Ty Beanie Babies are the Beanie Babies offically made by Ty. You can recognize a Ty Beanie Baby from its heart-shaped tag with the Ty logo on it.
Ty Warner was the man who invented Beanie Babies. He originally worked at a toy making company called Dakin,before he started his own- Ty Incorporated. Initially his company made large plush toys before Ty invented Beanie Babies.
The toys that Ty made – Beanie Babies were designed for children to be held easily as well as to be affordable. Children could purchase a Beanie Baby from their allowance. He used pellets to make the toys soft and give them their distinctive shape and feel.
In 1993 the first Beanie Babies debuted, and began to be stocked in toy stores all over the country. Beanie Babies soon became a huge hit, and suddenly the demand was so great that Ty couldn’t keep up!
There are a few tactics that Ty used to make his product so desireable. Why did everyone want Beanie Babies? Any time demand for a certain Beanie Baby increased, Ty would limit the production of said Beanie Baby. This skyrocketed demand and thus the value of the toy. They were never sold in major stores, only smaller toy/game stores sold them. This allowed Ty to limit the distribution and thus the amount of Beanie Babies in the market.
Another tactic was to retire toys. Ty would often retire a certain Beanie Baby, in fact so often, that it became routine. This increased demand for certain toys, as collectors would know that a certain Beanie Baby would be going out, and would scramble to find one for sale. This increased he collectability of the toy.
This demand has also increased the amount of counterfitters trying to make a quick buck on rare Beanie Babies. Fake Beanie Babies are rampant in the market, and the only way to tell if your Beanie Baby is an original is via the tag.
About Tags
Tags are a very important part of the Beanie Baby. A Beanie Baby without its tag is worth SIGNIFICANTLY less than one with its tag. Up to half its value is lost! Every Beanie Baby will have two tags at the very least. The two tags are:
- Swing tag
- Tush tag
The Swing tag – aka hang tag, is the most visible tag on a Beanie Baby. It is usually hanging off the ear, or hand, and will easily identify an official Beanie Baby.
The Tush tag is attached to the rear end of the Beanie Baby
Tags have become quite sophisticated these days, with holograms as an example to try thwart counterfeiting. It is essential to ensure that your Beanie Baby is authentic before trying to buy or sell a Beanie Baby.