Coca-Cola Bean Bag Plush Line (1997-1999)

Coca-Cola Bean Bag Plush Line

In the late 1990s, Coca-Cola capitalized on the massive Beanie Baby craze by launching their own extensive line of bean-bag plush collectibles. While Coca-Cola produced plush versions of its iconic Polar Bears since the "Always Coca-Cola" ad campaign debuted in 1993, the late 1990s saw a strategic expansion of the line into the Coca-Cola International Collection. Produced primarily by the Cavanagh Group International between 1997 and 1999, these plushies featured a wide variety of animals representing different countries, such as 
"Barris the Bear" representing Russia and "Clomp the Elephant" representing Kenya. Each plush came with a signature bottle-cap-shaped hang tag and often a miniature felt Coca-Cola bottle. 

The appeal of the Coca-Cola Plush Line was the "treasure hunt" nature of their release. Unlike high-end collectibles, these plush toys were often available through mass-market retailers, and even special vending machine promotions, where a plush bear might have been found inside a plastic "can" alongside a voucher for a free soda. The collection even grew to include seasonal variants, including reindeer and penguins for the holidays, and even specialty items like the "Jaz" saxophone-playing bear.