Chubby Cherub is evidently a valuable game. Why?

[treismac]

I am assuming the game is very rare because the demand for this game is certainly not based on popular opinion. So what is the word/conjecture on the internet?

I scored the sweet Famicom version of the game from my awesome Secret Santa, DDCecil, last Christmas, and I was contemplating snagging the NES version too, but at $35 I think I'll have to pass.

[Duke.Togo]

Rarity. Kind of like Sqoon, not a great game but didn't get a large print run. I also have the Famicom version, but I'll still snag the NES one at some point.

[Gameguy]

Loose it's only worth about $10-$20, the real value is with the box and manual for some reason as it's an earlier release.

[jonebone]

Some guy bought up every single cart copy of Chubby Cherub (from eBay and Amazon) last month, on the same day. Someone tried to hoard up the supply and I'm not sure how well it worked... this same guy did it with some other random titles too (like Incantation on SNES). It was about a $10-$20 game yes, but now it seems like asking price is always $35 when it turns up.

It seems kind of silly to try and hoard the supply on a cart only game that is more uncommon than rare, but to each their own. If it's a title you aren't dying to play, then I'd hold out for $20 or less also. I doubt one person can keep buying the supply forever.

[Gameguy]

That would just be a temporary spike, it won't last. At open auction I still see them ending around $20 or less. Even buy-it-nows are still cheap. One ended yesterday for $25 with shipping included, and that's one of the higher ones overall for a loose cart.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/390422628757

Other auctions;
http://item.ebay.com/330702537605
http://item.ebay.com/290671999477
http://item.ebay.com/120863963971
http://item.ebay.com/390403349262
http://item.ebay.com/320889226902
http://item.ebay.com/200719580599
http://item.ebay.com/220958761204
http://item.ebay.com/130646139875
http://item.ebay.com/320843583719
http://item.ebay.com/110871810280
http://item.ebay.com/160786729377
http://item.ebay.com/380268183481

[Parodius Duh!]

To Clarify, the Famicom version is NOT Chubby Cherub, its the same game but the main character is Obake no Qtaro. It was called Obake no Qtaro Wan Wan Panic and was so incredibly popular in Japan that there were even super limited Gold and Silver prize carts given away. The cool thing about that is even the main character sprite is changed for each prize cart!

http://s13.postimage.org/4m7gqi40n/obakenoqtaroregular.jpg
Regular

http://s13.postimage.org/o2nkza9qv/obakenoqtarogold.jpg
Gold

http://s13.postimage.org/r886phsd3/obakenoqtarosilver.jpg
Silver

[treismac]

To Clarify, the Famicom version is NOT Chubby Cherub, its the same game but the main character is Obake no Qtaro. It was called Obake no Qtaro Wan Wan Panic...

Although the difference is subtle, I can tell the difference between a ghost duck and a portly angel. ;) Actually, when I first unwrapped this game, I had no idea that this was the Japanese version of what was transformed into Chubby Cherub. Fortunately, Bandai was written in English so I eventually discovered the game's name through Google.


...Obake no Qtaro Wan Wan Panic ... was so incredibly popular in Japan that there were even super limited Gold and Silver prize carts given away. The cool thing about that is even the main character sprite is changed for each prize cart!


Totally didn't know that, Parodius Duh!. Mayhaps one of the special versions might make an excellent stocking stuffer for your fellow Famicom enthusiast come Christmas time. :wink 2: In all seriousness, how much do the special versions go for and how many were made?

[DDCecil]

Actually, when I first unwrapped this game, I had no idea that this was the Japanese version of what was transformed into Chubby Cherub. Fortunately, Bandai was written in English so I eventually discovered the game's name through Google.

...or you could of just asked me what it was. :)

[treismac]

...or you could of just asked me what it was. :)

Where would the fun of that be? Truth be told, I gave myself a 30 minute time limit on Google before I busted out the PM, DDCecil. Hunting for the game's identity was actually a really awesome bonus. The initial mystery surrounding the game intrigued me considerably, and its afterglow has yet to diminish.

It's a damn shame there aren't any full episodes of Obake no Q-Taro that I've been able to find. The theme song is so enticing that it kills me.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhVQwpqYA7s

[Parodius Duh!]

Totally didn't know that, Parodius Duh!. Mayhaps one of the special versions might make an excellent stocking stuffer for your fellow Famicom enthusiast come Christmas time. :wink 2: In all seriousness, how much do the special versions go for and how many were made?

Oh Man. Now this is getting into a realm of Famicom very few know about- The Prize Carts. There is quite a few of them for various games, the most famous being Rockman 4 Gold that was given away to each winner of the Boss design contest (did you guys know that each boss in Rock/Mega Man 4 were all created by Japanese kids?), that means theres only one made for each boss, 8 in total. These can sell for as high as $6,000

The Obake no Qtaro prize carts are beyond rare, Id say they are practically unobtainable. 100 Gold carts and 100 Silver were made for a competition. These RARELY, if ever come up for sale, I know of only 3 Gold and No silvers in collectors hands outside of Japan. They tend to go for upwards of $450-800.00, I just wish there was a ROM dump of the Gold and Silver variants, seeing as how they actually altered the character sprite (so they can not be faked, lots of fakes of certain gold & silver carts, especially DBZ, Rockman 4, and Gundam Hot scramble have turned up) Its very interesting and Im pretty sure its the only prize cart that is that drastically altered.

Unfortunately, I have 0 prize carts in my collection aside from the Exed Exes Gold Members Sticker (but this is just a sticker sent to high score champions that could be placed over the official Exed Exes cart label)

[Parodius Duh!]

It's a damn shame there aren't any full episodes of Obake no Q-Taro that I've been able to find. The theme song is so enticing that it kills me.


I have the entire series from the 60s and the majority of episodes from the 80s revamp. Ill see what I can do about uploading a few episodes....

[SparTonberry]

The Obake no Qtaro prize carts are beyond rare, Id say they are practically unobtainable. 100 Gold carts and 100 Silver were made for a competition. These RARELY, if ever come up for sale, I know of only 3 Gold and No silvers in collectors hands outside of Japan. They tend to go for upwards of $450-800.00,

ONLY $450-800? :D I'm surprised someone hasn't dumped one by now, that's cheaper compared to what some people have spent to get a dump.
I know the Hot Scramble prize cart has been dumped somewhat recently, and I hear that one is worth over a grand.
Along with Radac Tailor-Made and Safety Rally, two more really rare carts. Though Tailor-Made was more of a marketing tool than a game. I'm not certain about Safety Rally but it's so dull it feels like it's got to be some sort of driving instructional tool than a game.
Didn't someone at one point find NHK Space School, some Konami game/program thought to be unreleased? Or maybe it was another of Konami's informational software (all undumped) I'm thinking of (something about bio-chemical safety)? I remember whatever it was went for $5K or more.

If I had been one of those 8 kids that got a gold Rockman cart, I know I wouldn't want to sell it. But I could see how the allure of a big enough boatload of cash could entice one of them.

[treismac]

I have the entire series from the 60s and the majority of episodes from the 80s revamp. Ill see what I can do about uploading a few episodes....

Wow! That's beyond cool, man! 8-) Please PM me if you ever put some up on the internet, Parodius Duh!.

[Parodius Duh!]

ONLY $450-800? :D I'm surprised someone hasn't dumped one by now, that's cheaper compared to what some people have spent to get a dump.
I know the Hot Scramble prize cart has been dumped somewhat recently, and I hear that one is worth over a grand.
Along with Radac Tailor-Made and Safety Rally, two more really rare carts. Though Tailor-Made was more of a marketing tool than a game. I'm not certain about Safety Rally but it's so dull it feels like it's got to be some sort of driving instructional tool than a game.
Didn't someone at one point find NHK Space School, some Konami game/program thought to be unreleased? Or maybe it was another of Konami's informational software (all undumped) I'm thinking of (something about bio-chemical safety)? I remember whatever it was went for $5K or more.

If I had been one of those 8 kids that got a gold Rockman cart, I know I wouldn't want to sell it. But I could see how the allure of a big enough boatload of cash could entice one of them.

Yeah as far as Prize Carts go, Obake No Qtaro Gold/Silver and Binary Land Gold are the most common (They have gone as high as $1500 each but that was years ago when they were first being discovered outside of Japan). Tailor Made was just a gimmick for Bike Shops to help show customers what certain customizations could be made to their bike, "Stats" I guess youd call it, its nothing special and certainly not worth the 800+ Ive seen it go for, maybe $400 for a dead mint copy....Safety Rally is a mini game and driving safety tips, really lame and only for completists, honestly I wouldnt pay more than $100 for a copy if I had the chance, but it def is a $1500+ title at least.
Ive never heard of anyone finding NHK Space School, but its certainly possible. Yeah the Konami Info soft is super rare and expensive stuff, it was only given to certain business's (ala McDonalds how to flip burgers training VHS tape, but with videogames) made specifically for these business, then the majority were most likely thrown away so very few are in existence.
I dont think any of the Gold Rockman carts are still with the original owner. I know Id never part with one but Japanese people are different and do not cling to material objects as much as westerners do. I know a Thai collector with a copy, 3 copies in the US, 1 at super potato store in Tokyo, and theres 2 in Europe. Where the last one is Im not sure. Probably within Japan.

[Tupin]

I'd never pay $30 for it, but I do enjoy the game. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure, and decently challenging too. I may have to track down the Famicom version.

Speaking of super rare Famicom stuff, what was the company that made that educational FDS "game" about the Japanese bubble economy? I saw it on Game Center CX, I think the store was selling it for like 100,000 yen or something like that.