How "rare" is a Hasbro Softie BOOBER doll?

[Jelopi]

Hi, Im wondering how rare a Hasbro Softie Boober doll is? I read in the collectible section on here that he is the scarcest one of all of them all. Since Ive only recently started my Fraggle collection, I am not too familiar with which characters are HTF and which are not. And I am sure that some of you are "seasoned" collectors and are in the know. I would appreciate any input or comments on this! Thanks

 

[beakerfan76]

Of all the characters I've seen on eBay, the only Hasbro ones I've seen are Red, Mokey, and Gobo. I'm guessing Wembley is pretty rare too.

I'm a novice Fraggle collector myself, as most of my collection is Muppet things (Palisades figures, videos), but I know someone who has a HUGE Fraggle collection, including overseas stuff, so I'll ask him. I think he's a member here too.

 

[Quazimoto]

In terms of how often they come on the market for sale, Boober is definitely the rarest of the Hasbro softies. Now, that doesn't always mean most expensive. Once in a while you can get lucky, but typically, you can expect to find a Hasbro Boober in the $55 to $80 range (not including any shipping that might be involved).

And since you're a beginning Fraggle collector, here's a breakdown of the vintage Hasbro plushes, how rare they are, and what you could realistically expect to pay for them...


Gobo
easiest to find
$20 to $30

Red
also fairly easy to find
$25 to $35

Wembley
pretty common, but not as much as easily found as Red & Gobo
$30 to $40

Uncle Traveling Matt
pretty hard to find
$45 to $60

Mokey
about as difficult to find as Uncle Matt, most often missing her robe
$45 to $60 (without original robe)
$60 to $80 (with original robe)

Boober
the most difficult to find, sometimes missing hat & scarf
$55 to $80 (with hat & scraf)
$40 to $60 (without hat and/por scarf)

Doozers
pretty scrace, but they pop up once in a while
$20 to $45 each (there's two different ones)

 

[beakerfan76]

If we're going by eBay, then I'd say this is on the common scale:

Gobo
Red
Mokey
Wembley
Boober
Travelling Matt
And I haven't seen many Doozers

Again, this is on eBay, so DLGabriel may have other sources in play.

 

[Jelopi]

That is precisely why I threw this question out there...it is very hard to gauge what is rare and what is not soley on ebay, but then again...where do most collectors get their stuff? And how do they determine how "rare" something is? I just starting doing this a few months ago, so maybe I just dont know.
I definitely agree with both of you that softie Gobo and Red are the most common. I have seen Mokey, Wembley and Traveling Matt a handful of times. The Doozers maybe twice. Boober only once...and I grabbed him right up! And here is another twist...mine has a vest. In any pictures Ive come aross of the Boober softie (even on this site)...he is not wearing a vest. Thats why I am trying to determine what I have here. Do I have something that is not rare at all or something that is super rare? I figured this site would be the best place to find that out! By the way...thanks for all the input, comments, etc... it is greatly appreciated.
~ Jen

If we're going by eBay, then I'd say this is on the common scale:

Gobo
Red
Mokey
Wembley
Boober
Travelling Matt
And I haven't seen many Doozers

Again, this is on eBay, so DLGabriel may have other sources in play.

 

[Quazimoto]

I was factoring in eBay, Flea Markets, Craigslist, & Garage Sales. Wembley got bumped above Mokey mainly because I've seen about four Wembley's at Flea Markets before.

As far as Boober having a vest, I'd say it's most likely a vest from a Gobo plush. Gobo originally came with both a small scarf and a vet. Did you, perchance, get your Boober off eBay? I think I remember seeing a Boober with a Gobo vest on eBay some time ago.

 

[Jelopi]

Hi DLGabriel! Yes, I did find him on ebay. However, his vest is not from Gobo. I thought the exact same thing you did at first because in any of the Boober softie pics I've ever seen, he does not have one - he is naked . But I have both the Tomy Gobo and the Softie Gobo and not only is Gobos vest different, its non-removable. I am not sure where Boober got his from. It is a similar color and same material as his hat and scarf, and fits him well, so (Im hoping) maybe he did come with a vest at one point. I have no idea.

 

[Quazimoto]

Hmmm... I've never heard of Boober coming with a vest. I'd find it really odd if he did, consider I don't recall him wearing one in the show at all. Perhaps it was a custom made vest.

 

[Jelopi]

Ive never seen him with a vest either...so it is kinda strange. I guess it could be custom made. The only thing that keeps from thinking it is is because it is the same material and texture as his hat and scarf. If I could figure out how to attach a pic on here (Im a newbie), I'd have you see for yourself so at least you can see what Im talking about.

 

[beakerfan76]

Perhaps someone cannibalized a Gobo for the vest?