Vintage Sooty TV puppet sells for more than £1,000

Sooty's owner said he hoped the bear would go to someone "who will appreciate him and his connection to one of the most famous children's shows in TV history"

A vintage Sooty puppet brought home for family has sold for more than £1,000.

Brian Kent, who built sets for The Sooty Show in the 1970s, begged officials to allow him to take the glove puppet home for his son Lee Kent.

The famous children's show was created by actor and comedian Harry Corbett and was first broadcast in 1955.

Lee, now 46, said he decided to sell the famous yellow bear so it could be given a new home where it would be "cherished and loved".

Sooty puppets have fetched as much as £14,500 when they have gone under the hammer in previous years

The TV show follows Sooty the bear and his friends, Sweep the dog and Soo the panda and was produced for the BBC from 1955 to 1967, later moving to ITV from 1968 to 1992.

It is not the first Sooty puppet to have fetched such a sum at auction, with many similar versions selling across the country for between £1,000 and £3,000 - and one 1950s version used by Harry Corbett even fetching £14,500.

Mr Kent, from Surbiton, south-west London, said: "My dad, Brian, used to build sets on The Sooty Show and, as a kid, I was a massive Sooty fan.

"Knowing this, dad asked if he could have a Sooty puppet for me.

"I was only about three when dad brought Sooty home in 1979 or 1980."

Talking about his memories with the puppet, he added: "It still brings a smile to my face when I think of my father acting silly with Sooty.

"I've always treasured Sooty and kept him in a safe place. He's been a talking point for many years but now I have no family left."

He added he hoped Sooty would go to a home "where he can be cherished and loved by someone, who will appreciate him and his connection to one of the most famous children's shows in TV history".

Sooty was sold for a total of £1,377 by Hansons Auctioneers, and was bought by an individual based in London who said Sooty would stand proudly in his collection.

He explained he bought it to "own a piece of classic children's TV history".

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