Bronty the Brontosaurus Beanie Baby

Bronty is one of three dinosaurs Ty introduced together in June 1995, alongside Rex and Steg, and he lasted only a year. His tie-dyed fabric is shared with Sting the stingray, so colour alone will not identify either of them.

One rule does most of the work when authenticating a Bronty. A genuine one carries the copyright year 1995 on the tush tag, and any other year means a counterfeit, without exception.

Beyond that, fakes tend to be paler than the real tie-dye, shorter in the body, and wrong in the back, which should slant downward rather than sway. The head shape gives others away, with the mouth line sitting at an angle where it should run horizontal to the ground, and eyes placed too high. Bronty must also be a shade of blue: a rust-coloured one, sometimes sold with a Rex swing tag, is not a variation.