Most Valuable Rankin-Bass Collectibles to Look For

Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, the creative team behind Rankin/Bass Productions, left an enduring mark on holiday television with classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and Frosty the Snowman. Their stop-motion and animated specials, produced between the early 1960s and the late 1980s, remain cultural touchstones. Collectors prize a wide range of items tied to the Rankin/Bass legacy—from original storyboards and production cels to rare toys and stop-motion puppets. Below are ten notable Rankin/Bass collectibles, ranked by market value and historical interest.

10. ‘Tales of the Wizard of Oz’ Doll

Value: $158.49

Summary: The 1961 animated series Tales of the Wizard of Oz was produced by Crawley Films for Videocraft, the studio that later became Rankin/Bass. A rare Dorothy doll marked Videocraft sold on eBay in August 2022. Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow dolls exist but are even scarcer, making these figures sought-after pieces for collectors of vintage television merchandise.

9. ‘Little Drummer Boy’ Action Figures

Value: $229.99

Summary: The Little Drummer Boy TV special, first aired in 1968, remains a holiday favorite. In response to enduring popularity, Forever Fun released a set of action figures in 2009 depicting Aaron with his drum, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the lamb Baa Baa, a donkey, a camel and a fold-out nativity display. Complete sets and well-preserved figures command higher prices on the collector market.

8. ‘Mad Monster Party’ Comic Book

Value: $776.75

Summary: Mad Monster Party, a 1967 Rankin/Bass feature with Boris Karloff voicing the lead Baron Boris von Frankenstein, has grown into a cult favorite around Halloween. A comic-book adaptation illustrated by MAD magazine artists Harvey Kurtzman and Jack Davis follows the film’s storyline. Original or well-preserved copies of this adaptation are prized by fans of classic animation and mid-century comics.

7. ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ Diorama

Value: $1,260

Summary: “Light the Way Rudolph,” a charming diorama created in 2007 by artist Robert Olszewski for his Gallery of Light collection, features Santa and Rudolph in a warm, nostalgic scene. Although created decades after the original special, its craftsmanship and connection to the Rankin/Bass aesthetic have made it a desirable collectible for holiday décor enthusiasts and animation collectors alike.

6. ‘Frosty the Snowman’ Storyboard

Value: $1,314.50

Summary: This original illustration by artist Dan Duga was created for the 1969 Frosty the Snowman television special, which featured narrator Jimmy Durante in his final performance. Storyboards and original artwork from long-running holiday broadcasts like Frosty are important production artifacts, shedding light on the creative process and layout planning behind beloved specials.

5. ‘Return of the King’ Production Cel

Value: $1,536

Summary: Rankin/Bass explored adaptations beyond holiday specials, including work related to J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe. This 1980s production cel set places Gollum, Frodo and Sam on separate cels against a production background—showing how traditional animation layered characters over backgrounds to create motion and depth. Such hand-painted cels are valued for their connection to production techniques that predate digital animation.

4. ‘Thundercats’ Production Cel

Value: $1,560

Summary: Into the 1980s, Rankin/Bass co-produced series such as Thundercats with Pacific Animation Corporation in Japan. This hand-painted production cel of the villain Mumm-Ra is an example of original artwork used in broadcast animation. Collectors seeking pieces from 1980s TV animation prize authentic, well-preserved cels like this one.

3. ‘Jackson 5’ Production Cel

Value: $1,792.50

Summary: Decades before his solo superstardom, Michael Jackson appeared as a member of the Jackson 5 in a 1972 Saturday morning animated series. This hand-painted production cel features Michael surrounded by fair maidens and reflects the era’s practice of producing celebrity-based animated content. Items tied to notable performers often fetch higher prices among collectors.

2. ‘The Hobbit’ Storyboard

Value: $4,080

Summary: A set of five storyboards from the 1977 musical television special The Hobbit was used to pre-visualize scenes and plan animation sequences. At the time, the story’s public-domain status made adaptation feasible for television, and the special required significant investment. Original storyboards are prized for their insight into scene composition, timing and director intent.

1. Santa and Rudolph Stop-Motion Puppets

Value: $368,000

Summary: The rarest items on this list are stop-motion puppets from the original Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special. Crafted by Japanese puppet-maker Ichiro Komuro, surviving puppets are extraordinarily scarce because many deteriorated or were lost over time. The two puppets that survived passed through private hands, were restored, and later sold—making them the holy grail of Rankin/Bass memorabilia. Their provenance and physical connection to the iconic 1964 special drive intense interest among serious collectors and museums.

Whether you collect original artwork, production cels, dolls or rare puppets, Rankin/Bass items capture the nostalgia and craftsmanship of mid-century television animation. Each piece tells part of the story behind the shows that became annual viewing traditions for generations.