guides
What's The 'Gingerbread Man Ty Beanie Baby' Named 'Cookie?' The Viral Christmas Stuffed Animal Explained
A gingerbread man Beanie Baby from Ty has gone viral on Twitter / X the week before Christmas.
His name is Cookie and after an internet user tweeted about how ugly (but also cute) he is, the web fell in love with him, just like the original poster. Because of the craze, Ty has rereleased Cookie in many stores ahead of the holiday season.
However, why is Cookie, Ty's gingerbread man plushie, so popular? How did he go viral and where can you buy one yourself? Let's explain.
How Did Ty's Gingerbread Man Beanie Baby Go Viral?
Last Friday, a Twitter user named Devin shared a tweet, showing themself holding the Ty plushie at a toy store. The tweet's caption read, "Saw this guy and said, 'Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ugly,' and then felt so bad I cried and bought him."
The tweet racked up an impressive 421,000 likes. Many of its views came from viral quote tweets that joked about how women pick their boyfriends and fanmade crochet siblings for the "ugly" gingerbread dude.
Why Do Internet Users Love Ty's Gingerbread Man Beanie Baby?
Cookie the gingerbread man is popping off for a myriad of reasons. For one, Christmas is right around the corner and people are likely searching for quick, last-minute gifts to get their kids or younger siblings.
Also, this isn't the first time that a holiday-themed product has gone viral. For Halloween last year, Lewis the Jack-o'-Lantern made viral waves and caused lines outside of many Target locations.
Both Cookie and Lewis are cute characters that netizens can latch onto to spread holiday cheer. For both, fan art and redraws have been a common treatment.
Where To Buy Ty's Gingerbread Man Beanie Baby, aka Cookie
You can buy one of these plushies on the Ty website. Cookie is technically a "Beanie Bellie" (an offshoot line of Ty's Beanie Babies). He goes for just under four dollars online.
As far as in-store options, try out your local Micahel's or Walmart. You can see Cookie's store availability on both websites.
For the full history of Ty's Gingerbread Man Beanie Baby, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.