Original Aardman Puppets Fetch High Prices at Auction

Aardman Animations' beloved characters came under the hammer, with over 200 pieces, including puppets of Wallace, Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and Chicken Run, going up for auction on Thursday. Fans had a chance to acquire unique memorabilia from the Bristol studio's popular productions.

Among the sought-after items were stop-motion models from the 2024 film "Vengeance Most Fowl." The Wallace puppet, depicted in his signature green tank top and red tie, was constructed with a clay head and a silicone body for easy animation. Its metal skeleton and plastic eyes were noted in the catalogue. This piece sold for £50,400.

A Gromit puppet from the same film, designed to be posed on all fours using a jointed metal armature, achieved £31,500. The auction catalogue emphasized that these were not toys but art pieces requiring careful handling and specific environmental conditions.

Feathers McGraw, Wallace and Gromit's nemesis, also drew significant attention. A puppet of the penguin disguised as a nun sold for over £30,000. Another Feathers McGraw puppet, this time in his disguise as a chicken, fetched nearly £57,000.

Early Aardman creations were also popular. Clay puppets of Morph and his friend Chas, starting at £100 each, sold for £3,780. These were made by Aardman co-founder Peter Lord and came with handwritten care instructions.

Other auction highlights included a private lunch with Peter Lord for over £11,000 and a stop-motion masterclass that sold for more than £20,000. Storyboards from "Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers," signed by Nick Park, went for almost £4,000, while a small clay rabbit from "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" cost nearly £10,000.

More affordable items were also available, such as dry stone walls and a gate from the "Shaun the Sheep" TV series, which included remnants of adhesive from set mounting. These sold for £567.

The auction, managed by Propstore, commemorated Aardman's 50th anniversary. Profits from the sale will support training initiatives for new animators at the Aardman Academy, aiming to nurture the next generation of talent.

Ngaio Harding-Hill, director of attractions and live experiences and archive at Aardman, called the event an "unprecedented opportunity" to own a piece of the studio's 50-year legacy. The collection was curated to represent five decades of Aardman's work.

English Translation:

Aardman Animations' beloved characters came under the hammer, with over 200 pieces, including puppets of Wallace, Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and Chicken Run, going up for auction on Thursday. Fans had a chance to acquire unique memorabilia from the Bristol studio's popular productions.

Among the sought-after items were stop-motion models from the 2024 film "Vengeance Most Fowl." The Wallace puppet, depicted in his signature green tank top and red tie, was constructed with a clay head and a silicone body for easy animation. Its metal skeleton and plastic eyes were noted in the catalogue. This piece sold for £50,400.

A Gromit puppet from the same film, designed to be posed on all fours using a jointed metal armature, achieved £31,500. The auction catalogue emphasized that these were not toys but art pieces requiring careful handling and specific environmental conditions.

Feathers McGraw, Wallace and Gromit's nemesis, also drew significant attention. A puppet of the penguin disguised as a nun sold for over £30,000. Another Feathers McGraw puppet, this time in his disguise as a chicken, fetched nearly £57,000.

Early Aardman creations were also popular. Clay puppets of Morph and his friend Chas, starting at £100 each, sold for £3,780. These were made by Aardman co-founder Peter Lord and came with handwritten care instructions.

Other auction highlights included a private lunch with Peter Lord for over £11,000 and a stop-motion masterclass that sold for more than £20,000. Storyboards from "Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers," signed by Nick Park, went for almost £4,000, while a small clay rabbit from "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" cost nearly £10,000.

More affordable items were also available, such as dry stone walls and a gate from the "Shaun the Sheep" TV series, which included remnants of adhesive from set mounting. These sold for £567.

The auction, managed by Propstore, commemorated Aardman's 50th anniversary. Profits from the sale will support training initiatives for new animators at the Aardman Academy, aiming to nurture the next generation of talent.

Ngaio Harding-Hill, director of attractions and live experiences and archive at Aardman, called the event an "unprecedented opportunity" to own a piece of the studio's 50-year legacy. The collection was curated to represent five decades of Aardman's work.