Apr. 1 (NBD) -- Starbucks' Tmall shop unveiled a limited-edition bear toy on Friday, which has been sold out in days.

The 80cm-tall bear wearing a Starbucks-branded uniform in green and white is priced at 699 yuan (104.0 U.S. dollars) and registered Starbucks members can order via Taobao, with each account allowed to buy one.

The new toy's price nearly doubles compared to Starbucks cups sold in the Tmall shop ranging from 99-399 yuan (14.7-59.4 U.S. dollars).

Tmall page of Starbucks

As mugs and vacuum cups remain major derivative lineup for the U.S. coffeehouse chain, every Starbucks store displays a shelf of coffee cups near the doorway. Commemorative cups for iconic cities, seasonal editions and Christmas gifts are frequently released every year.

Buoyed by the popularity of cat paw cup, the coffee brand is making another trial to tap the potential derivative market.

On February 26, it launched a limited-edition pinkish mug, a double-walled glass that looks like a cat paw dipped into a tumbler when filled. The 199-yuan (29.6-U.S. dollar) mugs were sold out within one day. Some customers queued overnight and even resorted to brawls to snap up the new release.

The second-hand price for this mug skyrocketed to around 1,000 yuan (148.8 U.S. dollars) on the Internet.

Starbucks is not the first protagonist in derivative fever.

Last August, McDonald's issued 6.2 million MacCoins worldwide to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Big Mac. A set of coins consists of five pieces and each token can be redeemed for a free Big Mac by the end of 2018.

But coins were rarely converted into burgers and the price of a token set has been bid up to 800-1,000 yuan (119.1-148.8 U.S. dollars) on second-hand online marketplaces.

Clothing firm Supreme made dramatic stories in the derivative field. For instance, the 30-U.S. dollar red clay brick designed and sold by the brand is on sale on eBay for up to 1,000 U.S. dollars, after selling out in a single day.

Derivatives are seen by Starbucks as another connection with consumers in addition to coffee products.

The American coffee chain leader is facing challenges from old rivals like Costa as well as Chinese start-up Luckin Coffee that has made aggressive expansion in the domestic market with massive subsidies and fast-paced store opening.

It took 20 years for Starbucks to run more than 3,600 shops in China, while the new challenger approaches that goal within one year.

Besides, Starbucks' financial results for the first quarter of 2019 fiscal year show its comparable store sales rose by 1 percent from a year earlier in China, the most bullish region outside the U.S., in contrast to 4 percent year-on-year growth for sales in America.

However, unlike cat paw mug as a fangle that caught the eyes of animal lovers, the bear toy market has been teemed with diverse bear images like Teddy Bear, Pooh Bear and Bearbrick.

On March 26-30, Starbucks' bear toy received more than 1,600 orders, far less than sales volume of cat claw cups, and didn't cause heated discussion on the Internet.

Email: zhanglingxiao@nbd.com.cn