Princess Diana Beanie Baby
Year First Appeared
1997
Creator
Ty Warner
A royal purple Ty Beanie Baby bear named Princess, featuring a purple satin ribbon and an embroidered white rose on its chest, released in October 1997 to honor Princess Diana. Proceeds from its sale were donated to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.
Importance in Internet Culture
During the rise of person‑to‑person commerce, Princess became an emblem of the eBay boom; Ty’s 1998 IPO filing highlighted over 30, 000 simultaneous Beanie Baby auctions, illustrating how viral scarcity could drive massive online trading activity.
Interesting Fact
Although often thought to be extremely rare, production of Princess continued until April 1999 and the toy generated a documented $21.88 million for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, making it one of the most lucrative charity plush toys ever made.