'It'll be a big hit': Edmonton woman buys giant eyeball as Christmas gift for dad

An Edmonton woman is the proud new owner of a giant eyeball.

Michele Foster bought the piece from a Telus World of Science auction earlier this month.

Michele was with her sister at a science centre event when she spotted the eye, which was part of the former "The Body Fantastic" exhibition.

"I thought 'Oh my gosh, this is just the perfect gift for dad,'" she told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.

"My sisters and I live all across Alberta. My parents live in Lethbridge, and my dad always makes the joke that he kept his eye on us."

Michele plans to give the eyeball to her dad, a retired physician, for Christmas.

"I think they'll probably have to find somewhere maybe in his home office to put this, but yeah, I think it'll be a big hit."

"He's just gonna burst. I can hear his laugh in my head already."

The family is now trying to keep the eyeball a secret from her dad until Christmas.

"I thought it was absolutely hilarious," said Michele's mother, Rachel Foster. "It was a brilliant idea. Brilliant. Because it's hard to find something for somebody who has everything."

Rachel says the eyeball has extra meaning because the family went to the Telus World of Science many times in the 1990s.

"We got a subscription, a family membership, and so we would go there often, so there's that connection."

Michele said she outbid another bidder in the dying moments of the auction to get the eyeball.

"I kept watching and watching it, and then with 20 seconds left to go I put in, I outbid the person who was just behind me and ended up getting in so I was thrilled."

The eyeball is one of two that were auctioned off as part of this year's Telus World of Science fundraising auction.

Last year at the auction, a nose and tongue from the same exhibition were auctioned off.

"They're very unique, like they're one of a kind. So people are very happy. And they all have a unique story that they want to tie into it," said Daryl Zelinski of the Telus World of Science."

Zelinski says with the centre's 40th anniversary in 2024, they plan to do something even bigger for the auction, but he's not giving away any details yet.

"When they can buy a piece of history or nostalgia, they really like it and we're happy that it's gone to a good home."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson