Yahoo Lifestyle 
Woman's secret to completing whole Ooshies collection for just $100
A woman who proudly showed off her completed 24-piece Lion King Ooshie collection online has shared the secret to her success with Yahoo Lifestyle.
Apoorva OShea, a radiation therapist from Melbourne, told us that it took her just two-and-a-half weeks to snap up the highly sought after tiny toys from Woolworths.
Not only that, Apoorva revealed that she only spend about $100 at the supermarket in the process.
A team effort
She went on to admit that she had a little help along the way.
“Most of the hard work was done by my friends who spend a lot more than me on groceries and whose kids weren’t collecting them,” she said.
“I did receive lots of doubles, which I was able to successfully trade on Facebook marketplace,” she added.
Once her mission was complete, Apoorva took to Facebook to share a snap of her finished collection - proudly displayed on a three-tier shelf - on a Facebook group.
“Thank you Kmart for the 3 tier bamboo shelf, fake trees and double sided tape! I’m a very happy adult child who’s proud of her full set of Lion King Ooshie collection and display,” she wrote in the post.
Ooshies out of control
To say the Ooshie collecting craze has gotten out of hand is an understatement.
Meanwhile, some sought after Ooshies are being listed on Ebay for up to $20,000 - and photos have emerged of a customer buying up a trolley-load of collector cases.
Apoorva agrees that we may have reached peak Ooshie.
“I think the Ooshie craze is a little insane now! It started in a healthy manner at the beginning, but soon became a business opportunity for others rather than some light hearted (but expensive) fun,” she said.
While she doesn’t think there’s “anything wrong” with people selling their Ooshies for five dollars or so but admits asking for huge sums of money is “absolutely ridiculous.”
She says shoppers sneaking receipts is a “little sad and a reflection of their selfishness.”
“But there are so many people who are happy to trade Ooshies to help one another complete their sets, and that’s a beautiful thing to focus on,” she said.
What are Ooshies?
Ooshies are small plastic toys that sit on top of a pencil. To coincide with the release of the new Lion King film back in July, Aussie supermarket giant Woolworths released a limited edition Ooshies collection featuring characters from the Disney classic.
Customers must spend at least $30 online or in store to earn one Ooshie, and can purchase a collector’s case for $4.
There are 24 of them to collect including Simba, Nala and Mufasa in original colours and gold versions.
A special cub version of Nala and Simba, and a translucent blue “spirit Mufasa” are also up for grabs.
Are Ooshies just for kids?
Some people say that collecting the tiny toys is just for kids - but not Apoorva.
“I definitely think the Ooshie craze is for both kids and adults!” she said.
“Mainly because the Lion King was an iconic film for most adults growing up, and hopefully now it’s part of kids growing up,” she added.
So, does Apoorva dabble in Coles’ Ooshie equivalent, Little Shop?
“Definitely not... mainly because it holds no emotional value for me. I am 100 percent an Ooshie lover through and through.”
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