Digimon DigiPals Beanbag Plush

Series one Digi-Pals Beanbag Plush (Spanish version) in their original store display box.

### Type

Beanbag Plush, Beanie Plush, Plush, Soft Toy, Plush, DigiPals, Kuta Chara

## Release Information

### Release Region

USA, Canada, most of Europe, some parts of Asia, and the Middle East

### Original Retailer

Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart, Sears, KB Toys, Target, K-Mart, and other similar shops

### Original MSRP

$8.00-$10.00 USD

This page discusses the international plush line known as "Digimon Digi-Pals". For information about individual plush in this line, click through the images in the gallery. For information regarding the Japanese variants of these plush, see Digimon Kuta Chara Plush

## Description

The Digimon Digi-Pals plush line (also known as "Digimon beanbag plush", "Digimon Beanie Plush", "Digimon Beanies", or occasionally by the Japanese variation's name "Kuta Chara") is a line of beanbag plush released in the US and EU between 2000 and 2002.

The line originally released in the late 1990's in Japan as small stylized Digimon beanbag plush toys called Kuta Chara, and were later localized into other countries by Bandai America. The biggest identifying factor of these plush are the large hard black plastic eyes with two white sparkles of paint (which are usually called "Eye Shines" by collectors).

Digi-Pals beanies were sold individually, and sat on store shelves in a large blue cardboard display box. These plush were found in shops like KB Toys, Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, Sears, and many other places where plush toys were sold.

## International Differences

Barring the 21 other beanbag plush that weren’t made available outside of Japan, the Digi-Pals collection shares many similarities with the Japanese Kuta Chara collection. Both collections share the same plush patterns and size. However, there are quite a few minor differences between the international versions and the Japanese version, these being the stuffing, material choices for detail markings, and the tags.

The Digi-Pals plush are stuffed much looser compared to their Japanese Kuta Chara counterparts, with most of them being filled with a much smaller amount of beans, namely in the arms and legs. The Digi-Pals also generally use next to no vinyl material to accessorize the plush. For instance, the Gabumon Digi-Pals plush uses dark blue dye for his stripes and markings, while the Kuta Chara version uses vinyl in these same spots.

Finally, the biggest and most notable differences are the tags. Digi-Pals are tagged with a much smaller, Digivice-shaped blue tag attached with a plastic piece, generally attached to either the plush's head or ear. They also have a large rectangular tush tag. There is a minor difference between the North American tags and the European tags, however- The European version shows multiple different languages; English, French, German, and two other languages. These tags vary from the Kuta Chara versions, which instead sport large yellow or pink circular hang tags (secured by a string normally near the bottom of the plush), and a short, half-circle pink tush tag.

## Variants

19 different DigiPal beanie plush exist in the Digimon Digi-Pals line, which were released in two waves. These include:

* Series one
	+ In-Training forms
		- Koromon, Tsunomon, and Tokomon
	+ Rookie Forms
		- Agumon, Gabumon, Biyomon, Gomamon, Palmon, and Patamon (Series One)
	+ Champion forms:
		- Gatomon (Series One)

A Series One Digi-Pals Beanie Plush store display box from Spain (closed)Series One Digi-Pals Beanie Plush in a store display box from SpainSeries One Digi-Pals Beanie Plush in a store display box from SpainPart of a larger catalog page from JCPenny's Christmas Wish Book from the year 2000. This ad features three of the series one US Digi-Pals Beanie Plush (Gomamon, Tokomon, and Agumon), in addition to three talking toys (Veemon, Gatomon, and Hawkmon. Interestingly, the ad misidentifies the Tokomon beanie as Koromon.
* Series two
	+ In-Training forms
		- Demiveemon, Poromon, and Upamon
	+ Rookie forms
		- Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, Wormmon, and Patamon 02
	+ Champion forms
		- Gatomon (Series Two)

A Digi-Pals Series Two store display box (closed)Most of the Series Two Digi-Pals Beanie Plush in a store display box (missing Poromon)Most of the Series Two Digi-Pals Beanie Plush next to a store display box (missing Poromon)

## Gallery (Series One Beanie Plush)

Agumon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushGabumon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushPatamon Digi-Pals Beanie Plush (series one)Gomamon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushBiyomon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushGatomon Digi-Pals Beanie Plush (series one)Palmon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushKoromon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushTsunomon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushTokomon Digi-Pals Beanie Plush
## Gallery (Series Two Beanie Plush)

Gatomon (Series Two) Digi-Pals Beanie PlushPatamon (Series Two) Digi-Pals Beanie PlushHawkmon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushDemiveemon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushVeemon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushArmadillomon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushWormmon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushPoromon Digi-Pals Beanie PlushUpamon Digi-Pals Beanie Plush

## Issues

* Parts on some beanie plush have fabric pieces that separate over time (located on claws mostly). While those parts are almost always additionally sewn on and are not at risk of falling off, a small dot of glue could help join those pieces back together if desired

* The eye shines that are painted or printed onto the black plastic eyes sometimes get scratched or worn off entirely based on how roughly the beanie plush is handled or played with. They can easily be repainted with white glass paint, which has been found to be the best paint for durability and adhering to the button's surface
* Many beanie plush include parts that appear to be made of a heat-transfered material. This mostly includes mouths, noses, and whiskers, though it also extends to certain things such as Gabumon's stomach symbol and Palmon's arm vines. While this material is much more sturdy than vinyl elements on beanies (mentioned in the next point below), it is still susceptible to cracking. The issue is not widely common, but it does happen sometimes with beanies in used condition. It is much harder for those parts to be removed than the vinyl parts, which flake off easily. Examples of where this material is used include:
	+ Any Digi-Pals beanie plush with a printed on (black outlined) mouth and/or nose
	+ Gatmon/Tailmon's paw pads (located on the feet of the series two beanie plush) and whiskers
	+ Gabumon's stomach symbol
	+ Palmon's arm vines
	+ Tokomon's blush marks
* Any beanie with vinyl details is at risk for those parts deteriorating over time. As it ages, Vinyl stretches, dries out, cracks, and flakes off. This is the ultimate fate of almost all beanies unless they are very carefully preserved. The plush is still fine underneath the vinyl parts, but those outer details eventually will flake off, with very few exceptions. The areas that vinyl cracking effects most in the Digi-Pals line are:
	+ Agumon's teeth
	+ Biyomonʻs tail marking and her anklet
	+ Gabumon's ear tips and teeth
	+ Koromon's ears (underside) and fangs
	+ Palmon's flower accents (the yellow parts)
	+ Poromon's beak (though a version of this plush exists that has a fabric beak, which therefore does not have this problem)
	+ Tokomon's fangs
	+ Tsunomon's horn
	+ Veemon's markings and fangs
	+ Please note that while this issue does effect the Digi-Pals line, it is *much worse* for the Japanese versions of these plush (Kuta Chara), which have many more vinyl parts on them [See: Digimon Kuta Chara Plush]

* While not a common issue, if beanie plush are exposed to direct sunlight for too long, their color will eventually fade. It's recommended that collectors store their beanie plush (and really any collectable) out of the sun's reach.

An example of vinyl flaking off of a Tsunomon's hornAn example of well-loved Digi-Pals Beanie Plush. Note the pilling fabric, cracked symbol on Veemon, and scratched/worn off eye shines on the various plush. Veemon's eye-shines appear to have been repainted/restored.An example of damage to the eye shines on Veemon's eyes. This is a common problem for beanie plush.An example of vinyl flaking off of a Poromon Digi-Pals Beanie. Almost all of this plush's vinyl has flaked off, exposing the lighter fabric underneath.An example of a sun faded Agumon Digi-Pals Beanie. This plush was apparently kept in a car window for 20 years, and every part that was exposed to the sun faded the color. The orange parts remaining on the plush were kept in shadow.An example of a sun faded Patamon Digi-Pals Beanie Plush (front)An example of a sun faded Patamon Digi-Pals Beanie Plush (back)An example of a sun faded Patamon Digi-Pals Beanie Plush. The orange part seen in the corner is the original color of the plush, and is the only part that was shielded from the sun/UV rays, therefore retaining its color.An example of a sun faded Patamon Digi-Pals Beanie Plush tush tag

## Bootlegs

The Digi-Pals line has seen a large number of bootlegs due to their popularity and scarcity. This style of plush gets bootlegged so frequently that it becomes challenging to find and document every single knock-off out there. Some bootlegs opt to make embroidered or vinyl eyes in the same style as the hard-buttoned ones of official beanies to avoid any comparisons.

The most prevalent set of bootlegs are a group of large 20" regular plush designed to look like the beanies. These large bootlegs don’t include the entire line of Digi-Pals though, and only Agumon, Gabumon, Palmon, and Greymon (who never got a Digi-Pals release, but was found in the Kuta Chara line) have currently been documented from this set. Interestingly enough, a Tentomon plush (which is entirely original and never had a Digi-Pals version made) also exists in this bootleg style.

Tips for identifying a bootleg:

* Plush is only stuffed with fluff and contains no beans (However, note that there are official plush similar in style that also do this [See: Toys R Us Asia Digi-Pals Plush])
* Plush is significantly larger or smaller in size than a standard beanie plush
* Plush is made of a different material than a normal beanie plush (official beanies tend to be made out of a velboa-like fabric, whereas bootlegs might be made of a thinner or more scratchy material)
* Plush has strange proportions or is over-stuffed
* Plush has darker colors than an official DigiPal

* Writing inside of hang tag identifies plush as the incorrect Digimon (IE: Instead of "Gabumon", the tag says "Greymon")

* Contains a sound box

* Plush contains a keychain attachment

* Kuta Chara hang tag is attached by a string that is not pink in color

There are assumedly hundreds of different Digimon beanie bootlegs, and more are uncovered as time goes on. See included photos in the bootleg gallery below for all currently known and documented bootlegs.

## Gallery (Bootlegs)

An authentic DigiPals Gatomon beanie compared to a large-size bootleg Gatomon plushLarge-size bootleg plush inspired by the DigiPals and Kuta Chara beanie plush. These are stuffed with fluff and contain no beans. Note Greymon's official-looking tag, despite the item being a knock-off.Three bootleg Agumon beanie plush compared to an authentic Digi-Pals Agumon plush on the bottom leftTwo bootleg Gabumon beanie-style phush, neither of which contains beansA bootleg Palmon beanie plush with a fake Kuta Chara hang tag. Note the off-colors, stuffing, etc.An example of a bootleg beanie plush that features a keychain. In addition, the fake hang tag is tied on with green string instead of pink.
## Fun Facts and Trivia

* While this fact has never been confirmed, itʻs speculated that the decision to give an international release to the Kuta Chara line was influenced by the popularity of Ty "Beanie Babies" in the US, which were a hugely successful fad in the late 90ʻs
* Tentomon never received a Digi-Pals or Kuta Chara plush, and was the only partner Digimon in the original cast to not be made into one
* There are several Japanese Kuta Chara plush that never got US versions made of them. Most come from season two (Digimon Adventure 02) and season three (Digimon Tamers).
* While most Digimon Beanies have copyright dates of 1997 on their tags, the beanies weren't actually released until around the year 2000

## Sources

* Instagram user: Datastreak
* Wiki User: Souper Stella
* Jessu
* Demiveemon Kijiji listing
* Ebay listing by vintagemania10
* Ebay listing by vintagemania10 [2]
* Ebay listing by vintagemania10 [3]
* Ebay listing by Vintagemania10 [4]
* Ebay listing (via Worthpoint)
* Ebay listing (via Worthpoint) [2]