TY | RETIRING STUFFED ANIMALS TO BOOST SALES

Everybody wanted to have an adorable Beanie Baby in the late 1990s, from children to adults who were willing to pay a lot of money for the collectible toys, in hopes their values would significantly increase over the years.

Their popularity was also enhanced by some cunning moves on the part of their creator, Ty Warner. Warner intentionally took certain Beanie Babies off the market and promoted a scarcity strategy which led to parents paying up to $10 or $20 for retired Beanies and collectors paying up to $5,000 for a plush toy that was initially $5. The craze has stopped in the meantime and Beanie Babies can easily be found for 5 dollars apiece.