SWToys

A beanie baby is a toy made by Ty Inc which is partially stuffed with plastic pellets to give the toy a flexible feel. Beanies babies were first launched in 1993 and consisted of nine animals - Legs the frog, Squealer the pig, Spot the dog, Flash the dolphin, Splash the whale, Chocolate the Moose, Patti the Platypus, Cubbie the bear and Pinchers the lobster.

Initially sold at gift shops and specialty stores, beanie babies were considered popular collectibles in the 1990’s as Ty Inc started retiring the initial toy models. It was assumed that the models which were no longer in production, would increase in value. However, the appreciation in value has not been as much as expected.

As a collectible, the value of a beanie is determined both by the rarity of the particular model and the presence of tags. A beanie baby has at least two tags - a hang tag, ear tag or heart tag and a tush tag which identifies the year of manufacture. If the tags are missing the value of a beanie baby as a collectible reduces drastically.

In the 1920’s “bean” was a slang term for head and beanies were a cap or hat used to cover the head. Unlike conventional caps and hats, they do not have a brim . They are usually made of wool felt, with four to six felt panels sewn together. The panels are usually made of different colors and embellished with buttons and pins.

Initially the beanies were popular with school boys and college students, with the beanie colors corresponding to the college colors. However, by the 1950s the beanies were replaced by baseball and other caps. About a decade ago, beanies again became popular for use in winter sports. They were usually made of fleece and keep the head warm in winter.

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