BEANIE BABY Meaning and
Definition
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A Beanie Baby refers to a small plush toy, typically measuring around six inches, filled with plastic pellets or "beans." Introduced by Ty Inc., a company founded by Ty Warner, Beanie Babies gained immense popularity in the 1990s. These collectible stuffed animals became widely sought-after due to their limited availability and clever marketing strategy.
The term "beanie baby" is commonly used to describe any of the various stuffed animals created by Ty Inc. Initially, these toys primarily depicted animals such as bears, dogs, cats, and elephants, but the range expanded to include a variety of other characters and objects as well.
Beanie Babies possess distinctive features that set them apart from traditional stuffed toys. The nine-inch-sized tag attached to each Beanie Baby provides the animal's name, its unique "birth date," and a short poem or description. The tag is considered crucial to a Beanie Baby's value and, in some cases, significantly impacts its rarity and desirability among collectors.
Although the Beanie Baby craze reached its peak during the 1990s, with many people investing in these toys as potential future assets, the market subsequently experienced a decline in demand. However, these plush toys remain a nostalgic and cherished collector's item for many enthusiasts who now engage in buying, selling, and trading them online or through collector communities. Beanie Babies have become synonymous with a particular era of toy collecting, capturing the imagination and sentimental value of those who experienced the phenomenon firsthand.
Etymology of BEANIE BABY
The word "beanie baby" is a combination of two terms: "beanie" and "baby".
The term "beanie" refers to a type of small, close-fitting hat that is typically made of fabric and has a round, or beanie-shaped, crown. The word "beanie" has been used to describe this type of hat since the early 20th century and is derived from the English dialect word "bean", meaning "head".
The term "baby" is used as a diminutive or affectionate term, often applied to something small, cute, or cherished. It is commonly used to refer to infants or young children.
The combined term "beanie baby" was popularized by the Beanie Babies, a line of stuffed animals filled with plastic pellets (beans) produced by Ty Inc. in the mid-1990s.
