It’s tough to believe, but there was once a time when comedy films were not only produced by Hollywood studios, but they were also wildly successful. Relying on tight writing and, often, low budgets, the returns for making millions laugh at cinemas were huge, and one of the biggest drivers of this in the 1990s and 2000s was Jim Carrey.
The Canadian actor broke out from the sitcom In Living Colour in 1994 with a string of hits, including now-legendary flicks like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber. The next year, his hot streak continued with Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and i
In this age deprived of all-out comedies, these excellent films are raised even higher by well-earned nostalgia. So, when a particularly memorable prop from one of those films goes on sale, you can bet that it’ll exceed expectations.
Perhaps Carrey’s Most Iconic Films
Of all of his belly-aching releases, a certain duology stands out as the most iconic, which is why the entertainment industry subtly returned to it recently. Now, when you try online bingo games on Paddy Power, you’ll see the roll of rotating bingo rooms above a curated selection of slots. Within those, there’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Ultranudge.
When you think of Jim Carrey at his finest and most eccentric, defining the top end of 1990s comedy, the mind goes to Ace Ventura, and that’s what the slot game seeks to capture. Filled with the characters from the film, including Carrey and Snowflake the dolphin, the goal is to hit Ultranudge in free spins for ever-growing multipliers.
It’s tough for a game to stand out in the ever-expanding libraries of bingo slots, but Ace Venture still carries a huge amount of appeal. In 1994, it made over $107 million worldwide. Showing its staying power and good word of mouth, in 1995, When Nature Calls went on to eclipse $212 million, not to mention the physical copy sales thereafter. It’s this film that’s created a splash for one prop at auction.
That Rhino Went Up for Sale
In Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Carrey’s titular character is tasked with going deep into the jungles of a fictional African country, Nibia, to find a white bat. In search of “Shikaka,” he begins to suspect the owner of the Safari Club, deciding to investigate the man undercover. One such disguise of his was a life-sized mechanical rhino.
During the scene, Ace begins to overheat in the African sun while within this rubber-encased mechanical rhino. The fan stops, and a sweaty nude Ace needs to escape. The only way out is a small opening under the tail. Listed from the Planet Hollywood Collection on Prop Store Auction, it was named the “Oversized Mechanical Butt Birth Rhino.”
As was reported by Out Kick before the bidding began, the rhino prop was listed at $2,000 for the starting bid. The page itself listed an estimated sale price of between $4,000 to $8,000. Clearly, the auctioneers failed to account for the enduring love of Ace Ventura. In the end, the rhino sold for $59,850, not including the special shipping costs.
Perfectly showcased by the new Ace Ventura game coming out and the hefty auction price on this prop, the classic comedy films remain beloved and a grand reminder of when producers recognised that crowds enjoy comedy.