tags, he could fetch from £1 to a couple of hundred. “His heart is red and full of love, He cares for you so give him a hug, Keep him close when feeling blue, Feel the love he has for you!”

5. Nana

Nana the monkey was part of the original Beanie Babies released. This means he has a special place in people’s hearts. The monkey was retired sooner than expected and then re-released under the name ‘Bongo’. The original Nana didn’t include the classic tag and so has neither a birthday nor a poem, but Bongo does.

“Bongo the monkey lives in a tree, The happiest monkey you’ll ever see. In his spare time he plays the guitar, One of these days he will be a big star!”

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