Woolworths confirms 'ultra-rare' Ooshies rumour is true
Woolworths has finally confirmed the identity of its ultra-rare Ooshies, putting to bed speculation over whether the latest collection would have any at all.
Collectors were sent into a frenzy after a leaked document detailing the launch featured two characters that weren’t listed among the 36 main toys released on August 26.
The document pictured a furry Thor and Star Wars’ The Child, which some speculated were the product of Photoshop at the hands of someone attempting to stir drama.
Some people, despite Woolworths’ consistent denial, had also insisted the glitter Ooshies were rare and tried selling them on eBay for thousands of dollars.
One ambitious seller even offered their glitter Elsa for $50,000.
The supermarket confirmed on Monday the true ultra-rare characters had been in circulation since the launch, but had yet to be received by customers.
On Friday, the retailer shared with its Facebook audience that the first furry Thor had been found.
Just 100 each of the two ultra-rare Ooshies have been release into circulation, with every toy given a number from one to 100.
“They are not attached to any prize or reward, and they do not have a spot in the Collector Case – they are just for fun,” Woolworths said.
Ooshies are finally released in Victoria
Victorians will this week have their relentless calls for Ooshies met with Woolworths just days away from injecting the collectables into statewide circulation.
The release of the 36 characters was delayed in Victoria due to tough lockdown measures, leaving residents annoyed they couldn’t join the rest of the country in building their collections.
Shoppers have been strengthening their calls for weeks, expressing confusion over why Ooshies were affected by the pandemic when residents were still permitted to shop as they normally would.
The supermarket will be offering the toys onwards from Wednesday in all Woolworths stores across the state.
An Ooshie is earned for every $30 spent and certain products are worth five bonus toys, with a cap of five bonus products per shop in place.
Eager collectors have been putting the bonus hack to work and scheming ways to score maximum Ooshies on minimum spends.
“We know many of our customers in Victoria have been waiting patiently for the arrival of Woolworths’ Disney+ Ooshies and we’re thrilled to introduce them across the state from this Wednesday,” Woolworths Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Hicks said.
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“Victorians have had an incredibly challenging year and we hope this collection helps bring some well deserved excitement and magic to their shop.
“I also want to thank our Victorian customers for their patience and understanding with the delay. The safety of our customers and team members is our number one priority through COVID-19.”
Mr Hicks said the delay had allowed Woolworths to “focus on customer safety”, with him now confident they were in a position to both manage safety and launch the campaign.
Thirty-six fan favourites across the Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, and Pixar universes are available for customers to collect, including Darth Vader, Elsa, Buzz Lightyear, Thor, Ariel, Yoda, Black Panther, Moana, and many more.
The collection includes silver, gold, colour-changing, glow in the dark, additional glitter editions, and the ultra-rare furry Thor and The Child Disney+ Ooshies.
Woolworths has responded to ongoing backlash over plastic waste and its impact on the environment by providing recycling bins for both Ooshies and their wrappers.
“Through a partnership with TerraCycle, every Woolworths store also has dedicated recycling bins so customers can drop any pre-loved Ooshies (including last year’s Lion King Ooshies) and wrapper to be recycled, until 31 January,” the retailer said.
“The Ooshies are then turned into plastic pellets, used to help make outdoor products such as park benches. Woolworths’ Disney+ Ooshie collection in Victoria will run six weeks or while supplies last.”
The paper wrapper can also be recycled at home in the yellow bin.
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