Royal Blue Peanut the Elephant – $2,000
Peanut the Elephant is the OG Beanie Baby that started it all. As a result, the plush toy has become incredibly valuable, particularly the royal blue version. Only a few thousand royal blue Peanuts were ever produced before Ty Warner switched to a lighter blue, making this version extremely rare. Despite a recent slump in value, the royal blue Peanut is still worth between $1,000 to $2,000, and collectors are always eager to add it to their collection.
Mystic the Unicorn – $3,000
Mystic the Unicorn is one of the more sought-after Beanie Babies, with certain versions fetching up to $3,000 online. However, if you come across a Mystic with a fine mane, you’re in luck – this particular version is worth an extra $1,000. Keep an eye out for the tanned-horn Mystic with a fine mane to add a significant amount of value to your collection.
Millennium – $5,000
While it may not look like much, the Millennium bear is highly coveted by Beanie Baby collectors due to a spelling error on the label. Some of the bears were produced with the misspelt name ‘Millenium’, making those versions especially valuable. Produced in 1999, the magenta teddy with a brown bow and an Earth badge is worth around $5,000 if you happen to have one with the misspelt swing tag.
Chef Robuchon – $7,000
The Chef Robuchon Beanie Baby is one of the rarest editions out there, with only a handful of people in possession of the plush toy. Created in 2006 to honour the Michelin-star chef Joël Robuchon, who gifted them to guests at his restaurant in New York, the Chef Robuchon bear has become a highly sought-after item. Collectors are now willing to pay over $7,000 to get their hands on a Beanie version of the famous chef.
Patti the Platypus – $6,000
Patti the Platypus is one of the original nine Beanie Babies that TY produced, making it a highly valuable item for collectors. Easily recognisable by its bright purple fur and yellow paws and beak, Patti is now on sale for a staggering $6,000. If you happen to have one, make sure it’s the magenta version, as this is the first and oldest edition of the platypus toy.
Inky – $1,200
Inky is a cute octopus toy that was originally produced in grey before Ty decided to switch to a light pink version. This means that anyone in possession of a grey Inky could earn themselves a fortune, as there are only a few thousand of them in existence. If you manage to find a willing collector online, you could earn yourself around $1,200 – more than enough for a nice beach holiday to spot some real-life Inkys!
Claude the Crab – $10,000
Claude the Crab is one of the most valuable Beanie Babies out there, fetching up to $10,000 online. The tie-dyed crustacean is highly sought-after, with special editions of the toy featuring additional tags that add even more value. Keep an eye out for Claude in your Beanie collection – it could be a big payday if you have the right version.
Iggy The Iguana – $2,000
Hold your horses if you think you’ve got a winner here, because this particular Beanie Baby has to include a specific error in order for you to rake in the big bucks. In particular, you’re going to have to make sure that you check the colour and fabric of this plush toy.
Curly the Bear – $2,500
Curly the Bear is a cute but rather plain-looking plush toy that Ty released in the 90s. What’s so special about it? Basically, it’s yet another case of spelling errors bumping up the value of Curly Bears into the thousands. We’d love to know who was responsible for spell-checking at Ty Warner, but we won’t be complaining if we find one of these Curly the Bear models in our collection. Keep your eyes peeled for this brown bear, with its fetching pink bow, because you could end up paying for your next holiday with the money you make from a potential sale.
Mac the Cardinal – $9,500
Mac the Cardinal is an adorable and rare Beanie that you probably got as a Christmas gift as a child. If you did, thank your parents or whichever relative as you might be able to make a quick buck with this feathery Beanie. Mac is a rare gem in the Beanie world, which is what makes the Beanie incredibly difficult to own. Given that his value doesn’t derive from spelling errors, but its actual scarcity, you could be looking at up to $9,500!
Flash the Shark – $1,500
Now, that is a complete throwback: Flash the Shark is part of the original nine Beanie Babies, so if you were around in the early ’90s, you may unknowingly own one. This Baby could go for $1,500 if you’re interested in getting rid of it.
Halo the Guardian Angel Bear – $1,000
Aw! This cute bear features shiny wings and a halo, with some special silver lines up and down his or her front. Anyone who finds one of these in their attic will think that a guardian angel is watching over them, because collectors are paying hand over fist to get themselves a Halo bear. This is one of the most special bear editions and is currently selling online for over $1,000.
Erin the Bear – $1,000
No errors on the tags, just a completely green Beanie to commemorate the Irish, which makes it totally rare. The clover on this Beanie could bring you $1,000 of luck.
Cubbie The Grizzly Bear – $1,500
Apparently the bear is so popular because of the shape of its tag – some of the Cubbies have super-rare rectangular ones rather than the normal heart-shaped pieces. If you manage to find one that’s got a rectangular-shaped tag, then you could be looking at a grand total of $1,500 – not a bad way to make some quick cash.
Peace the Bear – $15,000
Peace the Bear is a good choice for any hippies out there, or any people from the older generation who want to relive their 60s heyday once in a while. Peace has also got a very cool feature which makes him or her extremely valuable to collectors. Basically, no two Peace Bears are the same because of the tie-dye process that the fabric goes through. Furthermore, you could make a fortune if you have a Peace Bear that contains an error on the tag – rumour has it that there are over 50 different tags that have mistakes on them.
If you manage to find a Peace Bear with a tag containing an error, you could make a whopping $15,000 online, so better get looking through your old toys now!
Valentino Bear – $20,000
Stuck for a gift on Valentine’s Day? Or need to make a bit of money so you can get your other half something they’ll actually want instead? Well, this romantic-themed Valentino Bear is currently fetching huge sums of money online.
Some collectors are actually paying upwards of $20,000 for the Valentino Bear as it comes, but special editions and any toys that contain errors on the tags are going to be worth even more than that. It might be worth ringing up one of your ex-partners from the 90s to see if they’ve still got that Beanie Baby lying around somewhere…
M.C. Beanie – $1,500
M.C. Beanie isn’t a DJ – he’s called M.C. because the initials stand for MasterCard, as you might be able to tell from his very odd-looking nose. In the early 2000s, MasterCard applicants were given a free Beanie Baby for signing up, so if you’re an MC customer you might remember getting one. This toy was the first of its kind to bear the name ‘Beanie’ – no other plush had previously had the brand name included in its title. And anyone who owns one and needs a bit of extra cash could earn themselves up to $1,500.
Some models were also made with a brown nose, instead of one containing the MasterCard logo. These are extra-rare so collectors will be willing to pay even more for them. Happy hunting!
Employee Bear – $3,000
It might be a strange name for a cuddly toy, but the Employee Bear was simply a bear with a nice-looking ribbon tied around its neck. What matters is that nowadays it’s worth an absolute fortune.
If you spot an Employee Beanie in your collection, then you’ll already be looking at a tidy sum of money to take home. But if you have any bears with red or green ribbons then you’ve got a toy worth over $3,000. That’s right – collectors are going mad over the red or green colours, so keep an eye out next time you’re rooting through the attic.
Weenie The Dog – $2,500
Rather than going out and buying a real dog, lots of cuddly toy fans in the 90s and 2000s got themselves one of these adorable Weenie dogs instead. And we can’t blame them! However, anyone who picked up one of these adorable sausage dogs back in the day will be pleasantly surprised to learn that they’re now worth a mint online.
Weenie’s are more expensive because they have their own special pellet filling which makes them extra plushy. Collectors are currently paying up to $2,500 to get their hands on a Weenie, so it’s worth having a look-see amongst your old toys.
Puff The Magic Dragon – $1,750
Puff The Magic Dragon and his familiar song were beloved by generations of kids, so people were delighted when Beanie Babies released their own version of the childhood favourite.
This is an extremely rare plush toy in terms of its design and colouring – pastel pink features and some very shiny wings make Puff an impressive-looking dragon that you might not want to part with even today. However, if you need to pay for that next holiday then you could flog the toy online for upwards of $1,750!
Wise the Owl – $7,500
If you graduated high school or college in the late 90s or early 2000s, there’s a good chance you were gifted a Wise the Owl Beanie Baby to celebrate the occasion. What you might not know is that this limited-edition plush has gone on to become immensely valuable, with a secondhand value that tops out at around $7,500! However, Wise the Owls only sell for such a high price when they have multiple tag errors, including a space between the ’98’ and ‘!’ in the poem, a tush tag that reads both TM and R, and both a full stop and comma following the ‘TY INC.’
Wallace the Bear – $300,000
Let’s be real: Large Wallace is about the funniest name for a Beanie Baby possible. However, this big bear has a devoted fanbase among collectors, owing to the fact that not many large Beanies were made. If you can find a 15-inch tall teal Wallace in decent condition and with his tags and tartan scarf intact, then you can expect to pay just shy of $300,000, which is as much as it would cost to live on a cruise ship for a full decade! Yikes!
Chocolate the Moose – $8,550
Of all the original nine Beanie Babies, Chocolate the Moose seems to get the least attention from enthusiasts. However, his tendency to fly under the radar has not affected his resale price or his longevity, as he actually remained on shelves for longer than any of his contemporaries, debuting in 1994 and retiring a whole five years later. The price for an original Chocolate the Moose sits comfortably in the thousands but, if you’re lucky enough to have one of the iterations that came with a mini baby Beanie Chocolate in tow, then you’re looking at a resale price of over $8,500!
Gobbles the Turkey – $14,998
Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, there’s no denying the charm of Gobbles the Turkey, a special edition holiday Beanie Baby introduced in 1997. Many original Gobbles have distinctly 1997 errors that hike up the value, from being filled with the discontinued P.V.C pellets to spelling and punctuation mark mistakes on the last line of the poem: “If she eats too much her tummy will bulge!” If you notice any of these errors then you could be looking at a turkey worthy of the grand prize at a county fair, with a resale value of almost $15,000!
Tuffy the Terrier – $12,679
If you consider yourself a Beanie Baby aficionado but have never heard of Tuffy the Terrier, don’t worry! This adorable pup was never actually available to purchase and was instead handed out at sporting events as part of a wider promotional campaign. In fact, experts estimate that only 15,000 were made, owing to the fact that Tuffy was produced in Korea in a smaller factory. This rarity makes Tuffy a valuable Beanie Baby all by itself, but many Tuffys also contain errors like a missing red stamp inside the tush tag, which can contribute to a secondhand value of over $12,000!
Snort the Bull – $7,500
If you’ve been collecting Beanie Babies for a long time, then there’s a chance you might have a bull in your collection that looks slightly different from the one above, complete with a different name. That’s because Snort was actually the second Beanie Baby bull to hit shelves, and was brought in to replace Tabasco, who was discontinued due to copyright infringement. Both bulls are valuable and can be told apart by the hooves, given that Snort has white and Tabasco has red. For a secondhand Snort in prime condition, you can expect to pay $7,500!
Jabber the Parrot – $10,000
Some Beanie Babies are valuable because of the errors they contain, while others are valuable because of their limited runs or defunct stuffing materials. Jabber the Parrot is valuable for a completely different reason: his design. With seventeen different pattern pieces made up of six different colours, Jabber is one of the most complicated and colourful Beanie Babies ever made, and his secondhand price reflects this. To get your hands on a mint-condition Jabber at auction, you’ll need to shell out $10,000.
Scorch the Dragon – $7,000
Almost all kids have a dragon phase at some point or another, so it makes sense that the magical creature has been turned into multiple Beanie Babies, all of which are valuable. Scorch the Dragon might not have the bright white colouring of his Magic counterpart, but he does have the same iridescent wings, complete with the trademark scrunchy sound they make. Over and above just being a dragon, Scorch’s high resale price of $7,000 can be attributed to the fact that he was the first Beanie Baby to use unique curly fabric.
Freckles the Spotted Leopard – $9,000
At first glance, Freckles is not so different from the numerous feline Beanie Babies that exist. Like them, the spotted leopard has black button eyes, a pink nose and black thread whiskers. However, Freckles is set apart in both uniqueness and secondhand resale value by one thing: his birthday. While Freckles’ birthday is supposed to be June 3, 1996 and is listed as that on the majority of his tags, a small percentage of the toys have a listed birthday of July 28th instead. These July birthday Freckles have a secondhand value of $9,000!
McDonald’s Britannia the Bear – $7,250
Britannia the Bear is already unique in that he was created as part of a McDonald’s crossover promotional effort. Not only that, but he was also sold in a special limited edition box, even if boxed-up examples are now nearly impossible to find. With or without the packaging though, Britannia bears are still incredibly valuable, especially those with a Union Jack patch sewn on the chest rather than just an embroidered. If you find the former version of Britannia, you can expect to sell it for over $7,000!
Spunky the Cocker Spaniel – $2,100
Most Beanie Babies have poems that accentuate their best qualities, but Spunky the Cocker Spaniel makes him seem more than a little haphazard, reading: “Bouncing around without much grace / To jump on your lap and lick your face / But watch him closely he has no fears / He’ll run so fast he’ll trip over his ears!” Even so, his cute button nose and the curly fur on his ears have ensured he’s remained popular for decades, hence the resale price of over $2,000!
Doodle – $3,500
When you think of roosters, tie-dye probably isn’t the first place your mind goes. Nevertheless, Doodle the rooster looks groovy with his pink tie-dye body and red felt wattle. Doodle became immediately popular after his release in 1997, but he was unfortunately retired pretty quickly in anticipation of a copyright row with Chick-Fil-A. Doodle’s subsequent scarcity has led to a high resale price of around $3,500.
Cody – $1, 250
Most Beanie Babies follow an instantly recognisable pattern: soft short fur, floppy bodies, small arms and legs and huge heads. So you’d be forgiven for thinking that Cody the bear is not a Beanie Baby at all. In reality, Cody was created as part of a line of toys called Attic Treasures, which were designed to look like the sweet and nostalgic toys of yesteryear. Cody’s novelty has ensured a consistent resale price of $1,250.
Inch the Worm – $4,500
In 1995, Beanie Babies released one of its most instantly-recognisable teddies out there: Inch the Worm. The colourful critter was instantly beloved and was rereleased half a dozen times, even appearing in McDonald’s Happy Meals as part of a cross-promotional effort. All original Inch the Worms have a resale value comfortably in the thousands, but many also have a Deutschland Nurnberg tag that marks them as limited edition. If you’re lucky enough to find a German-tagged Inch the Worm, you can expect to pay around $4,500 for him.
Kuku the Cockatoo – $5,000
Kuku the Cockatoo was released later than many most popular Beanie Babies in 1998, but that hasn’t diminished his fanbase or his resale price. While his initial popularity was down to the feathers on his head being represented by unique pale pink fluff, he has stuck around in collectors’ hearts because of his tasteful baby pink and white colouring. Want to add him to your collection? Then you’d better have $5,000 laying around.
Almond the Beige Bear – $1,200
Almond the Bear might look just like any other Beanie Baby at first glance, but she bears, haha, some important differences. Most obviously, the stitching on her snout and paws were designed to look less cute and cuddly and more realistic, and her body isn’t as floppy as some other Beanie Baby bears. As a result, this 1999 teddy has a consistent resale value of $1,200, as does her brother Pecan.
Santa Claus the Bear – $7,000
There are so many Beanie Babies designed to celebrate various holidays, which is why for decades they have made such excellent gifts. Santa Claus the Bear is actually one of the more run-of-the-mill examples, as he is simply an ordinary honey-brown bear with a hat and scarf to show his festive spirit. However, this 1997 teddy is so kind and nostalgic-looking that he’s impossible not to love, as evidenced by his whopping secondhand price of around $7,000.
Piccadilly – $2,000
Whether they follow the established formula to the letter or stray away with more exciting fabric choices, stitching or colours, almost all Beanie Babies are adorable. Unfortunately, Piccadilly is one of just a few bears that have done away with the Beanie Baby checklist all together, and is less cute as a result. This coil-furred clown comes with a colourful onesie and a red nose, and looks very out of place next to his siblings. His resale price is nothing to sneeze at though, as it consistently sits around $2,000.
Glory the Bear – $6,000
Glory the Bear is one of a small number of patriotic bears, which were created to honour certain countries and their holidays. Glory was released in 1998 but only in North America, making snagging one an achievement for anybody living outside the USA. The lack of a worldwide release, and the awesome pattern of red and blue stars on his fur, have both made Glory a very popular bear, with a secondhand price of $6,000 or above!
Baldy the Bald Eagle – $5,000
Glory might be the most obvious all-American bear, thanks to his red and blue stars and the literal American flag emblazoned on his chest, but he is not the only one bursting with pride in the United States. Baldy the Bald Eagle was released a year later in 1998, and only 10,000 were ever made, with 5,000 of those being given out at a Philadelphia 76ers vs. Golden State Warriors game. With scarcity like that, it’s no surprise that you’ll need to shell out $5,000 to add one to your shelf.
Fairchild the Cat – $2,000
We’ve already discussed the fact that sometimes Beanie Babies do go off-model and, while the results are usually pretty inoffensive, sometimes the resulting bear has a face only a serious enthusiast could love. Fairchild the Cat is part of the Attic Treasures line and so is supposed to look like a teddy that’s already been around for decades, but his gangly design divided toy lovers way back in 1993 and still does today. However, if you find one of these bedraggled cats at a car boot sale, don’t throw him out! He’s easily worth $1,000 when restored to good condition!
Batty the Bat – $5,000
Batty the Bat is a Beanie Baby that has both his fair share of fans and detractors. While some are enamoured with the unique strip of velcro on each of his wings, which allow him to grab onto things and hang from places, others find his flesh-coloured fur offputting. With that said, Batty has been one of the perfect Halloween Beanie Babies for years, so it should surprise no one to know that his resale price consistently sits at around $5,000.
Coral Casino – $2,500
No matter how big a fan of Beanie Babies you are, Coral the Casino Bear is a teddy you will have never seen on the shelves of a toy store, and it’s very unlikely you’ll have seen him at a car boot sale or charity shop either. This valuable bear was a special, exclusive gift given out at the Casino Beach Club at the Biltmore Hotel in 2001, and as such only 588 were ever made. Even fewer are still in circulation, giving the remaining ones a starting secondhand value of $2,500.
Blizzard – $5,000
Some Beanie Babies have a steadily increasing value because of some unique feature of their design, whether that’s proportions, stitching, colours or velcro. However, some others are valuable because of things you can’t see, like their stuffing. Blizzard the snow tiger came out in 1997, and a certain amount his teddies came with P.V.C pellets, a now discontinued stuffing material that is highly prized by collectors. When those P.V.C pellets combine with tag errors, Blizzard becomes a $5,000 teddy, so its probably best to keep him on a high shelf!
Chip the Cat – $5,000
While it might not be immediately obvious at first glance, Chip the Cat is actually one of the most complicated Beanie Babies ever made. That’s because each Chip is made up of 20 pieces of fabric that are arranged by colour in a very specific way. The other thing that sets Chip apart is her eyes, which are gold rather than the usual Beanie Baby black. All this, plus the fact that she was only available to purchase for two years, combine to make a secondhand value of $5,000.
Wingless Quacker the Duck – $851
Ordinarily, Quackers is not the most valuable Beanie Baby out there, despite the fact that they were originally released way back in 1994, earlier than many other Beanies of note. However, if you’re lucky enough to stumble across a Quacker without wings, and without the seams that would suggest the lost wings are the result of wear and tear and/or wanton toddler destruction, then you’re looking at a teddy with a secondhand value of nearly $1,000.
Lefty and Righty – $4,500
Both of these Beanie Babies are valuable apart, but they are even more valuable together. Though the company is largely apolitical, Beanie Babies Lefty and Righty aimed to make both sides of the American aisle more cute and cuddly, with teddies of both an elephant and a donkey. Each one already has a secondhand price in the thousands when kept in good condition, but sold together, their combined value can often reach $4,500. Now that’s a value that can be appreciated cross-party!
Wrinkles – $2,000
One downside of the tried and tested Beanie Babies formula is that often, the dog and cat species end up looking more similar than different. However, Wrinkles the bulldog is immediately recognisable, which is part of the reason that he’s so beloved! Released in 1996, he was discontinued just two years, and no other dogs have been introduced since that share his distinctive head shape. Want to take him home? You’ll need adoption fees to the tune of $2,000!
Pouch the Kangaroo – $5,000
Pouch the Kangaroo’s secondhand value is double that of some other prized Beanie Babies, which makes sense given that she’s kind of two teddies in one! Every Pouch comes with a baby joey hiding in her tummy, which is part of what has made her such a hit amongst collectors. The other unique thing about Pouch is that, unlike most Beanie Babies, she can stand upright unassisted. Could that be the reason her resale price is currently $5,000?
Stretch the Ostrich – $1,218
Released near the end of 1997 and retired in 1999, Stretch the Ostrich is instantly recognisable because of her long dangling legs and neck. In fact, Stretch even took longer to develop than most Beanie Babies, because it was so hard to make her neck stand upright. Either way, she’s now worth over $1,200 when kept in good condition, maybe because she stands out amongst the rest of the Beanie animal kingdom.
Hope the Bear – $10,500
Hope the Bear is another popular Beanie Baby that deviates from the tried and true formula in terms of pose, structure and fabric choice. Released with unusually closed eyes and her paws held together in prayer, Hope was a popular choice as a bereavement gift when she first hit shelves. However, nowadays one of these bears in decent condition will set you back around $10,500, and so is more of an investment piece than something to give away.
Hoppity and Flopity – $10,000
If you have a fair amount of money on hand and you want to encourage your kids to eat fewer chocolate eggs this Easter, than what gift could be better than Hoppity and Floppity the Bunnies? These pastel-coloured Beanie Baby rabbits were released together in 1997 and made the perfect Easter present, but they now have a whopping cumulative resale price of $10,000! Extravagant? Maybe, but buying them would be a pretty decent incentive for your children to put the sweets down, since getting their fur grubby would be a really bad idea.
Ringo the Baby Raccoon – $7,997
Named for the adorable rings around his eyes, Ringo the Raccoon was released in January of 1996, and was an immediate albeit moderate hit. This is because, among the shelves of bears, cats and birds, a racoon stood out and attracted lots of attention. Unfortunately, Ringo was retired just two years after his debut, which has given him an enviable resale price of almost $8,000. In other words: your heart is not the only thing he’s adept at stealing, as your wallet is also sure to take a hit!
Jake the Duck – $6,900
Jake the Mallard is one of those Beanie Babies whose value varies wildly depending on the exact version you find yourself with. While most are not considered that rare or desirable to enthusiasts, Jakes with mismatched dates across their tush tag and swing tag can fetch up to $6,900 on the resale market. That price can increase even further if you spot punctuation errors or spelling mistakes in his poem, so make sure to look closely before buying or selling!
Stinky the Skunk – $6,500
The saddest thing about Stinky the Skunk is that he’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Not only was he originally neglected by consumers leading to lacklustre sales numbers, but he was also kind of neglected by the Beanie Baby company themselves, as he wasn’t given a poem or a birthdate until his fourth generation re-release. Fortunately for him, this has made poem-free Stinkys a hot commodity, with a resale price of between $6,000 and $6,500!
Maple the Bear – $5,500
Maple the Bear occupies a special place in Beanie Baby history, as he was the first ever bear made by the company to be exclusive to a country other than the United States. Unsurprisingly, Maple only ever hit shelves in Canada, but even in the Great White North he was only available to buy for a year and a half. That alone would be enough to give him a high resale price, but some versions of Maple incorrectly list his name as Pride on his tush tag, and these versions usually sell for around $5,500.
Congo the Gorilla – $5,000
At first glance, Congo the Gorilla looks pretty similar to Bongo the Monkey. After all, he has the same lighter-coloured gloves and socks, as well as the same pensive brow. However, Congo has neither Bongo’s tail nor his thread nose, as Congo’s design features a black plastic nose instead. Congo is also a much more valuable toy when it comes to the secondhand market, especially because many Congos mistakenly feature a Hoppity the Bunny tush tag and poem. This error has resulted in a comfortable resale price of $5,000.
Honk the Goose – $4,500
When it comes to birds, geese have one of worst reputations out there, and this extends to the world of Beanie Babies too. Despite her uniquely soft and textured fur and her beautiful purple colour, Honk the Goose only remained on shelves for a scant four months before being retired. Thankfully, this scarcity has only done good things for her resale price, as she consistently sells secondhand for $4,500!
Hissy the Snake – $4,500
Hissy the Snake was available to purchase for two years, which isn’t a huge amount of time as far as Beanie Babies are concerned. Nevertheless, in that time over five different editions of Hissy were released, with the first being the most valuable. While later Hissy’s feature marbled blue and green on their backs, earlier versions can be identified by their block colouring, as well as their florescent bellies. If you find a Hissy that matches this description, you could be looking at a Beanie Baby worth $4,500!
Dotty the Dalmatian – $4,000
Dotty the Dalmatian is one of the rarest Beanie Babies out there, but not because of the intricacy of her design or how long she remained on shelves. Instead, her rarity comes down to the fact that Dottys have been known to carry up to 15 errors at once, with each one slightly boosting her resale price. From poem punctuation errors to mislabelling to an entirely missing tush tag, some Dottys have almost every production error out there, and that has led to a secondhand price of $4,000.
Tom Brady Bear – $1,200
Plenty of rare Beanie Babies exist, but this Tom Brady MVP bear is on a whole other level as far as scarcity is concerned. In fact, this little blue teddy is so difficult to find that it doesn’t even have an entry on Beaniepedia! Released in conjunction with the Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, the Tom Brady MVP bear was available to purchase at the Pats Pro Shop and has an estimated secondhand price of $1,200. Unfortunately, examples of this bear almost never appear on the resale market.
Bubbles – $21,358
Though every Beanie Baby is somebody’s favourite, there are kinds of animals that are more or less popular amongst enthusiasts. As a general rule, fish tend to be less beloved than mammals, which is what makes Bubbles so special. Bubbles is the best-selling fish Beanie Baby of all time, and all of their various releases are valuable; none more so than the original 1996 release, which has a whopping secondhand price of over $21,000!
Echo the Dolphin – $1,500
Over the years, Beanie Baby released a couple of different dolphin iterations, but none were ever as popular as Echo. Released in the spring of 1997, the value of this aquatic mammal usually sits at around $1,500, depending on the presence or absence of errors. Some Echo teddies were accidentally sold with a tush tag belonging to Lizzie or Waves, and examples with this mix-up can often fetch even higher prices.
Seaweed the Otter – $2,000
Seaweed the Otter isn’t just adorable, he’s also valuable. Owing to his early 1996 release, he is stuffed with PVC pellets that were later discontinued, making him a hot commodity on the resale market. In addition, some 1996 Seaweeds have a myriad of errors, from mismatched birth years on the swing tag and tush tag, to missing punctuation, to a missing tush tag stamp. If you can find an example with all of these, plus a birthdate written out numerically rather than with words, then you’re looking at a teddy with a value of $2,000 or above!
Snowball – $4,250
Snowball the Snowman is a Beanie Baby that isn’t talked about much, even in collector and enthusiast circles. As such, it took a while for people to notice that this teddy occasionally comes with tag errors that boost their value way above average. Though examples are rare, some Snowball Beanie Babies have a tush tag that says Weenie, rather than the actual correct name. As a result, these wrongly-named snowmen have a resale price of $4,250, if you can get your hands on one!
Snip the Cat – $1,500
Snip isn’t the most popular or valuable of the numerous Beanie Baby felines, but that doesn’t mean that she is difficult to sell secondhand if you’re lucky enough to come across one for cheap. This Siamese kitty first hit shelves in 1997 and so is prone to the kinds of tag errors that early production Beanie Babies are rife with. This has given Snip a not-to-be-sniffed-at-resale price of $1,500.
Grace the Rabbit – $4,000
Grace the Rabbit is the perfect candidate for a valuable Beanie Baby. Not only was she only available to buy for one short year, hitting shelves in 2000 before being retired in 2001, but she also has a unique sitting-up pose and solid body that sets her apart from most of her Beanie counterparts. All those details combine to give her a high resale value of $4,000, but the price is not the only barrier to owning one, as she only appears on secondhand sites very rarely.
USA the Bear – $2,500
Numerous country-themed Beanie Babies have been released over the years, and some countries have even had more than one. Unsurprisingly, America has had more national pride bears than any other, and all of them are worthwhile collectables with above-average resale values. However, maybe the prettiest of all of them is USA the Bear, released in 2000 with a speckled red, white and blue design. The value of this Independence Day-themed bear sits at a comfortable $2,500.
Twigs – $2,500
Twigs the Giraffe spent longer on shelves than the average Beanie Baby, and by all accounts this should have led to a lower-than-usual resale price. However, despite being released in early 1996 and retiring in mid-1998, his unique long-necked design and the fact that he can kind of sit up by himself have earned him a not-terrible secondhand value of $2,500. Not only that, but if you’re lucky enough to also have the mini Twigs that was released as a McDonald’s Happy Meal, then you’re potentially sitting on even more money.
Lizzy the Lizard – $1,250
Of all the Beanie Bear animal designs, Lizzy the Lizard has spawned the most imitators. Released right at the beginning of the toy line’s history in 1996, she lasted a whole two years before being pulled from shelves and has remained a firm favourite amongst collectors thanks to her bright blue and yellow fur. Her age and her uniquely vibrant design have combined to give her a respectable secondhand value of $1,250.
Princess The Bear – $500,000
There was even a Princess Diana Beanie Baby made to commemorate her death in 1997. The royal blue bear, appropriately named Princess, features a white rose and a heart-touching tribute to the national treasure 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.’
Toymakers used a special brand of pellets to fill the teddy, meaning that it feels extra comfy. It’s also a regal shade of purple and contains a white rose on its chest. This unique-looking bear is super-rare and was only bought by a very small number of people around the world. If you want to claim this piece of Beanie Baby history, then you’ll have to fork out $500,000 for the privilege. And if you happen to have one lying around in your loft somewhere, then you’ve basically won the lottery. Some editions of the vintage bear are somewhat more affordable than others and you can bag yourself one of these iconic toys for just £5.00 on eBay if it has a tag from China, making it one of the most easily collectable Beanie Babies of all time.
Nana – $2,000
While some Beanie Babies are so popular or ubiquitous that every enthusiast knows about them, others make less of a splash. Nana the Monkey only spent a short time on shelves in 1995, as it wasn’t long before he was retired and given the new name of Bongo. As a result, Beanies with Nana tags are a find that often sell for upwards of $2000!
Beak the Bird – $1,000
Beak the Kiwi bird might be one of the most comical-looking Beanie Babies around, but that hasn’t stopped her from becoming sought-after both in New Zealand and beyond. Thanks to her instantly-recognisable long beak and the fact that she was quickly retired, Beak often commands a resale price of $1000 or above.
Chilly – $1,800
Chilly the polar bear is a valuable Beanie Baby for one hilarious but understandable reason: he’s got white fur. Since Beanie Babies are often bought for and played with by children, finding a decades-old white teddy without some kind of grime or pen stain is nearly impossible. This has driven the resale price of a clean, first-edition Chilly up to $1800.
Nip the Cat – $4,000
Nip the Cat, not to be confused with their sister Snip, was available to purchase from 1995 to 1996. Despite only spending a short amount of time on shelves, several versions of Nip were released, with both different coloured whiskers and different coloured fur. Of them, the most valuable Nip is the one with four white socks, which often fetches $4000 or more at auction.
Valentina – $20,000
With her lush, fuschia-pink fur and sweet embroidered heart, is it any wonder that Valentina is such a popular Beanie Baby? In fact, this loved-up bear is even more highly sought after than her male counterpart, Valentino. While you’ll pay a premium for the pair, just adding Valentina to your collection will still set you back around $20,000 – ouch!
Mel the Koala – $4,500
While most Beanie Babies have names obviously linked to their species, Mel the Koala is a little harder to figure out. Named after the popular Australian dreamboat of the time, Mel Gibson, this Beanie Baby now, unfortunately, seems to have a pretty pedestrian name for those not in the know. Nevertheless, he still has a high resale price of $4,500!
Whisper – $20,000
Whisper the deer has a more rigid body than your average Beanie Baby, to allow her to easily remain in her placid and peaceful pose. Released in 1998 and retired a year later, she is neither the rarest nor the oldest Beanie out there, but she has still captured the imagination of enthusiasts. As a result, you’ll need $20,000 to add her to your collection.
Brutus the Rottweiler – $5,000
Brutus might be tough in name, but he’s hardly tough in nature. With ultra-soft, extra-fluffy fur, this pup is definitely more of a lap dog than a guard dog. He’s also pretty valuable, with a starting secondhand price of $5000 when kept clean and without tears or damage.
Clubby – $5,000
Clubby the Beanie Baby isn’t the rarest bear around, but there were certain conditions that had to be met before you could add one to your collection back in the day. Clubby was only sold to Beanie Babies Official Club members who bought a special kit, so not many exist in circulation. This has led to a secondhand value of $5000!
Lips the Fish – $5,000
Lips the Fish is a 1999 release whose colourful and complex design required more work to draw and construct than the average Beanie Baby. This alone could account for his higher-than-average resale price, but some Lips have also been known to contain punctuation errors on the tush tag. These factors combined have resulted in a secondhand value of $5000.
Sly – $2,000
Let’s be honest: Sly the fox doesn’t look much like a fox at all. However, despite this Beanie Baby’s resemblance to a vole or a weasel, Sly is still a hot commodity as far as enthusiasts are concerned. Two versions of Sly exist, one with a brown belly and one with a white belly, and the latter has a resale price of $2,000.
The End Teddy – $4,000
The End is a mournful-looking black bear that was released to commemorate the end of the original line of Beanie Babies. With his smart golden tie and sleek dark fur, he was supposed to represent a neat tying up of all loose ends, but then Beanie Babies kept being made! This hasn’t affected his resale price of $4000 though!
Tracker – $1,200
Tracker the Bassett Hound was available to purchase for a year and a half from May 1998 to November 1999. However, despite this not being the shortest amount of time that a Beanie Baby has stayed on shelves, Tracker is still valuable because most dog breeds only received limited factory runs. That explains his resale price of $1200!
Summer Olympics Libearty – $610
The Summer Olympics version of the Libearty bear probably has the most belaboured pun name in Beanie Baby history, but that hasn’t affected his high resale value. Essentially, some versions of Libearty mentioned on his tush tag that he was born during the summer Olympics, but these references were quickly and subsequently removed at the Olympics’ own request, making the rare examples worth $610.
Nuts the Squirrel – $4,000
While there are some factors that can be used to predict the value of various Beanie Babies, from their age to the time they spent on shelves to the presence of tag errors, some high-value Beanies are more inexplicable. Nuts the Squirrel isn’t particularly exceptional in any way, and yet consistently fetches prices of $4000 or higher at auction!
Slowpoke – $2,450
With his long arms and legs, Slowpoke the sloth pretty obviously breaks away from the usual Beanie Baby format. Maybe that is why he commands such a high resale price. In addition to that, Slowpokes are sometimes found with spelling errors in the swing tag, leading to a resale value of $2400 or more.
Doby the Doberman – $2,700
Like most Beanie Baby dog breeds, Doby the Doberman only had a limited factory run when he was first released in 1997. Though he was available to purchase for two years, examples on the secondhand market are scarce. This has resulted in a consistent resale value of over $2500 when Dobys are kept in like-new condition.
Pinchers – $3,000
Pinchers is not an easy Beanie Baby to miss, thanks to his fire-engine-red colouring and huge claws. However, what really sets him apart is the fact that certain versions of him have four lines on their tush tags rather than five, which shows that they were produced in Korea. These Korean-made Pinchers are much rarer, and so fetch over $500 at auction.
Squealer the Pig – $550
Squealer the Pig was available to purchase from 1994 to 1998, making him a Beanie Baby with a much longer-than-average literal shelf life. That alone would give him a special place in enthusiasts’ Hall of Fame, but there are even Squealer examples with four-line Korean tush tags. If you can find one of these, you’re looking at a resale price of $550.
Rex – $510
Rex Beanie Babies have been rereleased with new designs several times over the years, all of which have different secondhand values. With that said, if you’re lucky enough to find a Rex at a car boot sale or in an attic that has German tags, then you’re looking at an ultra-rare Beanie Baby dinosaur worth $500.
