Since the later half of 1997 Beanie Babies have grown from a toy to the world's hottest collectable. Ty Inc. began producing them in 1994 and initially 9 were produced (Chocolate the Moose, Cubbie the Bear, Flash the Dolphin, Legs the Frog, Patti the Platypus, Pinchers the Lobster, Splash the whale, Spot the Dog, and Squealer the Pig). The Beanie Babies were an inexpensive toy that children could afford. The line was retired at the end of 1999, and after a massive 91% to re-introduce the line they returned once again on March 1st 2000.
The Beanie Babies appeal is obvious to see, they are fun, and each has its own name and birth date. They were initially sold in speciality shops, so initial production was not high. This together with the fact that Ty are constantly retiring and bringing in new Beanie Babies has led to great interest in the early toys. Certain early retied Beanie Babies are fetching considerable sums on the secondary market. The market is very volatile with even newly retired Beanies fetching high prices. The bears are the most popular and there is lots of interest in the Beanies that are country specific such as Britannia, Libearty, Germania and Maple. The demand is such that many of the toys are being sold never actually reach the shop shelves.
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