Original Wallace and Gromit puppets sold at Aardman anniversary auction

Bristol-based animation studio Aardman held an auction on Thursday selling more than 200 items from its history, including puppets of Wallace, Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and characters from Chicken Run. The sale was run by memorabilia auction house Propstore and marked the studio's 50th anniversary.

Strong interest centered on stop-motion models from the studio's popular 2024 film Vengeance Most Fowl. A Wallace puppet in his classic green tank top, red tie and brown trousers, with a clay head and silicone body for smooth repositioning, sold for £50,400. A Gromit puppet built on a fully jointed metal armature to allow natural posing fetched £31,500.

Two puppets of villain Feathers McGraw drew especially high bids. One depicting the penguin disguised as a nun sold for more than £30,000, while another showing him disguised in a red rubber glove to pass as a chicken sold for almost £57,000.

Early works also in demand

Items from the studio's early years attracted buyers too. Clay puppets of Morph and his friend Chas, made by Aardman co-founder Peter Lord, sold for £3,780. Lunch with Lord in Bristol went for more than £11,000, and a stop-motion masterclass with an Aardman animator sold for just over £20,000. More modest items, such as a section of dry stone wall from the Shaun the Sheep TV series, sold for £567.

Every lot began bidding at £100. Aardman's director of attractions, live experiences and archive, Ngaio Harding-Hill, said proceeds would go toward talent development, including bursaries at the Aardman Academy training facility, supporting the next generation of animators.