There is going to be a Gruffalo 50p – here's what you need to know

BELOVED children's book the Gruffalo is set to be given its own special edition coin.
The Gruffalo is set to get it's own 50pThe Gruffalo is set to get it's own 50p
The Gruffalo is set to get it's own 50p

The 50p pieces are being launched to mark the 20th anniversary of Julia Donaldson’s best selling book. 

It is set to be released by the Royal Mint, similar to how Paddington Bear and The Snowman coins were revealed last year. 

When will the coin be released? 

The Gruffalo is set to get it's own 50pThe Gruffalo is set to get it's own 50p
The Gruffalo is set to get it's own 50p
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An official release date for the Gruffalo coins has yet to be revealed, however the book was released on March 23, 1999 - so the 20th anniversary is next month. 

The folks over at Token Publishing, which specialises in coin news, claim that the Royal Mint is set to unveil the 50p coins on February 19, The Sun reports

And like the Paddington Bear coins before, it is expected that a number of limited edition variations will be available to buy. 

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It is not known if the coins will just be collectables, like The Snowman set released late in 2018, or if they will be later released into circulation like the coins featuring the beloved bear from darkest Peru. 

What is the Gruffalo? 

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It is a beloved children's book written by playwright Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. 

Since its release nearly 20 years ago, the Gruffalo has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide and been turned into an animated short, a theatre production and even a ride at Chessington World of Adventures. 

The beloved children's book tells the story of a mouse who takes a walk through a forest and invents a fictitious monster called the gruffalo to scare away animals who try to eat him, before encountering a real gruffalo. 

The Gruffalo’s story is based on a Chinese folk tale of a fox that borrows the terror of a tiger – but Donaldson couldn't find a word to rhyme with tiger so invented her own creature. 

After it’s release the book won the gold award (in the 0–5 years category) of the 1999 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. 

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