You’ve probably heard about the late night drama that has caused Conan O’Brien to be dismissed from his duties on the Tonight Show. In the few days leading up to his last episode, O’Brien decided to do something a little different—a “screw you” to the folks at NBC in the form of the most expensive comedy bits in the world.
The first of these “crazy expensive” bits involved a new character on the show—the Bugatti Mouse. The Bugatti Mouse is a Bugatti Veyron, the world’s most expensive car, dressed as a mouse. The Bugatti Mouse even has its own theme song—the original master recording of the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction.”
According to O’Brien, the bit cost NBC $1.5 million. Of course, considering the car currently sells for significantly more than $1.5 million, it’s likely that O’Brien was afforded a discount for the publicity.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Conan unveiled the Tonight Show‘s brand new mascot the very next night. Mine That Bird, equine winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby, was led onto the stage wearing a mink Snuggie. As the horse was watching restricted NFL Super Bowl footage, the price tag on this bit was even larger than that of the Bugatti Mouse—$4.8 million.
Update: After unveiling his third and final “crazy expensive” comedy bit—a fossil skeleton of a giant ground sloth, purchased from the Smithsonian Institute and spewing beluga caviar on an original Picasso—Conan made sure everyone knew that “It’s not real!” Such is life.
