Peter Barnett of the Purple People Feeder in Bemboka was almost about to toss his fuzzy Lion King Ooshie in the bin, until it was pointed out to him it could be worth thousands of dollars.

"I did the shopping on Thursday and it sat there unopened for a few days - I was almost ready to toss it in the bin," Peter said on Monday.

"Even when it was opened yesterday I didn't pay it much attention."

But, luckily, one of the women who works at the cafe realised they had something special.

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Only 100 of the "hairy Simba" Ooshies were released by Woolworths for their Lion King promotion, with Peter's stamped as number 74.

"Not all of them have been found apparently," he said.

"On eBay they're listed for between three and $10,000 - I was dumbfounded!"

Peter said he shops several times a week for supplies for the Purple People Feeder and as a result has amassed plenty of the various collectables the supermarkets release over the years.

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He felt the promotions certainly had an effect on shoppers' choices as to where they bought their groceries.

Given some family members collect the trinkets it can determine whether Peter shops at Woolies or Coles, but he said plenty of spare extras have been handed out to his own customers.

This one however won't be!

"I'll probably end up selling it if I can - it's worth more to me doing that than keeping it."