Millennium the Bear Value 2024: History and Errors Explained

Q: What errors should I look for on a Millennium Beanie Baby?

Commonly known errors include the Millennium and Gosport misspellings. Another is the stiff ribbon. However, there isn’t much point looking for them unless you’re a completionist and want to add the errors to your Beanie Babies collection.

TLDR

Drenched in the magic of the year 2000, TY’s Millennium Beanie Baby is another plush collectible that stirs curiosity and controversy among collectors and enthusiasts. If you recall our article covering the most valuable Beanie Babies, you’ll know there’s often much confusion around the real-world value of these plush bears. Created to celebrate the turn of the century, the iconic Millennium Beanie Baby is being exaggeratedly overvalued over two decades later. If you have one of these in your Beanie Baby collection, you might have been led to believe it’s worth a small fortune. However, we’re here to offer some clarity on the subject.

The Beanie Baby of the Century

Unless you were one of the people stuck in panic mode over Y2K, you were probably pretty excited about the dawn of a brand-new century. With the end of the Cold War, the rise of the internet, DVDs, and some of the best music ever created, there were plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future.

With the original Beanie Babies causing the Beanie Mania of the 90s (and the subsequent bursting of the Great Beanie Baby Bubble), and there already being a history of one-off commemorative plush toys like that of Princess the Bear, it was no surprise when TY announced a Beanie Baby just to celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

Enter Millennium, a fuschia-colored Beanie Baby with a black nose, black eyes, and a gold ribbon. These features weren’t unheard of for Beanies of the time, but what really makes this Beanie special is the embroidered image of the planet Earth and the sun rising behind it – complete with the number “2000” underneath. He was a master of creating hype, that Ty Warner was.

Released on the 1st of January 1999, Millennium the Bear was an instant best-seller before being retired on November 12. However, despite being an extremely common Beanie Baby, many people mistakenly believe it to be a coveted and high-value collectible over 20 years later.

TY Millennium the Bear value — *Unfortunately this bear was a terrible investment.*

So, How Much Is the Ty Millennium Bear Worth in 2024?

Like all of the mass-produced TY Beanie Babies, Millennium the Bear is really only worth its value as nostalgia or to complete a collection. Even if you go to all the effort of meticulously cleaning your Beanie Baby, you’ll probably only be able to get between $10 to $20 for your trouble, and even that isn’t a promise.

The highest price we could find on a recent (legitimate) eBay sale was $15 in February 2024. We say “legitimate” because this was the only one with actual bids, as there are many listings for higher prices that only say “best offer accepted”. If you’ve been following our articles on Beanie Baby values, this won’t be surprising.

Join the Rediscover 90s Toys Beanie Baby Community! — *Are you a Beanie lover? Join the R90T community to connect with other Beanie fanatics, show off your collection and deep dive into their vaue.*

Rest assured, there’s no shortage of Millennium Bears advertised with those “rare” tag errors, being valued for insane amounts of up to $7000 or more! No number of errors on swing tags or special plastic pellets will ever make these beanies that valuable.

On December 12, 1999, Ty Warner gave 303 signed Millenium Bears to Sales Representatives at a conference in Chicago, IL. Since they’re signed, these might actually be worth something!

TY Millennium the Bear errors — *Quality control wasn’t so hot in the 90s.*

All the “Millenium” Errors Explained

Notice that typo? Well, we aren’t the only ones misspelling Millennium!

That’s right, like so many other overvalued Beanie Babies, Millennium the Bear’s production was riddled with misspelled tags and other errors, mostly on the hang tag (aka swing tag) and tush tag.

Spelling Mistakes on the Hang Tags/Tush Tags

The most common error is, unsurprisingly, the misspelling of Millennium with one “n” instead of two. This error is typically found on the inside of the hang tag or tush tag.

Another spelling error can be found on the tush tag with the origin of production, with Gosport, Hampshire, U.K. spelled as ‘Gasport’.

TY Millennium the Bear spelling mistakes on hang tag or tush tag

Stiff vs. Soft Ribbon

Some Millennium Bears also came with a stiff gold ribbon rather than a soft one. Just like the misspelling, this does nothing to increase the value of these plush toys.

The 5 different TY Millennium the Bear versions — *Five times the charm!*

The 5 Millennium Bear Versions

Because Millennium was spelled wrong on both the tush and hang tags in different production runs, it actually took a total of five versions to get it right:

V1: Incorrect spelling of Millennium on both swing tag and hologram tush tag. This version has a stiff gold ribbon. Gosport was also misspelled as ‘Gasport’.

V2: Incorrect spelling on the swing tag but the correct spelling of “Millennium” on the tush tag. This version also has the stiff gold ribbon and ‘Gasport’ misspelling.

V3: Correct spelling on both tags. This version also has a stiff gold ribbon.

V4: Correct spelling on both tags, but with a soft gold ribbon.

V5: Correct spelling on both swing tag and single hologram tush tag. This version also has a soft gold ribbon.

Watch out for fakes! Like other “valuable” Beanie Babies, there are counterfeit Millennium Bears running around the internet. An easy way to spot the fakes is to compare the color of the bear (fake is much lighter colored) and the quality of the embroidered earth patch.

McDonalds TY Millennium the Bear — *Remember the days when Happy Meal toys were worth collecting?*

The “Other” Ty Millennium Bear

Restart the countdown!

Right at the 11th hour, we’ve got another Millennium Bear to share. Yep, we’re talking about the McDonalds Teenie Beanies – the miniature versions that came out in mid-2000.

While it may not be one of the worst licensed McDonald’s toys from the 90s, it’s certainly a cheaper-made version. And cute to boot.

This Millennium Bear is a deep purple and has a copper ribbon rather than a gold one. However, it still comes with the embroidered earth symbol.

One difference with McDonald’s Millennium Beanie Baby is that it came in sealed plastic packaging shaped like a golden book. This, combined with the fact it had a more limited release than the original Millennium makes it more interesting than the original version. However, this Teenie Beanie typically goes for the same amount of money – around $10-$20.

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Peeps Ask!

Which is correct Millenium or Millennium?

Millennium is the correct spelling, and versions of Millennium the Bear with “Millenium” are those with the printing error.

What errors should I look for on a Millennium Beanie Baby?

Mike Alexander

Mike is a video game enthusiast, a chronicler of the 90s, and a collector of many things. Born in the mid-90s, he was able to catch the wave of some of the best things the decade had to offer, like Power Rangers, Pokémon, Bagel Bites, the list goes on. Despite the amount of time that has passed, he still enjoys many of those things today! If he’s not writing or gaming, he’s probably wondering why Warriors of Virtue didn’t take off the same way Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did.