For children of the 90s, by the power of Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Heart meant Captain Planet and the Planeteers were about to take over Saturday morning TV. However, the series and its merchandise never quite hit the heights of other shows that preceded it, meaning that the limited toy lines are now worth quite a chunk of money. According to a recent sales on eBay, even the tiny weapons that were often broken or lost could be worth almost a five-figure sum.
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It is not unusual for rare, boxed action figures of past decades to sell for over $10,000, a listing for a single, barely recognizable missile accessory from the Captain Planet toy line that ran between 1991 and 1993 became one of that select group. What is more, it sold. Not for the asking price, but for a “best offer,” so it is not too much of a stretch to expect that the sale price didn’t fall too far away. But why would anyone pay such a huge amount for a chunk of plastic that would have originally cost less than a dollar to make?
Captain Planet Only Had Moderate Success
Tiger Toys produced the figures to accompany the series, picking up the 80s trend that suggested animated TV shows and action figures went hand in hand. Captain Planet‘s moderate success meant that those toys did not find themselves into the same number of households as brands like Masters of the Universe or Thundercats, and that means their availability now is quite limited. Even then, complete and sealed figures from the range still only sell for up to $200 each. With that in mind, the near-$10,000 sale of this loose missile is even more of a mystery.
The answer most likely comes down to the need for completism among serious collectors. If someone has been searching for this one particular item for quite a while, then this would be the end of a holy grail search for them. Several figures in the Captain Planet range came with spring-launched missiles, an evolution of the kind of firing action that was removed from Star Wars’ iconic Boba Fett figure twenty years earlier. With that kind of tiny accessory comes a high probability that most will be lost over time, making them harder to find that a safely stored boxed figure.
The truth of the matter is the simple fact that some people will pay anything for that item they never expected to find. Is several thousand dollars a ridiculously high price for this kind of item? Without a doubt, but everything is only worth the amount someone is willing to shell out for it, and someone had deep pockets for this one. It also highlights a note for anyone out there sitting with a box of random parts and accessories squashed in the back of a cupboard or in the attic. You never know exactly what someone could be willing to pay for even the most insignificant colorful piece of plastic. You could be sitting on a goldmine.
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