It’s not uncommon for movie props to sell for a considerable amount of money. Be it via direct sale or auction, pieces of film history often go for high prices as collectors seek to own costumes and other items from their favorite movies. Recently, however, some truly iconic props from beloved Jim Henson projects such as the Muppets and The Dark Crystal as well as some of Henson’s own personal items. went up for auction and the collection sold for a staggering $2.6 million.
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The auction, from The Jim Henson Company in partnership with Julien’s Auctions, auctioned off more than 400 rare, screen-used puppets and other artifacts, delivering these items into public hands for the first time. Items included in the option included a wide range of items with appeal to just about every facet of Henson’s career. Fraggle Rock characters Uncle Traveling Matt and Gillis Fraggle both sold for $64,000 each. Miss Piggy’s lavender heels from The Great Muppet Caper sold for $22,400. The star of the auction — the screen-used, full-size Crystal of Truth from Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance — sold for $70,000. The auction also featured other items, including prints created by Henson in the 1950s, a pocket watch from Labryinth, and more.
An Unprecedented Auction That Has Some Questioning If The Pieces Actually Belong in a Museum
While memorabilia and prop auctions aren’t uncommon, the Henson auction is a bit unusual. This one is actually coming directly from the Jim Henson Company as part of its 70th anniversary, which means that these are items coming directly from the company’s archives and collections. This is the first time that the company has ever done something like this over its seven-decade history and it has some fans questioning if auctioning the items off to the public was the right call or if many of these items actually belong in museums. It’s a valid question. Many of the items are one-of-a-kind, including the prop map from Muppet Treasure Island, Glig puppets from Henson’s Saturday Night Live work, and more — items that were hand created by Henson himself. However, company CEO Lisa Henson — who is also Jim Henson’s daughter — recently explained to The New York Times that the company does have partnerships with museums and that the auction is a place where they can connect to fans.
“Our 70th anniversary was really the kicking-off point of the auction,” Henson said. “We’ve been trying to find touch points where fans could connect with the company.”
Even with a number of significant items being sold in the auction, which concluded on November 25th, there are still thousands of items remaining on The Jim Henson Company’s collection and archives. It’s safe to say that there are plenty of items that will continue to preserve Henson’s legacy and continue to educate the public for many years to come.
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