There are more than 2,100 billionaires in the world. While all of us fantasize about “champagne wishes and caviar dreams” like the late Robin Leach, there’s more to living large than food.
Only the best clothing, cars and homes will do. Expensive toys have a place in the lifestyles of the really wealthy, too. After all, why play with Barbie’s Beach House when you can just take over an island?
Want to learn a little about some of the expensive gadgets, luxury playthings and fantasy toys of the gazillionaire next door.
Read on!
1. Your Own Beach
You can’t talk about expensive toys until you check out Larry Ellison’s beach sand obsession. He owns the island of Lanai (Pineapple Island) in Hawaii, a coveted strip of Malibu in California, a generous chunk of East Lake Tahoe and some sea palaces in Newport Rhode Island.
He’s not the only one, though. Richard Branson’s Necker Island, Johnny Depp’s private cay and Athina Onassis’ Greek hideaway count as spectacular play spots.
2. Do Yachts Count as Expensive Toys?
Your own floating mansion is something to aspire to. But a 600-foot beauty silently gliding through the Mediterranean? The most expensive toy needs a crew of 65 or so to keep it moving.
Instead of a boat in the bathtub, a megayacht can have 25 bathtubs, a 15-yard swimming pool, a few Jacuzzi tubs and a 58-foot teak deck with a putting green.
Yachts also have smaller service craft to travel between anchorages and shore. Imagine carrying a hoverjet or speedboat as part of your water garage. Now imaging a superyacht with another 100-foot ship following behind it to carry the overflow!
3. Birds of the Air
No toy chest of the rich and famous is complete without a few aircraft. Need a slightly used Harrier Jump Jet? Neiman Marcus thought that was a good stocking stuffer.
On the side of “practical toys” a private helicopter or jet is the way to go. You can go with your own Air Force One-worthy plane or something a little more subtle. This beginners guide has more.
The idea of your own fleet of helicopters aboard your yacht less than fun? How about a life-size replica? You can get Wonder Woman’s Invisible Plane executed in acrylic resin for your living room.
4. How About Beasts?
Racehorses, greyhounds and camels all have a place in the pantheon of expensive toys. How about falcons, big cats or Pablo Escobar’s famous hippos? Your own private menagerie has a certain cachet.
How much fun could you have in your own zoo? If a zoo is too confining, try creating a private preserve. Great apes, elephants and giraffes all need homes.
5. Little Indulgences
Of course, no list of expensive toys is complete without the little frivolities. Things like customized golf carts, silly submersible craft or a Lite-Brite set made of platinum and jewels.
Pick up a racecar or the latest experimental electric car from Elon Musk. The only limitation is imagination and fun.
