Millennium the Bear

Millennium is a pink bear made to mark the year 2000, embroidered with a globe across the chest and a copper-colored ribbon around the neck. He came in two ribbon finishes, ribbed and sheer, and both turn up under two different name spellings on the tag.

Five documented tag combinations exist, mixing the 'Millenium' misspelling, which drops the second n, a 'Gasport' printing error, and either ribbon finish. Only one of the five spells his name correctly on both tags, and that version still carries the Gasport error.

He was a stadium giveaway toward the end of his run. Every child fourteen and under received one at a New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins game in August 1999, and 40,000 more went out at a Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game that September. Ty also donated him to the Special Olympics in 1999, and he made the cover of Bean Mania magazine that November.

Counterfeits are common enough to check for. A fake Millennium runs duller than the bright, rosy pink of the real bear, in fabric that feels coarser and shorter than the genuine plush. The embroidered globe on a counterfeit is too light, where an authentic one is a darker teal blue, and the eyes sit at or near the facial seam instead of further away from it. A counterfeit is also missing the copper-colored ribbon around the neck entirely.

Millennium the Bear was the McHappy Day box release in the 2000 McDonald's Teenie Beanie Babies promotion, sold separately from the 18 numbered Happy Meal bags and the other special groups that year. Millennium'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 box alone does not create much value. A separate crew-exclusive tag and packaging variation of Millennium also exists and is documented apart from this public release.