The popularity of “Bluey” has skyrocketed so high that one man in Australia apparently couldn’t resist the temptation of snagging some unreleased collectibles commemorating the beloved children’s show.
The 47-year-old warehouse worker was arrested and charged by New South Wales police on suspicion of stealing 63,000 limited edition “Bluey” coins, the agency announced Wednesday. The haul was worth an estimated $600,000 in Australian currency, equal to roughly $393,000 in U.S. dollars, Reuters reported.
The man, who is scheduled to appear Wednesday in court, is accused of stealing the $1 coins from a Sydney warehouse where he worked and then attempting to sell them online for 10 times their value, according to Australian police. The commemorative coins were produced this summer by the Royal Australian Mint and represent legal tender.
Here’s what to know about the coins and the investigation into the theft.
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What are the ‘Bluey’ coins?
Unveiled in June, the commemorative “Bluey” coins are being circulated by the Australian Mint.
Each of the three distinct gold-colored coins features Bluey and other characters from the wildly popular Australian children’s animated television series about a cartoon family of Heeler dogs living in Brisbane.
Produced by Australia-based Ludo Studio, “Bluey” debuted in 2018 before reaching the pinnacle of its popularity last year. In April, a supersized 28-minute episode titled, “The Sign” drew a series-record 10.4 million viewers within its first week of streaming on Disney+.
Capitalizing on the show’s success, the Australian Mint released the “dollarbucks” coin collection via online ballots before they were made available at authorized distributors. The gold-color coins feature the title character starring solo on one coin, as well as one with the Heeler family and the third dressed up with her sister Bingo as the “grannies.”
The Royal Australian Mint did not immediately reply Wednesday morning to a message left by USA TODAY.
Suspected thief was worker at warehouse, police say
Police were notified July 12 of the alleged coin heist in the Sydney suburb of Wetherill Park and launched an investigation under Strike Force Bandit, named for Bluey’s father in the show.
The investigation led detectives to execute a search warrant last Wednesday, July 31, at a property in Sefton, a suburb in west Sydney. During the search, investigators reported seizing 189 of the unreleased Bluey coins along with some electronic devices.
The suspected thief was then arrested Wednesday after investigators searched a second property in the suburb of Westmead about 7 miles north, police said. The man, who police identified as a worker at the warehouse where the coins were stolen, was charged with three breaking and entering offenses.
Bulk of coins remain in circulation
Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi told reporters at a press conference he had not aware of the show’s popularity, Reuters reported.
“The theft of these coins have deprived a lot of young children and members of the community from having access to these coins, so we’re doing our absolute best to try to recover these coins and put them back into circulation,” Doueihi said, according to Reuters.
The man police arrested is believed to have worked with two other male accomplices to steal the coins from the back of a truck. The coins were then sold online within hours.
But the raid uncovered a fraction of the stolen collectibles, the vast bulk of which Doueihi said are already in circulation. Those who have received one do not need to surrender it to police, he said, as reported by Reuters.
Contributing: Reuters
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
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