Early Sooty puppet to be auctioned

5:56pm Thursday 9th October 2008

A rare Sooty puppet thought to be one of the mischievous bear's earliest incarnations is to be sold at auction.

The character's creator Harry Corbett bought the very first Sooty on Blackpool Pier for just seven shillings and six pence (37.5p) in 1948.

The bright yellow bear with black ears and nose went on to dominate children's television in the 1950s and 1960s, despite never uttering a word.

Now a Sooty puppet given by Harry Corbett to Violet Marley, a senior BBC receptionist, in 1962, has come on to the market.

Ms Marley, who worked at the Television Centre in White City, passed the puppet to her niece, Sally Keene, who placed it with Hansons Auctioneers for sale.

Manager Charles Hanson said: "We are delighted to be instructed to sell such an icon of a glove puppet. It is poignant, since Sooty this year would be in his 60th year. Apparently this puppet was one of Harry Corbett's most cherished ones - certainly it's an early one. We hope it will find a good home and stay in the country."

The bear first found fame in 1952, featuring on BBC television, and when Harry Corbett retired in 1976, Sooty was passed down to his son, Matthew.

The original bear was completely yellow but Harry Corbett decided to sew on a black nose and mouth and colour his ears in black soot - hence the name Sooty - so that he stood out on black and white television.

Entertainer Richard Cadell recently bought the rights to the bear, with plans to revive the classic children's puppet for the next generation.

The Sooty puppet will be sold with a guide price of £200 to £300 in the Hansons Auction at The Mackworth Hotel near Derby, Derbyshire, on October 29.

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