'Someone is listing it on eBay for $20,000': Millennial discovers a ‘rare' Princess Dianna Beanie Baby in their mom's attic, then get a hilarious reality check when they realize it's nearly worthless

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jan 3, 2025 4:00 PM EST

If you're as chronically online as we all are, you've probably seen that viral picture of the couple dividing their Beanie Baby collection on the courtroom floor during their divorce. Back in the 90s, Beanie Babies were all the rage and rubes everywhere lined up to buy these collectible children's toys under the guise that they'd one day be valuable enough to pay for their kid's college education. 

Welp, I'm a millennial and grew up with a box full of Beanies and while I played with a select few toys, my parents kept the 'valuable' ones up in a plastic box on the highest shelf in my room. As the Princess Diana bear looked down at me from the highest throne in my bedroom, I imagined the glorious things I'd do with my paid-for college education–because one day, this Beanie would be sold to pay for it all!

Here we are, two decades later, and that purple bear is nearly worthless, I'm up to my ears in student loans, and I'm starting to wonder what sort of Ty-brand hypnosis fooled an entire generation of boomers… It must be the same Kool-aid all of the crypto bros are drinking. 

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    Millennials, do I have something here? Advice My parents just whipped this out randomly.
    via Optimal-Builder-2816
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    BABY
    via Optimal-Builder-2816

  • While any millennial can appreciate a crisp-looking Beanie Baby tag, we all know that one crease in that paper means this toy is no longer mint. A strange concept to introduce to an entire generation of young children, but this idea of keeping things pristine certainly followed every millennial into adulthood. 

    When did your rebelliousness first take flight? Was it when you took the plastic cover off of your Beanie Baby's tags? 

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    The Beanie Babies Collection Ty Inc. Oakbrook, IL. USA Ty Europe Ltd. Fareham, Hants P015 5TX, U.K. Ty Canada Aurora, Ontario Handmade in China Princess TM Like an angel, she came from heaven above She shared her compassion, her pain, her love She only stayed with us long enough to teach The world to share, to give, to reach All profits of Ty from this collectible will be donated to the DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES MEMORIAL FUND
    via Optimal-Builder-2816
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    HANDMADE IN CHINA © 1997 TY INC., OAKBROOK, IL. U.S.A. SURFACE WASHABLE ALL NEW MATERIAL POLYESTER FIBER CE
    via Optimal-Builder-2816

  • Keep scrolling to read about this millennial who discovered a ‘rare’ Diana bear in their parent's attic and got a hilariously entertaining wake-up call about the Beanie's real value. Because when you're looking for a straight answer about something, best head to the Internet before listing a children's stuffed animal on eBay for $250,000.

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    blackaubreyplaza My college tuition according to my mom in 1997 mailbox Boomer crypto
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    RAV3NHOLM i STILL have a huge tub of these things sitting in the attic. they never gave up hope.
    via RAV3NHOLM
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    beard lover My grandma got all us grandkids the "Tye Dye Peace Bear" with the promise. I kept it in a clear display box with a tag protector for years. It did not, in fact, pay for any college tuition.
    via beard_lover
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    TonyzTone Someone is listing it on eBay for $20,000. Putting aside the fact that it will never actually sell at that price, even if it did, that's like half a year of college. Even at the height of the Beanie Baby craze, the most expensive couldn't pay for college of any millennials.
    via TonyzTone
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    weinthenolababy. I recently got back into collecting Beanie Babies, it's super fun! But there's S000000000 much misinformation and clickbait floating around about them. To start with, Princess is one of the most common Beanies ever. Everybody and their
    via weinthenolababy
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    mother had one, because it was super hyped. Just on the basis of supply and demand, they're not gonna be worth much... There are a couple versions
    via weinthenolababy
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    of Princess that can fetch a higher price (think $150-200, not much) but they are, well, pretty rare. But the vast majority of them are going to be the common versions that are about $5-10.
    via weinthenolababy
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    ItsJustMeJenn That tag has a wrinkle. My aunt would tell you to basically [get lost] because you ruined your retirement.
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    Guachole The listing's for this online are crazy, they go from $16 to $250,000, and the expensive ones claim to be rare with errors, but have the exact same "errors" as the cheap ones. So, depends if you find a rube to buy it i guess lol
    via Guachole
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    Whatyourname We found 1 cleaning out my childhood bedroom. And I immediately went to eBay and the range was $10-$750,000 then. I just threw it in my kids stuffed animals basket lol
    via Whaty0urname
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    giraffemoo I got one from a garage sale, the person was selling a bunch of em. I asked if she wanted more for this one, she just laughed. I think I pad $1 for it. It's only worth money if you can get someone to pay that kind of money for it. Otherwise it's not worth much.
    via giraffemoo
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    Wendigo 6 I sold a 55 gallon drum of them to some woman when I was trying to by an engagement ring. This woman had a ton of grandkids and she said they all loved beanie babies. So she gave them out as presents. I think she offered $5/animal and I had 100.
    via Wendigo_6
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    I might be the most successful beanie baby investor ever. My wife (the one I sold my beanie babies for) gave our kid her beanie babies and briefly cringed when he ripped a tag off. Then we laughed.
    via Wendigo_6
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    KookyWait It's like an NFT, except it has mass and a child might enjoy playing with it
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    New-Tale4197 My mom recently shipped me a box of "stuff" that she held on to for me. I opened said box and it was all my TY that I was not able to look at when I was younger lol still with tag protectors, heck
    via New-Tale4197
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    some were still in the plastic case she kept them in. Dumped them all on my daughter bed and told her to do what she wants. Immediately ripped all the tags off and threw them up in her bear hammock on the
    via New-Tale4197
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    ceiling. Sent a pic to my mom told her thanks my daughter loved them. I guess she thought I was supposed to keep them safe until I get her china cabinet lmao
    via New-Tale4197

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millennial millennial humor elder millennial boomer millennials lol beanie baby baby boomers boomers Reddit funny beanies princess diana Reality Check millennial-nostalgia
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