The Ernie Clip: Small, Portable, and Worth Buying Twice

Some toys stay home. This one is built to travel.

The Ty Beanie Babies Sesame Street Ernie Clip is a mini plush with Ernie's cheeky grin, made to attach to a school bag, a pencil case, a pram or a set of keys. He is officially Sesame Street licensed, stands approximately 14 cm tall, and costs $6.99. Collect him with Bert and you have the full double act.

One detail worth knowing: the clips on Australian Beanie Babies are metal, not the plastic shown in some product photographs. Metal is the better outcome. It is stronger, it lasts longer, and it holds on properly.

Now for the honest advice we give about any clip-on plush: if it becomes a favourite, buy two.

Here is why. A clip toy lives its whole life out in the world. It rides on the outside of the school bag. It swings from the pram through the shopping centre. It sees more of your suburb than most of the family does. And even a good metal clip can be unclipped by small curious fingers, or catch on something, and the day ends with a bag that looks strangely bare.

We have heard the story many times. The bag comes home. Ernie does not. Retracing the walk to school in the dark is nobody's idea of a good evening.

At $6.99, a spare Ernie in the drawer is cheap insurance against a big sad. If the original stays safe, wonderful, you now have one for the bag and one for the bookshelf, or a ready-made gift for a little mate. Nothing is wasted.

Clip toys also make brilliant party favours and stocking fillers. Small enough to post, loved enough to matter.

Beanie Boos Australia is locally owned and family run. Everything we sell is genuine Ty, brand new, sourced through Ty's authorised Australian distributor.

Find Ernie, and his understudy, at www.beanieboosaustralia.com.