Simeon Lipman – Rudolph & Santa Puppets, ca. 1964

Extraordinary Find: Rudolph & Santa Puppets, ca. 1964

Transcript

HOST: At the Providence ROADSHOW in 2005, collectibles expert Simeon Lipman encountered one of those sometimes-iffy Tupperware treasures.

APPRAISER: I remember a gentleman coming over, he had his arm in a sling, and he was holding a Tupperware container. And you never know, when they’ve got a Tupperware container and it opens up, you don't know what's going to be in there, you don't know what it's going to smell like. So, kind of took a step back.

HOST: But when he opened this guest's container, he was elated by what he saw inside.

APPRAISER: He opens it up and my heart skipped a beat. I'm looking at two faces I've seen my entire life: Rudolph and Santa Claus from the beloved 1964 special. Whenever you see something iconic like that, immediately, you think, "Okay. These probably aren't the actual puppets." But once he told his story, things got interesting.

GUEST: My aunt worked at Rankin/Bass Productions for about ten or 15 years in the '70s and early '80s, and she acquired all of them and they were the production puppets from Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer.

APPRAISER: He had a very, very good story of provenance. Especially back then, people didn't really think about these things as being collectible objects, so, if somebody wanted them after the production was over, they needed the space. And like with any other, any other prop in a production, there's usually more than one-- there has to be, because something can happen-- so I wasn't sure if these were the only ones, but I had a pretty good idea that these were real.

APPRAISER: So what we have here are the actual original puppets.

GUEST: As far as I know.

APPRAISER: When you opened the box...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: ...and took these fellas out...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: ...it was like I was seeing old friends.

GUEST: Yeah, exactly.

APPRAISER: As I'm sure it is the case with millions of our viewers, this is a Christmas tradition. 1964 is when the film was made, and, uh, it's, definitely has a warm spot in all of our hearts.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: So to actually meet them in person...(laughs) It's really exciting!

GUEST: Exactly.

APPRAISER: In this particular case, that puppet that, that appeared at the ROADSHOW was the young Rudolph, and Santa is the Santa we see toward the end of the program.

GUEST: Including Rudolph and Santa, we had Yukon Cornelius, Hermey the Misfit Dentist, and a few others, including assorted reindeer that got melted in our attic, thanks to my mom. We used to have them around the Christmas tree, you know, growing up, and I'm just used to having them around.

APPRAISER: The puppets did not fare well over time, but like a Christmas miracle, only Santa and Rudolph survived in the attic.

APPRAISER: They're not in perfect condition.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: The nose has been replaced. I guess the bulb broke or something.

GUEST: Play-Doh.

APPRAISER: Santa's whiskers are missing there. If I were to estimate it at an auction...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: ...I wouldn't estimate it less than $8,000 to $10,000 for the pair.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: What it would go for at auction, that's anyone's guess.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: About a year or so after the show aired, George, the original owner, sold them to a gentleman named Kevin, who had them painstakingly restored, with Santa getting his whisker back and Rudolph getting a light bulb put back in his nose, and they look great. Those puppets were then sold to a big-time collector named Peter. As the years went by, I had a different opinion of what the value was. Now that they've been restored, and things from our childhood, the nostalgia surrounding them, certainly in this day and age, these things have taken on tremendous value. I wouldn't be surprised if it sold well over $100,000, maybe more-- I believe they are that iconic. They're that important. I look at antiques and, and these pieces as time travelers. This is part of their journey and this is part of their story.

HOST: But Rudolph and Santa's journey didn't end there. A few months later, we caught up with Simeon again to hear about the latest chapter in the life of these beloved Christmas characters.

APPRAISER: Since we last spoke during the summer, we've had some exciting news regarding our friends Rudolph and Santa. And, uh, boy, uh... What a perfect ending they, they had.

APPRAISER: So in November 2020, Peter decided, uh, to place Rudolph and Santa in a, in an auction, and it went to Profiles in History in California with a pre-sale estimate of $150,000 to $250,000.

AUCTIONEER: And we have one opening bid of $150,000. Looking for $160,000 next.

AUCTIONEER: This is the screen-used Santa and Rudolph from the beloved story of Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer worth $190,000... $240,000. Lady's bid on the phone, and back to the internet, $250,000. Okay, we have a bid now split at $262,500...

APPRAISER: After frenzy of online bids and live bids...

AUCTIONEER: Going once, twice-- all done? And... (bangs gavel) Sold.

APPRAISER: With the buyer's premium, that brought the total for Santa and Rudolph to $368,000. The next chapter for these wonderful pieces, which made me so happy: the buyer, an anonymous bidder, donated them, and they will have a semi-permanent home at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, which is just a fabulous museum devoted to puppetry, The art of it, and the puppets themselves. For the past 15 years, I've been kind of, sort of attached to these things, kind of publicly! To actually get to be a part of this saga and this story along with the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW has been a real pleasure for me. And for it to end up in this place is, like, the best possible ending for any holiday story. Somebody's generosity has factored in to these now being available to the general public to enjoy, is, is a real pleasure, and I'm really thankful for that.