In honor of Halloween, which is right around the corner, let’s take a step back from the benefits of home insurance and the fundamentals of life insurance and shine a big Music City spotlight on some of the most unusual things, body parts, and monsters that people have (or allegedly have) insured over the years.
Taste Buds
Last month, Insurance Business America reported that chocolate expert Hayleigh Curtis’ tasters were insured for $1.34 million. “‘Taste buds are as important to Cadbury as legs are to a top footballer and it seems like Hayleigh has been doing a great job creating new flavours with the team,’” Jonathan Thomas of Lloyd’s told CityAM.com. Curtis is reportedly banned from sword-swallowing or consuming chilies at the top of the Scoville scale, which measures the spicy heat of peppers.
Dolly Parton’s Bosom
Hey, y’all. It’s Nashville, so we absolutely must pay homage to the great Dolly Parton, whose “girls” are famously insured for $600,000.
Loch Ness Monster
The Daily Mail reported that, “Cruise ship company Jacobite Cruises, based in Inverness, is in line for a six-figure payout if one of its boats is damaged by the Loch Ness Monster. Jacobite Cruises owner Freda Newton now hopes Nessie will keep away from the firm’s boats if she makes another appearance so she doesn’t have to make a claim on her £1million insurance package.”
And in 1971, Cutty Sark offered a prize of $1 million pounds to anyone who could catch Nessy. Lloyd’s of London underwrote the competition. It goes without saying, that the prize went unclaimed.
Mariah Carey’s Legs and Voice
Worth a cool 70 million, Mariah’s gams and chords are in good hands. In April, TMZ revealed that in order to protect her assets while on what’s clearly a very successful tour, she purchased separate $35 million policies on both her legs and voice. As millions are on the line, should anything happen to either, Ms. Carey is well-covered.
Betty Grabel’s Legs
To be fair, Ms. Carey isn’t the first to insure her hamstrings. During World War II, Betty Grable, iconic pin-up girl, actress, and dancer, was the first to have her legs insured when her studio, 20th Century Fox, took out a $1 million policy from Lloyd’s of London. Now you know where “million dollar legs” comes from.
Alien Abduction Insurance
Back in 2000, at height of the “X-files’” popularity, a British company reported offered payouts to policyholders who could prove they were abducted by aliens and returned to Earth (Wikipedia).
Julia Roberts’ Smile
There’s no denying that the gorgeous woman has a pretty dazzling smile. Parade Magazine reported that her stunning pearly whites are insured for a sweet $30 million.
A TV Show
It used to to pretty easy to bring in a cool million on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” until, that is, six people won a million and the insurance company that paid out the jackpot sued the show’s creators, claiming the game was too easy. (Slate.com)
Daniel Craig’s Body
James Bond may not play it particularly safe on screen or between the pages, but handsome Daniel Craig knows where his bread is buttered, and has had his entire body insured for $9.5 million. Although some may say he’s selling himself short.
A Winemaker’s Nose
In 2008, USA Today reported that, “A Lloyd’s of London syndicate said it is insuring the nose of winemaker Ilja Gort for $8 million. The Dutch winemaker and taster took out the policy after hearing about a man who lost his sense of smell in a car accident.”
While we can’t help you with alien abduction insurance, and we’ve never insured against the probability that the Loch Ness Monster is real, we’re happy to insure cars, homes, boats and motorcycles throughout Nashville! Contact us for a free estimate.
