TY Beanie Babies and all their different incarnations are made by the private US company Ty, Inc., named after their founder, Ty Warner. He initially worked as a salesman for a toy manufacturer for 18 years; he left in 1980 and in 1986 Ty, Inc. was born. Ty was unique in his initial vision, marketing techniques and in the way he looks after his employees. All Beanies are handmade and were the first to have special names, so that kids could easily identify with them. It gave great scope for expanding the product range. Over time, Ty created special editions which were fund raisers;

• in 2001 'America Bear' was launched with 100 per cent of profit from sales going to the Disaster Relief Fund of the American Red Cross, in honour of the victims of the terrible events of September 11, 2001.
• The specially designed 'Princess Bear' raised more than 15 million US dollars for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.
• Beanies were donated to refugee children in Kosovo.
• In 1999 Ty declared all Beanies were to be discontinued at the end of that year. However, he then set up a vote for the general public to have a say on whether or not Beanies should continue to be produced. The answer was overwhelmingly "Yes!" The genius idea behind this was to charge 50 cents per vote, the proceeds of which were donated to the Elisabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation.
• Since 2005, Ty has donated 100 million US dollars to the Children's Hunger Fund.
• Closer to home, in 1988, just two years after Beanies were born, all 300 current employees of the company were given a bonus equal to their annual salary.

Our recommendations for cleaning Beanie Boos and Ty plush products. The iconic Ty heart tag instructs parents and kids to “surface clean” only. This means spot cleaning the blemished area of the plush toy will be your best bet to restore the Beanie Boo. Here are our recommended suggestions to refresh your youngster’s Ty plush. *Caution: We always advise that you first test out any of these cleaning tactics on a tiny spot that is not quite as visible to see how the plush Beanie handles it.

• Baby Wipes - If you have baby wipes on hand, gently wipe the soiled area. Dabbing it and softly rubbing the dirty spot may clean the Beanie or toy plush.
• Cold Washcloth - Grab a washcloth or a paper towel, and run it under cold water. Wring the cloth out, and blot it on the smeared spot until the stain comes off.
• Stain Remover Pen - If using only water to remove the blemish didn’t do the trick, you can try using a Stain Remover pen. Apply the concentrated stain remover to the tarnished area, and use a wet cloth to lift the stain.
• Baking Soda - You probably have some baking soda around, whether for freshness or baking. Use a small amount of baking soda if the stain is particularly greasy as it will help absorb the oil. Then, spot clean with a damp cloth.
• Handwash - Use soap and cool water if the entire Beanie Boo is tarnished. Let the Ty plush air dry, and then use a soft bristled brush to fluff out the fur.
• Vacuum - If the Beanie or Ty plush was dropped in dirt outside or a sandbox, start by vacuuming what you can. Then, try any of the cleaning methods above.
• Air Dry - No matter which way you spot clean the Ty plush, you want to make sure it air drys. You can start by using a towel to pat the plush animal dry to absorb some of the excess water.