Meerkat toys to be given to charity

All 5,000 limited-edition toy meerkats modelled on Aleksandr Orlov, star of the Compare the Meerkat adverts, are to be given to a selection of children's charities.

The meerkat toys were due to be sold exclusively in Harrods in the run-up to Christmas. But demand was so high for the Comparethemarket.com mascot that the store's chairman Mohammed Al Fayed has decided to give them all to charity.

The charities to receive the toys are Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, The Evelina Children's Hospital, Chase Hospice Care for Children, Rainbow Trust Children's Charity and The Shooting Star Hospice.

It would now appear that these charities are auctioning off a set number of the donated meerkat toys on Ebay.

An announcement about the sale of the toy meerkats was made in October with demand so high that Harrods stopped taking reservations the following day.

In an official statement Katharine Witty, group director of PR at Harrods, said: "The meerkat craze has gone global. We have had hundreds of thousands of inquiries, and with the limited number we had to sell, so many customers were going to be disappointed."

"The Chairman decided that the fairest solution was to donate them all to charity. We are sure that the children will appreciate this incredible gift, and we trust that our customers will support this generous gesture to those most in need," she added.

Despite complaints being made about the move, The Office of Fair Trading told Web User that such decisions are solely at the shop owners' discretion and such actions do not breach any contract rules.

It may not be the official merchandise but you can buy alternative meerkat soft toys online or adopt a meerkat from London Zoo.


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