The winner of an online auction to buy an original Mr Blobby costume has backed out just an hour after bidding £62,000 for the sought-after item.
Although the outfit was originally listed on eBay for £39, the price increased once it began attracting attention online. The seller, a former BBC employee who wished to remain anonymous, admitted they were not surprised when the winning bidder reneged on the deal.
They told BBC News: “I thought it would get to a level of £100 perhaps – and so I was shocked really that it reached the level it did. I think it was one of those things that was driven by social media.”
The costume was created for an international version of Noel’s House Party, the TV show on which Mr Blobby became a household name in the 1990s.
However, when the new version did not go ahead, the seller kept the recognisable pink outfit as it turned out nobody from the production team wanted to keep it for themselves.
It was only decades later when the former BBC employee needed to make space for a house move that the item was listed for sale online.
Despite it being in need of some repair, including the reattachment of both arms, the famous outfit managed to attract 178 bids by the end of the auction.
“Ironically, it was being sold not to make money but to make space,” said the seller.
Although winning an eBay auction is a commitment to buy an item, the online auction website has no power to enforce sales by law.
“I don’t think you can lose something you’ve never had,” the anonymous seller added in reference to the final amount.
They added they have now decided to hold on to the costume a while longer, with no new auction planned.
