UofMUSCLE.com – M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures from Mattel

Oh damn. I launched the online M.U.S.C.L.E. Figure Guide five years ago. I need to finish that thing.

I don’t even have a story about why it hasn’t happened. Sure I took some breaks from the site, but how could I not snap all those pictures over five years?

I guess that’s the answer. Taking all those pictures isn’t always fun. Sometimes it feels like work – that’s not true. I like taking the pictures. It’s the cropping and setting up the posts. Those posts don’t always provide the most satisfaction. Even I wasn’t too excited when #196 posted. On the flipside #107 felt great; probably because it has a great story.

I only added an obvious front page link this last month. Hahahaha…

Speaking of unfinished business, was there ever a winner of this contest? I don’t think a contest like this could even be run today.

I was looking what else had been happening five years ago, and this Epilogue was posted almost exactly five years ago. As I scanned through I didn’t see anything I wanted to memorialize. The Toy Story 1% didn’t seem as funny, Shia getting punched didn’t matter, and HopeForGabe.org was too sad for me. (Although I was pleased to see he was still battling for a cure and made another donation.)

I kept scrolling down, hoping for a hot chick to save the day. I found a Comment that was even better:

James :

Hey Chad, just wanted to let you know that my MUSCLE can has indeed sold… please do let me know if you are ever interested in learning how to operate a successful eBay storefront. To bring everything full circle, I, actually, bought that MUSCLE can with money I made from selling Garbage Pail Kids way back in 1986… as a seven year old. So, clearly, I deserved your slandering of my good name. Thanks, I enjoy having my business associated with with your high dubious tag and opinion in search engines. PS. I have the figures from that can on display, asshole.

Since it had been five years I wasn’t sure, at first, what he was talking about at first. But it quickly dawned on me that James was the 4-time winner of AOTW. Even better, I could still see the original auction (Here’s a lazily captured PDF of the original auction.). I have to share some of the gems from it for you to enjoy.

Apparently it sold for the $19.95 BIN, but that seems dubious for an empty can auction. I loved this:

Broken back hinge, still closes properly. Inside needs to be cleaned.

Ugh, gross.

I don’t believe anyone has ever bought a broken 10-pack for basically $20. That disbelief certainly extends to this auction.

If it did sell (which is completely incomprehensible), then I would love to talk to the buyer. What could that person’s story be?

We’ll never know. It’s as likely as an eBay Entrepreneur Exchange #2.