If you were brought up in the 90s then you were sure to have had a collection of Beanie Babies - but did you know they could be worth a small fortune today?
Beanie Babies first emerged in the second half of the 1990s with people young and old quickly becoming obsessed with the soft toys.
After exploding in popularity, McDonald's even began giving away a new miniature range of the toy, Teenie Beanies, in Happy Meals from 1996.
However, in the 36 years since they were first created some of the Beanies have rocketed in value, thanks to collectors who are desperate to get their hands on the ultra rare ones.
In the original line up of Beanies Babies launched in 1993 were; Legs the Frog, Squealer the Pig, Spot the Dog, Flash the Dolphin, Splash the Whale, Chocolate the Moose, Patti the Platypus, Brownie the Bear (later renamed "Cubbie"), and Pinchers the Lobster (with some tag errors with "Punchers").
Some of these, as well as some later additions, are fetching hundreds of pounds online.
According to Money.co.uk the most expensive beanie baby sold in the past six months was Legs The Frog which sold for a whopping £250 at auction. The frog was a first edition Beanie Baby, one of the original nine, with its tags still intact.
Another lesser known, but mega rare is the Princess Diana Bear which was launched just two months after the Royal's tragic death in 1997.
The deep purple bear has a white rose embroidered on its chest. There is also a special poem written inside the tag, which reads:
"Like an angel she came from heaven above; she shared her compassion, her pain, her love; she only stayed with us long enough to teach the world to share, to give, to reach."
Understandably since her death, these bears have become a must-have for collectors and most recently one sold for £250 on eBay - however some reports have said the bears have popped up for as much as half-a-million pounds over the years.
The third most expensive Beanie Baby sold was Crunch The Shark who sold for £185 plus £5 postage at auction. The shark itself dates back to 1996, and had slightly wrinkled, but still intact, tags.
Fourth is Bronty The Dinosaur who sold for £140 followed by Fifth is Happy the Hippo who sold for £120.
But even those less rare Beanies can earn you a few quid. Halo the Angel bear whose rare brown nose and festive feel all helped the teddy rack up a total sale price of £63.20.
So if you think you might have some Beanie Babies boxed up in the loft, it might be time to dig them out and see if they are worth anything and if they appear on the list of recent sales below, then they are sure to earn you a few quid.
- Legs the Frog - £258.99
- Princess Diana Bear - £250
- Crunch the Shark - £190
- Bronty the Dinosaur - £145.04
- Happy the Hippo - £125.04
- Ronald McDonald - £104.15
- Splash the Whale - £82.94
- Al Motomachi (Japan) - £75.14
- Halo the Angle Bear - £63.20
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