Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer & Santa Puppets Up For Auction

We all grew up watching those stop-motion animated Christmas specials. They are a staple of the Christmas season!  Generations have enjoyed these timeless stories and now you can bring the main characters into your home. A couple of those beloved puppets are going up for auction including Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Auction house Profiles in History, which specializes in selling rare and coveted Hollywood memorabilia, announced Thursday that the same 6-inch-tall Rudolph and 11-inch-tall Santa used to animate the 1964 TV special are being sold together in an auction. They are expected to fetch between $150,000 and $250,000.

The puppets were originally crafted by Japanese puppet maker Ichiro Komuro. They're made of wood, wire, cloth and leather. Santa's beard is actually made from yak hair!

Peter Lutrario of Staten Island, New York, currently owns the puppets. According to Fox 8, "he thought they might be the only items he would never sell." He had a change of heart thought after recently turning 65 and thought about what he would want to leave behind financially for his children and grandchildren.

15 years ago the puppets were appraised on “Antiques Roadshow” on PBS, where Lutrario first saw them. He says that they are still in perfect working condition too.

“They’re still malleable,” he said, “and it’s very detailed. Not only can you move the arms, the legs, the head, you can move the fingers, the thumbs." After a little bit of maintenance over the years, Rudolph’s nose even still lights up!

The auction will go live on November 13th.