
And so Santa and Rudolph, as well as the beloved holiday special, will live on long after the passing of Rankin in 2014 and the death of Bass in 2022. The puppets then came into the possession of Kevin Kriess, who had the collectibles professionally restored by Screen Novelties of Los Angeles before he sold them to Peter Lutrario for an undisclosed amount of money (via the Chicago Tribune).ĭuring the Icons & Legends of Hollywood Auction held by Profiles in History in 2020, Santa and Rudolph were sold to an unknown bidder for $368,000! The mysterious winner then donated the figures to the Center For Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia, where they remain on "semi-permanent loan." "These were beloved characters of my childhood, and I can think of no better place for them to retire," the donor said in a statement (via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). In 20, Lipman adjusted his estimate of the puppets' combined worth and predicted the figures would fetch somewhere between $30,000 and $50,000. If you go often enough you can purchase a membership and get discounts on all the shows.In 2005, Adams' nephew took the two surviving puppets on the PBS program, "Antiques Roadshow," where they were evaluated by the pop culture appraiser, Simeon Lipman, to be worth between $8,000 and $10,000 for the pair (via PBS). 2015 The Worlds of Puppetry Museum opens in November after a 14 million renovation and expansion.

The center also has other presentations during the year and they are also well worth the trip. Sockly, the Center’s giant sock puppet mascot, makes its debut. Later a collector purchased and restored the figures before bringing them to. The helper in the room was wonderful this year as usual - keeping everyone focused on the activity and adding to the puppetry after the puppets were finished. Center For Puppetry Arts 150 reviews Claimed Performing Arts, Museums Edit Closed 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM See hours See all 553 photos Write a review Add photo (a licensed version of the Rankin-Bass special). The Rudolph and Santa puppet appeared on Antiques Road Show in 2006 where they were valued between 8,000 and 10,000. It's a real treat to get to help your young one make the puppet and see them try them out to the music that fills the room.

This year we made a Hermie to go with our Rudolph from last year. The puppet workshop which is part of the visit is also outstanding. 8 and its beloved production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. (less priceless were those who insisted on ignoring the plea for children 4 and over and whose children completely drowned out the performance at times - there's a reason for asking that viewers be 4 and older!!). The Center for Puppetry Arts adds to the tradition with its Festive Features special museum exhibition on view through Jan. It was wonderful and the look on his face and hearing him sing along was priceless. This year we took our 7 year old grandson for his 3rd visit. The production at the center is exactly like the others but you are there and can really see the puppets and enjoy the audience participation.

#Rudolph atlanta center puppetry arts tv#
Better than the TV special or the DVD, because it's a live performance.

Christmas Town will include a special exhibition, live performance and hands-on workshop, according to a press release. If you have small children (4 and over please), you don't want to miss a visit to the center to see their production of Rudolph. Atlanta, GA Guests visiting the Center for Puppetry Arts can step into the world of Christmas Town, the fictional town in the 1964 stop-motion production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, this holiday season.
