9/11

The aftermath of the tragic events of September 11th 2001 and the terrorist attacks on the US brought a new set of charity beanies.

The first was a bear called "America" later to be known as "Blue America" as further bears with the same name were released in different colours. 100% of the profits from this Beanie were to be given to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The two following versions of America (one red, one white) were only available to buy online and the profits from these were to be given tot he local Red Cross fund of the buyer (presumably determined by the delivery address?).

Next came the dogs Courage and Rescue (Courage is the German Shepard, Rescue is the Dalmatian). This pair were to raise money for The New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund - many lives were lost from the NYPD and FDNY aiding victims of the WTC attacks. Courage and Rescue were initially available online, but then also at retail - and even with Japanese versions of their tags (the same was also true of Blue America)! After initial shippings the flags on Courage and Rescue swapped sides!