Princess is recognizable by her purple fabric and white rose, but two similar-looking bears can carry different tags. Those small details help place your bear within its production history.
Start with the inside of the paper heart and both sides of the sewn label. This guide shows which details to record, how to compare them, and what to do when a tag is missing.
How the different versions developed
Ty introduced Princess in October 1997. An initial restriction on retailer orders helped create the impression of a limited release, but production continued beyond those first shipments. The early demand is part of Princess’s history; it does not establish the rarity of an individual bear today.
Princess was produced in China and Indonesia. The tag text also changed: collectors compare the layout inside the swing tag and the P.V.C. or P.E. pellet wording on the tush tag. Read these details together.
The three clues that define a Princess version
- Swing tag layout: "no-space" or "space." This refers to the spacing of the last four lines of text on the right inside of the swing tag. The no-space tag was attached to bears from the first China production period and some early Indonesia production. A "first edition" Princess must have the no-space swing tag.
- Country on the tush tag: China or Indonesia.
- Pellet wording: record P.V.C. or P.E. exactly as printed. The wording helps identify a tag combination. It does not, by itself, establish which bear was manufactured first.
Some bears also carry an extra Canadian customs tush tag, and two smaller printing sub-versions exist on China "space" tags: one with the "Gasport" misprint on the swing tag and one with a factory number printed inside the tush tag.
The Princess version matrix
Use these combinations as a starting point. The linked character records provide more detail, including photographs where available.
| Made in | Swing tag | Tush tag pellets | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No-space | P.V.C. | Princess (PVC, China, no space) |
| China | No-space | P.E. | Princess (PE, China, no space) |
| Indonesia | No-space | P.V.C. | Princess (PVC, Indonesia, no space) |
| Indonesia | No-space | P.V.C. with Canadian customs tag | Princess (PVC, Indonesia, no space, Canadian tush tag) |
| Indonesia | No-space | P.E. | Princess (PE, Indonesia, no space) |
| Indonesia | No-space | P.E. with Canadian customs tag | Princess (PE, Indonesia, no space, Canadian tush tag) |
| Indonesia | Space | P.E. | Princess (PE, Indonesia, space) |
| China | Space | P.E. | Princess (PE, China, space) |
An Indonesia “space” swing tag with a P.V.C. tush tag needs further research. Ty Collector suggests a replaced swing tag as one possible explanation, but says the origin of this combination is unresolved. It should not be presented as a proven production run or a proven alteration from the tag pairing alone.
Common tag wording and claimed errors
“Space” and “no-space” describe tag layouts. “Oakbrook” also appears as normal printed wording on Ty tags. Record these details accurately, but a familiar spelling or layout is not enough to establish scarcity.
Our guide to Beanie Baby errors and value myths explains how to distinguish a common printed detail from a documented variation.
Reading an additional Canadian tag
Some Princess bears have an additional Canadian customs tag. Photograph it along with the other tags and include it in your description. When researching value, compare the same country, swing-tag layout and pellet wording; an extra tag does not carry one fixed premium across every version.
Make a record of your bear
- Photograph the swing tag front and inside.
- Photograph both sides of the tush tag.
- Read the inside of the swing tag and note the spacing of the last four lines: space or no-space.
- Note the country and the pellet text on the tush tag.
- Find the closest combination in the table and follow its character record for more detail.
Without the swing tag, you can still recognize Princess and record the surviving tush-tag details. The missing tag may prevent a precise version match and can affect collector demand, but the bear remains part of the collection. Our tag identification guide and how to identify a Beanie without its hang tag explain the next checks.
When the evidence is incomplete
- If the inside of the swing tag is not visible, request a clear photograph before assigning a layout.
- If the country or pellet wording is unreadable, leave that part of the identification open.
- Use photographs of the actual bear when comparing a seller’s description with a reference.
- If a combination is unfamiliar, document it and seek a specialist comparison before calling it a new variation.
Researching value
Our Market Tracker includes Princess the Bear and Princess the Bear (Indonesia). Use their sale records as starting points, then inspect individual listings for the tag combination and condition that match your bear.
A displayed sold result is not always a verified payment amount, particularly when an accepted offer is undisclosed. Compare several relevant sales and record uncertainty instead of relying on the highest number.
Continue exploring
- Princess the Bear on the Market Tracker
- Beanie Baby tag identification: swing and tush tags
- Beanie Baby errors and value myths
- How to spot a fake Beanie Baby