Fatso the Wombat waddles into the money

Fatso the fat-arsed wombat, a rebel Olympic mascot who has waddled his way to icon status on Australian television, has been sold for 80,450 Australian dollars ($43,560) at a charity auction.

The auctioneers kept the identity of the Internet buyer a secret when bidding closed at midnight on Saturday.

The soft toy version of Fatso, a cartoon character created by Australian satirists Roy Slaven and H.G. Nelson, was sold as part of an auction to raise money for disadvantaged children in Australia and refugee children overseas.

According to auction website www.olympicaid.com it is the only soft toy version of the tubby wombat in existence.

Slaven and Nelson created Fatso for their irreverent Games talk show "The Dream" on Australian television channel Seven Network. It has proved a ratings hit and turned Fatso into an icon.

The chubby marsupial waddles across the television screen during more regrettable moments of the day's events and deposits his trademark of three tiny droppings.

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