One of the most popular toys ever with kids is Beanie Babies. They were originally launched in 1993. From the very start they were very popular with people who would often stand in long lines in order to buy them.

The toys might have been named Beanies because of the beans (plastic pellets) that are stuffed inside them.

Beanies Babies in a smaller size were called Teenie Beanies and they were given away at McDonalds. If you purchased a Happy Meal then you would also receive a free Teenie Beanie. At one time a complete set could sell for about $100 on eBay.

From the introduction of the Beanie Baby there were two tags attached to them. The heart shaped "swing tag" and the "tush tag" on the toy’s bottom. As time went by both the tags have changed. The later generation heart tags also had a poem and birth date.

The creator of Beanies, Ty Warner, had a winning marketing strategy in the beginning that created a lot of excitement and demand for the toys.

Ty kept the price of the toys low so they were affordable to the masses. Just about anyone could afford to spend about five dollars for these cute stuffed toys.

In the beginning production and distribution was limited to only small retailers. Retailers could only order a certain quantity each month. By making them scarce Ty was able to increase the public’s demand for them.

Ty would also "retire" them after a few months. To "retire" a Beanie meant that it would no longer be manufactured. This created even more scarcity and demand for the toys.

In 2008 the toys went online and were referred to as 2.0. Ty had a special website for them. It was a short time later that production of the 2.0 Beanies ended because they just weren’t popular enough with people.

Some of the most notable Beanie Babies among them is Garcia the bear which became popular for its ty-dyed colors.

Decade the bear was also popular and was made in honor of the tenth anniversary of the Beanie Babies.

Beanie Babies went through many changes, but they always remained the most popular soft toy in the marketplace.

Today you can find the Babies anywhere from a small gift shop to big box stores like Target.

The toy’s popularity and the demand for them decreased as Ty increased the production and distribution outlets for them.

Even though the Beanies aren’t as popular as they used to be, children still love them. It is hard to find a quality stuffed toy that sells for about five dollars that brings so much joy to people.