ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando-based Ripley Entertainment has made a sweet purchase at auction. The company is now the owner of the box of chocolates seen in “Forrest Gump,” the 1994 film starring Tom Hanks.
Ripley’s winning bid was $25,000 for the prop, which is autographed by Hanks, who won an Oscar for the role. The film took the Academy Award for best picture.
Like most moviemaking, all is not as it appears with this package. There is no candy inside the box, which instead holds enough sand to weigh the box down during the famed scenes with Hanks sitting on a park bench and telling a stranger, “Momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. …”
The prop looks like a Russell Stover box with a rose on the lid and pictures of assorted candies on the bottom, including a pecan cluster and buttercream caramel. So despite what Mrs. Gump said, you would have some idea of what you’re going to get.
Ripley recently has made other pop culture purchases, including the double-sided lightsaber wielded by Darth Maul in “Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace,” a purple coat worn by Prince during “Purple Rain” stage performances and an address book owned by Beatles manager Brian Epstein (with phone numbers of band members plus Mick Jagger).
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