Let's Make a Deal: Mighty Robot

Here's a story, kids. It's about the impossible becoming possible, the fantasy coming true, the stars aligning, and the deal of a century landing smack at your feet. Or someone's feet. Certainly not my feet, but that's okay.

Let's do this up right: Once upon a time, there was a toy robot. Its name was Mighty Robot, but its friends called it Racoon Robot on account of the markings around its eyes.

Recently, Might Robot made an appearance at an obscure auction house, where it sold for a measly $4,500. Jaws dropped, eyes bugged, and... Wait. What was that?

Yes, you heard me right. I said "measly."

Mighty Robot is one of those toys that lives in myth and legend. Only a handful are known to exist and they rarely come up for sale. Most conservative estimates price the toy at a whopping $12,000-$15,000. That's loose, by the way. When a box is include in the sale, as in the above auction... Well, the rule of thumb is that boxes double the price. However, rare boxes can drive the price up so much more. And this is definitely a rare box.

$4,500 is nothing to laugh at, especially in today's rotten economy, but it's still an absolute bargain for a toy that, even in today's rotten economy, can sell for as much as a car. And I'm talking about a real car, not a toy one. So I'll say it again: "It sold for a measly $4,500."

All of which makes me very happy. No, not because I'm the lucky owner of this particular Mighty robot. Let's face it, this isn't a toy I'm ever going to own, whether or not it's "on sale." (While reproductions exist, they're just not the same for me.) But we've all got dreams, we all hope that one day we'll score an incredible deal on a toy. It's a tough dream to keep alive, though, as we scour auctions and flea markets and yard sales and antique malls to no avail, and the bright light of optimism slowly dims to a mere flicker.

But don't despair! A collector out there (admittedly, with deeper pockets than I've got) said to himself, "Geez, imagine finding a Mighty Robot for under five grand. Wouldn't that be keen?"

Guess what? His tin toy dreams came true, why can't the rest of ours do the same?

So sweet dreams, kids, and happy collecting!