For a movie, the rather dumb Dumb and Dumber turned into a rip-roaring success. Along with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as the main protagonists of the movie, the Mutt Cutt Van was the third and most long-lasting hero of the movie. Incidentally, Jim Carrey himself is quite the motorcyclist and owns a Harley himself.
But there was another vehicle that was equally dumb, and in being so, became one of the most underrated movie vehicles of all times, deserving of its time in the spotlight. What are we talking about? The micro bike that helped Lloyd and Harry to get to Aspen, Colorado to reunite their love, Mary Swanson with her briefcase, although neither gets the girl…
Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) got this little minibike after trading in their van and then both he and Harry (Daniels) used it to continue on their journey, even it got them funny looks along the road. But then again, this was not a movie supposed to make sense, right?
So here’s what we know about his memorable bike from Dumb and Dumber, and where it is now…
One Ridiculous Piece Of Movie Memorabilia
This little motorcycle is basically ridiculous, any and every which way you look at it. So designed by Sydney J. Bartholomew Jr., who incidentally was also responsible for the monstrosity that was the Mutt Cutts van; this motorcycle actually came with a cycle bell, the ding-ding variety.
In the movie, they rode this little bike for some 500 miles, on an engine that was roughly between 150-200 ccs, or thereabouts. Even the Honda Monkey, which in itself was a ridiculous 49cc motorcycle that rode on five-inch wheels looks way cooler in front of this nameless creation Christmas called, “The Hog” because it gave him 70 miles per gallon.
Two such bikes (or scooters, or moped, or heck, whatever) were made by Bartholomew for New Line Cinema, one for the actual shooting and the other for publicity shots and such. Both the bikes survived the movie because they weren’t put through the works as other vehicles are often done. There were no stunts involved because had they been, the bike would probably have been decimated, along with most of the bones of Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey, or at least their stunt doubles.
One of these bikes was given to Planet Hollywood and we assume it's still there somewhere, shoved in storage, collecting dust because this was no “hero” bike, rather a comedian…
The second bike, apparently the one used for the still shots was given to film transportation coordinator Gordie Merrick who didn’t seem all that thrilled with it and stowed it in his garage.
Then someone went ahead and actually bought it from Merrick.
The eBay Auction That Stunned All
The gentleman who bought the bike from Merrick must have been one huge fan of the movie, or perhaps, he knew it would make business sense. After buying the bike some 20 years after, he spent a year “restoring” it.
He replaced the pulley belt, the throttle, and brake cables, and just about everything else this little bike could carry in the name of engine and gadgetry: the carburetor seals, air cleaner, spark plug, and the fuel hose. The motor was also given an oil change to run better and improve its life. The frame was also repainted in the original color, not that it was a good thing, to begin with. Then, ostensibly to send his kid to college, this buyer went on eBay and opened his account: TommyB211.
He listed the bike for $8,500 and also included in all the original parts in case the new owner wanted it back in its authentic if rundown form. A bag, briefcase, and a helmet were also thrown in and although these were not the original props of the movie, they still look close to the real thing.
The bike also came with a signed and notarized letter of authenticity and according to Tommy, was in good running condition although it had not been ridden. To make the deal sweeter, 10% of the proceeds were to go to Best Friends Animal Society, America’s largest homeless pet sanctuary. The bike was listed for sale in Houston, Texas and Tommy also said that the owner would need to have it shipped at his expense.
That Insane Sale!
The bike was grabbed up by New Yorker Todd Lyons, who first saw the movie when he was 13 and had a hankering for a piece of it ever since we guess. He was informed of the sale by one of his friends who wanted to motorcycle for himself but his wife put down her foot. Since Lyons was a bachelor and of free will, he grabbed it.
The amount he grabbed it for made us balk. From a starting bidding price of $8,500, it climbed all the way to $50,000. Three cheers of Tommy and his kid, who definitely has a bright future if his college fund is any indication.
Plus we are sure Best Friends Animal Society is thankful for a $5,000 donation from Tommy, who turned out to be the opposite of Dumb and Dumber!
Sources: MotorAuthority, TMZ