I am so sorry I told Rankin/Bass Productions fans to tune into PBS' ANTIQUES ROADSHOW tonight, because the piece that I saw, created a false narrative to what the Producers wanted you to believe. I did multiple interviews for this show over the past year, so they can't say "We didn't know." They even asked me to clarify on a few occasions, which I did. In fact, they went out of their way to take the facts I relayed to them out of this segment. At one point I got an email from someone that worked there, asking to order my book The Making of Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town and The Daydreamer directly from me, instead of our website? They never ended up ordering?!
The Animagic figures that appeared on Antiques Roadshow and were so badly appraised right from the start, were the Publicity only figures. They were used for Publicity photos in New York and then they were put on display at NBC-TV in the Rockefeller Plaza for a short number of years.
While this host talked about his personal connection to the Animagic figures, I heard from the seller before Antiques Roadshow. Then I appeared with the figures, after my friend Kevin Kriess bought them at many conventions and on television (2006-2009). I helped coordinate the restoral with my friends Mark Caballero and Seamus and Robin Walsh at Screen-Novelties prior. Kevin sold them to another friend of mine, Peter Lutrario. I worked on the catalog for the 2020 auction,
through Profiles In History and I also worked on the exhibit at the Center For Puppetry Arts for this Holiday season. This is the 20th Anniversary for my book The Making of the Rankin/Bass Holiday Classic: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
It was really disappointing to see this sort of fluff piece, after giving PBS, Antiques Roadshow and Detours so much of my time and the history of the figures! I would never do an interview for them again... and again, I am sorry I promoted it originally!
