September 2013 Auction Ends Thursday, September 26th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/26/2013
The original Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit puppets obtained from Bob Keeshan aka Captain Kangaroo and used in production of his beloved and long-running series. The only other known pair were donated to the Smithsonian, making these the only Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit in private hands. Happily, Moose and Rabbit were impeccably cared for, having been professionally archived to museum standards for the last 25 years in a climate and humidity-controlled facility and are in superb condition.
Custom-made Mr. Moose hand puppet features a chocolate brown plush body and sleeve with a structured head and snout. Moose's eyes are cleverly constructed of ping pong ball halves (Moose was well-known for a recurring gag featuring falling ping pong balls) that are hand painted by production and adorned with long false eyelashes and fastened to the face with stick pins. The ears are lined in red fabric, and the mouth is lined with felt in a burnt orange color. Solid antlers are covered with mustard yellow felt. The upper portion of the head is covered in a slightly lighter brown plush than the body, sleeve and ears. Mr. Moose measures 29'' in total height, 21'' from antler tip to antler tip and 12.5'' from the tip of the snout to the back of the head. Mr. Moose puppet retains a rich sheen to the fur with but a few tiny stains to Moose's left antler and a tiny area of tearing to right antler at the edge. Toning to eyeballs and hand touch-ups by production artists to the paint on the eyes, else fine.
Custom-made Bunny Rabbit hand puppet is constructed chiefly of the plush material used by classic toymaker Steiff. Plush body and arms are fawn color throughout, darkening to a rich caramel color at the middle of the back. Chocolate-tipped ears are lined with a flat beige fabric that appears to have been tinged with a blush color toward the innermost region. Solid formed head features variation in plush texture, with slightly longer fur around the sides. Gleaming orange eyes with light brown irises are set on the sides of the head. The down-turned v-shaped mouth is embroidered in red thread and extends up to the nose, which has been embellished with a hammered metal button. Five clear whiskers fan out from each side of the snout. Bunny Rabbit wears a pair of custom-made red acrylic cat-eye style glasses with applied silver glitter, his trademark accoutrement throughout the run of the series, and they are secured with a pin at center. An additional segment of matching plush has been sewn on to the bottom to extend the length of Bunny Rabbit for greater freedom in manipulating the puppet for filming. Measures 9'' from paw to paw and 17'' from the top of the head to the bottom of the sleeve. Slight toning to ear lining and a 0.5'' separation to the seam is present below the arm on the puppet's right, else fine.
The beloved and often mischievous Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit were created and played by puppeteer and performer Cosmo Allegretti, and his other iconic character, Dancing Bear, was sold by Nate D. Sanders Auctions earlier this year for over $200,000. True fixtures of cultural history spanning generations, these characters engaged Captain Kangaroo and the American viewing public over four distinctive decades of American television.
Original Captain Kangaroo's Bunny Rabbit & Mr. Moose Puppets Obtained Directly from Bob Keeshan
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