Did You Collect Beanie Babies in The Hudson Valley Back in the 90s?
I'm a 90s kid so when I saw a new documentary about the Beanie Baby frenzy on HBO Max, I cleared my schedule, got a Capri Sun, and settled in for a nice night in.
Beanie Mania on HBO Max explores the late 90s phenomenon known as Beanie Babies. Yes, we're talking about those cute, little plush stuffed animals that everyone and their mother collected across the US.
Personally, I remember collecting all kinds of Beanie Babies. I believe I had the frog, a couple of dinosaurs, and of course, The Princess Diana Beanie Baby and so many more. But remember those rumors that Beanie Babies were going to be collector's items? The Beanie Baby craze had people really thinking they could pay for their kid's college tuition.
So, are Beanie Babies worth anything now in 2022? A few years back, they were only worth a couple of bucks somewhere between $5 and $10. With that being said, People.com is reporting that we may be seeing a flip. They write:
Though they hardly reach the dizzying heights profiled in the film (during which conventions, pricing guides and magazines were dedicated to the market), you can find some of the more "desirable bears" (like "Princess") listed on eBay for about $40, and more selling in the $5-10 range. Beanie Mania says that, as people are discovering their parents' or grandparents' collections in storage, interest is going up again and demand is starting to rise.
There is no doubt in my mind that after Beanie Mania we'll see the prices of Beanie Babies go up. According to a Yahoo article from October 2021, there are 10 Beanie Babies worth some serious cash.
Which Beanie Babies are Worth Serious Money?
Yahoo reports that Steg, the Stegosaurus Beanie Baby is worth $40,000. But they explain:
Steg, the adorable dinosaur, tops the list at $50,000. Born on November 1, 1994, he was released on June 3, 1995, along with two other dinosaurs, Bronty and Rex. This one is frequently counterfeited, but collectors know that Steg only came in shades of brown with green and yellow hues. It also always has the copyright year 1995 on the tush tag.
Other Beanie Babies that are worth a few thousand dollars include:
Pinchers The Lobster
The End Bear
Princess the Bear + Digital Art
Valentina the Bear
Sounds like I'll be making a trip to my parent's attic in the near future for a treasure hunt. Of course, these Beanie Babies either have some kind of error or are retired making them worth way more than their original price.
What Beanie Babies did you have? Do you think they're worth anything now?
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