CHRISTMAS toy mania arrived early in Southampton with the release of the new Beanie Kids collection.

The 12-inch tall cuddly characters were delivered to Bees in Ocean Village where crowds of shoppers were already waiting to view them.

It was the first time the nine Beanie Kids - Angel, Boomer, Chipper, Curly, Cutie, Ginger, Precious, Rascal and Tumbles - had all been brought together under one roof.

The Southampton store was one of only 24 in the UK to be chosen to receive the toys by manufacturer Ty and attracted punters from as far away as Bristol.

The 24 locations for the launch were posted on the company's website (www.ty.com) only a week ago. The store's spokesman Geoff Gale said: "We put the Beanie Kids on display in the store so that everyone could get a chance to see them all together at the same time.

"Then we had a draw at the end of the day to see which of the shoppers could go home with one.

"We didn't want the day to be too frantic - there have been problems in the past with parents fighting each other to get them off the shelves."

The release of the Beanie Kids follows the success of the Beanie Babies in recent years. Mr Gale said: "The Kids take eight times longer to make than the Babies. People have compared them to Cabbage Patch dolls - but the Kids are much cuter.

"Their eyes seem to follow you around the room. We've been told only limited amounts will be available over the next few months - and they will be rarely seen as a complete set."

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