OAK BROOK, Ill., June 16, 2006 -- Ty is proud to introduce ShaqBear™ the Beanie Baby®, inspired by basketball great Shaquille O'Neal. This newest Beanie Baby® will be available both at authorized Ty retail stores, and online at http://www.ty.com/Shaq, while supplies last and for a suggested retail price of about $6.00.

ShaqBear™ is a 10" medium brown Beanie Baby® bear, wearing a white jersey and shorts, with red and yellow trim. The jersey front is embroidered with "SHAQ" and the Dunkman logo; the jersey back reads "O'NEAL" and has the number 32, all in red lettering. ShaqBear™ also wears Dunkman athletic shoes with the name "SHAQ" on the tongue. ShaqBear™ has 3 different hang tags; each tag variation has its own poem, Shaq Fact, and an inspirational message for children from Shaquille O'Neal.

"I am honored to be the first athlete for whom Ty created a Beanie Baby," said Shaquille O'Neal. "Beanie Babies have been providing companionship and strong values to children around the world for a long time. Those things are important to me, and partnering with Ty to continue to spread those messages really means a lot."

"We believe that ShaqBear has universal appeal," said Ty Warner, Chairman and CEO of Ty Inc. "Sports fans will want this item for its collectability, and children, adults and Beanie Baby fans will want this piece for our usual high quality, attention to detail and overall cute characteristics."

Founded in 1986 by Ty Warner, creator of the wildly popular Beanie Babies®, and celebrating its 20th year, Ty is the leader in plush toys. In addition to Beanie Babies®, the company's product line includes: Bow Wow Beanies™, Pinkys™, Punkies®, Pluffies®, Ty Classic®, Beanie Buddies®, Baby Ty®, and Angeline™. The red Ty Heart Logo®, recognized around the world, can be found on all Ty products available at finer specialty gift retailers. Visit Ty on the Internet at http://www.ty.com.