Tony Dinozzi had his heart set on being the new owner of The Amazing Oor Wullie statue when he arrived at Thainstone last night.
And it was an incredible £15,500 bid that sealed the deal for him in the end.
The statue was sponsored by Sport Aberdeen and designed by the Ke’ku:n Studio.
A statement from the artist said: ” Laughter is the best medicine, and the clown is a classic symbol of children’s entertainment – so too is Oor Wullie.
“In children’s hospitals, extra resources like clown doctors and clown care can be used to distract sick children from painful times, lighten their experience and improve their health and well-being. Clowns play out human emotions in a dramatic way, they play jokes, they stumble, they try, they fail.
“By laughing with them and at ourselves we are entertained, surprised – we empathise and are shown humanity. Oor Wullie’s character and form lent itself perfectly to this subject.
“The sculpture also gives a nod to the nostalgia of ‘Our Wullie’ and the fun and laughter had at amusement parks combined with the show and experience of the Bucket trail coming to town.”
Mr Dinozzi, who is the group head of M&A for Wood, said he was “nervous” it wouldn’t all come together in the end during the bidding – and in a post-auction interview revealed where the statue could end up.
He said: “It’s the one I really wanted because the chances are that it will end up back in the Children’s Hospital. I felt that this clown would really appeal to the kids.
“It was number 40 on the list and the prices were getting hiked up as we were getting closer and closer to the end. I was getting nervous that I might not able to get it. The room was pretty tense, it was great fun.”
Another happy bidder was Steve Innes, managing director for I&K Motors in Inverurie.
His £9,000 price meant he is now the owner of Brave Wee Boy – designed by Rhiannon Moore of Kitchimama and sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland.
He said he still reads Oor Wullie every Sunday morning and said it was “important” they got the Brave Wee Boy.
“This was number one in the auction and we bid £9,000 for it.
“It was a bit of a gamble but we particularly liked this chap here (Brave Wee Boy) and what he stands for. It was quite important to get this one. I’m privileged to support such a wonderful charity and get what I consider the star of the show.”