The school said in a Facebook post that Ooshies “have become a significant distraction during class time and break times”.
“Because these items are in high demand, we have also had unfortunate situations where they have gone missing or been misplaced, which leads to upset students and lost learning time.”
Colwill School in Massey has also banned Ooshies as well as the popular squishies, saying these items are becoming an issue during school time.
“To help us keep our classrooms focused, calm and safe, we ask that squishies, Ooshies and similar toys remain at home,” the school posted on social media.
Snells Beach School has also asked that Ooshies, as well as Pokemon cards and other toys, stay at home as the toys are leading to an “increased workload on teachers, of dealing with distraction and upset children with missing objects”.
Cambridge East School has asked parents not to let children take Ooshies into the school, after staff “have noticed an increasing number of children wanting to trade and swap Ooshies during school time”.
The Cambridge school said in its newsletter that “this is beginning to cause issues between students”.
“While we understand that collecting and trading Ooshies can be exciting and enjoyable, these activities can sometimes lead to disagreements, lost items, and distractions from learning. To help avoid these problems, we ask that Ooshies are kept safely at home.
“If children would like to trade or swap their collections, we encourage this to take place outside of school hours and under the supervision of their whānau.”
Also in Cambridge, St Peter’s Catholic School has asked students to stop taking Ooshies to school but also said that there will be a specific trading event, at a designated time and date, for people to swap the collectibles.
Takapau School in Hawke’s Bay has also noticed that the collectible toys have caused “a number of disagreements and conflicts between students”.
“To help avoid any further issues, we ask that Ooshies, Dumpling Squishes, and money for buying or selling these items are kept at home,” the school wrote on social media.
In Invercargill, Waihopai School has also asked parents to stop allowing children to take Ooshies to school, saying “they are causing issues in the playground and between friends”.
Schools in Australia have also had to issue notices regarding children taking Ooshies to school.
At least two Queensland schools, Somerset College and Bellevue Park State School, have now banned the collectible items from their grounds, for the same reasons outlined by schools in New Zealand.
This is not the first time schools have been forced to ban items from their premises.
In 2023, multiple schools in New Zealand banned Crocs, Jibbitz and Yu-Gi-Oh cards for similar reasons to their Ooshies’ messages.
Woolworths’ Ooshies promotion runs until August 23. Shoppers get a collectable toy from a set of 40 Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars characters, for every $30 spent.
Woolworths to hold another swap day due to overwhelming demand
A Woolworths Ooshies swap day took place last week, in addition to numerous organised swaps that different communities are hosting across the country.
Woolworths general manager brand and marketing Abbe Hale told the Herald the event was so popular they have scheduled another one before the promotion ends.
“We know how passionate customers can get during these promotions. Following a tremendous turnout at our first Swap Day last week, we are holding another nationwide Swap Day from 10am to 12pm on Saturday 22 August. This gives collectors a dedicated community space to trade and complete their sets in a way that fits into busy lives.”