But this was only the start of its success as the 'beanie babies craze' came 10 months later, with eBay saying: "Beanie Babies, Ty Warner’s line of cuddly stuffed animals, take the world by storm.

Adults began compulsively buying Beanie Babies in anticipation of them reselling for thousands of dollars on the secondary market. In 1997, eBay had auctioned off $500 million worth of the plush ...