Lefty the Donkey

Lefty is a donkey introduced during a presidential election year and named for the Democratic party, with Righty the elephant released alongside him for the Republicans. The two share a poem and a style number, the only pair in the line to do either.

He shares fabric with Crunch, style 4130, and Scoop, style 4107. Documented oddities include an upside-down USA flag on the chest, a Lefty missing the flag entirely, and looped rather than straight yarn in the mane and tail.

Lefty retired within about six months of release, one of the shortest runs of any Beanie Baby, which keeps demand for him steady. Counterfeit versions are known to carry a swing tag with the wrong birthday and misspelled words in the poem, so both are worth reading closely before buying.

Lefty the Donkey was one of the USA Trio group in the 2000 McDonald's Teenie Beanie Babies promotion, sold in its own presentation rather than one of the 18 numbered Happy Meal bags. Lefty's Teenie carries McDonald's branded tags rather than Ty's heart tag, and like the rest of the 2000 set, it was produced in large numbers, so a sealed example alone does not create much value.