Advertisement

Farmers melt down rare Ooshie for good cause after destroying it

The farmers who destroyed a rare Woolworths Lion King Ooshie on live TV have now melted down the plastic toy.

Melisa Portingale and Stephen Black planned to sell their rare Furry Simba Ooshie online to help raise funds for their drought-ravaged farm.

The pair endured online abuse, with people making “suicidal” threats, forcing Mr Black to cut the Ooshie in half when appearing on the Today Show last week.

The farmers who destroyed the sought after, rare Simba Ooshie have destroyed the toy for a charitable cause. Source: The Today Show / Facebook.
The farmers who destroyed the sought after, rare Simba Ooshie have destroyed the toy for a charitable cause. Source: The Today Show / Facebook.

Now the pair have made use of the decapitated plastic toy. They melted down the Ooshie and cast it in a pearl resin. From which they made two pieces – a love heart with wings and a wing.

On her Facebook page, Ms Portingale explained one of the two pieces would be donated to Beyond Blue in memory of Ms Portingale uncle, who “lost his battle” with depression.

The pair had appeared originally on the Today Show, where they spoke about their decision to sell the Ooshie, seeking water for their bone-dry farm savaged by the drought.

The pair melted down the Ooshie and moulded it into two pieces, one of which they will donate to Beyond Blue. Source: Facebook
The pair melted down the Ooshie and moulded it into two pieces, one of which they will donate to Beyond Blue. Source: Facebook

However, saying they had enough of the abuse and “suicidal” threats over the rare Ooshie, Mr Black cut the toy live on national television

The farmers earlier this week reported they had been overwhelmed by the support they had received since destroying the Woolworths toy.

Mr Black has since said he has avoided social media since the TV stunt, however he stands by his actions.

“I’m happy with my actions. I don’t regret it,” he told The Today Show.

The pair has done their best to bring to light the issues farmer are facing, especially with the water management problems in the Murray-Darling Basin and they have called on the government to take action and help farmers.

Melisa and Stephen were going to use the money to aid their drought affected farm. Source: The Today Show.
Melisa and Stephen were going to use the money to aid their drought affected farm. Source: The Today Show.

Ooshie sellers trolled online

Ooshies have quite literally sent Australian shoppers into a frenzy, and it wasn’t just the farmers who were abused online for trying to sell their rare Ooshie.

As soon as the Ooshies began to appear on eBay, people were placing bids on them, with no intention of paying the ridiculous amount they bid.

The seller believes people are putting bids of the rare Simba Ooshie for 'fun'. Source: eBay.
The seller believes people are putting bids of the rare Simba Ooshie for 'fun'. Source: eBay.

One person had tried to sell their Ooshie four times when Yahoo News Australia spoke to them, each time getting trolled by the “bidders”. The seller suspects people are placing bids for fun.

One Queensland woman said she received death threats after listing her rare Ooshie online.

“Since listing this item it has been a nightmare and I have done nothing but cry,” the seller, identified as a woman named Monique, wrote on her eBay description.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.