Beanie Babies were $5 plush toys that briefly traded like a stock.
Ty Warner introduced the toys in 1993 and shipped small quantities, so shops kept selling out. Then he began “retiring” designs, announcing that certain Beanies would never be made again, and collectors hoarded them as scarce assets. In 1998 his own income before tax came to about $700 million, more than Mattel and Hasbro earned combined.
Beanie Babies on Brandseum