When it comes to collectible 1990s toy crazes, Beanie Babies set the bar. Sure, there are plenty of valuable Pokémon cards to be traded and attics' worth of old troll dolls worth a ton of money.

“It’s worth doing your own detective work with old tech,” advises Irvine ... Irvine recalls: “I bought in a lot of TY Beanie Babies and someone came in and picked up a purple Princess ...

Ty Warner founded Ty Inc. in 1986 with the dream of creating a stuffed animal kids could afford. At just $5, Beanie Babies hit the shelves in 1993 and soon became a cult favorite — not only ...