Teenie Beanie guide

McDonald's Teenie Beanie Babies: The Complete 1997–2000 U.S. Guide

by Millennial Daydreams Updated

Explore the classic 1997–2000 U.S. Teenie Beanie collections, with numbered checklists, special groups and practical clues for loose toys and surviving packaging.

The first McDonald’s Teenie Beanies brought familiar Ty animals into Happy Meals in miniature. New U.S. collections followed in 1998, 1999 and 2000, adding more characters and several special groups.

Use this guide to find the promotion you remember or identify a toy you still have. The checklists cover the four classic U.S. releases; packaging and rosters can differ in other countries.

What makes a Teenie Beanie different?

A Teenie Beanie is a miniature promotional release created for McDonald's under Ty license. U.S. examples were commonly distributed in printed plastic bags; some later special groups came in cardboard packaging instead. The package, sewn label, size, character and year all help identify the exact release.

The same character can exist as both a Teenie and a regular Beanie Baby. Peanut the Elephant, Zip the Cat and Twigs the Giraffe are good examples. Shared names do not make the toys interchangeable: each format has its own construction, packaging and collector record.

Compare Teenie Beanies with regular Beanie Babies

1997: the first U.S. Teenie Beanie promotion

The first promotion began on April 11, 1997 and was originally planned as a five-week campaign ending May 15. Demand exhausted many restaurant supplies almost immediately. Collector documentation records a public announcement on April 20 and an early end on April 25.

McDonald's ordered 100 million toys, 10 million of each of the 10 characters, according to Ty Collector's promotion history. The toys came in clear plastic bags and were planned as two character introductions per week.

Complete 1997 numbered checklist

A bag number identifies a toy within that promotion. Check the year’s printed design before using the number to find a character.

Browse the 1997 toy records

1998: 12 numbered animals

The second U.S. promotion ran from May 22 through June 18, 1998. It expanded the main assortment to 12 animals. Ty Collector reports that McDonald's ordered 240 million toys, 20 million of each character, after the extraordinary response to the previous year.

The 1998 bags were clear with printing in assorted colors. This year contains several characters that are frequently confused with full-size releases, including Peanut, Zip and Twigs.

Complete 1998 numbered checklist

Browse the 1998 toy records

1999: 12 animals plus the International Bears

The 1999 promotion ran from May 21 through June 17. Its structure matters: the first phase offered 12 numbered animals from May 21 through June 3. A second phase offered four International Bears, Britannia, Erin, Glory and Maple, from June 3 through June 17 with a food purchase. Those bears used cardboard presentation packaging rather than numbers in the 12-bag sequence.

A separate Glory was presented to McDonald's crew members. The plush matched the public Glory, but the swing tag differed, so the tag, not merely the bear, is the distinguishing evidence.

Complete 1999 numbered animal checklist

1999 International Bears and crew item

  • Britannia the Bear , public cardboard package
  • Erin the Bear , public cardboard package
  • Glory the Bear , public cardboard package
  • Maple the Bear , public cardboard package
  • Glory the Bear , crew-tag variation

Browse the 1999 toy records

2000: a multi-phase, 32-toy promotion

The 2000 promotion included several phases rather than one numbered assortment. Collector records list 32 public-release toys across the extended campaign, plus a separate Millennium crew item.

The core Happy Meal phase used 18 numbered bags organized into Pet Pals, Garden Bunch, At the Zoo, Under the Sea and Top Secret. The two Top Secret toys arrived June 29. Special groups, including the Dinosaur Trio, International Bears II, Legends, The End and the later USA Trio, used boxes or other packaging without numbers in the 18-bag sequence.

2000 numbered Happy Meal bags

2000 special public releases without bag numbers

  • Millennium the Bear , McHappy Day box
  • Bronty , Dinosaur Trio
  • Rex , Dinosaur Trio
  • Steg , Dinosaur Trio
  • Germania , International Bears II
  • Osito , International Bears II
  • Spangle , International Bears II
  • Chilly , Legends
  • Humphrey , Legends
  • Peanut the Elephant , royal blue, Legends
  • The End the Bear , Superstar release
  • Lefty the Donkey , USA Trio
  • Righty the Elephant , USA Trio
  • Libearty the Bear , USA Trio

2000 employee item

  • Millennium the Bear , crew-exclusive tag/packaging variation

Browse the 2000 toy records

How to identify an opened Teenie Beanie

1. Establish the format

Confirm that the toy is miniature and matches Teenie construction. Do not decide from the Ty heart tag alone; both promotional and retail items can carry Ty branding.

2. Identify the character visually

Compare the animal, fabric colors, markings, limb shape, ears, tail and embroidered details with verified photographs. Tie-dyed plush can vary from toy to toy, so use construction as well as exact color placement.

3. Read the sewn label

Photograph both sides. Manufacturer, licensing and regional wording can separate a U.S. toy from a Canadian or other international release. A cut or faded label reduces certainty but does not automatically mean the toy is counterfeit.

4. Match any surviving packaging

Verify that the character agrees with the printed name, number, category and year. Loose bags can be paired with the wrong plush by accident or by a reseller.

5. State uncertainty honestly

If several releases remain possible, record the closest matches and the details that are missing. A likely character identification can still be useful without a precise release claim.

What packaging details matter?

For the numbered assortments, the bag is part of the historical record. Look for the printed number, character information, promotion design and intact seams. For the 1999 bears and many 2000 specials, use the correct cardboard presentation rather than trying to assign a missing bag number.

Packaging condition affects collecting interest, but a wrinkled or opened bag does not change which release the toy is. Record toy condition and package condition separately.

Are Teenie Beanie Babies valuable?

The exact release, packaging and condition determine which sales are useful comparisons. Document special tags or employee packaging carefully, since the bear alone may look like a public-release example.

Use recent sold listings for the same release and condition. Do not treat an unsold asking price, a common copyright date or a generic "tag error" as proof of value.

What about upcycled Teenie Beanie bag charms?

An upcycled charm begins with a genuine vintage Teenie Beanie but adds modern attachment hardware. It is therefore an altered accessory, not a mint or untouched collectible. Millennial Daydreams preserves surviving Ty tags when practical and clearly distinguishes the new gold-tone hardware from the original toy.

Learn how vintage toy bag charms are made

Browse Teenie Beanie bag charms

Continue exploring

Sources and verification note

Promotion dates, order volumes, rosters, bag numbers and special-release structure from Ty Collector's McDonald's promotion documentation and its year records for 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000, with McDonald's own retrospective for corporate history. Corrections are welcome via the contact page.

Editorially revised September 8, 2026.