The Ooshie Craze: A Wild Ride for Aussie Parents and Their Kids
The Disney Ooshie promotion at Woolworths and Big W has sparked a collector's frenzy in Australia, with a unique twist. This isn't your average toy promotion; it's a full-blown craze that has taken the country by storm, leaving parents and kids alike enthralled. What began as a simple collaboration between a supermarket chain and a media giant has evolved into a cultural phenomenon, complete with its own set of rules and rituals.
The Ooshies are small, rubber toys in the shape of characters from Disney-owned franchises like Toy Story, Marvel, and Star Wars. The catch? Collecting them requires spending $30 at Woolworths or Big W, and there's a total of 40 unique Ooshies to collect. This has created a collector's paradise, with kids (and some grown-ups) determined to complete the set.
The craze has unleashed a wave of online bidding wars, with parents trading and swapping Ooshies to complete their collections. It's a modern-day trading card game, but with a twist. The excitement lies not just in the hunt for the rare ones but also in the community it has fostered. Parents are driving around, swapping Ooshies, and even organizing face-to-face meetings, all in the name of making their kids happy.
This trend has a certain nostalgic quality, reminding some of us of the sticker and trading card collecting days of our youth. But it's not just about the past; it's a present-day obsession. The supermarket chain has responded by hosting swap meets, bringing families together in stores for a chance to trade and complete their collections. Brumbies Bakery in Queensland has even set up an honesty counter, encouraging young collectors to take an Ooshie and leave one behind.
However, the Ooshie craze hasn't been without its controversies. The rare ones, like the flocked Bullseye Ooshie, have been listed on eBay for exorbitant prices, with one bid reaching a staggering $100,000,019.15. This led to a sale ending in farce, with the seller Mark Hunter left with nothing. Despite these incidents, the rare Ooshies continue to appear on online marketplaces, inflating prices further.
The craze has also caused disruptions in schools, with some opting to ban Ooshies to prevent fighting, arguments, and thefts. Schools like Somerset College and Bellevue Park State School have issued pleas to parents, urging them to keep their kids' Ooshies at home. The promotion is set to end on August 25, but the supermarket giant warns that supplies will likely run out by the weekend, leaving many parents and kids with a bittersweet feeling as they bid farewell to their newfound obsession.
