Parents and children are so desperate to get their hands on the Sesame Street dolls being given away in a cereal promotion that they are resorting to theft.

Sales of Kellogg's breakfast cereals containing the children's television characters have more than doubled in the past month as people scramble to collect the set of 24 dolls.

BGA, the company which distributes the products, say people have been ripping open packets in supermarkets to steal replicas of characters such as Big Bird, Ernie, Elmo, Cookie Monster and The Count.

And some determined thieves have managed to pilfer the mini beanie dolls from displays which are suspended ten feet off the ground.

BGA president and chief executive officer John Tomlinson said the company is now wrapping the display "hotels'' containing the dolls in extra strong plastic to prevent thefts.

Mr. Tomlinson told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "People have been breaking open the boxes in stores to steal the characters.

"People have been hijacking them from the hotels despite them being ten feet off the ground. And we've had reports of worried mothers concerned that they won't be able to collect all the characters before the promotion ends.

"The Sesame Street characters are a great tie-in for a product such as this because it meets the fun interest for the children but it is also associated with the learning aspect. I think adults are also intrigued and charmed by the quality of the dolls.

"When we were visiting with the Kellogg's representatives, store managers were frustrated at the fact that the characters were being stolen, and we've had to take the precaution of wrapping heavy duty packaging on the hotels to prevent thefts.'' Mr. Tomlinson said parents will not be able to buy dolls they need to complete their collection.

However, if there are spares left when the promotion ends next month, the company will allow people to do swaps. BGA may also allow people to get the dolls by buying Kellogg's products not involved in the current give-away if any extras are left when the promotion ends.

Fifty box tops from participating Kellogg's cereals such as Rice Crispies, Fruit Loops and Honey Crunch Cornflakes are needed to get the hotel to house all the characters.

One woman has already submitted 130 box tops to get two hotels and extra characters.

Mr. Tomlinson added: "This is the most successful in-packet promotion I've been involved with. I am surprised we haven't seen people advertising in the small ads for swaps.

"The secret is to band together with friends to make a determined effort to collect the whole lot while it's still active.'' The promotion has cost Kellogg's an extra 20 percent on each cereal packet, but the company is delighted that sales have increased by more than one fifth to compensate.

Picture by Tony Cordeiro Open Sesame! : BGA executive assistant Shayna Brown Duncan (left) and grocery division manager Dale Neer have been overwhelmed by the demand for Sesame Street dolls in the current Kellogg's promotion. Parents and children have been so desperate to collect the popular television characters that they have been stealing them from the cereal packets they come in.