Go Cubs Go! Cubbie gained his popularity in May of 1997 when he was given away by the thousands to children attending Chicago Cubs games. That isn’t the only interesting thing about Cubbie, though - did you know that “Cubbie” wasn’t always “Cubbie?” That’s right! He was first released in 1993 under the name “Brownie” but was quickly retired due to the name change. Cubbie then retired a few years later in December of 1997. Brownie’s short-lived appearance makes him incredibly rare and valuable, because of this, many counterfeit Brownies still exist. The only difference between Cubbie and his twin Brownie are their tags. 

Pinchers was one of the first two Beanie Babies ever made (the other being Brownie). Pinchers came into the world under the name “Punchers” in 1994, which was assumed to be a spelling mistake. Ty quickly realized their mistake, correcting the spelling on most first generation tags. This speedy fix made versions with the “Punchers” typo extremely valuable, yet almost impossible to find. This lovable lobster was then retired later in 1998.

Patti, the most colorful of The Original 9, was born on January 6^th, 1993, retired 5 years later in January of 1998, and has been found to be one of the most popular Beanie Babies. She’s named after a longtime girlfriend and business partner of Ty Warner. In early production, Patti’s color varied. Collectors have since named the colors: maroon, purple, magenta and raspberry. The most valuable and sought-after color is magenta, as it was the original color!

Got a sweet tooth? Chocolate the Moose is special because he was the first Beanie released with a poem! The early generations didn’t have poems in their tags, but Chocolate changed that with his 4^th generation release. He is a darling dark brown moose with bright orange antlers. His birthday is April 27, 1993, and this sweet stuffed animal was the last of the original 9 to be retired when he was taken off the shelves in December of 1998.

Next is Flash who is best friends with Splash, the orca whale, who taught Flash to read! Her birthday is May 13^th, 1993, and she retired along with Splash in May of 1997. Flash, along with all of the Original 9, were brought back in October of 2005 exclusively for the Beanie Baby Official Club. This throw back allowed members to order replicas of the Original Nine Beanies. A few lucky collectors even received the much more rare originals! These plush toys have been remade and redesigned into several unique product lines. Want to know more about remakes? Check out 9 Ways to Buy the Beanie you are Obsessed with.

Now you may be thinking, Splash and Flash not only sound alike, but look alike. Well, you’ve got a keen eye! Splash and Flash were designed with the same pattern. The only differences are the fabric color and tags. This probably explains their friendship. Splash is a little tricky to find today, but thankfully there are many new whale Beanies to love. Check them out HERE!

I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about the Original 9 Beanie Babies. If you’re looking for more history and fun facts about Ty and the Beanie Baby Craze, check out 7 Highlights from 28 Years of Beanie Babies!

Rooting for you,