Extraordinary Academy Award®-Winning Stop-Motion Artifact from the Landmark 1949 Film to Make Its Public Auction Debut.
LOS ANGELES , CA, UNITED STATES, August 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Propstore — one of the world’s leading entertainment memorabilia auction houses — is offering collectors the opportunity to acquire the only complete stop-motion animation gorilla puppet known to survive from the Academy Award®-winning classic Mighty Joe Young (1949). With a pre-sale estimate of $1 million – $3 million, the historic production model will make its public auction debut as part of Propstore’s Summer Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, taking place August 26–29, 2026, in Los Angeles.
The four-day event features more than 1,700 lots of original film and television props, costumes, production material, autographed memorabilia and entertainment artifacts with a combined pre-sale estimate of $10 million. Among the sale’s headline lots, the Mighty Joe Young puppet ranks as one of the most historically significant pieces of visual effects memorabilia ever to come to auction.
Constructed by master model maker Marcel Delgado under the direction of visual effects pioneer Willis O’Brien, the 15-inch puppet retains the majority of its original latex skin, fur covering and internal articulated armature—an exceptional level of preservation for a production model of its era. Recent X-ray examination confirmed the survival of its original mechanical skeleton.
The puppet has had just three known owners, beginning with Mighty Joe Young co-producer and co-director Ernest B. Schoedsack. It later became one of the prized pieces in the private collection of legendary visual effects artist and puppeteer Lyle Conway, where it remained for approximately fifty years before being offered publicly for the first time.
Released in 1949, Mighty Joe Young won the Academy Award® for Best Special Effects and marked a defining moment in stop-motion animation, bringing together Willis O’Brien and his protégé Ray Harryhausen, who would go on to become one of cinema’s most influential visual effects artists. As the only complete Mighty Joe Young puppet known to survive, retaining its original armature, latex skin, fur and documented provenance, it stands among the most important surviving artifacts from the golden age of stop-motion animation.
Brandon Alinger, Propstore’s Chief Operating Officer, commented: “Original stop-motion puppets are among the rarest surviving artifacts from the early history of filmmaking because they were working production tools, manipulated thousands of times during animation and rarely survived intact. As the only complete Mighty Joe Young puppet known to exist, with its original skin, fur, armature and documented provenance, this is one of the most significant stop-motion artifacts ever to come to public auction.”
Propstore’s $10 million Summer Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction takes place August 26–29, 2026, with collectors able to participate via live online, absentee, telephone, or—in the case of Day One—in-room bidding at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
Day 1 (August 26): Begins at 9:30 AM PDT / 12:30 PM EDT / 5:30 PM BST, with public in-room bidding at the Petersen Automotive Museum alongside global online, absentee, and telephone bidding.
Days 2–4 (August 27–29): Begin at 9:00 AM PDT / 12:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM BST, with global online, absentee, and telephone bidding.
Registration is now open and the full catalog is available at https://propstoreauction.com/auctions/info/id/525
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Notes to Editors:
For further information, catalog images and expert interviews, please contact:
Bethany Willetts | bwilletts@blazepr.com
Images are available in the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/4rqxpcryhwz1n1qst270t/AIW3IAnCWiavqdIQ7UaB-4U?rlkey=dsczn1o3ztpaugro1lm4yg6gx&dl=0
Credit: Propstore
About Propstore
Founded in 1998 by film enthusiast Stephen Lane, Propstore has grown from a collector’s passion project into one of the world’s foremost authorities on entertainment memorabilia. The company bridges the worlds of film, art, and collecting, offering access to authentic screen-used props, costumes, and production artefacts that bring cinematic history to life.
Working in close partnership with many of the world’s leading film studios, production companies, and entertainment brands, Propstore curates exclusive auctions and sales throughout the year, giving fans and collectors unparalleled access to items direct from the source.
Since 2014, Propstore has hosted globally acclaimed live auctions featuring artefacts from the greatest moments in film and television. Alongside its flagship events, Propstore also runs regular online auctions and studio collaborations, with more than 2,000 items available for immediate purchase at www.propstore.com
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Matthew Kovacs
Propstore
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