Thief steals hundreds of dollars worth of toys by shoving them down her pants
The huge haul of Jellycat soft toys was taken from St Peter's Garden Centre, south west of Birmingham, England, after a woman stuffed a 'significant amount' of the stock into her trousers and bags.
Footage filmed on June 7, 2025, showed a woman helping herself to items as she walked through the store, casually adjusting her pants as she went.
Jellycats are uniquely shaped soft toys that are hugely popular right now, thanks to their quirky designs and super-soft material.
Over the past year, the brand has experienced significant growth in popularity.
William Blake, managing director of St Peter's Garden Centre, said: 'We were deeply disappointed by the incident, where a significant amount of stock – over $800 worth of Jellycat toys – was stolen from our store.
'As an independent, family-run business, every loss impacts not just our shelves but the hardworking team behind the scenes.
'Our staff work tirelessly to create a warm and welcoming environment for all visitors, and it's disheartening when that is taken advantage of.
'We're co-operating fully with local authorities and we'd like to thank our customers for the response to the video and all their continued support.'
West Mercia Police said: 'We received a report of theft from St Peter's Garden Centre on June 11.
'Inquiries are ongoing.'
In Australia, stores such as David Jones stock Jellycats, with the department store seeing a massive uptick in sales in previous years.
'We've seen strong demand for the brand and an increase in sales in not only their iconic bunny which they are best known for but also more niche/unique styles,' a David Jones spokesperson told news.com.au last month.
'There has also been a noticeable shift in the consumer who is buying this product, traditionally bought for children we have seen demand from Gen Z thanks to social media driving the trend among this group.'
It comes as Aussies have gone wild for the Labubu craze, a furry plushie featuring a bizarre grin and sharp teeth.
Designed by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, the product is sold by Chinese toy company Pop Mart following a collaboration with Lung on his story series book The Monsters, released in 2015.
While the Labubu hit the market in Asia in 2019, the toy only took off after Blackpink's Lisa, a popular K-pop singer, was spotted with a $32 keychain-version of the doll attached to her handbag in April 2024.
And in just 12 months, the whole world has become hooked, including Aussies.
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