Sometimes you see the darndest things on the internet, like a life-size Sylvester Stallone prop in a Katoomba antique shop.
Yes, this is real. On Thursday, Instagram user @beabellingham snapped a few photos of the prop in the Katoomba Vintage Emporium, an antique store built inside a heritage-listed building previously used as a post office.
Her photos were later snatched up by Twitter user @Howsito, in a tweet that went viral over the weekend.
During the ’90s, prop versions of Sylvester Stallone’s cryogenically frozen character in Demolition Man hung from the ceilings of Planet Hollywood restaurants.
Now a defrosted John Spartan has surfaced in an Australian country town. pic.twitter.com/skOpt2e3ys
— Adam Howes (@Howsito) August 28, 2022
You have a few questions, right? Don’t worry, I’ve spent so much time on this weird story so I feel like I can answer at least some of them.
How much would it cost? Unfortunately, Bellingham didn’t ask for a price and Gizmodo Australia has reached out to the store for an answer without much luck, however one Reddit user who lives near Katoomba has said that they were quoted $6,000. They also took a photo of its Latex-y butt, which we will not show you.
“It is so creepy. So many people are like ‘Did you buy it?’ and it’s like… no, like, luckily our sex dungeon already has a mascot and it didn’t cost us $6,000,” Bellingham told Gizmodo Australia.
“So I was good, I’m fine, I don’t need it.”
Bellingham also said that the model appeared to be made of latex, not wax as some might think.
Where did it come from? Planet Hollywood, a themed restaurant chain that went bankrupt in the U.S.. Stallone actually opened the Sydney Planet Hollywood, which ended up being the 32nd restaurant, in 1996. It closed in 2002. Perhaps this Stallone replica was a prop from the George St venue’s opening night. But another one opened in Melbourne in 1997, closing also in 2002.
A defining feature of most Planet Hollywood stores was the cryogenically frozen Sylvester Stallone prop hanging above the restaurant. This was a reference to an identical scene in Demolition Man, although it’s a bit creepier up close.
What’s it doing in Katoomba, though? I can’t answer that question, unfortunately. I can’t even, with certainty, say that this is the prop from Planet Hollywood in Sydney, nor an original prop from a Planet Hollywood store at all. It could be a replica without the surrounding tank, but it’s difficult to say.
I’m not sure anybody needs a life-like replica of Sylvester Stallone, but hey, if you’re passing through Katoomba in NSW, you now have the option.
Also, no, it doesn’t have any junk. Get your mind out of the gutter.