Captain Kangaroo’s Beloved Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit Up For Auction
FREE APPRAISAL. To auction, buy, consign or sell Bob Keeshan or Captain Kangaroo memorabilia, please email Nate at [email protected] or call the Nate D. Sanders Auction House (http://www.NateDSanders.com) at (310) 440-2982.
Bob Keeshan
We are thrilled to have in our current auction the original Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit puppets obtained from Bob Keeshan aka Captain Kangaroo and used in production of his beloved and long-running series.
The only other known pair were donated to the Smithsonian, making these the only Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit in private hands.
Mr. Moose & Bunny Rabbit are also among very few puppets honored with the distinction of being included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s History of Entertainment Collection.
While he wanted to appear on “Captain Kangaroo,” set painter Cosmo “Gus” Allegretti was told he looked “too tough” for a kids show (he, in fact, played the boxing promoter in the Broadway production of “Requiem for a Heavyweight” starring John Lithgow), so instead he crouched behind sets as puppeteer for Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit and donned the costume of Dancing Bear.
viaLifeDaily
Allegretti would finally join the cast towards the end of the show’s run sans puppet or facemask as Dennis the Painter, and he died last month at age 86. He would say about the series, “Robert Keeshan was looking to go against the grain, to do a quiet, gentle show when the others were loud. ‘Kangaroo’ was a visit, not a show.”
viaFutureWorld
Mr. Bunny Rabbit, who was always adored in his trademark bright red glasses, could be counted on to trick the Captain into giving him carrots.
Mr. Moose was well-known for telling Capitan Kangaroo knock-knock jokes and riddles that would result in hundreds of ping pong balls falling from the ceiling, and this recurring gag became so famous that other programs would pay it heartfelt homage, as recently as an episode of “Family Guy” that aired in 2006.
In May, the top item from the Keeshan estate was this Dancing Bear suit, which sold for an incredible $207,019.2
Be sure to check out this item representing a television show that forever changed the landscape of children’s programming in its whimsical way.
As an entertainer who kept his vision succinct throughout his entire career, Keeshan puts it best,
“A child needs to be listened to and talked to at 3 and 4 and 5 years of age,” he once said. “Parents should not wait for the sophisticated conversation of a teenager.”
He sure did know his audience.
FREE APPRAISAL. To auction, buy, consign or sell Bob Keeshan or Captain Kangaroo memorabilia, please email Nate at [email protected] or call the Nate D. Sanders Auction House (http://www.NateDSanders.com) at (310) 440-2982.
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