Beanie Babies!!

the ORIGINALS!

Beanie babies were first introduced in 1993 by creator Ty Warner through his toy making company names Ty. At their debut at the NYC world toy fair, they didn't get rave reviews - but a tight business model and savvy marketing made them extremely popular. They were especially popular on the web, becoming one of the first ever internet sensations, leading to thousands of fan sites and webrings and after-market sales. One of the major draws of the beanies as a marketing strategy was the belief that beanies would be worth a lot one day, making them an investment purchase. However, plenty of people just liked the toys for what they were; cute, soft and collectible.

which were exactly the "first" beanie babies is up for debate a bit, but generally the "original nine" are cited as the first beanies:

• Legs the Frog
• Squealer the Pig
• Spot the Dog (originally sold without his spot)
• Flash the Orca
• Splash the Whale/Dolphin
• Chocolate the Moose
• Patti the Platypus
• Brownie the Bear (later re-named "Cubbie")
• Pinchers the Lobster (sometimes with a tag reading "Punchers")

One of the main ways beanies were kept collectible was by releasing them in limited runs with officiual retirement dates. some of the og nine were released over several years while others were only sold for a year or so, making them much rarer.