Back during the peak of Beanie Baby Collecting, Maple was the Beanie I wanted most. I had an amazing collection as a kid, but Maple was another level.
At the time, you’d need $300-350 to buy a Maple. Prices were high because they were never available outside of Canada.
Fast forward about 25 years and I found one at a sports card show in a mall for $1.00. Times have changed.
Maple, a beloved Beanie Baby, made its debut on January 1st, 1997, with a birthday set on July 1st, 1996. After gracing collections for several years, Maple was retired on July 30th, 1999.
Notably, Maple holds the distinction of being the inaugural country-exclusive bear outside the USA. It was the perfect scarcity tactic from Ty Warner and his team. Everyone valued Bears higher than other animals. Everyone valued country-related Beanies higher than others (Libearty, Righty, Lefty were super expensive and super popular).
With a strong Canadian market north of Ty’s Illinois HQ, this was an absolute slam dunk. Maple was and still is one of the coolest Beanie Babies of all time. The clean white Beanie and the Red Canadian flag just looks so good with the Red Ty Heart.
Poem:
Maple the bear’s joy is skiing down slopes,
Hockey with friends, where excitement elopes.
He relishes pancakes, devouring each crumb,
Can you tell from which country he’s from?
| Birthday | 07/01/96 |
| Intro Date | 01/01/97 |
| Retired Date | 07/30/99 |
Maple is handmade in either Indonesia or China, both accompanied by a Canadian tush tag since it’s a Canada exclusive. Additionally, Maple has been discovered as handmade in Indonesia with a Canadian tush tag on certain 5th Generation hang tag Beanies.
Maple Pride & Special Olympic Variations
Interestingly, Maple was initially intended to be named Pride, as indicated by some bears having the name Pride on their tush tags, particularly those accompanied by a 4th generation swing tag. These are one of the very few 4th generation (or newer) Beanies that are still worth something today!
This isn’t the only Maple variant out there. A very limited number of specially tagged Special Olympic Maple Bears were produced. This is actually an unofficial promotion – basically post-retail they added the Special Olympics tag for a cool commemorative giveaway at the Special Olympics.
How Much Is My Maple The Canadian Bear Beanie Baby Worth?
Unless you have one of the variations above, you’re looking at a basic common here with no collectible / resale value. “Pride” tush tag variations can sell for up to $400 and is one of only a couple 4th generation Beanies worth anything.
