The pastel Inch the worm is one of the most popular prototypes in the hobby. A link again to that article:
But there are in fact two more Inch prototypes on our radar – both fit Ty’s behavior perfectly. Typically with design changes, we see prototypes showcasing those changes mid costume change. And with a prototype that is nearer to the release date of its production piece, or a piece that bridges a piece from one version to its next (in this case, felt antenna to yarn), we see those differences most often seen with extremities (ears, nose, eye, tails).
The Inch immediately below has a solid red tail, and solid red felt antenna. Its core ody does have the production fabric in the correct colors and order. But we know the production Inch had a fuchsia fabric that is often use to determine if the Patti you own is the common fuchsia shade. The felt inch color fabric might have been a tell that Ty was considering changing up the felt antenna on our original Inch.
The second Inch has production colors, bit a tail tip produced with Twig fabric, and brown yarn antenna. This Inch has pax dates from Nov. 1995 – almost a full year after the earlier full departure pastel Inch’s pax dates (12/94). Recall, felt antenna Inch was released June of 1995, with the yarn iteration popping up October of 1997. This indicates, by the prototype, that Ty had at least created prototypes with yarn in place long before the original felt example was released. This likely means Ty was considering both options, then opted for yarn for some reason after the felt version’s release.
Rarity Rank: 2 and 2.5 respectively. Both pieces have all pax tags and vintage dates, showcasing the progression of the famous and beloved Inch the worm 3rd generation style. Granted, they are not full departure pieces, but both have variations that really *pop*.
Rarest Beans 