The Surprising Amount That Pawn Stars Paid For A Batman Dollhouse
Over the decades, Batman has yet to lose his appeal as the caped vigilante who haunts the streets of Gotham, taking out villains creepy, disturbed, and comical. While his more recent movies paint him as a dark figure with serious issues, Batman has long been a kid-favorite, making him perfect fodder for the toy industry. Between the inappropriate Happy Meal Batman and the action figure that spoiled the plot of "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm," there are some pretty intriguing Batman toys on the market. One in particular earned a spot on History's "Pawn Stars."
The item in question is a four-story dollhouse named Batman's Wayne Foundation. The product was made by Mego in the late '70s. While most depictions place the famous Batcave under Wayne Manor, this one is located under his family's company building, like in the comics (via Batcave Toy Room). With its bright, popping colors, it's a far cry from the moody, dark Batcaves of the 2000s that embrace the "cave" part of the name.
The whole Batcave is held together by slim yellow columns of dubious durability, but it does have some neat pieces of blue furniture. There are consoles with faux screens for villain surveillance and a little dresser for quick costume changes, along with illustrations of computers and dinosaurs and other miscellaneous things on the back wall. This Batcave is more like a cool after-school hangout for Robin, than an edgy lair for a brooding middle-aged crimefighter, but like most real estate these days, it's worth a surprisingly large sum of money.
Corey paid $500 for it on Pawn Stars, but it's worth even more
In the "Pawn Stars" episode featuring the dollhouse, Corey and Chum make a bet over the classic toy when a man comes in to sell it: Corey buys it for a startling $500, but Chum doesn't think it's worth nearly that much. Whoever's wrong has to wear a costume. The pair then bring it to their appraiser friend, Steve Johnston of Rogue Toys, who explains that this '70s-era play set was one of the first large dollhouse-type toys marketed toward boys, and that it's got a lot of draw for toy collectors.
When discussing how much the dollhouse is worth, Johnston points out that the one thing missing from this Batman's Wayne Foundation is the string attached to the side elevator; it was meant to be used to secure the toy elevator at different levels. However, he added that most Wayne Foundation sets are missing this same piece, so it doesn't alter the value too much. In fact, their version of the dollhouse still has the clips holding the thing together, which are often broken or missing altogether. Johnston says this Batman dollhouse is probably worth a whopping $1,100.
Unfortunately for the seller, he could have gotten an extra few hundred dollars out of the set. Fortunately for the rest of us, Chum loses the bet and has to don a Batman costume to greet every customer coming into their shop. Never underestimate Batman.