All Ty Beanie Babies go through a "prototype stage."  Peggy Galagher, a Beanie Baby authenticator, described what a prototype Beanie Baby is: "A prototype is a sample of what the actual toy or creation would be similar to, after mass production of the item.  The prototypes are sent back to the designer or owner of the copyright protected creation for their final approval.  The Ty prototypes are extremely rare and are one of a kind design.  They are a piece of design history that will never be duplicated."
The Peace bear was not an exception to the rule.
From a little research, Peace Mania has found that Peace went through at least two prototype stages, one being almost exactly what we have today!
See them below:
This animation shows the metamorphis from the emblem on the Peace bear on Ty.com to what actually showed up in public.
Different Peace Sign Prototype
This image from Ty.com depicts what is most likely one of the earliest stages of Peace.  Notice that the peace sign sewn onto his chest seems to have the different colors randomly scattered on it.  (You can get a better idea of what it looks like from the image by Peace Mania below.)
Daphne from BearsAndBeans.com said "It's common for Ty to change the trimmings and the like on a Beanie from the prototype, which the official pic on the Ty site must have been."
What do you think about this prototype?  Let us know in the poll below!
Free polls from Pollhost.com
Do you like this protype peace sign better than the emblem on the normal Peace bear?
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Same Peace Sign Prototype
A recent auction on eBay was for a prototype Peace bear.  As you can see, the peace sign close-up shows that it is still slightly different from the way that Peace was eventually massed produced.  The green bar in the middle is two-toned with a lighter and darker green.  This is most likely one of the most final versions of Peace before he was produced for the public!
The auction itself was a very interesting one to follow.  When it first began on November 25, 2004, it was at $0.99.  Within the following two days, it rose to $17.00, $57.77, $100 and $500.  The first of three bids on November 30, the final day, shot the highest bid up to $666.66.  A few hours later, the price once again rose, this time breaking quadruple digits: $1,200.
The climax hit with a surprise ending.
"I was very happily surprised by the auction's ending price," Phyllis (aka Queenies-Beanies) said.  "With 3 seconds to go, it was still at $676.  When refreshing the page to see the winning bidder, I was shocked to see $1,225.00."
You can view the auction by clicking here.
The Peace prototype with its Certificate of Authenticity from the recent auction.

Both of these images from the auction have been used with permission from the seller, Queenies-Beanies.  You can see more of her auctions, including other prototypes, rare and exclusive Beanies, by clicking here.
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