While the intended purpose of toys is to breed imagination and fun for children, rare toys raise the stakes. Instead of tea parties and fictional battles, these unique objects become expensive memorabilia with exciting stories attached. Whether the result of a production error or even a lawsuit, the rare toys on this list are now some of the most sought after collectibles in the world. They range from dolls to cars to PEZ dispensers and they’ll all cost you a pretty penny.
- Lili Ledy Dolls
- Scratch the Kat TMNT Action Figure
- Vinyl Caped Jawa
- President Furby
- Dick Tracy “The Blank” Action Figure
- Beanie Baby Royal Blue Peanut the Elephant
- Mego Elastic Batman
- Knoxville “Tennese” World’s Fair PEZ Dispensers
- Hot Wheels White Enamel Camaro Prototype
- First Edition Monopoly Set
Cost Today: $250
Number in Existence: Unknown
photo source: TheMississippiGypsy via Etsy
Lili Ledy Dolls were the Mexican version of Cabbage Patch Kids. The amount produced is unknown, but several online sellers mark these dolls as rare. In terms of appearance, the Lili Ledy dolls look like Cabbage Patch Kids with the key difference being language since the tags are in Spanish. Cabbage Patch creator Xavier Roberts’s signature is written on the bottom of the dolls’ feet.
Did you know
The city of Cleveland, Georgia has an entire fake hospital dedicated to Cabbage Patch Kids, where they sell the dolls and show them being born out of cabbages.
photo source: Sbrode11 via Ebay
The specific number of Scratch the Kat Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (TMNT) figurines is difficult to determine, but sellers and collectors all agree that they’re rare. The character is one of the many antagonists the Turtles face and, like them, he’s also a mutant. His figurine is one of the most sought after in the TMNT universe to the extent that the doll’s reputation precedes the character’s.
Did you know
Although most people are familiar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series, the show actually began as a comic book.
Cost Today: $3,500
Number in Existence: Unknown
photo source: toyworth.com
The vinyl caped Jawas from the Star Wars franchise were only on shelves for six months before being pulled. They were part of the original release of Star Wars action figures and cost the same price as the other toys, despite being significantly smaller in scale. Most people believe that the company switched the vinyl caped Jawas with the fabric caped ones so they appeared more high quality. Ironically, the vinyl caped Jawas are now worth thousands of dollars and are almost impossible to find.
Did you know
In Star Wars lore, Jawas are scavengers who inhabit the planet Tatooine. They discovered C3-P0 and R2D2 and subsequently sell them to Luke Skywalker’s uncle.
Cost Today: $400
Number in Existence: 36,000
photo source: Dolphin3306 via Ebay
President Furby was a limited edition toy that went with the slogan: “Furby for President.” It sported an orange mane and blue suit with a miniature American flag in its pocket. It was also capable of saying multiple things, including the song “Hail to the Chief,” with accompanying ear movements. Its tag included a poem about the importance of voting.
Did you know
A few Wiki users have noted the similarity between President Furby’s reddish orange hair and that of former US President Donald Trump’s, who was elected 16 years after President Furby’s release.
photo source: Chris Darkes via Medium
The 1990 remake “Dick Tracy” was a crime film with a host of zany characters. Noting its success, the marketing company created several associated action figures and products to go along with the film. Most notorious among them is The Blank figurine, a pivotal character in the film who wears a mask with no facial features— hence the name. Kids could remove the mask on the action figure, revealing the character underneath. Only one problem: the toy came out before the film and ruined a major plot twist regarding The Blank’s identity. The toys were quickly pulled from stores and not pursued much after, making them extremely rare and desired.
Did you know
The 1990 film featured several famous stars, including Madonna, Al Pacino and Warren Beatty. In addition, Danny Elfman, who also worked on “Nightmare Before Christmas,” created the score.
Cost Today: $7,000
Number in Existence: 2,000
photo source: Tycollector.com
The royal blue version of Peanut the Elephant was one of the first nine Beanie Babies to ever hit the market. Founder and creator of Beanie Babies Ty Warner already had collectibles in mind when establishing his brand and only did limited runs of his toys. This, paired with the fact that the royal blue elephants were unpopular and cut short in production, makes this version of Peanut quite rare. While the baby blue version of Peanut did sell better than its predecessor, the royal blue edition is highly sought after by collectors today and sells for thousands of dollars.
Did you know
Ty Warner started his first toy company out of his home in Chicago where he sold different stuffed bears. It wasn’t until later on that he developed the idea for Beanie Babies.
photo source: justcollecting.com
The Mego Elastic Batman is a small rubbery doll meant to celebrate toy company Mego’s twenty-fifth anniversary. Mego needed an idea fast and sought “inspiration” in a rival company’s stretchable toys. Mego produced a line of elastic superheroes which included, of course, Batman as well as Spiderman, the Hulk and even Mickey Mouse. The toy run was short lived, however, when the rival company sued Mego for their elastic line’s similarities to their products. Production of Mego’s Elastic Batman was cut short and, due to this as well as design issues, only two are known to exist today.
Did you know
Mego’s elastic toys only lasted for a few weeks before losing their elasticity and breaking.
Cost Today: $32,205
Number in Existence: 2
photo source: most-expensive.com
The 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair was the last successful World’s Fair to be held in America and the first in the Southern United States. It involved 22 countries and was even opened by then-President Ronald Reagan. To commend this exciting event, the PEZ company created two special dispensers. They came in blue and green with the words “1982 World’s Fair Knoxville, “Tennesse” on the sides. Both dispensers were astronaut heads. The unique nature of these dispensers as well as their typos made them highly valuable.
Did you know
Hit television show “The Simpsons” had an episode set at the Knoxville World’s Fair where Bart Simpson and his friends knock over the Sunsphere, a giant golden disco ball that was a highlight of the event.
Cost Today: $100,000
Number in Existence: Unknown
photo source: Joel Magee
While there is only one known example of the white Hot Wheels Custom Camaro, there is record of a few accidentally going to market in the late 1960s, making its potential as the rarest of all toys dubious. With that said, the white Camaro was a prototype, evident through its enamel coating that helped the manufacturers determine if the model had any imperfections. A few lucky customers received this version of the Camaro when the prototypes somehow made it into the packaging and shipping stages of production.
Did you know
The man who discovered the only known copy of this prototype is Joel Magee, a toy collector who was also featured on the television series “Pawn Stars.”
Cost Today: $60,000 – $80,000
Number in Existence: 1
photo source: Museum of Play
This 1933 Monopoly set is the rarest toy and the oldest surviving handmade product from Charles Darrow. While it wouldn’t be fair to credit Darrow solely for the development of Monopoly, he is the person responsible for popularizing the game. After working out the rules amongst friends and from other similar board games, Darrow realized he could sell Monopoly boards for extra income during the Great Depression. He handmade these first edition Monopoly boards for a while, producing about two a day, before he got any professional contracts. This last surviving board comes with over 200 components, including a handwritten mat, rules sheet, cards and pieces.
Did you know
There was a court case in 1976 in which General Mills accused an entity called the Anti-Monopoly Company for copyright infringement.
