Original Puppets From “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” Find Their Way To An Antique Show

Most of us are familiar with the classic animated Christmas show, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It’s hard to believe that the show, which plays every year and children still love to watch, was first on TV back in 1964.

Many of us would have a difficult time guessing how many times we have seen Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but it is likely the same amount as our age and maybe multiple times that amount.

That being said, most of us don’t know much about what goes on behind the scenes of that animated classic, but that was about to change.

An antique appraiser was surprised when someone came in with a Tupperware container to the Antique Roadshow and pulled out Santa and Rudolph puppets. At first, he even had a difficult time believing that it was the original from that 1964 classic, but he was pleasantly surprised when he learned of their origin.

Lipman, the appraiser, not only spoke about the puppets and even did a little research, but he also followed the puppets for a number of years as they took a rather interesting journey.

After seeing the puppets, he said that it was like seeing old friends. Although that was the case, he didn’t give them much credit when it came to their worth. Because of their condition, he thought that they might be worth up to $10,000.

Over the years, Santa and Rudolph changed hands, and eventually, they were able to get restored to their original condition. That is when they went to auction and it surprised everyone.

They thought that they would only get about $100,000 for the puppets but in the end, they sold for $368,000.

Perhaps the best part of the story was that someone who bought the puppets and chose to remain anonymous donated them to the Center for Puppetry Arts Museum in Atlanta. Now everyone can enjoy them.