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This jersey is one of five jerseys made by Icebreaker from fleece shorn from 'Shrek the Sheep'.
A merino wether, or a castrated male sheep, 'Shrek the Sheep' shot to international fame when he was found in April 2004 having evaded capture for most of his eight years on the Bendigo Station in Otago. When he was found he was carrying an immense 27 kilograms of fleece in comparison to the average merino which carries a mere 4.5kg. His inaugural shearing was televised around the world, and part of his fleece was sold for charity to raise money for Cure Kids. Jeremy Moon of Icebreaker, a company who has forged an international reputation for its merino clothing, created five 'Shrek' jerseys from some of the fleece, and also provided the newly-naked sheep with a branded Icebreaker coat.
This jersey is the second of the five, and was purchased at auction.
The connection between Shrek the Sheep and Icebreaker created unprecedented publicity for the company. After footage of 'Shrek the Sheep' wearing his Icebreaker cover went global, the company website received a million hits the next day. 'We started getting emails from front pages in Switzerland and the US and all through Europe,' says Jeremy Moon.