Beanie Babies: The Most Expensive Ones That Will Make You Rich

Back in the '90s, you weren't nobody if you didn't have some Beanie Babies! Those little plush collectibles were all the rage, and became something of an obsession for people (mostly adults). They're cute, cuddly, and there were some many different "species" at the height of their popularity! There were holiday Beanie Babies, special edition Beanie Babies, even Beanie Babies created in memoriam for a certain Princess.

At the height of the craze, around 1995, the toys were considered a hot collectible, mainly because of their limited production and availability. But as new crazes and fads emerged, Beanie Babies faded into our memory, and production ceased in 1999. However, some of the original Beanie Babies are still considered rare and valuable collectible items.

The resale on some of the rarer versions of beanie babies is kind of insane! It might be worth it to see if you have any of these stashed away in your attic somewhere.

Peace Beanie Babies Bear

This adorable little guy is a pretty rare find! Some eBay listings have it priced at $60,000, which is absolutely bonkers. But a Peace bear in mint condition with original tags is hard to find.

Peanut the Royal Blue Elephant

In terms of rare Beanie Babies, this one is one of the rarest. It was first produced in 1995, in a royal blue color. But once the elephant was on the market, the company realized the color was all wrong. So they stopped production on royal blue Peanut, and started production on a light blue version. There were only about 500 royal blue elephants made, and those can go for about $1,500 with original tags.

Princess the Bear

After the death of Princess Diana in August 1997, Ty Inc. designed a Beanie Baby dedicated to the beloved philanthropist. All proceeds from the sale of Princess bears would be to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. Initially, production was going to be very limited - only 12 bears were being sent to each vendor. Eventually, the company produced more Princess bears, but those initial bears are now considered incredibly rare (they can be identified by the tag on the back that says "P.V.C Pellets"). PVC bears, as they became known, are listed for upwards of $650,000.

Pinchers the Lobster

In 1993, when Beanie Babies were first released, there were the "OG Nine". This lineup included Legs the Frog, Squealer the Pig, Spot the Dog, Flash the Orca, Splash the Whale, Chocolate the Moose, Patti the Platypus, Brownie the Bear (later renamed "Cubbie"), and Pinchers the Lobster. These weren't factory produced until 1994, so the original releases are considered rare. Pinchers is one of the OG Nine, and can be found on eBay for $35,000.

Curly the Bear

Some Beanie Babies aren't considered valuable because of limited production, but because of production error! Such is the case with Curly. This cute little guy was originally produced and released with another Beanie's "tush tag" (the tag on the back of the toy), and that manufacturer error means people are selling Curly with the Wrong Tush Tag for $45,000.

Halo the Bear

Halo is another example of people capitalizing off an error or change made to a regular Beanie Baby. There are two versions of Halo floating around: one with a black nose, and one with a brown nose. Halo with the brown nose is considered quite rare, and sellers are asking as much as $20,000.

Valentino the Bear

This limited-edition Beanie Baby IS pretty cute. But is he 100k cute?? That's what some people are asking for certain bears. Apparently at one point, bears were produced with a spelling error on the tush tag, and those are the Valentino bears that collectors are after.

Will your rare Beanie Babies ACTUALLY bring enough cash for a down payment on a house?

We hate to burst your bubble, but the odds of catching six figures for a mint-condition Princess bear are slim to none. Just because people are selling them for that much, doesn't mean they are actually purchased for anywhere near that amount. In fact, recent sales of Princess bears bring in barely enough to cover the cost of shipping: one sold for $4, another for $17. That Valentino bear? You may not have 100k lying around, but surely you can afford the $0.99 one recently sold for. Before you quit your job to sell Beanie Babies, check in with actual collectors and appraisers for a better idea of what your expectations should be. Or just give your Beanie Babies to your kids to play with - their smiles are more valuable than anything you'd get for the toys on eBay.