If you were a kid in the nineties, you probably remember the frantic energy of a Hallmark store on delivery day. People were literally diving over bins for small plush toys filled with plastic pellets. Among the sea of fabric ears and button eyes, a few specific dates became etched into the minds of collectors. June 24th is one of them. Specifically, June 24, 1997. That’s the "birth date" of Pounce the Cat, a sleek, ginger-colored Beanie Baby that—while not as expensive as a first-generation Princess Bear—carries a weirdly dedicated following and some confusing price history.
Pounce isn't just a toy. For many, she represents the peak of Ty Warner’s marketing genius. You see, the June 24th Beanie Baby wasn't just randomly assigned a birthday. In the world of Ty Inc., these dates often meant something, or at the very least, they gave us a reason to keep buying.
What Actually Makes Pounce the Cat Special?
Let's be real for a second. Most Beanie Babies from the late nineties aren't worth the polyester they're stuffed with. You can find bins of them at Goodwill for a dollar. But Pounce is a bit different because of the variations. She's a "tri-colored" or "calico" style cat in some descriptions, though most fans just see a ginger tabby.
The June 24th date is printed right there on the inside of the heart-shaped swing tag. Here’s the poem that millions of people memorized:
Sneaking and prowling on the prowl
He'll crouch down low and give a growl
If you're not careful he'll pounce on you
So watch out or he'll say "Boo!"
Wait, did you catch that? The poem says "he," but many collectors refer to Pounce as a "she." It’s these little inconsistencies that drive the secondary market crazy. Ty was notorious for these tiny "errors" that collectors claimed made the toys more valuable. Honestly, most of the time it was just a typo in a massive factory production line, but try telling that to someone in 1998 who thought they were holding a winning lottery ticket.
The Myth of the June 24th Value
You've probably seen those eBay listings. You know the ones. A "Rare Pounce the Cat" listed for $5,000 or even $10,000.
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It's mostly nonsense.
Serious collectors, the ones who actually hang out on forums like Beaniepedia or follow experts like Dr. Lori Verderame, will tell you that a standard Pounce with a June 24th birthday is usually worth about $5 to $15. The high-priced listings are often just "money laundering" schemes or people who have no idea what they're doing.
However, there is a catch.
If your June 24th Beanie Baby has a 4th generation swing tag and a PVC tush tag, it's slightly more desirable than the later versions stuffed with PE pellets. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) was the original stuffing, but Ty switched to PE (polyethylene) because it was considered more "eco-friendly" at the time. Collectors track these pellets like they're gold bullion.
The Evolution of the June 24th Birthday
Why June 24th? In the toy world, dates are everything. It’s a summer birthday, right in the middle of the "Year of the Cat" for Ty. Pounce was released on May 11, 1997, and retired pretty quickly on March 31, 1999. That short production window—less than two years—is why she’s slightly harder to find in mint condition than some of the "overproduced" bears.
She wasn't the only one born on that day, either. If you dig through the archives, you'll find other Beanies with shared dates, but Pounce remains the face of June 24th.
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The fabric matters too. Pounce uses a specific "napped" fabric that tends to attract dust and lint. If you find one that is actually pristine, without a "creased" heart tag, you've got a solid piece of Americana. The swing tag should be vibrant red. If it’s faded, the sun has already done its damage, and the value drops to basically zero.
Spotting the Real Rarities
Don't get fooled by the "errors" people scream about in item descriptions.
- The "Original" Spelling: Some people claim "Origiinal" (with two i's) is a rare error. It's actually quite common on 5th gen tags.
- The "Gasport" vs. "Gosport" Typo: This is a legitimate variation. The tags were supposed to say Gosport, England. If yours says Gasport, you might have a tiny bit more leverage in a trade.
- The Tush Tag Stamp: Look for a small red stamp inside the tush tag. It’s a factory mark. Numbers like 400, 401, or 450 indicate which factory in China produced the toy. Collectors sometimes hunt for specific factory stamps to complete a "set."
It's a deep rabbit hole. It's also kinda exhausting.
But for those who grew up with these, Pounce represents a specific kind of nostalgia. She’s the cat that didn’t scratch the furniture. She’s the June 24th birthday buddy for thousands of kids born on that same day.
Why the Market is Heating Up (Again)
We're seeing a massive resurgence in 90s collectibles. It’s the 30th-anniversary cycle. People who played with Pounce in 1997 now have disposable income and a desire to reclaim their childhood. This "nostalgia tax" is pushing the prices of authenticated Beanies up, slowly but surely.
Authentication is the keyword here. If you want your June 24th Beanie Baby to be worth more than a cup of coffee, it needs to be "slabbed" or authenticated by a service like Becky's True Blue Beans. They inspect the hologram, the font thickness on the tags, and the feel of the fabric to prove it’s not a counterfeit. Yes, there are counterfeit Pounce cats out there. It sounds ridiculous, but in the late 90s, the "fakes" market was a multi-million dollar industry.
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How to Handle Your Collection
If you just found a Pounce in your attic, don't go quitting your job. First, check the tag. Is it attached? Is it mint?
- Get a tag protector. Seriously. A bent tag kills 90% of the value instantly.
- Store it in a cool, dry place. Humidity is the enemy of the Beanie. It makes the pellets degrade and the fabric smell "musty."
- Check the "tush tag" year. If the swing tag says 1997 but the tush tag says 1998, it’s a later production run. The "match" is where the (small) money is.
Pounce the cat remains a staple of the hobby. Whether it’s the bright orange coat or the specific June 24th birthday, she stands out. She isn't the rarest, but she's iconic. She's the "starter" cat for many new collectors.
Actionable Steps for Pounce Owners
To determine if your June 24th Beanie Baby is a hidden gem or just a cute toy, you need to perform a "tag audit" immediately. Open the heart tag carefully. Look for a "star" on the front; if there is no star, you are looking at a 3rd generation tag or older, which is significantly more valuable.
Next, examine the tush tag for the "circle R" (registered trademark symbol) and the "TM" symbol. If both are present alongside a 1997 date, you have a standard retail version. If you find a Pounce with a "Korean" tush tag (stating the toy was made specifically for the Korean market), you've hit a niche collector's dream.
Finally, don't use eBay "asking prices" as a guide. Filter your search by "Sold Items" to see what people are actually paying. You'll find that while many ask for thousands, the real market clears at $10 to $25 for authenticated, mint-condition pieces. Hold onto your Pounce if she has sentimental value, but if you're looking to sell, wait for the spring months when hobbyist trading typically peaks.