Mighty Beanz was a range of collectable bean-shaped toys created by Moose Enterprises in Melbourne, Australia.[1][2] The toys were first released in Australia in 2002, and were later released in the United States in 2003.[3]
Each toy is decorated with a humorous illustration of a person, animal, or fantasy character. Several Beanz were caricatures of celebrities, including Elvis Presley, Hulk Hogan and Steve Irwin. Accessories and playsets were also released, including a line of Mighty Beanz racetracks. The primary Mighty Beanz game is to race the Beanz down different types of battle stages.[4]
Mighty Beanz was the first toy line from Moose Enterprises to gain widespread popularity in the United States.[5] Moose would later introduce another line of collectible toys, Shopkins, which were marketed alongside Mighty Beanz.[5]
History
Original line
The original line of Mighty Beanz was launched in Australia at the beginning of 2002. They were later released in the United States in summer 2003.[3] Five series were created:
“Series 1” included 60 Beanz (1-60) divided into teams of five, along with a red carrying case.
“Series 2” introduced 70 all new Mighty Beanz (60-130). Again, these were divided into teams of five with some beans able to glow in the dark. Blue carrying case.
“Series 3” produced only 60 new Mighty Beanz (131-190). Pairs (2 Beanz in one team). This line of Beanz introduced color changing abilities, along with a new green carrying case.
“Series 4” produced another 60 Mighty Beanz (191-250). This time around, the Beanz were arranged into teams of three and also introduced a new Mega Bean, which was substantially larger than the others. Purple carrying case.
“Series 5” came with a new name for the Mighty Beanz called Bean Bodz. There were 60 Bean Bodz produced (1-60) bringing the total number of collectibles to 310. This time Beanz weren't divided into some teams, every bean had assigned rubber body. Unfortunately, no carrying case.
In addition to the standard Mighty Beanz, a selection of rare, limited-edition Beanz were released.[6] These Beanz were not categorized under any specific series but were instead grouped under "Rare Beanz" on the official Mighty Beanz website. Many of the rare designs (such as Albino Bean, Ghost Bean, and Medusa Bean) were produced in a limited quantity of 1,000 units.[6]
Moose Enterprises also released three Mighty Beanz racetracks to go along with their toys: Ultimate Jump Park, Collision Chaos, and Super S-Bend.[7] Each track came with two limited edition Beanz that did not have printed numbers on them, making them extremely collectible.
In 2004, a Mighty Beanz video game titled Mighty Beanz Pocket Puzzles was released for the Game Boy Advance.[8]
2010 relaunch
2010 marked the first relaunch of Mighty Beanz.[9] From 2010 to 2012, Moose released five new series of Mighty Beanz. Only the first three series were given a wide release in countries like the United States; series 4 and series 5 were only released in certain countries, including Australia. Five series were created:
“Series 1” included 100 Beanz (1-116) divided into teams of five, with 16 special edition Beanz that were made available through various other Mighty Beanz series 1 products bringing the total to collect up to 116. The Mega Bean had also made a return from the original line of Mighty Beanz.
“Series 2” included 100 Beanz (117-235) divided into teams of five, with 19 special edition Beanz that were made available through various other Mighty Beanz series 2 products, bringing the total up to 235.
A Golden Square Bean
“Series 3” included 110 Beanz (236-409) divided into teams of five, with 64 special edition Beanz that were made available through various other Mighty Beanz series 3 products, bringing the total up to 409. Series 3 was the introduction of Square Beanz. Each 6 pack of series 3 Mighty Beanz had the chance to include a Square Bean instead of a Mega Bean. If a Square Bean was found in a 3 pack it would replace the existing bean on top. There are a known total of 15 Square Beanz with ten of those Beanz being five characters that belong to two different teams. The other five Square Beanz are limited edition that all belong to one team, with each one of the five being limited to 500 Beanz each. In addition to the Square Beanz there are Golden Square Beanz which could only be found in Singapore, if someone were to find one of these they could win up to S$10,000 cash.
“Series 4” included 110 Beanz (410-549) divided into teams of five, with 30 special edition Beanz that were made available through various other Mighty Beanz series 4 products, bringing the total up to 549. Series 4 was the introduction of Triangle Beanz and Crystal Beanz. Crystal Beanz are regular Beanz with a colored clear plastic casing making the bean see-through. Each 6 pack of series 4 Mighty Beanz had the chance to include a Triangle Bean instead of a Mega Bean. If a Triangle Bean was found in a 3 pack it would replace the existing bean on top. There are a known total of 15 Triangle Beanz with ten of those Beanz being five characters that belong to two different teams. The other five Triangle Beanz are limited edition that all belong to one team. Although not confirmed, it is believed that each one of the five are limited to 500 Beanz each.
LE Disc Bean - Monkey Coin Bean 1/250
“Series 5” included 110 Beanz (550-703) divided into teams of five, with 44 special edition Beanz that were made available through various other Mighty Beanz series 5 products, bringing the total up to 703. Series 5 was the introduction of Disc Beanz and Mini Beanz. Mini Beanz are a smaller and shorter version of a regular sized bean. In series 5, Mini Beanz were the replacement for Mega Beanz. Each pack of series 5 Mighty Beanz had the chance to include a Disc Bean. In 6 packs, instead of the Disc Bean replacing an existing bean there would be a slot for the Disc Bean whether there was one included or not. With 3 packs the Disc Bean would replace the existing bean on top as usual. During this time Moose also offered a 15 pack of Mighty Beanz that had the chance to include a Disc Bean. There are a known total of 15 Disc Beanz with ten of those Beanz being five characters that belong to two different teams. The other five Disc Beanz are limited edition that all belong to one team. The limited edition Disc Beanz are a bit different in terms of quantity created, as three of them had 500 of each made, one had 250 made and the last one only had 100 made.
Each series of the relaunched Mighty Beanz also had their own limited edition Moose Bean with only 1000 of them made for each series.
2018 relaunch
Moose developed a new line of Mighty Beanz, starting with 140 new Beanz which were released on September 1, 2018. A line of Fortnite-themed Mighty Beanz were produced.[10] An Easter series and Series 2 of the main line were released in early 2019.
“Series 1” included 140 Beanz (1-140) divided into teams of five. This time around every single bean is shaped like a Mega Bean instead of a regular sized bean from past series. Series 1 included special Beanz such as Two Faced Beanz, Golden Beanz and limited edition Golden Hero Beanz. Each of the five Golden Hero Beanz were limited to 10,000 a piece, making it much easier to come by compared to past limited edition Beanz.
“Series 2” included 140 Beanz (141-280) divided into teams of five. Series 2 introduced different finishes that were applied to the Beanz such as Speckled, Frosty, Metallic and Glowin' Beanz. Golden Beanz make a return along with limited edition Golden Royal Beanz. Each of the five Golden Royal Beanz were once again limited to 10,000 a piece.
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