Talk about eco-friendly. The Santa Monica Pier's amusement park is recycling its Ferris wheel by putting it up for auction on eBay.
Opening bid starts at $50,000, which would be a steal, considering it originally cost $800,000, according to a promotional flier. Of course, the buyer will also have to spring for a base to support the thing, which will run about $135,000 from the manucaturer. And then there are shipping costs to consider for the 122,000-pound wheel. But Santa Monica to Hermosa is less than 20 miles, so how expensive could that be?
Last we checked, there were no bids, but Ferris wheel shoppers have until April 25 to make their move. Half of the winning bid will be donated to Special Olympics Southern California.
Here are some fun facts from City News Service:
- The Pacific Wheel, which originally cost $800,000, was installed at the pier’s Pacific Park amusement park in 1996. It was upgraded two years later to become the world’s first solar-powered Ferris wheel.
- Standing 90 feet tall and carrying riders 130 feet above the ocean, the wheel has had more than 3 million rides over the past 12 years, park officials said.
- People who have never ridden the wheel have likely seen it. According to Pacific Park, the Pacific Wheel has been in 105 photo shoots, 71 television commercials, 69 television shows, 28 feature films and 13 music videos.
- At night, the wheel is illuminated by 5,392 light bulbs.
- The wheel will be replaced with a $1.5 million, more contemporary Ferris wheel next month. Installation is expected to begin May 5, with a grand- opening ceremony set for May 22.
If a full-size Ferris wheel is a little out of your price range, ebay also has a Fisher-Price version, complete with 24 critters to ride it. Opening bid: 1 cent.
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