Sparky the Beanie Baby Value & Tag Guide

Release facts

Animal

Dalmatian

Category

Animals

Introduced

1996

Ty style number

4102

Ty birth date

Feb 27, 1996

Catalogue

Curated original era (1993–1999)

Collector note: Retired early and replaced by Dotty; harder to find.

Documented sold prices

No completed sales are on file for Sparky yet. We only publish sales we have actually recorded, so this section stays empty rather than filling up with asking prices. See price trends for beanies that do have a sales record.

Sparky for sale on BeanieXchange

These are asking prices on current listings, not sale prices. They are what sellers want today; the section above is what buyers have paid.

• Sparky

  $15.00 · MWMT — Mint With Mint Tags

• Ty Beanie Baby Sparky the Dalmatian 1996 Style #4102 Rare Retired

  $29.00 · Good vintage condition — full photos coming soon

Which tag generation should Sparky have?

Sparky was introduced in 1996, so the earliest swing tag it can legitimately carry is a 3rd generation tag. Later generations are normal — popular beanies stayed in production for years — but an earlier generation than the release means a swapped tag, a misidentified beanie, or a fake.

• 3rd generation (current on new releases 1995–1996)Release tag

  A gold star appears on the front and the 'ty' letters become rounder and fatter.

• 4th generation (current on new releases 1996–1997)

  The star reads 'BEANIE ORIGINAL BABY' and the inside gains the beanie's birth date and its poem.

• 5th generation (current on new releases 1998–1999)

  Narrower 'ty' lettering and a slimmer typeface inside; the Ty web address is referenced.

• 6th generation (current on new releases 1999–2000)

  A holographic/foil star in place of the flat gold one.

• 7th generation and later (current on new releases 2000 onward)

  Post-2000 tag styles, including the later hologram and authenticator variants.

Tag-generation year windows are collector consensus and overlap at the edges, because Ty changed tags mid-production run. The physical tag is always the authority — and before you pay a premium for an “error” tag, read which tag errors actually matter.

How to spot a fake Sparky

• Tag generation vs. release year. Sparky was introduced in 1996, so the earliest swing tag it can legitimately carry is a 3rd generation tag. An example offered with an earlier-generation tag has had a tag swapped onto it, is a different beanie, or is fake.
• Pellet type. Ty used PVC pellets on early production and switched to PE pellets around 1998. A pre-1998 release that is filled with PE pellets is a later run at best — it is not the early example its tag may claim to be.
• Style number. The tush tag and the inside of the swing tag should both read style 4102. A mismatch between the two tags is one of the most common fake tells.
• Birth date. The inside of a 4th-generation or later tag should read Feb 27, 1996. Fakes frequently get the poem right and the date wrong.
• Tag print quality. Genuine swing tags are printed on stiff, glossy card with crisp edges on the star and clean, evenly spaced type. Fuzzy edges, bleeding ink, or type that sits at a slight angle are reprint tells.
• Tush tag. Check the font weight and spacing, the position of the ® and ™ marks, and that the stated country of manufacture is one Ty actually used for this era.
• Documented errors only. Tag misspellings are only valuable when they are a known, documented Ty error. An undocumented 'error' is far more likely to be a counterfeiter's mistake than a find.
• Construction. Seams should be machine-stitched, tight and even, with symmetric eye and nose placement and no glue. Loose or glued features are a strong fake signal.
• Fabric and color. Over-bright, over-fuzzy, or plasticky fabric on a supposed 1990s release usually means a modern reproduction.

Checks that need the item in hand are exactly what our authentication process performs. More background in the rarity guide and beanie info.