Bagpuss Creator’s Treasures Fetch £400K in Spectacular Auction

Peter Firmin was a talented artist and puppet maker who helped create some of Britain's most beloved children's television characters. His most famous creation is Bagpuss, a pink and orange striped cat who sits on a pink cabinet beside Emily, a girl in a long patterned dress, and Professor Yaffle, a wise old bird. These characters were drawn in bright colors and have been cherished by generations of viewers. Recently, a large collection of Peter Firmin's artwork was sold at auction after being discovered at his home in Kent, which was up for sale. The auction included more than 500 paintings, books, and collectibles, and attracted bidders from around the world. The total amount raised from the sale was over £400,000, showing just how much people value Firmin's work.

Among the most expensive items sold were paintings featuring The Clangers and Noggin the Nog, two other characters created by Firmin. A signed artwork of Basil Brush, a cheerful fox, sold for £6,000. There was also a model of Gabriel the Toad, a green character with large painted eyes and patterned fabric, holding a banjo and sitting on a blue platform. This model sold for £4,200, as did an illustration of Nogbad firing a cannon at the Ice Dragon. Bagpuss and his friends remain very popular, with a painting showing Bagpuss, Emily, and Professor Yaffle selling for £1,600. Susanna Woodgate, who curated the auction, said it was wonderful to see real fans securing keepsakes of something they loved, and some even wanted to share these treasures with their children and grandchildren.

The auction house described the event as the largest collection of Peter Firmin's art ever to go on sale. Some of the items found at Firmin's home will be donated to The Beaney Museum in Canterbury, which already has a display of his characters given by the family. Peter Firmin, who passed away in 2018, worked with Oliver Postgate to create Smallfilms, a company that produced many of Britain's best-known children's television characters from the 1950s to the 1980s. Their work enjoyed a revival around 2014, and Bagpuss was voted the UK's all-time favorite children's television programme in 1999. The legacy of Peter Firmin's art and characters continues to inspire and delight people of all ages, making his creations a treasured part of British culture.