Slither the Snake Beanie Baby

Slither was the first snake Ty made, one of the 1994 releases, and retired within a year. He has no birthday and no poem, and he is found with only a first generation tush tag.

Slither has been counterfeited, and the body shape is the quickest check. An authentic Slither has a wavy body. The counterfeit lies straight, with no curve to it, and it is about three inches shorter. The yellow on a fake belly is darker than it should be, and the eyes are larger.

The tongue needs care. A counterfeit tongue is shorter and more sharply forked than a genuine one. That said, authentic Slithers have turned up with a counterfeit or replacement tongue attached after the original came loose or was lost, so a wrong tongue on an otherwise right snake is not proof of a fake.