Ty Inc’s plush toy brand Beanie Babies became one of the first-ever internet sensations back in 1995, and people quickly started collecting Beanies like crazy. While the majority of Beanie Babies aren’t worth much today, collectors are willing to fork out large sums of money for special edition dolls, particularly those with unique defects or any other rare features.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the 21 most valuable Beanie Babies with a handy price guide. Some of the rarest Ty Beanies are now worth an absolute fortune – which means it’s time to start rooting around in the attic for those golden tickets!

21. Royal Blue Peanut the Elephant – $2,000

Royal blue Peanut the Elephant

Peanut the Elephant is where the Beanie craze started, so it’s little wonder that the fluffy elephant toy is worth a lot of moolah. Collectors are always looking for their very own Peanut plush, and are willing to splash out thousands of dollars for the royal blue version.

Only a couple of thousand Peanuts were made in royal blue, before Ty Warner decided to switch him to a lighter blue instead. Therefore the royal blue Peanut the Elephant plush toy is extremely rare and collectors will always fork out extra if it means they can get their hands on a discontinued Beanie. Although Peanut has gone through a bit of a slump in recent years, it’s still valued at between $1,000 to $2,000.

20. Mystic the Unicorn – $3,000

Mystic the unicorn Beanie Baby

Mystic the Unicorn was released in four different versions between 1994 and 1999, each of which are now worth varying amounts online.

Three of the models fetch around $3,000, but if you find one of the Mystics with a fine mane in your collection then you’re really in luck. The tanned-horn Mystic with a fine mane is worth an extra one thousand dollars, so make sure you keep a close eye out next time you’re going through your old toys.

19. Millennium – $5,000

Millennium Beanie Baby - purple with an Earth on its lapel

The Millennium bear is a magenta teddy complete with a fetching brown bow and a special Earth badge on its front. It might not look all that remarkable, but Beanie Baby collectors are going mad over the plush toy and spending thousands of dollars to get their hands on one of them.

This is because some of the bears were produced with a spelling error on the label. The Millennium versions were created in 1999, but clearly there weren’t enough spell checkers on hand at the factory because some of the very first bears to be created had tags bearing the misspelt name ‘Millenium’. Oops! If you’re in possession of a magenta Millennium bear with the misspelt swing tag, then you could be looking at a whopping $5,000.

18. Chef Robuchon – $7,000

Chef Robuchon Beanie Baby - a bear in chef's whites

There are two major factors that drive up the value of a Beanie Baby. Spelling errors are a big money-maker (as in the case of the Millennium bear above), but rare editions are just as expensive. The ‘Chef Robuchon’ Beanie is a classic example.

The Chef Robuchon bears were created in 2006 in honour of the Michelin-star chef Joël Robuchon. He opened his restaurant L’Atelier at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York and gave all of his guests a Beanie version of himself as a memento! That means that only a handful of people around the world are in possession of a Robuchon teddy. Collectors are now dying to get their hands on a plush version of Joël and the teddies are currently selling for over $7,000.

17. Patti the Platypus – $6,000

Patti the platypus

Patti the Platypus is probably the cutest Beanie Baby name out there, so it’s little wonder that this plush egg-laying mammal is now worth a mint. Patti is easily recognisable by her bright purple fur and yellow paws and beak, so you’ll definitely be able to spot her amongst all of those old Beanie Babies piled up in the attic. Patti is now on sale for a whopping $6,000, so it’s worth having a look to see if you’ve got one! She’s so valuable because she’s widely considered to be one of the nine original ‘Babies’ that TY produced.

This means that collectors are willing to pay over the odds for an original Patti, bringing in a tidy payday for anyone who was lucky enough to buy or receive one. Just make sure that you have the magenta version – this is the first and oldest edition of the platypus toy.

16. Inky – $1,200

Inky the octopus

Inky is a cute octopus toy that normally comes in a light pink colour. However, like Peanut the Elephant, it started life as a grey model before producers at Ty decided to liven things up.

This means that anyone in possession of a grey Inky model could earn themselves a fortune by selling it online. The grey edition only appeared in stores for a total of three months, so there are only a few thousand grey Inkys out there. If you find a willing collector online, you could earn yourself around $1,200. That’s more than enough to splash out on a nice beach holiday and see some real-life Inkys!

15. Claude the Crab – $10,000

Claude the crab Beanie Baby

Claude the Crab is the slightly French-sounding crustacean who’s now worth a lot of money as a collector’s item. Crabs aren’t usually thought of as cuddly creatures, but this cute-looking plush toy is now fetching tens of thousands of dollars online.

If you’re lucky enough to find a Claude in your Beanie collection, then you could make $10,000. Furthermore, you’ll want to take a close look at the tag, because some special editions of the tie-dyed crustacean are fetching nearly ten times that amount in online sales. At the moment, Claude crabs with any kind of spelling error on the tag are fetching around $100,000. Unbelievable!

14. Iggy The Iguana – $2,000

Iggy the iguana

Hold your horses if you think you’ve got a winner here, because this particular Beanie Baby has to include a specific error in order for you to rake in the big bucks. In particular, you’re going to have to make sure that you check the colour and fabric of this plush toy.

You need to ensure that you’ve got a tie-dyed Iggy in bright greens, pinks and yellows rather than a dark blue colour. Apparently, factory workers mixed up fabrics with Rainbow the Chameleon, so the iguana ended up being the same colour as his camouflaging friend! Apparently this mistake can actually earn you a lot of money – Iggys with the bright fabric colouring can fetch up to $2,000 online.

13. Curly the Bear – $2,500

Curly the Bear is a cute but rather plain-looking plush toy that Ty released in the 90s. What’s so special about it? Basically, it’s yet another case of spelling errors bumping up the value of Curly Bears into the thousands. We’d love to know who was responsible for spell-checking at Ty Warner, but we won’t be complaining if we find one of these Curly the Bear models in our collection. Keep your eyes peeled for this brown bear, with its fetching pink bow, because you could end up paying for your next holiday with the money you make from a potential sale.

Basically, if it’s got a typo somewhere on the tag, then you’re looking at a Beanie Baby worth around $2,500. Not a bad way to make a nice bit of cash!

12. Mac the Cardinal – $9,500

Mac the cardinal beanie

Mac the Cardinal is an adorable bright red bird toy with a lovely feathery crown. He has a black face and black claws, and if he’s got a tag on his wing with a spelling error then Mac is probably worth a fortune! That’s right – a whole host of Mac the Cardinals were made with errors on their labels, and if you’ve got one then you could be in line to make a small fortune.

Mac the Cardinal is an adorable and rare Beanie that you probably got as a Christmas gift as a child. If you did, thank your parents or whichever relative as you might be able to make a quick buck with this feathery Beanie. Mac is a rare gem in the Beanie world, which is what makes the Beanie incredibly difficult to own. Given that his value doesn’t derive from spelling errors, but its actual scarcity, you could be looking at up to $9,500!

11. Flash the Shark – $1,500

Flash the shark beanie

By now, if you threw all your Beanie Babies away that you collected in the ’90s, you might regret it. How dare you toss them away in the bin? Every Beanie is so adorable, it is hard to believe you’d not want to keep them around, like Flash the Shark.

Now, that is a complete throwback: Flash the Shark is part of the original nine Beanie Babies, so if you were around in the early ’90s, you may unknowingly own one. This Baby could go for $1,500 if you’re interested in getting rid of it.

10. Halo the Guardian Angel Bear – $1,000

Halo the guardian angel bear

Aw! This cute bear features shiny wings and a halo, with some special silver lines up and down his or her front. Anyone who finds one of these in their attic will think that a guardian angel is watching over them, because collectors are paying hand over fist to get themselves a Halo bear. This is one of the most special bear editions and is currently selling online for over $1,000.

People are bidding so much for these particular Beanies thanks to the magic wings which are included – the only design of their kind in the plush toy collection. Keep an eye out next time you’re sorting through your old stuff or moving house, since you might be sitting on a jackpot!

9. Erin the Bear – $1,000

What makes these Beanies truly valuable are the ones that are limited edition, like the good old Erin the Bear set. Let’s just say, if you have this set of Irish Babies, people will be after your lucky charms.

No errors on the tags, just a completely green Beanie to commemorate the Irish, which makes it totally rare. The clover on this Beanie could bring you $1,000 of luck.

8. Cubbie The Grizzly Bear – $1,500

Cubbie the grizzly bear

Cubbie the Grizzly Bear is remarkably cute considering how fierce grizzlies are in real life. Any Beanie Baby fans out there should have a look-see if they were ever gifted one of these sweet little toys, because they’re currently selling online for a lot of money.

Apparently the bear is so popular because of the shape of its tag – some of the Cubbies have super-rare rectangular ones rather than the normal heart-shaped pieces. If you manage to find one that’s got a rectangular-shaped tag, then you could be looking at a grand total of $1,500 – not a bad way to make some quick cash.

7. Peace the Bear – $15,000

Peace bear beanie baby

Peace the Bear is a good choice for any hippies out there, or any people from the older generation who want to relive their 60s heyday once in a while. Peace has also got a very cool feature which makes him or her extremely valuable to collectors. Basically, no two Peace Bears are the same because of the tie-dye process that the fabric goes through. Furthermore, you could make a fortune if you have a Peace Bear that contains an error on the tag – rumour has it that there are over 50 different tags that have mistakes on them.

If you manage to find a Peace Bear with a tag containing an error, you could make a whopping $15,000 online, so better get looking through your old toys now!

6. Valentino Bear – $20,000

Valentino beanie bear

Stuck for a gift on Valentine’s Day? Or need to make a bit of money so you can get your other half something they’ll actually want instead? Well, this romantic-themed Valentino Bear is currently fetching huge sums of money online.

Some collectors are actually paying upwards of $20,000 for the Valentino Bear as it comes, but special editions and any toys that contain errors on the tags are going to be worth even more than that. It might be worth ringing up one of your ex-partners from the 90s to see if they’ve still got that Beanie Baby lying around somewhere…

5. M.C. Beanie – $1,500

M.C. Beanie isn’t a DJ – he’s called M.C. because the initials stand for MasterCard, as you might be able to tell from his very odd-looking nose. In the early 2000s, MasterCard applicants were given a free Beanie Baby for signing up, so if you’re an MC customer you might remember getting one. This toy was the first of its kind to bear the name ‘Beanie’ – no other plush had previously had the brand name included in its title. And anyone who owns one and needs a bit of extra cash could earn themselves up to $1,500.

Some models were also made with a brown nose, instead of one containing the MasterCard logo. These are extra-rare so collectors will be willing to pay even more for them. Happy hunting!

4. Employee Bear – $3,000

Employee Bear Beanie

It might be a strange name for a cuddly toy, but the Employee Bear was simply a bear with a nice-looking ribbon tied around its neck. What matters is that nowadays it’s worth an absolute fortune.

If you spot an Employee Beanie in your collection, then you’ll already be looking at a tidy sum of money to take home. But if you have any bears with red or green ribbons then you’ve got a toy worth over $3,000. That’s right – collectors are going mad over the red or green colours, so keep an eye out next time you’re rooting through the attic.

3. Weenie The Dog – $2,500

Weenie beanie

Rather than going out and buying a real dog, lots of cuddly toy fans in the 90s and 2000s got themselves one of these adorable Weenie dogs instead. And we can’t blame them! However, anyone who picked up one of these adorable sausage dogs back in the day will be pleasantly surprised to learn that they’re now worth a mint online.

Weenie’s are more expensive because they have their own special pellet filling which makes them extra plushy. Collectors are currently paying up to $2,500 to get their hands on a Weenie, so it’s worth having a look-see amongst your old toys.

2. Puff The Magic Dragon – $1,750

Puff the magic dragon Beanie Baby

Puff The Magic Dragon and his familiar song were beloved by generations of kids, so people were delighted when Beanie Babies released their own version of the childhood favourite.

This is an extremely rare plush toy in terms of its design and colouring – pastel pink features and some very shiny wings make Puff an impressive-looking dragon that you might not want to part with even today. However, if you need to pay for that next holiday then you could flog the toy online for upwards of $1,750!

1. Princess The Bear – $500,000

There was even a Princess Diana Beanie Baby made to commemorate her death in 1997. The royal blue bear, appropriately named Princess, features a white rose and a heart-touching tribute to the national treasure on the tag: ‘Like an angel she came from heaven above; she shared her compassion, her pain, her love; she only stayed with us long enough to teach the world to share, to give, to reach.’

Toymakers used a special brand of pellets to fill the teddy, meaning that it feels extra comfy. It’s also a regal shade of purple and contains a white rose on its chest. This unique-looking bear is super-rare and was only bought by a very small number of people around the world. If you want to claim this piece of Beanie Baby history, then you’ll have to fork out $500,000 for the privilege. And if you happen to have one lying around in your loft somewhere, then you’ve basically won the lottery. Some editions of the vintage bear are somewhat more affordable than others and you can bag yourself one of these iconic toys for just £5.00 on eBay if it has a tag from China, making it one of the most easily collectable Beanie Babies of all time.

Are Beanie Babies still made today?

It seems Ty is still very much alive and kicking!

Although they no longer produce the original Beanie Babies, they have introduced many new lines including Beanie Boos and Peek-A-Boos. The closest things you’ll find to the original 90s trend are the Ty Classics, with some new Beanies strongly resembling the Beanie Babies of old. So it’s time to raid that loft – good luck!