Truckloads of Wonderland Pier relics are being sold at ‘Obnoxious Antiques’ on Route 130

BURLINGTON, N.J. — In a former barbershop on Route 130, the disembodied relics from Gillian’s Wonderland Pier are trying to maintain appearances. The guy in the tub from the log flume washes himself by a mirror, the miners with their wild hair and manic smiles huddle together, the mini-golf mermaid peeks out from an alcove.

The clown and the toy soldier figurines lean against the wall, near the five remaining bear shields from an original lot of 30. They will be sold and carted away, headed back to Ocean City, to the Jolly Jellyfish Toy Store in care of owner Robert Benz.

Mostly the work of Wonderland artist Wayne Seddon, 71, these fiberglass statues, signs, and figurines of Wonderland Pier are part of three truckloads purchased through a third party from the now-defunct Ocean City amusement park by John Polito of Obnoxious Antiques and put up for sale at his storefront warehouse.

The iconic rotating Wonderland Pier letters from out front of the Pier sold quickly: for $10,000. They are also headed back to Ocean City, Polito said, though he did not disclose where.

Known and beloved for its rides, Wonderland Pier, which closed for good Oct. 13 amid widespread grief, was filled with the gloriously weird and imaginative work of Seddon, popping up in almost every nook along the log flume, train ride and around the pier.

On its last day, Seddon called the closing of the Pier “melancholy,” but said he’d had a good run. He said he hoped his work, a cast of characters, part Red Grooms, part Robert Crumb, and a dose of Loony Tunes, could find new homes somewhere else.

And while many had hoped to save the 95-year-old Gillian’s, its exterior was painted over three days after it closed, most of its rides put up for sale, and the remains offered to Obnoxious Antiques by the truckload.

Current owner Eustace Mita has now proposed a $150 million, 252-room hotel at the site at 6th and the Boardwalk that will restore and preserve the Ferris wheel and the historic carousel and, possibly the wet boats, all of which Mita owns. Wonderland’s other rides are now being offered for sale at Rides4U, a New Jersey based company, which circulated a flier at a trade show in Florida over the weekend.

Mita said he will be presenting his proposal at a ward meeting Monday at 6 p.m. at the Ocean City Library. He wants council to declare the property in need of redevelopment to avoid a zoning change. In 2021, Mita bought the property from Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian for $10 million when it was $8 million in debt.

Although the flier listed the carousel and the Ferris wheel, Mita said by text message Tuesday those are not for sale. Other Gililan’s rides for sale included the Zamperla Crazy Submarine, the Sellner Tilt-a-Whirl, the Fajume Wacky Worm, and the Zamperla Flying Elephant.

The kiddie fire engine ride, with its iconic bells rung by toddlers, will find new life after being sold to Storybook Land in Egg Harbor Township, according to Mita and Polito. Storybook Land also bought some of the fairy tale-themed panels from the facade of Wonderland Pier.

Last week, Seddon took Polito on a tour of his work inside the pier, then headed off to Florida for retirement after a 35 year career at Gillian’s.

Polito got the last truckload full on Tuesday. Sales have been brisk, Polito said, though some pieces, including the original Fun Deck sign and a “Wonders Party Place,” sign, are headed to Ocean City’s historical museum.

“We bought all the statues,” said Polito, as he negotiated some sales inside the little storefront now filled with Wonderland stuff. “We did not buy any rides.”

On Wednesday, Ed Frischkorn, 30, of Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. paid $950 for a half-dozen hanging bats from the haunted house, a head stone from the train ride (“Sam Snote, He Rests In Pieces 1891″), a miner from the log flume and some scary face masks from the haunted house, including an original mold used to cast the devil on top of the haunted house on the pier.

He said he went to Wonderland as an adult but really appreciated how it preserved an old amusement way of life, a little creepy, a little weird, handmade, and totally unique.

“It was great because it was so retro,” Frishkorn said. “It wasn’t really touched or modernized. It was period accurate for how long it was there. It had a lot of character. This stuff is all handmade. Handmade old stuff actually at the Jersey Shore, it’s getting a lot harder to find it.”

Chuckling as he carted off his own little miner figure exulting over three gold bricks, Frischkorn, a collector who worked most recently at Spirit Halloween store, said he planned to put the antiques in his bedroom. On his way out, he added, for $50, a box that said “TNT Danger SERIOUSLY!” as a pedestal for his miner.

Inside Obnoxious Antiques, an old ram on a narrow mountain peak lays tipped over on the floor, with a sold sign. A band of instrument-playing monkeys is on a ledge. The steel bones of the balloon ride are laid out in the back. Many of the figures were from the log flume, others from the monorail train ride, and others scattered around. They’re instantly recognizable to anyone who went to Wonderland.

Polito said it’s been the biggest sale of the last four or five years for his business, started four decades ago with a purchase in Atlantic City of about 5,000 pin ball machines and other games. He said he is open mostly by appointment.

He was glad to see so many of Wonderland’s remains headed back to Ocean City, though some were purchased by people as far as Washington State.

The mermaid will be displayed in a homeowner’s front yard in Ocean City, he said.

Benz, of the Jolly Jellyfish, said he will display his collectibles in his Asbury Avenue toy store, but not sell them.

“It’s something a little special to just put in the toy store and people walk in and say I remember that,” Benz said. “It’s memories, taking my kids on little flashes of what I passed on the rides and walking through the place. I would not sell them.”

Meanwhile, there’s still a truck load and a half left for sale, including the guy in the tub, and the pink-skinned beach people that stood up against a wall and were the backdrop to so many people’s photos. There’s a giant Native American chief statue, and a log flume sheriff figurine with a “hold your hats!” sign. There is a scuba hat and a tree stump with a snake wrapped around it that were minigolf holes. And some FUNLAND block letters from an earlier time.

One piece, at least, was already on the secondary market. The Gillian’s Wonderland Pier welcome sign was listed on Facebook Market for a resale of $2,500.