‘I don’t regret it’: Ooshie-destroying couple given hero’s welcome at pizza bar

A couple who mutilated a rare Woolies Ooshie on live TV say they have no regrets and the reaction to it has been surprising.

A Victorian couple who destroyed a rare Woolies collectable toy live on television said they had no regrets and were given a hero’s welcome at a pizza bar for their defiant act.

On Friday, the farmers from Katandra West explained how the discovery of a furry Simba as part of the supermarket’s Lion King Ooshie promotional campaign led to a vile wave of online abuse.

Appearing live on Channel 9’s Today show, Stephen Black, alongside his wife Melissa, responded by slowly cutting the toy to pieces with a pair of scissors.

The couple returned to the show this morning, and Mr Black said he had no regrets over his actions.

“I haven’t looked at any social media (since the on-screen decapitation),” he said. “But I’m happy with my actions. I don’t regret it,” he said.

However, he said that, from what he’d heard, the response had been largely positive.

Mrs Black then explained how the couple had been given a round of applause as they entered a pizza bar in Geelong over the weekend.

“They clapped which was really fantastic,” she said. “It was the first time we had been really recognised somewhere else outside of our town.

“I have been looking online at everything, and there is 100 per cent Aussie spirit in everything that they are saying, but you get the negative ones as well like we have no pride because these things can affect us so easily.”

Inspired by massive online auctions for the one-in-100 toy, the couple attempted to sell the collectable for $5000.

“And people were just disgusted,” Melissa told Today on Friday.

“The abuse started, and it was just hate and suicidal threats. Some really awful things were said.”

Fed up farmers.

The farmers say they were desperate for help so explained to prospective buyers the sale would be used to help sustain the farm.

“We did say that it’s for water and stuff on the farm and they didn’t really change,” Stephen said.

“So we said we’ll trade it for water then, just water.

“People started saying, ‘Do you want a bottle of water or a truck of water’, and we started explaining it’s irrigation water because we’ve got a problem through the Murray Darling Basin with the water, so that’s really more important to us than the money at the moment.

“I really couldn’t understand why that item was worth so much money, but if everybody was so interested in that then maybe they’d be interested in what we needed and why and the message might get out there.”

And that’s when the live sacrifice began.

Poor Simba.

“You ask yourself what is a life worth? Is it worth what money? We don’t know. Is it worth this (Ooshie)? No,” Stephen said.

“For the people who bullied us, and they want to buy this thing because they want it, well this is what I say to them.

“You can’t buy it, I’m going to destroy it.

“The world’s got to stop this stuff because people get hurt.”

Melissa said she had received about 4000 messages bidding for the toy, ranging from 20 cents to $25,000, but the last few were “bogus bids”.

“We’re just trying to do what we can to survive,” she said. “It’s really un-Australian to think there are people out there (that) just sit behind a computer and allow this kind of behaviour to happen.”

There’s only 100 in circulation. Well … make that 99. Picture: eBay

Long live the king. Picture: eBay

Last Monday, a similar rare furry Simba was thought to be sold on eBay for a staggering $100,000, but the sale fell through and was back up online soon after.

Just 100 were released by the supermarket giant as part of its promotional campaign.

The first furry toy was first put up for sale on eBay last week with an initial asking price of $10,000, and at that point of the sale it had attracted 108 bids.

The rare furry toy has been demanding crazy prices online. Picture: eBay

Meanwhile, frustrated toy collectors have dobbed in Woolworths staff, claiming the new range of Lion King Ooshies were being pinched and sold online.

The supermarket giant confirmed two weeks ago it was investigating after a shopper posted on Facebook saying a huge range of the collectable toys were being advertised for sale on the internet the same day they were released in stores.

An ad allegedly posted from Adelaide was selling at least 50 unopened Ooshies — Woolworths’ response to the Coles Little Shop promotional campaign — for $4 each.

Christopher posted his complaint on Facebook to Woolworths, alerting the company to the possible collectable corruption.

It all started so innocently.

Both Coles and Woolworths went head-to-head with the release of their collectables campaigns with an equally cute sets of miniatures — Little Shop 2 versus Disney’s The Lion King Ooshies.

Coles will rely on the success of its Little Shop campaign with an updated list of miniature grocery items, including Arnott’s Barbecue Shapes, Heinz Baked Beans, Maggi 2 Minute Noodles, Campbell’s Tomato Soup and the refreshing Eclipse Mints.

Vegemite will have its adorable version out again, but this time the vintage label will be up for grabs.

Just 100 limited-edition gold trolleys will be in circulation to add an extra challenge for the young ones wanting to fill their replica shelves.