While many assume that videogame star Q*Bert lost his fortune like everybody else in the industry in the big crash of 1983, the savvy, hose-nosed pyramid jumper made off better than most. After the success of the first Q*Bert game, he opted for a huge one-time payment instead of profit participation in the ill-fated sequel, Q*Bert’s Qubes.

He invested wisely in the ’80s in junk bonds and personal computer companies and by 1988 was able to retire to a tiny Polynesian island that he purchased outright and renamed “Q*ba.” He went into seclusion, supposedly working on a tell-all memoir that was never published. There were also rumors of strange animal experiments on the island and ongoing tales about botched plastic surgeries on Q*Bert’s famous proboscis.

Despite these rumors, Q*Bert apparently had no problem attracting companionship. Among those seen going to and leaving Q*Ba over the years were Ms. Pac-Man, former co-workers Coily and Wrong-Way, Leonardo DiCaprio and a string of Victoria’s Secret models (one of whom was rumored to be underage).

In 2005, an official Web site was launched for Q*Bert, featuring cryptic videos animations of platinum pyramids and candy-colored saucers, leading many to speculate that the reclusive star would return to public life. But by February 2006, the Web site had been taken down, replaced only by white text on a black page: “Go away.” Even that message has since disappeared and the site is no longer online.

Q*Bert has also been plagued over the years by rumors of poor health and even death, but none of them has ever been confirmed.