Who would have guessed that keeping your Beanie Babies all these years could actually be lucrative? Remember the ‘90s? Saturday morning cartoons paired perfectly with sugary cereals (without a care about harmful pesticides), chunky highlights were the style, and we all believed that a bunch of stuffed animals filled with plastic beads could serve as a retirement plan. Our carefully curated collections of “rare” Beanie Babies, with their pristine tags encased in protective sleeves, were meant to be a ticket to wealth.
Well, it turns out, they might still be. If, for some reason, you’ve held onto specific Beanie Babies, they are surprisingly valuable even in 2018. Some of them are worth serious cash.
Apologies to those who watched them lose popularity and tossed them into the garage sale pile. You might have missed out on a significant payday, as eBay has become the marketplace for the rarest and most sought-after Beanie Babies, revealing which ones you should look for if you want to try your luck in this nostalgia-driven lottery.
Large Wallace and Friends
A collection featuring “Large Wallace,” along with two standard-sized Wallaces, a Cashew bear, and a Huggy bear, is currently listed on eBay for an astounding $680,000. Just as the Beanie Baby prophets predicted back in 1996—these bears are indeed a gold mine. Remarkably, 80% of that price is destined for natural disaster relief, so purchasing this set would not only be an investment but a charitable act too.
Princess Bear
You knew Princess Diana’s commemorative bear would make the list. In pristine condition, complete with a hard plastic tag protector and display case, it carries a hefty price of $675,000.
Large Ariel and Companions
If you thought the “large” bears were merely a marketing gimmick, you were mistaken. This “Large” Ariel set, which includes a regular-sized Ariel, Issy, and Peanut, is listed at $578,000.
Large Peace and Friends
Available for the price of a McMansion in many areas, “Large” Peace, regular-sized Peace, Ringo, and Bones can be yours for just $358,000.
Bubbles
Who said only bears were valuable? Bubbles the fish is currently fetching $176,000.
Blackie
Not all valuable Beanie Babies are commemorative; Blackie, the standard black bear, is still worth a cool $50,000.
Hippity
If you’d rather spend $50,000 on a Beanie Baby that isn’t Blackie, consider Hippity, the charming green rabbit.
Many other Beanie Babies are listed on eBay for five-figure sums, but we understand that not everyone has that kind of cash for something that originally cost $4.99 at a Hallmark store two decades ago. If you’re interested in Beanie Babies as an investment but want to start smaller, consider these options:
Spangle
The American flag bear symbolizes the American dream and is valued at $1,289 in 2018.
Gobble
This turkey Beanie can be yours for the price of a reliable used car at $6,667—a true bargain.
Snort
Snort, the red bull, is currently priced at $7,500, which is about what a year of college tuition used to cost back when Beanie Babies were all the rage. It’s like a fun trip down memory lane.
This is what we get for doubting that our Beanie Babies would hold their value as those collectors’ coffee table books claimed. If you have any that have survived the test of time—despite being loved by kids or pets—today could be your lucky day.
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Summary:
If you still have certain Beanie Babies stashed away, you might be sitting on a fortune. Rare collectibles from the ’90s, like Princess Bear and Large Wallace, have become valuable, with some listed for hundreds of thousands of dollars. While many discarded their collections, those who held onto them could reap significant rewards today.