The costume is one of three originals and was used for all outside footage and the theme park
An original ‘Mr Blobby’ costume is expected to sell for thousands of pounds at auction after being made famous in the 90s on ‘Noel’s House Party’. It is one of just three originally made.
The costume was seen in multiple television appearances and some of the character’s most memorable stunts and is being sold at auction this month. It has been described as a piece of “pure British comedy history”. Mr Blobby, the chaotic, bright pink and yellow spotted character created by Noel Edmonds for his hit BBC One Saturday night variety show, transitioned from a television prank segment into a “certified national phenomenon.”
The costume was originally owned by the late Mickey Wills, the former Head of Entertainment at the Cricket St Thomas ‘Blobbyland’ theme park, in Somerset. Wills was personally tutored in the art of portraying the character by Barry Killerby, the main actor behind Mr Blobby’s iconic television appearances.
Stepping into the heavy, energetic suit, Wills performed up to seven high-energy shows a day at Blobbyland, entertaining an estimated two million visitors during the height of Blobbymania. Auctioneum Ltd said the original and “historically significant” Mr Blobby costume was already attracting significant interest as the headline lot in its highly anticipated British Comedy Auction on June 29th:
Auctioneer Andy Stowe said: “This costume was one of the original three made for the character. To be able to offer an original costume for sale, is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Beyond its theme park residency, this specific costume earned its stripes across a variety of media platforms. While the first two costumes built were reserved strictly for studio use, this third original costume was also utilized heavily for outside broadcast filming and physically demanding stunt work.
Andrew added: “This is also the exact costume featured prominently on the wildly successful, multi-platinum- selling Mr Blobby VHS home video releases of the 1990s. If you ever saw footage of Mr Blobby wreaking havoc outside the studio, it was in. this very costume. During its lifetime it performed many stunts including running along Charmouth beach, and even dangling from a helicopter!’
The character has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence in the last few months, with appearances on The Claudia Winkleman Show, and the British version of Saturday Night Live. Andrew added: “Mr Blobby is iconic. The ultimate symbol of nineties nostalgia. We’ve had him on display in our saleroom for a short while and some of the reactions by clients have been hilarious. Everyone remembers the utter chaos he caused.
“All these years later, he’s still making people laugh. It’s not just a costume, it’s a piece of pure British comedy history.”
The costume, which also includes ‘Baby Blobby,’ a baby version of the character used at the Crinkley Bottom attraction, is estimated to fetch between £3,000 and £5,000 when it goes under the hammer on June 29 in Auctioneum’s ‘British Comedy & Memorabilia Auction’.
The full catalogue and further details can be found on their website www.auctioneum.co.uk
