On Thursday our 81 beloved Gromits were sold and passed on to money-rolling companies, organisations, universities, and people. Several 'puppy' Gromits were also sold in the auction, some for as much as 'adult' Gromits.
A huge £1m was expected to be raised, but alas it was not. Instead, a whopping £2,357,000 was spent at the Auction on the adults and puppies.
Of the Puppies, the Bristol Children's Hopital Gromit, designed by patients of the hospital, went for the most at £21,000 - and so it should.
The star of the show, unsurprisingly was Pixar's Gromit Lightyear who raised an amazing £65,000 for The Grand Appeal by itself, causing a brilliant Buzz! And you can understand why. This high profile 'exhibition', auction and fundraiser has obviously caused a lot of excitement, and to get your paws on a dog designed by the incredible Pixar is a pretty big deal.
The auction was actually very interesting to watch live, and I'm not one for Cash in the Attic or Homes Under The Hammer (though I do sometimes wonder what my old junk would sell for!). Hosted by well known Auctioneer Tim Wonnacott and held at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, the auction was fast paced and actually exciting. The dogs were auctioned off at 7:30pm and bidding was open to the 500 invited guests in the room and online bidders from around the world with evidently very large pockets .
Most of the Gromits went for at least £20,000, and among the buyers were Bristol University, who bought Bark at Ee which will be on show, and Businessman Fred Grainger who bought a Gromit as a thank you to the staff who saved the life of his grandson. Nick Park even tried to nab himself one, but settled for a 3ft Gromit, which he plans to give away.
So the Year of the Gromits (I made that up) has drawn to a close, as the event is now officially over and each Gromit has found a new home. But isn't it nice that many of the Gromits will remain in public places as memoirs of this brilliant event for a long time to come, and for fans to reminisce and marvel at the creations again and again. What a success!
A huge £1m was expected to be raised, but alas it was not. Instead, a whopping £2,357,000 was spent at the Auction on the adults and puppies.
Of the Puppies, the Bristol Children's Hopital Gromit, designed by patients of the hospital, went for the most at £21,000 - and so it should.
The star of the show, unsurprisingly was Pixar's Gromit Lightyear who raised an amazing £65,000 for The Grand Appeal by itself, causing a brilliant Buzz! And you can understand why. This high profile 'exhibition', auction and fundraiser has obviously caused a lot of excitement, and to get your paws on a dog designed by the incredible Pixar is a pretty big deal.
The auction was actually very interesting to watch live, and I'm not one for Cash in the Attic or Homes Under The Hammer (though I do sometimes wonder what my old junk would sell for!). Hosted by well known Auctioneer Tim Wonnacott and held at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, the auction was fast paced and actually exciting. The dogs were auctioned off at 7:30pm and bidding was open to the 500 invited guests in the room and online bidders from around the world with evidently very large pockets .
Most of the Gromits went for at least £20,000, and among the buyers were Bristol University, who bought Bark at Ee which will be on show, and Businessman Fred Grainger who bought a Gromit as a thank you to the staff who saved the life of his grandson. Nick Park even tried to nab himself one, but settled for a 3ft Gromit, which he plans to give away.
So the Year of the Gromits (I made that up) has drawn to a close, as the event is now officially over and each Gromit has found a new home. But isn't it nice that many of the Gromits will remain in public places as memoirs of this brilliant event for a long time to come, and for fans to reminisce and marvel at the creations again and again. What a success!