Does anyone still collect beanie babies

The dark, slate blue material used to make his body was also used to make Lefty the donkey and Crunch the shark. Some Scoop versions had tons of errors, with the most valuable having as many as eight mistakes. Bottom line: Doodle the rooster was a pink tie-dyed Beanie Baby with gold and black button eyes, a yellow beak and a red felt comb. He was first released in , and he was actually retired pretty quickly because of a clash with Chic-fil-A. The restaurant chain had a mascot with the same name, so Doodle was discontinued , and a similar rooster named Strut was released in his place.

Bottom line: Holiday-themed teddies were some of Ty's best-selling Beanie Babies. This Independence Day-themed bear featured a stars and stripes flag pattern on his body and a solid colored face, which came in white, blue and pink. Bottom line: Weenie the Dachshund was one of a few Beanie Baby dogs that looked like actual dog breeds.

His brown coat, black button eyes and long body look just like a real Dachshund. Bottom line: Beanie Baby collectors go nuts over this squirrel Beanie Baby. Bottom line: Mel the Koala was released on Jan. A different version of the cute gray koala was also offered as a part of McDonald's line of Beanie Baby prizes, but the regular Ty version is more valuable.

Bottom line: Hissy the snake was first released in Between then and his retirement in , several generations were produced, including this fifth-generation version. Each had slightly different coloration, with this one featuring a light green belly and a marbled teal upper. While first-generation Hissy snakes tend to sell for the most, all versions are valuable when kept in good condition. Bottom line: We don't like straying into politics, but we'll let this one slide because the two rival Beanie Babies were sold together.

Lefty and Righty were released in June , representing the Democratic and Republican parties. Lefty is a donkey, and Righty is an elephant — both featuring festive, red and blue stars on a white background. Bottom line: Honks the goose isn't as loud as she sounds. Her mission in life is to make it to the warm, sunny South for winter on her soft, speckled grey wings.

Her orange beak matches her orange, webbed feet, and the black stitching on her nostrils matches her shiny button eyes. She was only sold for a few months, making her one of the more difficult-to-find Beanie Babies; she was released on Aug. Bottom line: Batty was released in summer of and had a two-year run before being retired in The soft, brown bat had two unique features that made him stand apart from other Beanie Babies: His ears and paws are made of brown felt, and his wings have attached Velcro so collectors can connect them.

Bottom line: Lips the fish was released in , with his tag reading cheerfully:. I'm the most colorful in the sea Traveling with friends in a school Swimming all day is really cool! Bottom line: The first Clubby Beanie Baby was released in While he wasn't very rare, he was exclusively sold to those who joined the Beanie Babies Official Club by buying an inexpensive kit. The original Clubby turned out to be wildly popular, and Ty actually struggled to keep up with the demand.

Eventually, 10 different Clubby editions were produced to appease irritated customers, but the first Clubby is by far the most valuable. Bottom line: Kuku the cockatoo was in high demand when he was released in May Most Beanie Babies were made with only fabric, aside from their eyes and occasionally their noses, but Kuku featured a large tuft of light pink fur sprouting out of the top of his head — just like a real cockatoo!

Bottom line: Chip the cat was one of the trickiest and most expensive Beanie Babies to produce, requiring more than 20 pieces of fabric for each stuffed toy. She has brown fabric on part of her body, black on the other half, and a white belly and white paws. Instead of plain black eyes, her eyes are a glowing shade of gold. The cute kitty was introduced on May 11, , and was retired on March 31, Bottom line: This turquoise teddy Beanie Baby is somewhat of a mystery.

It was listed with very little information, but it appears to be Teal Teddy style While the seller on eBay described it as turquoise, it appears to be more of a teal-green color with a matching bow. It features the new style of Beanie Baby facial features, but we don't know much more about him. Bottom line: Congo the gorilla looks very similar to Bongo the Beanie Baby, with a prominent brow and a black nose that any gorilla would be proud of.

Like most collectible Beanie Babies, versions of Congo with an error on the tag are worth more. Some Congo Beanies were released with a Hippity tush tag by mistake. Bottom line: Brutus the Rottweiler isn't a brute at all. Featuring soft, fuzzy, black fabric with a brown muzzle, paws and tail, the sweet pup is all snuggles.

He was first introduced on Dec. Bottom line: Pouch the kangaroo comes with a fun surprise. The light-brown collectible Beanie Baby has cute button eyes and a black nose, and hiding in the pouch on her belly is a miniature brown joey. She was released on Jan. Bottom line: Maple is, unsurprisingly, a Canadian Beanie Baby.

He was the first bear made exclusively in a country other than the United States, released on Jan. He was retired 1. The white teddy has a Canadian flag proudly displayed on his chest and a matching red ribbon around his neck. Maple was actually going to be called Pride, so some Maple bears were accidentally released with the name Pride listed on their tush tags.

Bottom line: Glory, glory Hallelujah! If you happen to have a Glory Beanie Baby teddy in great condition, start singing, because it might be worth thousands of dollars. Gloria was made only in the United States, first released on May 30, The white bear is adorned with red and blue stars and has a festive American flag embroidered on his chest. Bottom line: The only thing stinky about Stinky the skunk is how expensive he is. Released on June 3, , and retired on Sept. He didn't have a poem or a birthdate on his tag until a fourth-generation Stinky was released.

Bottom line: Not every version of Jake the Mallard is considered rare. The swing tag is labeled , while the tush tag is labeled Bottom line: Scorch, a magical dragon with iridescent wings and a sweet little red tongue, was released on Sept. He was retired just over a year later, but he remains the first Beanie Baby to utilize the more textured, "curly" fabric. Bottom line: Holiday the Teddy Bear, introduced at the start of the holiday season in , was the first holiday-themed Beanie Baby.

Lori says. Some Valentino bears had up to four manufacturing errors, including brown noses instead of black ones and tag typos, and that place them among the most sought-after Beanie Babies today. Mold, mildew, and cigarette smoke can all taint your Beanie Babies with hard-to-remove scents.

To prevent this, Dr. Lori recommends moving them out of their cardboard boxes and storing them in plastic containers. When appraising Beanie Baby collections, Dr. Lori looks for nine toys in particular. They include Patti the platypus, Spot the dog, Squealer the pig, Brownie the bear, Chocolate the moose, Pinchers the lobster, Splash the killer whale, Legs the frog, and Flash the dolphin.

Price guides may claim to know how much every type of Beanie Baby is worth, but these estimations are far from precise. If you want to know how much an individual item could be worth, you need to have it examined by an expert.

Then check through your collection to see if you have any of these rare Beanie Babies: Princess the Bear - This royal purple bear was produced in a very limited quantity to honor Princess Diana after her death. It has a white rose on the chest and a purple neck ribbon. It was prone to errors, including misprinted tags and incorrect addresses on the tags. Bubble the Fish - This issued Beanie Baby is worth significant money if it has some noted errors, including an incorrect tag, the wrong color thread on the mouth, and more.

Patti the Platypus - This adorable platypus is part of the original collection, released in and is prone to tag errors. Brownie the Bear - Part of the original collection, Brownie is a sweet and simple brown bear that's difficult to find in good condition.

Consider the Best Time to Sell While Beanie Baby collectors will want valuable Beanies at any time, you can make more if you time your sale properly.

Keep these tips in mind: Sell holiday Beanies near their holidays. For instance, Valentino the Bear may fetch more near Valentine's Day. The same goes for Halloween, Easter, and Christmas Beanies. Consider anniversaries of major events. If the Beanie commemorates a big happening, sell it near the anniversary of that event. Think about current events. If a major sporting event is happening, Beanies that represent the team mascot may be worth more. If there's an election, Beanies that signify a political party may go up in value.

Know How to Sell Beanie Babies Online Although you can sell Beanie Babies locally , you'll get the most exposure and the most interest from buyers if you sell online.