Forced Retirements

Some beanie babies were forced into their retirement earlier than Ty had planned for various reasons, including legal orders.

Roary the lion

Roary the Beanie Baby was the first Beanie Baby lion made by Ty. It was produced from May 1997 through December 1998. Shortly before Roary retired, a federal judge ruled that its name violated the rights of the Imperial Toy Corporation, which produced a similar plush lion named Roarie, and therefore, its production must stop.[7] Eventually, Roary's look and personality were re-released in 2000 as Bushy the Beanie Baby.

[edit] Tabasco the bull
"Tabasco" is also the trademarked name given by the Tabasco sauce company. Because of this, Tabasco the Beanie Baby was retired to avoid lawsuits by the company that makes Tabasco sauce. Tabasco is one of the first post-Spring 1996 beanies to be prematurely retired, when its replacement, Snort, was introduced to take its place.

[edit] Doodle the rooster
Doodle the Beanie Baby was renamed Strut the rooster due to a lawsuit that was filed by Chick-fil-A. Strut was made to look identical. Unlike Dotty and Snort the Beanie Babies, no design change accompanied his introduction.

[edit] Sparky the dalmatian
Sparky the Beanie Baby was retired because "Sparky" was the trademarked name and mascot of the National Fire Protection Association. It was officially out of production when Dotty the Beanie Baby was introduced to take its place.

[edit] Chops the lamb
Chops the Beanie Baby was the first lamb produced. It was retired one year after its release, apparently due to complaints about the late Shari Lewis ' popular puppet, Lamb Chop. If you have one of these, hold on to it.