If you spent any time in the late nineties hovering around Hallmark stores or flipping through price guides, you know the drill. A birthday was more than just a date; it was a status symbol. Ty Warner was a master of this. By giving every plush toy a specific birth date on its "tush tag" or swing tag, he turned toys into personal connections. But the August 10th Beanie Baby is a bit of a specific rabbit hole. Specifically, we’re talking about Slither the Snake.
Slither isn't your average Beanie. He’s a multi-colored, long-bodied plush that debuted during the height of the craze. He wasn't one of the "Original Nine," but he holds a weirdly specific place in the hearts of people born on that mid-August day. Why? Because for a certain generation, owning the Beanie that shared your birthday was basically a legal requirement of childhood. Honestly, it was a genius marketing move. It made the toys feel like they belonged to us.
What's the Deal with Slither?
Slither was officially released on May 11, 1997. He’s about 14 inches long. His birthday? August 10, 1996. That date is printed right there inside the heart-shaped tag.
The poem inside Slither’s tag reads:
Slither thirsts for a drink of water
He's a snake, that's what he ought-er
He'll drink his fill and then he's through
He'd like to take a nap with you!
That pun—"ought-er"—is quintessential Ty. It’s cheesy. It’s a little bit forced. But that was the brand. Now, if you're looking for an August 10th Beanie Baby and you find a snake with a different birthday, you've probably found a knock-off or a very rare error. Errors are the holy grail for some collectors, but for Slither, the August 10th date is the standard. It’s what defines him.
He stayed in production until his retirement on December 31, 1998. That eighteen-month window is pretty standard for the "Golden Age" of Beanies. He’s made of a specific tie-dye fabric, which means no two Slithers look exactly the same. Some are mostly green and yellow. Others have heavy splashes of red or blue. This "uniqueness" was another hook Ty used to keep us buying. You didn't just want a Slither; you wanted the coolest Slither.
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Is the August 10th Beanie Baby Actually Worth Anything?
Let’s get real for a second. We all remember the stories. People thought these things were going to fund their kids' college tuition. There were literal divorce court photos of couples dividing up their Beanie Baby piles on the floor. It was madness.
The truth about the August 10th Beanie Baby value is a bit of a reality check. Slither is not the "Royal Blue Peanut" or the "Chef Robuchon." He’s a common Beanie. If you go on eBay right now, you’ll see listings for Slither ranging from $5 to $5,000.
Don't be fooled.
Those $5,000 listings are usually what the collecting community calls "money laundering" or just "hopeful thinking." A standard Slither the Snake with an August 10th birthday, in mint condition with a tag protector, usually sells for about $7 to $15. If it’s authenticated by a service like PBP (Peggy Gallagher) or True Blue Beans, it might fetch a bit more, maybe $30 or $40 if it’s a "museum quality" early generation tag.
Why the High Price Tags Exist
You'll see people screaming about "rare errors" in the item descriptions. They'll point out a space between the last word of the poem and the exclamation point. Or they'll mention the "Oak Brook, IL" typo (which isn't actually a typo, it's just how the town name is spelled, but people thought the lack of a comma was a fortune-making mistake).
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Basically, unless your August 10th Beanie has a very specific, verified manufacturing defect—like a missing tongue or a completely different animal's tag—it's mostly a sentimental piece.
Other August 10th Connections
While Slither is the primary "birthday boy" for this date, some people get confused by the release dates. Beanie Babies didn't always ship on their birthdays. Sometimes a new wave would hit stores on August 10th, leading people to associate the date with other characters.
But if we're talking about the official birthday assigned by Ty Inc., it's Slither.
It’s also worth noting that the Beanie Baby world is huge. You have Beanie Buddies (the bigger ones), Beanie Boos (the big-eyed ones), and Teenie Beanies (the McDonald's ones). If you’re hunting for a birthday gift for someone born on August 10th, stick to the original "Beanie Baby" line. The nostalgia hits harder there.
Spotting a Fake Slither
Since the August 10th Beanie Baby isn't worth thousands, you don't see as many high-quality fakes as you do with, say, Princess the Bear. However, during the 90s, the market was flooded with "knock-offs."
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- The Fabric Feel: Real Slither fabric is soft, high-quality plush. Fakes often feel "crunchy" or cheap.
- The Tag Color: The red on a real Ty heart tag is vibrant. Fakes often look a bit orange or faded.
- The "i" on the Tush Tag: On real Beanies, the "i" in the word "Ty" on the tush tag usually has a circle instead of a dot.
- The Weight: Real Beanies are filled with PVC or PE pellets. They have a specific heft.
If you find a Slither at a thrift store for two bucks, it’s probably real. No one is spending much effort faking a $10 snake these days.
Collecting for the Right Reasons
The Beanie Baby market is weird. It’s cyclical. Every few years, a documentary comes out or a TikTok trend goes viral, and prices spike for a month. But for most of us, the August 10th Beanie Baby represents a specific moment in time.
It represents that feeling of searching through a plastic bin at a local pharmacy. It represents the weird joy of finding a toy that "knows" your birthday.
If you're buying one today, do it because you love the colors or you love the date. Don't do it as an investment. The days of retiring on a closet full of plush toys are mostly over, unless you happen to own a first-generation Old Face Teddy.
Actionable Steps for Owners and Buyers
If you actually have an August 10th Slither in your attic and you're wondering what to do with it, here is the move.
- Check the Tag Generation: Look at the "swing tag" (the heart). If it’s a 4th or 5th generation tag (the ones with the yellow star that says "Original"), it's the common version. If it’s a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation tag (no star, very simple design), the value goes up significantly.
- Inspect the Condition: Collectors hate "tag creases." If the heart tag is bent, the value drops by 50% instantly. If the "tush tag" is cut off, it’s basically just a toy for a kid, not a collectible.
- Storage Matters: If you’re keeping it for sentimental reasons, get a plastic tag protector. They cost about fifty cents. It keeps the heart from bending and preserves that August 10th date clearly.
- Verify the Pellets: Look at the tush tag to see if it says "PVC Pellets" or "PE Pellets." PVC was used earlier and is sometimes preferred by hardcore collectors, though for Slither, it doesn't change the price much.
- Look for the "Stamp": Check the inside of the tush tag. Is there a small red stamp? This is a factory mark. Some collectors look for specific factory numbers (like 471), though this is deep-level hobbyist stuff that rarely impacts the price for a common Beanie.
Whether you're an August 10th baby yourself or just a collector trying to complete a set, Slither is a fun, colorful piece of history. He’s a reminder that sometimes a toy is just a toy—and that’s perfectly okay.
To properly value your collection, compare your specific Slither against "Sold" listings on eBay rather than "Active" listings. This gives you the actual market price people are willing to pay today. If your Beanie has been stored in a smoke-free home and has a mint tag, it remains a solid piece of 90s memorabilia that holds its modest value well. For those born on August 10th, Slither remains the quintessential mascot of their birth date within the Ty universe.