Rare Vintage Rankin-Bass Collectibles That Fetch High Prices

Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, the founders of Rankin/Bass Productions, created some of the most enduring holiday television specials in animation history. Classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and Frosty the Snowman remain seasonal mainstays, and original artifacts from those productions—along with related Rankin/Bass projects—have become highly sought-after collectibles. Below are notable Rankin/Bass items and related memorabilia that have fetched attention and significant prices among collectors.

10. ‘Tales of the Wizard of Oz’ Doll

Value: $158.49

Bottom line: Produced in 1961 by Crawley Films for Videocraft (which later became Rankin/Bass), Tales of the Wizard of Oz inspired a small range of character dolls. A rare Dorothy doll bearing a Videocraft marking sold on eBay in 2022. Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow dolls exist but are even rarer, making these early animation-era toys desirable to collectors of vintage television merchandise.

9. ‘Little Drummer Boy’ Action Figures

Value: $229.99

Bottom line: The 1968 special The Little Drummer Boy remains a holiday favorite, and merchandise has appeared across decades. A Forever Fun action-figure set released in the 2000s included Aaron with his drum, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the lamb Baa Baa, a donkey, a camel and a fold-out nativity scene. Because of the program’s enduring popularity, well-preserved sets retain strong resale value.

8. ‘Mad Monster Party’ Comic Book

Value: $776.75

Bottom line: Mad Monster Party, a 1967 Rankin/Bass film featuring Boris Karloff as the voice of Baron Boris von Frankenstein, has become a cult Halloween staple. A comic-book adaptation illustrated by MAD magazine artists Harvey Kurtzman and Jack Davis follows the film’s storyline. Copies in excellent condition are prized by fans of vintage horror animation and comic art.

7. ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ Diorama

Value: $1,260

Bottom line: Sculptor Robert Olszewski created a “Light the Way Rudolph” diorama in 2007 as part of his Gallery of Light collection. The piece, depicting Santa and Rudolph, captures the warm nostalgia of the Rankin/Bass stop-motion classic and has become a collectible item for enthusiasts of holiday displays and licensed animation art.

6. ‘Frosty the Snowman’ Storyboard

Value: $1,314.50

Bottom line: Original storyboard illustrations by artist Dan Duga for the 1969 Frosty the Snowman special offer a direct connection to the production process for one of Rankin/Bass’s most beloved holiday programs. The special—featuring the final performance of narrator Jimmy Durante—remains a seasonal television staple, and authentic production art from the show is sought after by animation collectors.

5. ‘Return of the King’ Production Cel

Value: $1,536

Bottom line: Rankin/Bass adapted material from the Tolkien universe in the 1980s, and production cels from the studio’s Return of the King projects show characters like Gollum, Frodo and Sam painted on separate layers over a production background. Hand-painted cels that preserve animation history often command strong prices, especially when they come from notable fantasy productions.

4. ‘Thundercats’ Production Cel

Value: $1,560

Bottom line: During the 1980s Rankin/Bass co-produced the animated series Thundercats with Japan’s Pacific Animation Corporation. Original hand-painted production cels—like a depiction of the villain Mumm-Ra—are collectible artifacts from that era of international animation collaboration.

3. ‘Jackson 5’ Production Cel

Value: $1,792.50

Bottom line: The Jackson 5 animated series (1972) capitalized on the group’s huge popularity. A hand-painted production cel featuring a young Michael Jackson surrounded by maidens is a notable piece of pop-culture animation history and a strong example of how Rankin/Bass’s work intersected with contemporary music and television trends.

2. ‘The Hobbit’ Storyboard

Value: $4,080

Bottom line: Storyboards from the 1977 Rankin/Bass musical television special The Hobbit were used to pre-visualize scenes and guide animation production. A group of five boards from that special provides insight into the studio’s staging and planning for an ambitious adaptation of Tolkien’s story, and such production materials are prized by collectors of animation art and fantasy media.

1. Santa and Rudolph Stop-Motion Puppets

Value: $368,000

Bottom line: Original stop-motion puppets from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer are among the rarest and most valuable Rankin/Bass collectibles. Crafted by Japanese puppet-maker Ichiro Komuro, a surviving pair of Santa and Rudolph puppets became a centerpiece for collectors after being preserved and later restored. Because so few puppets survived intact, authentic examples represent a “holy grail” of holiday animation memorabilia and can command extraordinary prices at auction.

Whether you collect original production cels, storyboards, vintage toys or rare stop-motion puppets, Rankin/Bass artifacts offer a tangible link to classic television animation and holiday tradition. For fans and collectors alike, these pieces preserve the artistry and nostalgia of some of the most enduring programs in animation history.