In the 1990s, Ty Warner created Beanie Babies, a series of animals stuffed with plastic pellets that were popular as collector’s items.
Well, very few families have beanie babies at their homes in the 21st century but they were a phenomenon in the ‘90s. When a child was born, within a year, parents either bought a collection of beanie babies or got as gifts from their relatives. These little cuties are so adorable that anyone can start playing with it regardless of age. The Beanie Babies were first introduced back in 1993 with just 9 animal designs then within just a couple of years, the brand exploded and included 100s of animals & special teddy bears.
Over time, the popularity of the toys had decreased in the early 2000s and the ubiquity of these cute toys had diminished. However, few toy companies are planning to launch the beanie babies with new color, design, and size. Well, there is no official announcement; but still, 90s parents are eager to let their kids play with a large collection of these toys and remember their childhood days again by telling good stories of theirs.
Beanie Babies are deliberately under-stuffed. This led to a criticism that the toys looked “cheap”; however, this set them apart from most stuffed animals on the market which could not be posed easily. Ty Warner has said that this understuffing method made the toys look “real”.
Another important design element is the tag. Since the beginning, Beanie Babies have included two tags for identification: a heart-shaped “swing tag” at the top, and a fabric “tush tag” at the bottom. Both tags have been redesigned completely over time. Between 1994 and 1996, the swing tags had “To” and “From” blanks in them for use as gifts. Starting in early 1996, the tags include four-line poems related to the Beanie Baby, and a date of birth for the toy. The poem and birthday concept was created by Lina Trivedi who is credited as authoring the poems on the first 136 Beanie Babies that were introduced to the marketplace.
It was not uncommon for Beanie Babies to be accidentally shipped out with incorrect or misspelled tags, which sometimes increased the toy’s value. On occasion, the poems, birth dates and even the names have been changed on certain Beanie Babies.
Picture Credit : Google
