Rudolph & Santa Characters from "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

Appraised on: June 18, 2005

Appraised in: Providence, Rhode Island

Appraised by: Simeon Lipman

Category: Collectibles

Episode Info: Providence, Hour 2 (#1014)

Originally Aired: May 15, 2006

IMAGE: 1 of 1  

Appraisal Video: (45:00)

GUEST: My aunt worked at Rankin/Bass Production 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. Including Rudolph and Santa, we had Yukon Cornelius, Herbie 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: So what we have here are the actual original puppets.

GUEST: As far as I know.

APPRAISER: And we can see here they have the articulated legs--

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: --the articulated neck here. This is, of course, the young Rudolph,

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: and here's Santa. When you opened the box and took these fellas out, 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 definitely has a warm spot in all of our hearts. So to actually meet them in person (laughing) is really exciting. This is iconic, and it's on a very different level. It's not a toy, and everyone who has seen it has gotten a kick and recognized it instantly. So you're dealing with something magnificent here. It's too bad that Burl Ives melted away.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: But you know, that's the problem--

GUEST: Exactly.

APPRAISER: --when he's in a hot attic. They're made out of cloth and wood and I think some plastics and things like that. They're not in perfect condition. The nose has been replaced. I guess the bulb broke or something.

GUEST: Play-Doh.

APPRAISER: Santa's whiskers are missing there, but what an amazing, amazing piece. If I were to estimate it at an auction, 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: You have Christmas collectors, TV collectors, pop culture collectors, and just about everyone else who would love something like this and would cherish it and adore it.

GUEST: My mom's going to love that. (laughs)