Oh, bother. The Starbucks Winnie the Pooh collection went on sale Tuesday, but most of the world can’t walk in and buy it. The 20-piece limited-edition line, made with Disney to celebrate 100 years of Winnie the Pooh, is sold only at participating Starbucks stores in nine Asia-Pacific markets, while supplies last.
That list is Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, Starbucks announced. The U.S., Canada and Europe aren’t on it, and neither are other big Starbucks markets in Asia such as Japan and South Korea.
The timing lines up with a literary milestone. A.A. Milne’s first Pooh book, “Winnie-the-Pooh,” was published in October 1926.
What’s in the Starbucks Winnie the Pooh collection
Honey is the theme. “Hunny Pot” accents show up across the tumblers, cold cups and bottles, and the cold cups come with honey-drip lids and yellow straw toppers, Mashable reported. A ceramic mug is shaped like a beehive, with Pooh wedged into the hive’s opening.
Character pieces round out the drinkware. In Singapore, the lineup includes Eeyore and Tigger stainless steel tumblers, a Piglet double-wall glass cold cup and a plastic water bottle. There’s also a Pooh reusable bag that folds into its own matching pouch.
For collectors, the big draw is Starbucks’ Bearista mascot dressed as Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger. The costumed bears come as keychains, phone straps and a Mini Bearista Bear Set. In Singapore, the phone straps are sold as blind boxes, so buyers don’t know which character they’ll get until they open one.
How much it costs and how to buy it
Prices in Singapore run from 14.90 Singapore dollars for a single phone-strap blind box to 75.90 Singapore dollars for the Mini Bearista set, according to SINGPromos. The beehive mug costs 34.90 Singapore dollars. A full set of all four straps costs 59.60, the same as buying four blind boxes.
Starbucks Singapore is selling the collection in stores from opening time, or 6:30 a.m. at 24-hour locations, and online only through its LazMall shop starting at noon. It isn’t on Starbucks Singapore’s own online store, and several pieces, including the Mini Bearista set and the bag, are only at selected stores.
The chain is also laying down queue rules. Everyone buying has to stay in line the whole time, and no one can save a spot for a friend. Starbucks Singapore also reminded shoppers that its Starbucks Cards hold no more than 300 Singapore dollars.
What it means for fans everywhere else
Fans outside the nine markets have a few options. They can ask a friend or family member who lives in, or is traveling to, one of those countries to pick something up. They can also turn to the secondary market, which Mashable called collectors’ best bet, noting that exporters would start listing items on launch day.
Those listings aren’t official Starbucks or Disney sales, so expect to pay more than retail, plus international shipping. The blind-box straps add another wrinkle: resellers who open boxes to sell specific characters will likely charge more for the most popular ones.
Starbucks hasn’t announced plans to bring the collection to any other markets.
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