25 Most Valuable Beanie Babies (Real Prices 2025)

It’s been over 30 years since Ty Warner released the first Beanie Baby in 1993. If you were a kid (or parent) in the ‘90s, you probably had loads of these tiny plush toys on beds and in toy chests around your house. Besides, they were “totally” going to make you rich one day, right?

…Right?!

Well, while you wait for your big payday, we have something special for you. Whether you only had a few of them or if you’re still a diehard collector – we’re diving into the most expensive Beanie Babies, how to determine their value, and why folks are so obsessed with these cuddly critters.

But first, let’s discover how Ty Warner – a former aspiring actor – created one of the century’s biggest toy fads.

After playing around with a few prototypes in the ‘80s, Ty Warner introduced his stuffed animals filled with pellets rather than traditional stuffing to small toy shops in 1993. The little stuffed animals quickly became wildly popular collectibles, mostly because Ty Inc. sold them in limited quantities to small businesses. People flocked to store shelves in fear the cuddly commodities would soon be off the market, which drove up sales and created a sense of urgency whenever and wherever Beanies appeared.

Who Are the Original 9 Beanie Babies?

Any avid Beanie Baby fan or collector will be familiar with the “original nine.” These were the first Beanie Babies to roll out of Ty Inc.’s Chicago headquarters in 1993 and kickstarted the craze.

The Beanie Baby old guard was: Spot the Dog, Squealer the Pig, Patti the Platypus, Brownie the Bear (who was later renamed “Cubbie”), Chocolate the Moose, Pinchers the Lobster, Splash the Whale, Legs the Frog, and Flash the Dolphin. If you have one of these original Beanies, they might be worth something – especially if there’s a mistake on the TY tush tag. 

Yes, that’s what those are called. Tush tags. Grow up.

How to Value Beanie Babies

How do you check the value of your collection?

There are a few factors that determine a Beanie’s value. For instance, certain production quirks can spike the price tag on the rarest Beanies, but these are less impactful if the Beanie is mass-produced. As in all collectible communities, rarity is king. Beanies from the first generation (with a first-gen heart-shaped swing tag) are generally the most valuable.

With that said, here’s what to look out for when you’re trying to value your plush collectibles:

• Tags – Those iconic heart-shaped Beanie Baby tags and tush tags are critical. They help determine what year the Beanie Baby was manufactured. Tags that are missing or damaged will significantly knock down the toy’s value. However, tag errors (like printing mistakes) actually increase the value! Here’s what you should know:
  • Hang Tag – The hang tag (or swing tag) is a heart-shaped red tag with the “TY” logo printed on it. If it’s missing or damaged, your Beanie is virtually worthless. If you played with your Beanie Babies at all during the 90s, there’s a good chance that the hang tags won’t be in perfect condition. After all, they got thrown in your toy chest or school bag, and often made a great snuggle buddy at night – the tags were never designed to withstand that kind of punishment!
  • Tush Tag – The tush tags are at the bottom of the stuffed toys. You always want the tush tag and the hang tag to match. If you have a tush tag that’s misspelled or has some kind of error – it’s usually worth more! Some parents cut these tags off to prevent kids from choking on them, so it may be even harder to find original toys from the 90s with the tush tag still intact.
  • Tag Generation – While it’s not impossible to land a valuable Beanie of a later generation thanks to particularly rare production errors, it is true that the ones worth the most money tend to come from the first few generations. Because some of those early Beanies were in production for so long, you have to pay close attention to their hang and tush tags to verify when they were actually produced. If it’s one of the original nine Beanies with 5th-gen tags, it won’t be worth much at all while the same Beanie with 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-gen tags could be worth a small fortune. For the most accurate information regarding identifying tag generations, check out these write-ups over at LoveMyBeanies. 
• Stuffing – Original Beanie Babies were made with PVC pellets, but Ty Inc. switched to PE pellets in 1998 because they were supposed to be more environmentally friendly. Because of this switchover, Beanie Babies made with PVC pellets are less common and may be worth more. The kind of stuffing any Beanie Baby has will be indicated on its tush tag.
• Aside from being better for the environment, PE stuffing made the toys a little more unique as well. PE introduced flexibility to the plushies that meant owners could ‘pose’ their Beanie Babies in different positions instead of being stiff like a traditional teddy bear.

How Much Are Beanie Babies Worth Now?

According to many sites online: hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This is pure nonsense though, and the key issue with the current second-hand market. Collectors and investors are left with millions of products in a dwindling market, and they’re using every trick in the book to jack up prices and find exit liquidity. Don’t let that liquidity be you!

While the Beanie Baby craze of the ‘90s may be long gone, collectors are still willing to fork out big bucks for rare and special edition Beanie Babies. The Beanie Babies with color defects, spelling mistakes, and tush tag errors are sometimes valued more highly due to their unique and collectible nature, but sometimes these errors are so commonplace they don’t impact value at all. The reality of the second-hand market is that Beanie Babies aren’t really as collectible as people believe, and those who are trying to build collections are mostly concerned with how well-preserved the Beanie Baby they’re buying is.

Read on to find the most valuable Beanie Babies in 2025! Sale prices are based on the most recent eBay sold listings for mint units with tags intact as of February 2025, and are not average prices. Please note it’s possible for bad actors to make fake sales on eBay in order to jack up perceptions of market value. We’ve done our best to ensure the collectibles listed were sold to real people for real amounts, so we can vouch for the information you’ll find here. We have also included what Sell2BBNovelties.com is willing to pay for a mint-condition Beanie Baby as a point of reference.

Note: All listings will reflect the price/value of standard-size Beanie Babies

25. Millennium the Bear

Highest Recent Sale Price: $12 (11/16/24)
Sell2BBNovelities.com Price: $0.25

As you might have guessed, Millennium the Bear was introduced in 1999 to celebrate the turn of the century. Some of the first batches had tags featuring the misspelled name ‘Millenium.’ It seems spell-checking was less of a thing in the late ‘90s.

Much ado has been made about this spelling error in fake eBay listings, with one claiming to have sold for $20,000 (yeah, right!). In truth, this bear was mass-produced, and the error is so common it has no impact on its value.

As far as 2025 is concerned, Millennium’s value doesn’t seem to be holding up all that well. As of February 2025, we found the highest legitimate sale price to be a whopping $12.

Sorry, Milly, maybe next year.

24. Pinchers the Lobster

Highest Recent Sale Price: $25.89 (11/30/24)
Sell2BBNovelities.com Price: $0.50

Pinchers the Lobster was one of the Original 9 Beanie Babies. Now that he’s long retired, you would think he’s hard to come by.

He’s not.

Unfortunately, that fact doesn’t stop fake eBay listings from trying to cheat you out of as much as $10,000! There was a batch of Pinchers with a tush tag error that hilariously resulted in him being named “Punchers the Lobster” though, so if you can find one of those screwups it will be more valuable.

The highest-selling one we could find as of February 2025 went for $25.89, which is about half the value of the same time last year. This listing had something going for it as well, since this particular Pinchers was a Beanie Baby Official Club release back in 2005, giving him a 20-year vintage.

You would think that vintage would make Pinchers more valuable than $25, but that’s still far and away the highest sale price for him in the current market. Sifting through Pinchers listings shows that the average sale price is between $5 and $12.

23. Inky the Octopus

Highest Recent Sale Price: $49.99 (Pink Version) (11/1/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.50 (Pink Version)

Released in 1994, Inky the Octopus almost has as many versions as it has tentacles. Two versions were made in gray, with the initial one missing the black stitching for the mouth. A pink version was released later and attracts the best price on eBay (probably because it looks nicer than the drab gray version).

Unsurprisingly, it’s this pink version of Inky that has the highest sale price on eBay in early 2025 – finding a new home to the tune of $50. This Inky was from a legitimate seller and featured a rare error (he has 7 tentacles instead of 8), which definitely contributed to his premium. For the most part, Inky goes for anywhere from $1 to $12.

22. Iggy the Iguana

Highest Recent Sale Price: $29.95 (Pastel Version) (1/20/25)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.25 (Tye-Dyed Version)

There are actually four different variations of Iggy the Iguana. The pastel and neon versions have a tongue, while the blue and tie-dyed versions have no tongue. Because of the similar colors (and the fact they’re both reptile Beanies), the tie-dyed Iggy was often mistaken for Rainbow the Chameleon. This caused factory workers to sometimes mismatch the tags, so it’s not uncommon to find an Iggy with a Rainbow hang tag.

However, this error is not rare and therefore does not raise the value of either Beanie (despite the best efforts of desperate sellers to mislead you). As of 2025, the highest-selling legitimate Iggy we could find went for $29.95 – which is certainly more than it has been in the past, and almost $10 more than he was last year.

Good going, Iggy!

21. Valentino the Bear

Highest Recent Sale Price: $124.50 (12/7/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.50

Here we have another Beanie with a lot of misinformation surrounding its value. As of writing, some fake eBay listings are pretending this Valentine’s Day-themed Beanie is worth more than $2,000! Sorry to burst your bubble, but Valentino the Bear is worth far, far less than that.

Except for this particular Valentino, who found a new home for $124 just before Christmas. Outside of this exception, however, Valentino the Bear can be purchased for under $15.

20. Mystic the Unicorn

Highest Recent Sale Price: $19.99 (Iridescent Horn) (1/5/25)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.50

Mystic the Unicorn was released in four different versions between 1994 and 1999. The original-edition Mystic from 1994 (with a tan horn and fine mane) is among the rarer Beanie Babies and will typically fetch a higher price than the other three incarnations.

Collectors seem to be holding onto those Beanies in early 2025 though, because the highest sale we were able to find was an iridescent horn and yarn mane Mystic. That one sold for $20, which is just a quarter of the highest sale for Mystic last year.

19. Hippity, Hoppity & Floppity

Highest Recent Sale Price: $49.95 (All Three Buns + Extra) (2/9/25)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: Hippity – $0.50, Hoppity – $0.50, Floppity – $0.50

Each member of the bunny trio has soft, pastel fur and a matching bow. Beanie Babies didn’t come in sets often, making this three-bunny grouping fairly unique. If you only have one bunny though, don’t expect much; it’s the trio that sells.

In the case of the highest-selling listing we found, the trio is actually a quartet thanks to the inclusion of a long-lost cousin, Hippie.

18. Snort the Red Bull

Highest Recent Sale Price: $10 (1/5/25)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.50

Snort the Red Bull was initially named Tabasco, but to avoid copyright penalties from the famous hot sauce company, Ty changed the name to “Snort the Red Bull.” Both versions are pretty cheap and typically go for between $9-$10, and that seems to be the upper maximum for early 2025.

For some reason, the larger Beanie Buddy version of Snort seems to be doing better at the moment in terms of value. We saw one that sold for $20 – double the value of the smaller version.

17. Bubbles the Fish

Highest Recent Sale Price: $24.89 (11/26/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $2.00

From the moment he was released in 1996, Bubbles the Fish managed to swim his way into our hearts. He’s become super popular over time, which is clearly reflected in his Sell2BBNovelties price. It’s four times the value of what most other Beanie Babies are worth!

Bubbles got a couple of makeovers over the years, and some of those have been accompanied by tush tag errors. They’re a fun talking point between sellers, but these tag errors won’t result in any extra coins in your pocket. The most expensive Bubbles we found went for just under $25.

16. Halo the Angel Bear

Highest Recent Sale Price: $112.50 (11/29/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.50

Halo the Angel Bear is one of the first special edition bears. Complete with a halo and wings, Halo the Angel Bear symbolized a child’s guardian angel. Some of the listings on eBay are pictured with gold wings, but this does not seem to impact their value.

The highest-selling Halo we were able to find went for $112.50, but it was also preserved in a plastic display cube. This tends to show that the owner took good care of the Beanie, therefore making it more valuable.

15. Patti the Platypus

Highest Recent Sale Price: $100 (1/25/25)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.50 (Standard Version), $20 (Magenta Version)

Patti is one of the original 9 Beanie Babies, and most versions of her aren’t scarce. However, if you happen to have a magenta Patti the Platypus with a mint condition tag, you might be surprised how much it’s worth.

She’s the oldest-edition Patti, and her magenta hue hikes the price tag. The later versions of Patti were a darker purple and sold in much higher quantities, making them less valuable to collectors.

The Patti we found was a Raspberry version without a hangtag, and even that sold for $100. People really love Patti!

14. Gobbles the Turkey

Highest Recent Sale Price: $19.99 (12/7/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.50 (9-Inch Version), $0.50 (5.5-Inch Version)

Gobbles graced our presence in 1997 and came in a few different variations. Some Gobbles had a single-layer felt waddle, and others featured a double-layer waddle. Gobbles’ tail feathers were connected at different lengths, depending on the version.

The highest legitimate sale we found was for $20, but we did come across a Gobbles that sold for $2,000. Severely misplaced decimal points or outright scam – you decide!

13. Claude the Crab

Highest Recent Sale Price: $499.99 (Kings/Lakers Giveaway 1999)(11/23/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.50

Released in 1997, Claude the Crab has gone by many names. At least, that’s what the various swing tag “errors” would have you believe. Versions of Claude have been found with the name “Inky”, “Snowball” and even “Weenie”. In Canada, versions of Claude have been found where the name is entirely capitalized.

Do these name variations add any value? Not really! Because Claude is tie-dyed, most of the value comes from the color mix and condition.

That being said, we came across an anomaly that sold for an incredible $500 in a legitimate sale from an established seller on eBay. This one was given away at a basketball game, which makes it a little piece of history on top of being adorable and colorful.

12. Princess the Bear

Highest Recent Sale Price: $174.89 (12/22/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $50.00 (PVC/Indonesia), $10.00 (PVC/China), $2.00 (PE/China)

This is arguably the most controversial item when it comes to “rare” Beanie Babies. The much-maligned Princess Diana Bear has been alluded to be worth over $500,000 by online shysters, though her actual value is far less from what we can tell.

She was introduced in 1997 after Princess Diana’s death and came with a much higher price tag than other bears. Some of the profits from her sales went to the late princess’ memorial fund. Fair warning: they made millions of these, so standard ones are not even worth $50. If you happen to have a PVC/Made in Indonesia version in mint condition, Sell2BBNovelties will give you $50 flat. Other versions are worth far less, but still fetch a decent price on the platform.

We found an anomalous Princess the Bear sold for $174.89 on eBay, but this is definitely not the norm.

11. Peace the Bear

Highest Recent Sale Price: $240 (12/29/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.50 (Standard Version), $0.25 (Blue Version), $8.00 (2010 Version)

Peace the Bear debuted in 1997, but only spread tranquility and harmony for a few years before being discontinued in 1999. Its gorgeous tie-dyed design makes it a fan favorite, but there’s a little confusion about the different versions of Peace. There are “emblem” and “no emblem” versions of this Beanie, one of which has the signature peace sign, and the other doesn’t. However, the one without the peace sign embroidered is actually another Beanie named Garcia.

There are also three different versions of the standard-size Peace the Bear. Shockingly, it’s actually the most recent edition of this Beanie Baby that has the highest value according to Sell2BBNovelties.

Over on eBay, both older and newer editions of Peace sell for $30 to $50+, but we found a sale that went for $240 – a massive increase from its value last year.

10. Peanut the Elephant

Highest Recent Sale Price: $700 (Royal Blue Version) (12/22/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $0.50 (Light Blue Version), $600 (Royal Blue Version)

If you have the ‘right’ shade of blue, Peanut the Elephant has a considerable premium.

The royal blue Peanut the Elephant was introduced in 1995, but was retired soon after as the dark blue shade was actually a production error. Because of this, these original royal blue Peanuts are much rarer than the light blue version that came after.  So, if you have an original dark blue version, you’re in luck!

Take a look at the recent sale price we were able to find – $700! That’s even more than the Sell2BBNovelties.com quote, which is something that very rarely happens.

9. Humphrey the Camel

Highest Recent Sale Price: $349.95 (12/13/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $150

Humphrey is part of the OG crew as one of the original 9 Beanie Babies released in 1994. Unfortunately for him, he was discontinued in 1998 with only 25,000 ever being made.

If you got him for Christmas or your birthday before ‘98, you might be in luck! Legit Humphreys seem to sell for $80 on the low end. The max we could find was well north of $300, which is a nice payday indeed.

8. Hong Kong Bear (Hong Kong Toy Fair Exclusive)

Highest Recent Sale Price: No Verifiable Sales
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $150 (2010-2013 Versions), $250 (Pink 2017 Version)

Not all the rarest and most expensive Beanie Babies are from the 90s – some are much more recent!

There is an entire line of rare beanie babies that were produced several years in a row exclusively for the Hong Kong Toy Fair. Due to their limited production runs and unique point of sale, Hong Kong Bears are highly sought after by Beanie Baby collectors.

It’s unknown how many Hong Kong bears were produced, but as of writing Sell2BBNovelties is offering $150 for several of the mint-condition plushes, and $250 for the Pink 2017 version.

We weren’t able to find any recent sales of this Beanie to include here, but there are a few active listings worth mentioning, all of which range from $3,000 to $1,400. Who knows if they’ll sell for that much, but there’s no harm in reaching for the stars!

7. Nana the Monkey

Highest Recent Sale Price: $5.00 (11/28/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $250

Nana the Monkey was only on the market for one year in 1995, so she’s pretty difficult to come by. Bongo the Monkey replaced Nana, but you may still have a high-value beanie baby if you can find an original Nana.

A mint-condition Nana is among the most valuable Beanie Babies according to Sell2BBNovelties.com.

According to recent eBay sales, not so much. Nana didn’t even break $10!

6. Brownie the Bear

Highest Recent Sale Price: $1,399.95 (1/31/25)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $300

This first-generation Beanie Baby is one of the few that’s actually significantly more valuable due to an error. The name Brownie is actually a typo, and this Beanie was only around for a short time before it was reintroduced as Cubbie.

Besides the name difference, the Beanies are identical. That doesn’t stop original first-gen Brownies from attracting a high price from serious collectors, though. Like this one for instance, a graded and preserved Brownie that recently sold for $1,399 on eBay. That’s an impressive price for any Beanie, and far more than what Sell2BBNovelties will give you for a mint-condition Brownie.

5. Billionaire the Bear (Ty Employee Exclusive)

Highest Recent Sale Price: $604.89 (Billionaire Bear #3 Signed by Ty Warner) (12/9/24)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $600 (Billionaire Bear #2)

Billionaire the Bear is an exclusive Beanie Baby given out to TY employees every year at the company picnic. These are usually produced in quantities of 500 or less, making them extremely rare and valuable Beanie Babies.

While selling any of these bears won’t make you billions, they’re still worth quite a bit to the right buyer. As of writing, some eBay listings are asking for around $2000 for a Billionaire Bear, but Sell2BBNovelties has determined that the most valuable one is Billionaire Bear #2 at $600. The highest-selling Billionaire we found was a #3 that sold for $604 – and that was with Ty’s autograph on the hang tag.

Due to its rarity, there are a lot of counterfeiters trying to make a quick buck by creating fake versions of Billionaire 2 the Bear. This video from Beanie Babies Price Guide does an excellent job of explaining how to identify an authentic Billionaire 2 Beanie Baby.

4. Coral Casino the Bear

Highest Recent Sale Price: $2,950 (Graded by Becky’s True Blue Beans) (1/27/25)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $1,000

Made in a gorgeous coral pink color, Coral Casino the Bear is one of the most unique and highly sought-after Beanie Babies out there. This bear was originally given out as a dinner party gift to members of the Coral Casino Beach Club in December 2001.

Only 588 Coral Casino bears are known to have been produced, and each one’s swing tag features Ty Warner’s signature, making this Beanie extremely valuable. 

So what’s it actually worth? This video from Earth Titan in 2017 claims that one Coral Casino the Bear was sold for $760, while BBToyStore’s video from 2020 values the Bear between $1800 and $2500. 

Despite a recent eBay sale that landed in the realm of $2,950 – Sell2BBNovelties – always an authority in this market – still pegs Coral Casino the bear at $1,000.

3. #1 Bear

Highest Recent Sale Price: $175 (2/10/25)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $1,500

Another unique gift to TY employees, #1 Bear was given solely to TY sales reps in December 1999. Only 253 were made, and each was hand-numbered and signed by Ty Warner himself.

Created at the peak of the Beanie Babies craze, #1 Bear’s poem definitely gives the impression Ty and his team felt like they were on top of the world.

What’s this super rare Beanie Baby worth? Sell2BBNovelties is offering $1,500 for a mint-condition #1 Bear. However, Beaniepedia’s #1 Bear article claims this Beanie has sold for $7500 in the past.

The only verifiable sale we found went for a shockingly low $175, although the listing does note that it is likely a fake or a knockoff. Aside from that, we saw several ongoing listings with prices as high as $9,000.

Whoever has these Beanies now are probably holding onto them for dear life, and we can’t blame them for holding on to their tiny gold mines.

2. Chef Robuchon the Bear

Highest Recent Sale Price: No Verifiable Sales
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: $3,000

Created as part of a promotion with L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City, Chef Robuchon the Bear is incredibly hard to find nowadays. Only 200 are known to have been distributed, making him possibly the rarest Beanie Baby of all time.

However, it appears most owners are hoarding their Robuchon Bears, as we couldn’t find any recent sales. With that said, this video from BBToyStore values the cuddly chef at a whopping $2000! This video was made in 2020, but its valuation isn’t too far off. Sell2BBNovelties has the Chef Robuchon bear valued at $3,000, a staggering amount.

As of late February 2025, there is an ongoing listing for a verified Chef Robuchon Bear from an actual seller for – hold onto your hats – $35,000. If this Beanie is worth the price of a decent car to you, then Peace (the Bear) be with you.

1. Employee the Bear

Highest Recent Sale Price: $550 (1/6/25)
Sell2BBNovelties.com Price: (Undisclosed)

Ty, Inc. gifted Employee the Bear exclusively to employees and sales reps on the Odyssey cruise ship in 1997. Only 300 were ever produced, half with a red ribbon and half with a green ribbon.

Since so few were made, it’s safe to say that those who own them are keeping them locked away. As of writing, we have no verifiable recent sales data to go off, and Sell2BBNovelties doesn’t even advertise this Beanie’s worth. So, it’s anyone’s guess what this particular Beanie Baby is really worth in 2025.

However, there is an eBay listing that has both the red and green ribbon versions bundled for $6,999. An absolute steal if we’ve ever seen one!

How to Sell Beanie Babies in 2025

Do you have one of the Original 9 Beanie Babies? How about one of the coveted Employee the Bear Beanies, or perhaps another rare find you want to cash in?

Once you have properly evaluated the plushies in your collection, Facebook and eBay have historically been the top two places to sell your Beanie Babies – and that still holds true in 2025. If you have an especially rare and valuable Beanie Baby, it’s a good idea to trust a professional authentication business to certify it.

Peggy Gallagher Enterprises is the first Beanie Baby Authentication service and has inspected over 150,000 Beanie Babies. This company will place your Beanie in a sealed acrylic display case and supply a certificate of authenticity to verify its true value. Becky’s True Blue Beans is another great option for Beanie Baby grading and preservation. If you want to sell your Beanie for its best possible price, this extra step helps give buyers the peace of mind of knowing yours is legit – and it allows you to hike up the price!

Also, don’t forget to give your Beanie a bit of a spring clean before taking product photos. You’ll find some helpful tips to do just that in our guide on cleaning Beanie Babies.

So, What Are Beanie Babies Really Worth?

Like any secondary market, Beanie Babies are worth what someone is willing to pay. For some avid collectors and nostalgia chasers, that one museum-grade Royal Blue Peanut or Peace the Bear can be worth more than what most are prepared to pay. While the market may be extremely niche, the demand is there. It’s all about finding the right buyers.

As with anything second-hand, the condition of the item also matters quite a bit. While you may have a Pinchers Lobster with a mint-condition heart-shaped hang tag, the value decreases significantly if it smells like your basement. Or a dirty laundry hamper. Your mom told you to take it out of your pocket!

Since the release of the Netflix documentary “Beanie Mania” in late 2021, we’ve seen demand for Beanies slowly pick up steam again with an overall price increase throughout 2022. Considering the sale prices of some of these Beanies so early in 2025, it looks like the second-hand Beanie Baby market is here to stay for a while yet!

How to Buy Beanie Babies

Do they still make Ty Beanie Babies? Yes and no. Ty Inc. stopped manufacturing the classic toys in 1999 (but not before releasing a larger version called “Beanie Buddies” in 1998).

In 2000, they essentially “rebooted” the franchise by issuing a new Beanie Baby named “The Beginning” after customer demand pressure. In 2008, Ty released a new version of Beanie Babies called Beanie Babies 2.0. The toys came with a code to access an online interactive website that unfortunately no longer exists. The Beanie 2.0s didn’t last very long either.

Today, you’ll find plenty of ‘Beanie Boos’ on the Ty website, which feature large plastic eyes and bright colors. It looks like Beanie Boos is the 21st-century version of the original toys – and kids seem to enjoy the new version. However, the collector’s craze is far behind the kiddos today.

If you’re looking to get your hands on a collector’s item, it won’t be as easy as doing a quick Amazon search. Most collectors still turn to eBay to find the rarest Beanies. Regardless of where you’re shopping, it’s important to know what to look out for.

Just because something on eBay is listed at a specific price doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worth that much. The most recent ‘sold’ prices matter when trying to figure out a fair price for a rare Beanie Baby. The sold price is important because that’s what someone actually paid for the item, not what the seller hoped to get for it. Some unscrupulous sellers will create fake listings with exceedingly high prices and then use a fake account to buy the item, hoping to trick real buyers into thinking these are fair market prices.

Don’t fall victim to these scams.

Be on the Lookout for Scams and Counterfeits

Make sure your Beanies aren’t fakies. Counterfeit Beanie Babies started being manufactured in the mid-90s as the toy’s popularity surged. Fortunately, it’s easy to recognize a counterfeit Beanie. Take a look at the toy’s eyes. If the plastic eyes are a different shape or size, it’s a tell-tale sign that it’s not authentic. Also, an original tush tag will have its name in red. A lot of fakes print the name in orange.

Maybe it’s time to dig into your old toy chest!

There were two types of Beanie Baby owners in the ‘90s. We all had that one friend who kept their Beanie Babies in a clear plastic case instead of playing with them, and the kids who, well, played with them. Little did we know back then that Nana the Monkey and Humphrey the Camel would be worth a small fortune!

Although Beanie Baby mania and the insane speculation will likely forever remain an artifact of the ‘90s, some of the Beanie Babies in your collection could still net you a tidy sum in 2025.

For more Beanie Babies, action figures, and all things 90s, make sure you follow Rediscover 90s Toys on Instagram, Pinterest, and our other social media pages!

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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.

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