Alberta government auctioning off a ‘dusty’ donair costume; bidding tops $5.5K

In the market for an “excellent” yet “dusty” full-size donair costume? The Alberta government may have you covered.

Alberta is selling a donair suit as a part of its surplus auction, and bidding has soared above $5,000 in just a few days.

By late Wednesday evening, the highest bid for the costume was $5,505 – with 26 days left in the auction.

The tinfoil-wrapped donair comes complete with replica meat, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and a dribbling of sauce – all of which looks real enough to eat.

The listing says the 1.4-metre-high costume snack is made of latex, vulcanized rubbers and synthetics, and it comes with a silver body suit to complete the “authentic tinfoil look.”

The costume’s visual condition is described on the government website as “excellent” if “dusty.” Potential buyers are advised, however, that its “overall operational condition” is unknown.

The donair costume, designed and created by Alterian Studios in 2015, is up for auction as part of the Alberta government’s surplus sale. (Submitted by: Alterian Studios)

The meaty suit was posted Friday to the Alberta government’s online auction site, where it sells items it no longer uses.

The costume got attention after Alberta Today legislature reporter Catherine Griwkowsky stumbled upon it while looking for an office chair on the Surplus Sales Alberta Online Action.

“I decided to check the oddities and antiques and there was this glorious donair costume” Griwkowsky told CityNews.

Griwkowsky says she had to spread the word and decided to tweet out the link to the listing.

The Alberta government's auction site remains a treasure trove. My favourite listing of the day: donair costume.https://t.co/VWQkK4FaUC

— Catherine Griwkowsky (@CGriwkowsky) July 18, 2023

Within a few hours of the tweet, the bids had gone from $150 to $1,000.

“How many donairs can you buy for $1,000? Come on. I did not expect it to go so wild,” she said.

DONAIR CONFIRMATION!!!

Alterian confirmed they made the Donair for DDBCanada in July 2015.

The company that also does animatronics for Chucky and Zombieland doesn't typically do food, but this one was 'so unique they had to say Yes!' #YEG #yyc #donaircostumewatch #abpoli https://t.co/w5rZ7Kclkk pic.twitter.com/3K8XGVGKdL

— Carly Robinson (@CarlyDRobinson) July 19, 2023

The donair costume was designed and created by Alterian Studios in Irwindale, Calif., in 2015, the company with some Hollywood credits confirmed to CityNews via email. Alterian usually does animatronics for movies – like Chucky and Zombieland – but the company says it couldn’t pass up such a “unique” request.

After being completed, the donair costume was shipped to Alberta to be in a series of commercials. It’s not yet clear if the suit actually appeared in any or several commercials.

The government’s surplus auction is used to selling unused equipment, as well as items seized by law enforcement.

Along with the donair suit, the site is currently listing a five-bedroom modular trailer, a medical exam table and an elliptical machine. The City of Edmonton and City of Calgary also have their own surplus auction, where bidders can buy a set of Pokémon cards (Edmonton) or a fire truck (Calgary).

“It’s great news for the government, they are going to make some of their money back, great for the taxpayers,” said Griwkowsky. “Whoever gets this donair, I hope they have somewhere to wear it out.”

Unfortunately for Griwkowsky, there were no office chairs.

—With files from The Canadian Press