The Many Faces of Patti the Platypus: 2024 Value Guide

TLDR

As one of the original Beanie Babies to leave the doors of Ty Inc. in 1993, Patti the Platypus holds a special place in our hearts. With her adorable, squished-flat body, stubby appendages, and iconic beak, she’s probably also one of the most unique-looking Beanies. In this article, we will take some time to check in on Patti to see how she’s doing after 30 years, and also to see what that well-loved Beanie in the back of your closet might be worth today.

The Story of Patti the Platypus

There are a few things that have earned Patti the Platypus her legendary status as a Ty Beanie Baby. Chief among those is her status as one of the original nine Beanie Babies, and one of the first two Beanie Babies to be unveiled to the world.

Patti’s lineage can be traced back to the 1993 Gatlinburg Gift Show toy fair in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where the Beanie Babies emerged. There, a young Ty Warner brought along with him the two original Beanie Babies as samples for his upcoming line of stuffed animals: Brownie the Bear and Patti the Platypus.

Together, Patti and Brownie set the stage for the Beanie Mania that would hit a few years later. Now that decades have passed and fads have come and gone, Patti has a staying power that only she and Brownie possess. Being the first two Ty Warner plush toys ever seen by the public has made them appear to be quite valuable Beanie Babies, but we will uncover the truth in an upcoming section!

Note: While Patti the Platypus and Brownie the Bear were the only Beanies available to buy at that 1993 toy fair, the other seven Beanies that made up the original nine were also there. They were just on display, and not available for purchase. (Source: Success.com)

How Many Versions of Patti the Platypus Are There?

Patti must rank pretty high on the list of Beanie Babies with the most variants, because she has A LOT. As of April 2024, there are FIVE total Patti variants on the loose in the market, each with its own unique quirks.

Here is a quick breakdown of each one:

Note: Info for the following section comes from BeanieBabiesPriceGuide.com

Patti (Deep Fuchsia)

The very first version of Patti and one of the first Beanie Babies to ever grace the toy boxes of children all over the world was the Deep Fuchsia Patti. She was introduced in November 1993 at the Gatlinburg Gift Show where Ty began selling Beanie Babies, and was discontinued by the beginning of 1994. This means that Deep Fuchsia Patti was in production for – at best – two months. Short production cycles mean limited numbers, which makes these stuffed toys worth quite a bit of money indeed.

As one of the first plushies off the production line, this specific Beanie Baby only came with a 1st generation swing tag as well as a 1st generation tush tag. This version is notable for being “Made in Korea” with PVC pellets.

Patti (Raspberry)

Just a few months after Deep Fuchsia Patti made us swoon, she was kicked down an elevator shaft and replaced by Raspberry Patti. The noticeably darker color different, but that doesn’t make her any less cute! Raspberry Patti entered our lives on January 8th, 1994, and was discontinued by the end of 1994. That’s still a pretty short run, but at least she got a longer run than Deep Fuchsia Patti!

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Raspberry Patti was produced with both a 1st and 2nd generation hang tag, but only a 1st gen tush tag. That tush tag could say that she was made in either China or Korea with PVC pellets.

Patti (Magenta)

Just as Raspberry Patti was getting comfortable, she joined Deep Fuchsia Patti at the bottom of the Elevator Shaft of Doomed Beanies. In her place was yet another Patti clone, this time featuring a magenta colorway. The new deep-red Patti was introduced at an unspecified date in 1995, and was discontinued on June 3rd, 1995.

Magenta Patti features a 3rd generation hang tag, a 1st gen tush tag, and PVC pellets with an origin of either China or Korea. Fascinatingly, there is also an ultra-rare version of Magenta Patti that features a 3rd generation hang tag with italicized text. This version was produced for Germany, and was never distributed in the US.

Patti (Fuchsia)

When the party at the bottom of the shaft got a little bigger on June 3rd, 1995, those Pattis probably thought they were seeing a pattern. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t get a fourth partygoer for a long time. Fuchsia Patti took Magenta Patti’s place, and remained the dominant Patti until May 1st, 1998 – about three years later.

This decidedly purple Patti went back to the drawing board and used a lighter version of the original Patti’s colorway, which definitely works for her. Having been around the longest, Fuchsia Patti survived a number of Beanie Baby generations, and can be found with 3rd, 4th, or 5th generation hang tags, as well as a tush tag from generations 1 through 6. Its hang tag could say it was made in China, Korea, or Indonesia, and it might contain PVC or PE pellets depending on when it was produced.

As Beanie Babies didn’t get poems in their hang tags until 4th gen hang tags came out, Fuchsia Patti was the first to receive a poem!

Her poem is as follows:

Ran into Patti one day while walking
Believe me she wouldn’t stop talking
Listened and listened to her speak
That would explain her extra large beak!

Patti II

Many Beanie Baby fans thought Fuchsia Patti was The Final Patti, and that there would be no others once she joined her sisters.

However, Ty Inc. had other plans and introduced Patti II on July 1st, 2023 as part of the Beanie Babies 30th Anniversary festivities. Patti II hasn’t been discontinued yet as of the time of this writing, which means the time is ripe to pick up a few of them for a potential windfall later on.

Patti II comes out of left field with an orange body and blue for her flippers and beak, but her coloring doesn’t affect how cute that face is! She will come with a 20th-generation hang tag, a 15th-generation tush tag, and only plastic pellets.

Ty Inc. brought back Patti along with the rest of the original 9 in 2005, but only for members of the Beanie Baby Official Club. The BBOC-marked Patties came in Magenta, Pink, and Deep Fuchsia.

Patti the Platypus Beanie Baby value on scales — *Is that Patti the Platypus you’ve been hoarding all these years worth anything? Let’s find out!*

How Much is a Patti the Platypus Beanie Baby Worth?

Determining the real value of a Patti the Platypus Beanie Baby in your collection can be a little daunting, but there are a few factors that help streamline the process.

Rarity – How long was the Beanie in question in production? In the case of Patti the Platypus, an original Deep Fuchsia Patti is going to be rarer than a Fuchsia Patti due to the difference in their production lengths, meaning you could have a higher asking price.

Age – Is your Patti from 1998, the final year she was produced? She might hold some extra value just due to that fact, but a Patti from an earlier year will hold a premium over it. Some of the most expensive Beanie Babies are the ones with the earliest production years.

Materials – The majority of Patties were made with PVC pellets, which is what you want when you’re looking for classic Beanies. This was the original filling, and holds a premium over PE and Plastic pellets.

Condition – Of course, the condition of your Patti is probably the most important factor when determining value. Does she have both of her eyes? Does she have an unsightly juice stain on her beak? These are things to look for, and always remember to take good care of your Beanies to maximize their value! They’ll still sell if they aren’t in pristine condition, they just won’t sell for as much.

Note: like our article covering the 25 Most Valuable Beanie Babies, the following section will utilize information from Sell2BBNovelties.com and recent eBay.com auctions.

Deep Fuchsia Patti was only in production for maybe two months, so we can probably expect some pretty good value from her. Let’s take a look.