Bonhams is holding a sale of Entertainment Memorabilia later this month, and one of the highlights will take certain collectors right back to their childhoods.
| Rarely flustered... Lady Penelope takes care of business |
Thunderbirds, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, was a show following the efforts of heroes International Rescue to thwart various deadly, evil schemes. The key characters were Jeff Tracy and his family, and of course Lady Penelope.
A few notable pieces from the series and other works by Gerry Anderson will be included in Bonhams' sale.
There is a frankly terrifying Guard puppet head from the TV series Captain Scarlet, complete with wiring and mechanism with tape attached inscribed Guard 2 (String with Hat). This is expected to sell for £3,000-4,000 ($6,600).
However, the key piece is surely a Lady Penelope puppet, comprising an original head with internal electrical mechanism revealed by removable back section, used in the 1960s TV series, matched to later body and clothing, complete with wires and puppeteer's controls.
It stands 51cm tall, making it larger than some might expect. Immediately recognisable, even out of her trademark pink, the exquisite, but shrewd aristocrat is listed at £8,000-10,000 (up to $16,400). M'lady should make an excellent alternative investment for someone.
 Not just a pretty face: Lady Penelope Thunderbirds puppet |
Both lots come from the collection of Christine Glanville (1924-1999). One of Gerry Anderson's chief puppeteers and puppet-makers, she began working for him in 1956 and went on to work on almost all of the classic Anderson television series of the 1960s.
Items from Thunderbirds and other Anderson projects have sold before. In 2004, for example, an original puppet head for Captain Black (Captain Scarlet's nemesis) sold for an extraordinary £17,925. The current sale takes place in London on June 29.
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