Beanie Babies were all the rage in the ‘90s. Why were they so popular and expensive?
Beanie Babies were sought by collectors worldwide in the late ‘90s and could be sold for a massive return. The same reasons they were so valuable resulted in their downfall.
Beanie Babies were sought by collectors worldwide in the late ‘90s and could be sold for a massive return. The same reasons they were so valuable resulted in their downfall.
Beanie Babies were sought by collectors worldwide in the late ‘90s and could be sold for a massive return. The same reasons they were so valuable resulted in their downfall.
If you lived in the ‘90s, odds were you had at least one Beanie Baby. Children and adults alike were swept up in the sometimes frantic need to collect them.
Beanie Babies were small, stuffed animals created by Ty. Each unique toy was given a name like Princess the Bear or Bubbles the Fish. A four-line poem accompanied the name on an attached heart tag.
Beanies were designed to be cute, cuddly and collectible.
They enjoyed moderate success after their reveal in 1993. Three short years later, they were at the center of a phenomenon that was called the “Beanie Baby Craze.”
The aftermarket value of these understuffed toys shot through the roof. The rarest could net hundreds or even thousands of dollars. People waited in lines for hours for the opportunity to buy more Beanie Babies. There were even news reports of people risking their lives to grab Beanies that had spilled on a highway.
The Beanie Babies dominated the market in the late ‘90s, but all good things come to an end. The Beanie Baby Bubble burst in 2000. Values plummeted, and some people lost thousands as the toys they had invested in became next to worthless.
What made these toys so valuable? What drove people to spend so much time and money collecting Beanie Babies?
Watch the video to discover why these toys were so expensive and find out if any are still worth anything today.
Can’t get enough? Here are some more blasts from the past to indulge your nostalgia.
Can you top this sky-high Father’s Day surprise gift from 1978?
Finding the right gift for Father’s Day fills some with dread. A reporter in 1978, who jokingly gifted his mom a bridge for Mother’s Day, had a high-flying idea he thought his father would really enjoy.
1977-era robot claimed to be marvel
A robot visited a Cincinnati department store in 1977, attempting to sell coats and make friends. He wasn’t always a success.
Retro History Find: 1997 device promised ability to talk to your dog decades before viral TikTok trend
Ever wonder what your dog was trying to tell you? A company in 1997 invented the HERO, a canine communication device. It aimed to bridge the gap between barks and words, improving the owner-dog relationship.