Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland is a man of many talents. Recalling an obscure joke from the show’s second season, and turning that into a tangible offer for fans, is just one of those talents.
Roiland is selling a Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds special edition 3DS XL that comes with Rick and Morty illustration on the top panel for $1,000. It’s an exorbitant price for something you can get for less than $200, but Rick and Morty fans will understand why it’s such a big deal.
There’s a scene in season two, episode four where Rick remembers one of his kooky, get-rich-quick-schemes after a parasite lodges itself in him. The idea is to buy the handheld consoles when they go on sale, only to unload them for a much higher price in the future to unsuspecting buyers trying to get their hands on some nostalgia. The joke ends with Rick telling Nintendo to send him free stuff.
Except it’s not just a complete throwaway joke. Roiland told Kate Dwyer, co-founder of Witchsy, an Etsy-like marketplace where people sell different goods and the site where Roiland is selling the console, there’s a backstory to the entire joke.
“All the stuff Rick says in that scene in the episode was actually true,” Roiland said, as reported by Vice. “My plan was to sell them off here and there over the years but I just had so many that I still have them. It’s also important to know that I felt bad after I bought them all so I went and purchased 15 2DS systems and a bunch of games and donated them to the children’s hospital of Los Angeles. I became part of the problem that day. I became a scalper. CHA-CHING.”
Roiland is only selling one handheld right now, but according to his message, he has more than a few on his hands. Hopefully, this won’t turn into another Szechuan Sauce debacle. The last thing anyone wants is for riotous Rick and Morty fans trying to get their hands on a five-year old Nintendo console because it relates to a joke in the series. The $1,000 price tag attached to the 3DS XL, however, should keep any type of pandemonium at bay.
If you really want to spend $1,000 on a 3DS XL (editor’s note: why?), you can do so on Witchsy.
