Friends brought us endless cups of coffee and various romantic entanglements, with the action more or less bound up in a few instantly recognisable apartments and a bustling coffee house.
During that period we came to love various items, homely yet often unusual objects we came to recognise as keenly as our own potted plants or sofa cushions.
Most obviously, there was the foosball table and the endlessly reservable Central Perk couch. But we also had Phoebe’s creepy ‘Gladys’ paintings. Ross’ numerous fossils. The Magna Doodle.
Such items hold a fond place in the hearts of all true Friends fans, helping to set the scene and give each character a sense of heightened individuality and depth.
It made perfect sense Joey would splash $200 on a large dog statue, just as it made sense Monica would absolutely hang a vintage Aux Buttes Chaumont – Jouets poster above her telly.
The sight of such things help settle us in for a well-deserved Friends marathon, easing us out of the wintery weather and into a bubble of sitcom cosiness.
With the cameras having long stopped rolling, there really can be no better way to celebrate the inspired props of Friends than having them auctioned off for a worthy cause. And this is exactly what is happening.
Over 100 props, costumes, replicas and other items from Friends will be auctioned off next month; timed to coincide with the – can you believe it? – the 25th anniversary. Proceeds will benefit The Trevor Project, an organisation that focuses on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for young LGBTQ+ people.
Some of the objects you can bid on through Prop Store include an reproduction of Ross’ holiday armadillo costume – estimated price $10,000-$15,000 – and a reproduction of the Central Perk orange couch, estimated between $6,000-$8,000
You can also bid on Joey and Chandler’s wood canoe and two paddles (est. $4,000-$6,000) or Rachel’s iconic Hawaiian print dress (est. $3,000-$5,000).
Phoebe’s sister Ursula’s porn vid Buffay The Vampire Layer is up for grabs at an estimated $1,500-$2,500, while you can cuddle up with Joey’s penguin teddy Hugsy for between $1,000-$1,500.
The auction will take place on Giving Tuesday, which will this year fall on December 3. You can check out the full auction and bid for yourself here
In 2020, Friends will be moved over to Warner Media’s HBO Max streaming service, scheduled to launch in May 2020.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues, and want to speak to someone in confidence contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 9am until 9pm Monday to Friday, and 10am until 6pm Saturday, Or email helpline@lgbt.foundation.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.