Author Archives: rarestbeans

Here we have a 1992 true original prototype for WEB the spider in SOLID red. This is a sibling for the solid ORANGE Web example that has survived. The production Web ended up with a red belly – so it doesn’t surprise us (returning to our theory about Ty’s love for symmetry) that he playedContinue reading “Web the Spider SOLID RED Prototype!”

The fine mane Derby is, generally, one of the most underrated production rare styles. Locating a MQ example will still take $400-$500. The piece was only made for a short while with a 3rd generation hang tag. Finding a Korean or German example is another challenge altogether holy grails in the hobby. A tier pastContinue reading “Derby the Horse Fine Mane PROTOTYPE Red and Brown”

Hah! This is a really fun Inky prototype showcasing Ty’s transition from its original gray (tan) color, to the eventual pink body. Tan Inky was originally released with the original Mid-1994 1st generation released pieces (without a mouth- June 25th, 1994). Ty added a mouth to this guy on September 12th, 1994, and then aContinue reading “Inky The Octopus PROTOTYPE Tan and Pink”

Mooooo -ve on over! A 1st generation full alternate prototype for the original cow, Daisy! This piece is the signature bright red fabric seen on the original 9 pinchers. It is complete with pax tag and tush, and early 1992 pax dates. STRIKING! Rarity Rank: 0.5 – While Daisy may not be the most covetedContinue reading “Daisy the cow RED and WHITE prototype”

This is the counterpart to the Fuchsia and Twigs Speedy just reviewed. This piece has the same STRIKING colors, complete with pax hang tag and tush tag. Interestingly, the pax dates on this piece are from late 1992 – putting it right in the “money” zone for original mid 1995 1st generation released pieces. (6.25.94Continue reading “Slither the Snake PROTOTYPE Fuchsia and Twigs!”

This is another incredible 1st generation prototype that surfaced around protogate in 2004/2005. What a striking Speedy prototype! The main body is bright fuchsia and its back appears to be fabric that we eventually saw used for Twigs the giraffe. This piece is complete with pax hang and pax tush tag. a WILD departure. ThisContinue reading “Speedy the PROTOYPE Fuchsia and Yellow Twigs”

Peanut is without a doubt one of the most coveted production pieces. Known as the “crown jewel” piece – the “King” of beanies. Today, a MQ production (US) example will typically command $1500-$2500. A German or Korean example can see prices double that. So a Peanut prototype is an exquisite piece to behold. As weContinue reading “Peanut the TIE-DYED(!) elephant Prototype!”

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…a TIE-DYED NANA THE MONKEY PROTOTYPE! When we first saw this piece, our mouths dropped. Everyone simultaneously mouthed “it’s a freaking tie-dyed nana!!”. This piece is complete with pax hang and tush tag. 1993 pax dates! Rarity Rank: -.5/-1. This would be another of those “COME ON” pieces. AnContinue reading “Nana Tie-Dyed Monkey Prototype!!!”

This is such a spectacular set. We have outlined the history and rarity behind the #1 rep bear in an earlier post. It turns out Ty gave his very top sales reps in 1998 several of the wildest prototype #1 Rep bears! A set of eight bears – two each in red, white, royal blue,Continue reading “Top Sales Reps #1 Ty Rep Bear Prototype Set”

This set is extremely special and came from a very old primary source involved with Ty Canada. The 3rd generation tie-dyed pieces were a favorite of both Ty Warner and head of Ty Canada, Bill Harlow. We will discuss further when we get to the Beanie Mania/Ty Canada green dinosaur prototypes. Here we have Rex,Continue reading “Rex, Steg, Bronty, Lizzy SOLID Fuchsia Prototypes w/ patches”