An Endearing Vintage Straw Filled Sooty Glove Puppet
SOLD
Origin: British
Period: Mid Twentieth Century
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1950
Width: 5 inches (at base)
Length: 8.5 inches
Composed in fur, with a straw filled head, glass eyes and stitched snout, this delightful sooty puppet was made by Chad Valley in the 1950s. He is quite well worn overall but remains a real charm.
Sooty, the loveable and well-known bear who appeared on British TV from 1952 to 1992, was a hand puppet operated by the amateur magician, Harry Corbett. In the 1950's Chad Valley, who had been in existence since around 1897, gained exclusive rights to produce a replica of Corbett's Sooty, this puppet being part of that early wave of Sooty’s made in the early fifties. These rights continued until 1980 though it is the early bears that are of course the most desirable.
Stoutly remaining part of the British culture this is a classic collectable toy, and a sweet nostalgic treat.