This Friday May 29, 2015, our friends at Prop Store will be hosting a live auction featuring the works of the legendary makeup effects artist Rick Baker. Nominated for an outstanding twelve Oscars, he's taken home seven Academy Awards for work on films ranging from 2010's The Wolfman, 2000's How The Grinch Stole Christmas, 1997's Men in Black, 1996's The Nutty Professor, 1994's Ed Wood, 1987's Harry and the Hendersons and 1981's iconic An American Werewolf in London.
Mikey alien costume from Men in Black
Now preparing to retire from the film biz, he's auctioning off amazing items from his career-spanning creature collection. Here's a selection of the amazing prop masks, puppets and costumes that caught my eye that are up for grabs.
Included in the auction which takes place at 11am
Pacific Standard Time on Friday is this
'Mikey' costume from
Barry Sonnenfeld's Men in Black. This original on-the-run reptilian alien, who was voiced by
John Alexander, is expected to sell for $20,000-$30,000.
Hammerhead alien from Men in Black II
Another alien piece I love is this
'Hammerhead' alien from the 2002 sequel which is expected to fetch $6,000-$8,000.
Personally I love that these full-size creature props exist, as I think modern cinema relies too heavily on
CGI effects.
Frozen Frosty thug statue from Batman & Robin
Another prop which made me chuckle was this frozen
'Frosty' statue from 1997's
Batman & Robin. In the movie sequel from
Joel Schumacher, this full-size henchman character, played by
Joe Sabatino, was frozen in place by
Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'Mr. Freeze' villain.
If you like this prop, which could be yours for $2,000-$3,000, be sure to check out more
original film costumes and props from Batman & Robin on display here at
Hollywood Movie Costumes and Props.
Mechanical Bat Gremlin and Daffy Gremlin puppets from Gremlins 2
Next up are two fantastic puppets from a comedy horror franchise I love and the 1990 sequel,
Gremlins: The New Batch.
This follow-up entry by
Joe Dante was much more of a parody than the original and I personally loved when the
'Bat Gremlin' bursts through the window to make the
Batman sign (because everyone was still in awe of
Tim Burton's 1989 movie and
Batman logos were everywhere from t-shirts to fridge magnets).
Being auctioned as different lots, this mechanical bat
Gremlin is expected to go for $6,000-$8,000, whilst the
'Daffy' marionette
Gremlin puppet will set you back $4,000-$6,000.
Harry and the Hendersons head, hands, feet and muscle suit
In 1987's family comedy
Harry and the Hendersons, the infamous
'Bigfoot' befriends a family after they knock him down with their car returning from a vacation. This hairy creature costume won
Rick Baker an
Academy Award and now you can own a piece of history for as little as $6,000-$8,000.
The Grinch Santa costume worn by Jim Carrey
People are forever asking if the costumes and props I feature on this blog are for sale, and sadly I say that I only feature exhibits that I come across on my travels.
One of the most frequent requests, especially around the
Holidays, is for
The Grinch's Santa suit worn by
Jim Carrey, so now yes, you can actually own an original costume from
Ron Howard's 2000
Oscar-winning live-action movie. This ensemble is expected to sell for anything from $6,000-$8,000, so maybe it's time to write that letter to
Father Christmas now.
In addition to these top picks, the auction will also have an eclectic mix of authentic items from films like 1984's
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, 1988's
Gorillas in the Mist,
Michael Jackson's iconic
Thriller music video and
Moonwalker fantasy movie, 1995's
Batman Forever, 2003's
The Haunted Mansion, Tim Burton's 2001
Planet of the Apes, 2004's
Hellboy and more besides.
Be sure to check out the
PropStore website for full details of this exciting event and how to own a true collectible from one of your favourite films.