Beanie Baby

has produced many other stuffed animals, some of which are variations of Beanie Babies:. It can also refer to a specialized firm, such as an investment bank. Ty Inc. A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specilises in elite and fashionable items, such as clothes and jewelry. Like the Internet stocks of the period, this was a recent example of an economic bubble. Estimates of the number of each Beanie Baby that would survive years into the future were much lower than the reality, however, and much like the Cabbage Patch Kid phenomenon, so many people had similar plans that very few people profited from the craze.

Ty fed the frenzy by systematically "retiring" various designs of Beanie Babies and ceasing their production. In a buying frenzy reminiscent of the Cabbage Patch Kid mania of the early 1980s, several speculators purchased these collectibles en masse in hopes of making a fortune years later from being able to sell rare specimens. Starting in late 1996, a faddish craze of collecting Beanie Babies began. The bear model was frequently used for commemorative purposes, and special bears such as a Fourth of July model and even a Diana, Princess of Wales commemorative were created.

One popular "series" within the Beanie Baby menagerie was the use of teddy bear-shaped Beanies, the basic pattern of which was repeatedly re-used, but with different colors and names. As the years went on hundreds of different Beanie Babies were created, often resorting to more obscure animals such as aardvarks or chameleons in the process. Beanie Babies are a kitsch cubicle decoration, especially for women. Intended as upscale children's toys, they became a popular adult gift item.

The condition of the hang tag is one of the main factors in determining a Beanie Baby's value, and hard plastic covers molded in a heart shape are available for its protection. This information was all contained on a red, heart-shaped hang tag usually affixed to the animal's ear. For example, the poem of Bongo the monkey went:. Each Baby came with his or her own name, a birthday date, and a simple poem describing their personality.

The official Beanie Babies were mostly in the shape of animals, such as dogs, cats, pigs, hippos, and others and were all brightly colored and stylized. Ty claimed rightful ownership of the name and of all of the designs of their various "beanies." There have been imitations by other companies that jumped onto the idea of creating beanbag-like stuffed animals, however, including one imitator who even produced a tie-dyed bear (reminiscent of Ty's "Garcia"), as well as parodies such as the "Meanie Babies". The original Beanie Babies were made by Ty Warner through his company Ty Inc. A Beanie Baby is thus a form of bean bag.

A Beanie Baby is a stuffed animal filled with plastic pellets, or "beans," rather than stuffing (see PVC). They are smaller versions of holiday-themed Beanie Babies, similar to the Teenie Beanies but of better quality. Jingle Beanies / Basket Beanies / Halloweenie Beanies: a seasonal product, sold during Christmas, Easter, and Halloween. Teenie Beanies: smaller versions of Beanie Babies that were used as free giveaways in McDonald's Happy Meals on three different occasions.

Punkies: extremely fuzzy animals. Pluffies: stuffing-filled animals, with a terrycloth-like fur. Pinkys: pink stuffed animals. (These are not a type of Beanie Baby, although due to the word "Classic," some people may incorrectly believe that the name refers to the "original 9" Beanie Babies).

Classic: stuffing-filled animals. Beanie Buddies: larger versions of Beanie Babies, filled with stuffing. Baby Ty: various baby animals and humans in cute-little baby clothes.