Boos, Babies, Bellies and Bouncers: a quick guide to the Ty family

New customers often arrive here at www.beanieboosaustralia.com knowing exactly one thing: the child in their life wants "a Beanie". Fair enough. Ty makes several ranges and the names are confusingly similar, so here is the two minute version.

Beanie Boos are the famous ones, the big sparkly eyes that started the modern craze. The regular size sits around 15 centimetres, perfect for small hands and pocket money prices. Most characters also come in a medium size of roughly 23 centimetres, and some favourites in a large size closer to 40 centimetres, which make terrific bedroom companions and team mascots. Clip versions with a loop for attaching to school bags exist too, and they are the number one choice for kids who want their Boo with them everywhere.

Beanie Babies are the originals, the line that made Ty famous in the 1990s. Softer, floppier and understuffed by design, with normal sized eyes. Many parents buying them now collected them as kids, which we think is rather lovely.

Beanie Bellies are the newer cousins, with a distinctive rounded, squishy belly that makes them very satisfying to hold. If the recipient is more of a hugger than a collector, start here.

Beanie Bouncers are the wildcard: plush you can actually bounce. They are exactly as fun as they sound, and a good pick for kids who are rough on their toys.

On top of all that sit the licensed ranges, with characters from Bluey, Disney, Marvel, Minions and My Little Pony across the different lines.

Whatever you pick, it arrives brand new and genuine, at RRP, from an Australian family business. And if the child in your life said "a Beanie" and nothing more, a gift card solves everything.