The History of Ty - Key Moments from the Toy Giant

Published on 5th July 2023 by Jimmy Bennett

Ty is one of the biggest names in soft toys, loved by children and adults all over the world for their range of plush animals. Established in the 1980’s the brand has evolved from humble beginnings into a massive business with countless lines of products.

With so many stand-out moments in Ty’s history that paved the way for future success, we have picked out some of the key events that shaped what the company would become.

1986 - Established by Ty Warner

Ty Warner came from humble beginnings, born in a suburb of Chicago. In the early 1980s, he moved to California where he had aspirations of becoming an actor. However, this proved unsuccessful, and he moved back to his home city of Chicago after a few years. Having given up on his dreams of acting, he began working as a soft toy salesman, something he excelled at.

After a few years of success, Ty made a momentous decision. He mortgaged his house, withdrew his life savings and invested everything he had into starting his own toy business. He named the business after himself, calling the company Ty Inc. and began with a line of soft toy cats. This was the start of what would grow into one of the biggest toy companies in the world.

1993 - The Arrival of Beanie Babies

The company had a successful start, with Ty proving a whizz when it came to marketing and sales. 1993 was a landmark year for the company, however, and would elevate the business to new heights. It was in this year that Ty decided to launch a new product range: Beanie Babies.

Small soft toys shaped like animals, there were originally 9 Beanie Babies. These original 9 designs are now worth thousands second-hand, being collectable items. Beanie Babies were a massive success, aided by Ty’s unique approach to them. Instead of flooding mass retailers with them, he sold them to independent toy stores in limited supply, creating a sensation.

1995 - Ty Goes Online

Beanie Babies proved a massive boost to Ty, but in 1995, a new direction was decided upon to capitalise on the success. In the mid 90’s the internet was still very young, with less than 15% of people in the US having access. This was also a time before direct-to-consumer websites for companies, something that Ty would change.

Ty was approached by an employee called Lena Trivedi, who had been using the internet for University research. She approached Ty with the idea of creating a website for the company where people could find information on products. Impressed with the idea, he gave the go-ahead for the website to be created. It launched in late 1995 and would pay off massively for the company over the next few years as the internet became exponentially more popular.

1997 - Ty and McDonald’s

In 1997, Ty was looking for new ways to market their products. McDonald’s had already done a number of cross-promotional tie-ins by this point, and Ty thought they’d be a great fit for the company. A deal was made whereby Beanie Boos and Beanie Babies would be the toy that accompanied Happy Meals.

It was another stellar success for Ty, becoming the most popular line of Happy Meal toys ever. These toys are massive collector's items to this day, worth hundreds second-hand.

1999 - The End of Beanie Babies

Ty did something completely unexpected as the millennium drew to a close. They announced that Beanie Babies were being discontinued at the end of the year. Fans of Beanie Babies all over the world were shocked by the news, and everyone rushed to make sure they got one while they still could.

But, for those who loved the adorable soft toys, there was hope.

2008 - Beanie Babies 2.0

Some things are too good to be left behind. In 2008, Ty briefly revived the Beanie Babies name with a new line of toys. These became Beanie Babies 2.0 and allowed a whole new generation of children to fall in love with the toys.

2023 - Retro Beanies

Here we are in 2023 and Ty is as popular as ever. With Beanie Boos and Squishy Beanies added to the mix, there’s more to love than ever before. However, Ty have also gone back to their roots with their line of Retro Beanies.

These Beanies recreate the original 9 Beanie Babies that were first released back in 1986. They’re a great item for collectors looking to add some Beanies to their collection that would otherwise cost thousands to get their hands on the originals. With Peanut, Snort and Squealer, there’s something for everyone to get a hold of.