Pelham Puppets - Wonkey Toys
Originally Wonkey Toys Ltd, Pelham Puppets was started in 1947 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, by Bob Pelham. Included in the staff were ex-servicemen and women, some suffering disabilities they got in World War II.
Initially, puppets were made using recycled materials which often came from Government Surplus and it is possible to identify parts such as ammunition partitions and toggles on some early puppets.
Bob Pelham died in 1980 but his widow maintained the business, weathering recession until 1986. She then retired, selling Pelham Puppets, after which a succession of owners finally saw the business cease in 1993.
Mr MacBoozle with his hankie and bottle - moving mouth.
Some of the range of boxes
Boxes can help in dating
... if the puppet is in its original box
The oldest boxes are the brown boxes. The labels come in a variety of colors and they were in use from 1947 to 1953, when the solid yellow box was introduced. In 1962 the characters on the exterior of the yellow box were updated and this design continued until the cellophane fronted box of 1968, which was redesigned to add the strengthening crossbar in 1969. The red and yellow box is later but I don't know the exact date it was introduced and there is a blue box but I don't have an example of this.If anyone can help with the date of the red and yellow box, I would be happy to give them credit for it.
Small picture - top box, post 1962, bottom box 1953 to 1962, note the differences, only the witch with the broom remains the same.
Clown
Disaster and setback in the 60s
In 1961 the factory and stock were reduced to ashes by a fire but the resourceful Bob Pelham moved production into a group of nissen huts and was back in business within a week. Many of the original drawings and puppets were lost in the fire.The business moved to purpose built premises in 1962.1963 saw the debut of a whole new range of puppets as the business continued to go from strength to strength. In the mid-sixties, the UK and US markets were suddenly flooded with cheap knock-offs. Bob Pelham actually sent out a replacement, genuine Pelham Puppet for every one of the complaints received about the fakes, which buyers had mistakenly thought were his puppets, falling apart. The imitations still occasionally surface in auctions.
Those episodes apart, Pelham Puppets expanded consistently throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s and, due to larger production runs, you can expect to find there are still plenty of the later puppets available at a reasonable price in auctions online. After all, some are only 14 years old. Some are over 60 years old and are much rarer as production was limited.
Above, one of a number of clowns produced by Pelham Puppets, this one 13 inches to the top of his hat, right, Baby Bimbo, 15 inches tall, below, small clown (jumpette) 9 inches tall (all 60s +).
Small Clown
Puppet sizes
The puppet sizes vary. There are the small string puppets, 8 or 9 inches tall, string puppets of around 12 inches tall and huge string puppets of around two feet and three feet tall. Pelham also made puppets to private order and in his book, David Leech shows a photograph of a group of four clown string puppets which are seven to eight feet tall. These were made for a buyer in Chicago.
The original prices of the puppets also varied equally and so there is no hard and fast rule for evaluating their worth. Ultimately, they are worth whatever someone is prepared to pay for them and I would advise anyone considering selling their childhood puppets to first watch what prices they are currently fetching and make sure of the age of the puppets you have before putting them up for sale.
Certain styles of jointing in the limbs can also help to date the puppets, some puppets were originally only available for a very short time but may have been reintroduced at a much later date, even some of the relatively new puppets are in fact rare enough to fetch moderately high prices.
It is possible to collect Pelham Puppets at a low cost, picking up unboxed pieces or the more modern ones. It is also perfectly possible to see a very rare example sell at auction for several hundreds of pounds. If you watch the availability of the type of Pelham Puppet you have in the attic over a period of a few months, you will soon get a picture of how rare or common it is and may be able to estimate the likely end price.
It will be worth any effort you put into researching the item when you come to write the description. The fuller the description you can give, the better the potential buyer will like it. For maximum bidding (UK), ensure your auction ends between 7pm and 9pm, when most individuals are online in the UK and you will probably achieve the best sale price.
The original prices of the puppets also varied equally and so there is no hard and fast rule for evaluating their worth. Ultimately, they are worth whatever someone is prepared to pay for them and I would advise anyone considering selling their childhood puppets to first watch what prices they are currently fetching and make sure of the age of the puppets you have before putting them up for sale.
Certain styles of jointing in the limbs can also help to date the puppets, some puppets were originally only available for a very short time but may have been reintroduced at a much later date, even some of the relatively new puppets are in fact rare enough to fetch moderately high prices.
It is possible to collect Pelham Puppets at a low cost, picking up unboxed pieces or the more modern ones. It is also perfectly possible to see a very rare example sell at auction for several hundreds of pounds. If you watch the availability of the type of Pelham Puppet you have in the attic over a period of a few months, you will soon get a picture of how rare or common it is and may be able to estimate the likely end price.
It will be worth any effort you put into researching the item when you come to write the description. The fuller the description you can give, the better the potential buyer will like it. For maximum bidding (UK), ensure your auction ends between 7pm and 9pm, when most individuals are online in the UK and you will probably achieve the best sale price.
Witch with a broom
Witches
Witches are a very popular puppet subject and figure large in fairy tales and children's stories of all types. It is no surprise then that there are several different designs for witches. The witch above can also be found with a red apron. This one has a moving mouth and the peg teeth seem to be small nails. On some witches they were wood.
David Leech's book shows a selection of different faces on witches, including witch glove puppets (Pelham made a range of glove puppets as well) and below is another witch, a real wicked witch with green face.
Although they don't fetch a fortune, they can fetch some tens of pounds, depending on their age.
David Leech's book shows a selection of different faces on witches, including witch glove puppets (Pelham made a range of glove puppets as well) and below is another witch, a real wicked witch with green face.
Although they don't fetch a fortune, they can fetch some tens of pounds, depending on their age.
Wicked Witch
Dating help
Being popular, witches were produced over a lengthy period. Also popular and available in reasonably steady supply in auctions are the pairs such as the Dutch boy and girl, Mitzi and Fritzi, Tyrolean boy and girl (not pictured) etc.
In the case of these puppets, some idea of age can be gained by looking at the type of joints the puppets have. The joints on the limbs evolved over time, going through several changes, again, I recommend that you buy David Leech's book, and refer to the information he gives to help in dating your puppet.
Although various limb joints were used over longer periods and sometimes those periods and designs overlap, you can often narrow down the date by a combination of factors.
In the case of these puppets, some idea of age can be gained by looking at the type of joints the puppets have. The joints on the limbs evolved over time, going through several changes, again, I recommend that you buy David Leech's book, and refer to the information he gives to help in dating your puppet.
Although various limb joints were used over longer periods and sometimes those periods and designs overlap, you can often narrow down the date by a combination of factors.
Dutch Boy and Dutch Girl
A Friday Afternoon Puppet
Dutch Boy, Dutch Girl
Every once in a while an anomaly comes along and I like to call mine my Friday Afternoon Dutch Boy, from the (early) 60s. He might be able to put his finger in a dyke but he certainly couldn't call out for help, he has no mouth.
So why do I refer to him as a Friday afternoon puppet? I'm thinking maybe there wasn't enough time left on Friday to finish painting his face and by Monday morning that had been forgotten. Examining his face, it's impossible to say there was ever a mouth there.
He has all wooden limbs with metal jointing whereas the Dutch girl shown above (from the 70s) has plastic legs with moulded in jointing.
So why do I refer to him as a Friday afternoon puppet? I'm thinking maybe there wasn't enough time left on Friday to finish painting his face and by Monday morning that had been forgotten. Examining his face, it's impossible to say there was ever a mouth there.
He has all wooden limbs with metal jointing whereas the Dutch girl shown above (from the 70s) has plastic legs with moulded in jointing.
Mitzi and Fritzi
Mitzi and Fritzi
Mitzi and Fritzi are the opposite to the Dutch boy and girl in that Mitzi is the older of the pair with metal leg joints and, apart from her blouse being grubby, she is in nice condition.
Hansel and Gretel below have moulded heads (as do Baby Bimbo and the Wicked Witch above) but again, they are not a perfect pair. Gretel has moulded in plastic ankle joints, Hansel has string joints, however, these two types of joint overlap in production so there may be little or no difference in their manufacture date. To be fair, Hansel does look 'newer' than Gretel but she has clearly been used far more and her apron is stained.
I hope to learn more about Pelham Puppets myself as I research for a future lens on the subject, expanding on the information available. Not all of my collection is included in this lens, the rest will be in the next lens about Pelham Puppets.
Hansel and Gretel below have moulded heads (as do Baby Bimbo and the Wicked Witch above) but again, they are not a perfect pair. Gretel has moulded in plastic ankle joints, Hansel has string joints, however, these two types of joint overlap in production so there may be little or no difference in their manufacture date. To be fair, Hansel does look 'newer' than Gretel but she has clearly been used far more and her apron is stained.
I hope to learn more about Pelham Puppets myself as I research for a future lens on the subject, expanding on the information available. Not all of my collection is included in this lens, the rest will be in the next lens about Pelham Puppets.
Hansel (on right) and Gretel
David Leech and Pelham Puppets
David Leech worked at the Pelham Puppet factory for a number of years, mainly working with Bob Pelham on the Animated Puppet Display Units, as well as demonstrating puppets in top London stores.
His book on Pelham Puppets (link below) is copiously illustrated with examples of puppets produced through the years and draws on his experiences working with Bob Pelham to give insights into the history which are uniquely personal.
David Leech is still very much involved with puppets, his lifelong passion.
His book on Pelham Puppets (link below) is copiously illustrated with examples of puppets produced through the years and draws on his experiences working with Bob Pelham to give insights into the history which are uniquely personal.
David Leech is still very much involved with puppets, his lifelong passion.
Pelham Puppets (Crowood Collectors' Series)
The author, David Leech, is the acknowledged authority on Pelham Puppets.
An excellent book for the collector or the coffee table. Illustrated throughout, well written and providing useful advice, this book also gives you the history of the business and its ups and downs in detail, making it a fascinating read.
Amazon Price: $47.45 (as of 11/12/2009) 
Pelham Puppets Reborn
As I was looking around the internet to see what else I could find out about Pelham Puppets, I discovered that the Pelham Puppets are being reborn.
In October 2008, David Leech, the recognised authority on Pelham Puppets, relaunched the brand working from his store in Ilfracombe and you can visit his website to see the current range.
You will find a link to David Leech's book about Pelham Puppets below the guestbook.
In October 2008, David Leech, the recognised authority on Pelham Puppets, relaunched the brand working from his store in Ilfracombe and you can visit his website to see the current range.
You will find a link to David Leech's book about Pelham Puppets below the guestbook.
Did you have a puppet when you were little?
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- LaraineRose LaraineRose Jul 5, 2009 @ 4:52 pm
- Yes, I had a puppet when I was little. Mum and dad made it for me. I loved that puppet and even took it to bed with me at first. That tangled the strings though so I had to be content with having it on my dresser. Sometimes late at night, with the moon shining in on it, I would pretend that it came alive. It probably didn't work as well as the Pelham puppets but I had a lot of fun with it. The puppet was lost/stolen. I still have my memories though.
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