Aardman, the British claymation studio best known for Wallace and Gromit, is selling a large part of its production history. The studio has partnered with PropStore, an entertainment memorabilia auction house, to put original stop-motion puppets and props from across its five-decade career up for sale. The auction is tied to Aardman's 50th anniversary.
The article's lead identifies Wallace and Gromit as the studio's best-known creation, and screen-matched puppets from the franchise are among the auction highlights.
For readers unfamiliar with the form: claymation is a stop-motion technique in which malleable clay figures are posed and photographed frame by frame to create the illusion of movement. The items in the auction are not replicas or licensed merchandise — they are the actual physical puppets that appeared on screen, some of them "screen-matched," meaning they can be tied to specific scenes and frames.
The studio says the sale is not a closure. Aardman frames the auction as a celebration of its upcoming 50th birthday and a way to connect with fans. Ngaio Harding-Hill, Aardman's director of attractions and live experiences and archive, said the collection was "carefully curated by the studio's creative talent" and includes contributions produced "in celebration of this unique moment to connect with our fans."
Proceeds will be invested in talent development initiatives, including bursaries at the Aardman Academy — the studio's training facility — skills development programmes, and opportunities for emerging filmmakers, which the studio says will help broaden access to careers in animation.
The collection runs to more than 220 pieces spanning the studio's 50-year history, with pieces from nearly every Aardman production. (A Gizmodo report put the figure at nearly 250 items.) Every lot is scheduled to start at £100.
Among the announced highlights: - Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) — a screen-matched Wallace stop-motion puppet, a Gromit puppet, and a Feathers McGraw puppet complete with his signature red-glove disguise. - Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (2026) — a Shaun stop-motion puppet. The film, directed by Matthew Walker and Steve Cox, is due in cinemas in September 2026. - Morph (1977) — original clay Morph and Chas stop-motion puppets made by Aardman co-founder Sir Peter Lord. Morph was the studio's first-ever on-screen production. - An original Nick Park sketch.
The sale also covers props, boards, and signed posters from classics such as Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave — the latter an Academy Award-winning short — as well as more recent productions including Robin Robin and Chicken Run 2.
Not every Aardman project is represented. The collection does not include items from the claymation special Over the Garden Wall, nor from the announced 2027 claymation Pokémon Tales series.
PropStore is running the auction, with a live event scheduled for September 24, 2026. Bidding opened on September 4, and global online, absentee, and telephone bidding is available. The full catalogue is at propstoreauction.com, and registration is open. Stephen Lane, CEO of PropStore, said the auction traces "Aardman's remarkable creative history" and that the puppets "hold a special place in the hearts of generations of fans."
The sale is described by the studio as a first of its kind. For collectors, the appeal is in owning screen-matched originals — physical objects with a documented place in specific productions — rather than licensed merchandise, and the £100 starting bid is intended to keep the auction accessible.
What the available reporting does not address is the studio's broader creative trajectory. The material describes the auction and the studio's investment in training, but it does not speak to how recent productions have been received. The only indications of ongoing work are the upcoming Shaun the Sheep film and the announced Pokémon Tales series, neither of which is represented in the sale.