Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer‘s original stop-motion puppets are up for auction. The 1964 classic is a tradition for a lot of households in the winter months, but Profiles in History announced the November 13th auction this week. Ichiro Komuro is the person who crafted these beloved puppets for the film and the tale of how they got to the auction block from that set is quite the tale. Rankin/Bass Productions are behind some of those other beloved Christmastime favorites like Frosty the Snowman and The Little Drummer Boy. They had control of the props until the 1970s when one of the company’s founders gifted them to his secretary. Before long, that family sold them to a collector in 2005, and then were professionally restored the following year.
Here’s what Profiles in History had to say about the historic sale: “Profiles in History is proud to announce, two of the most iconic and rare puppets of all time, “Rudolph” and “Santa” from the 1964 classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, will be going up for sale November 13th in Los Angeles. The film has not only become a classic but a holiday tradition to baby boomers and their children and grandchildren.”
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They continued, “The rarity of these puppets cannot be overstated. These primary character puppets are the only examples from this multi-generational holiday classic that Profiles in History has ever encountered! They remain icons in stop motion animation as well as American pop culture. They will be sold together as one lot that is estimated to sell for $150,000 – $250,000.”
As if that weren’t enough Holiday Special news this week, Charlie Brown‘s themed adventures can only be found on Apple TV+ this year. The tech giant actually put out a statement that their partnership with WildBrain and Peanuts Worldwide has made their app the home for the beloved characters. Of course, this decision rubbed a lot of people the wrong way because they’ve become accustomed to watching all of those holiday favorites on broadcast television as a part of their yearly rituals. But, the ink is already dry and that means, people will have to go get a subscription or find other home video means of watching the animated classics.
Do you think we’ll ever get to the point Rudolph isn’t on broadcast television? Or is everyone’s favorite reindeer going to stay put? Let us know down in the comments!
