ALL ABOUT BEANIES
H. Ty Warner started Ty, Incorporated ® in 1986. The company started out making plush cats. It was his rare talent that spotted the gap in the market for small affordable plush toys. The aim was (and still is) to sell the Beanies at a price that children can afford with their pocket money.
Originally released in 1993 at a toy trade fair there were nine original Beanie Babies®. These are: Chocolate, the moose; Brownie, the brown bear; Flash, the dolphin; Legs, the frog; Patti, the platypus; Pinchers, the lobster; Splash, the black Orca whale; Spot, the dog and Squealer, the pig.
Part of the attraction of collecting Beanies is probably the way in which they are 'introduced' and 'retired'. Manufacturers are only allowed to purchase off the current list. Once a Beanie is retired and stocks run out in the shops the only place to get it is on the secondary market.
Why are Beanies so collectible? Beanies are often released to coincide with Holidays, or the Exclusive Beanies that are only released in one country. Every Beanie has a birthday, and the fun is to try and match them with Birthdays in your family. Some people like to try and collect by theme (well there are well over 800 of the little critters out there now!) - bears, cats and dogs being just a few examples. Some Beanies have gone through somewhat of a transformation, with deliberate variations being available (as opposed to the much sought after oddities that are sometimes found).