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Pelham Puppets were simple wooden marionette puppets made by Bob Pelham (1919–1980), starting in 1947.〔(Pelham Puppets by David Leech )〕 While mainly known for making marionettes the company also manufactured glove puppets, rod puppets and ventriloquist puppets. ==History== Bob Pelham initially started the company as Wonky Toys Ltd on 20 May 1947. It was called this in honour of Bob's WWII service nickname, where he was known as 'The Wonky Donkey Officer' as he made small toy donkeys. The company originally started making 'Waloukas', simple wooden toys held together with string.〔(V&A Website )〕 Bob then moved onto making marionettes to sell to children, a new direction as previously marionettes had only been made for professionals. On 14 October 1948 the company changed its name to Pelham Puppets to reflect the change in focus. One of the keys to the success of the company was the creation of The Pelpup Club for children, which helped to advertise the companies products. In 1953 the company secured the right to manufacture Disney characters, and Pinocchio became the most popular of the characters they produced.〔(Millers Antiques Guide )〕 The factory was initially based in Marlborough, Wiltshire. A fire in 1961 created a hiatus during manufacture and led to new ranges being introduced and old lines being stopped. The factory was rebuilt and grew in size on the same location, until it was sold and moved in 1985 to Collingbourne Ducis also in Wiltshire. It was again sold and moved to Gloucestershire in the early 1990s, but went into liquidation in 1993. In 2008 the Pelham Puppet company was revived by a former employee and the authorised company historian, David Leech, and it now produces a new line of puppets, some echoing former styles. Bob Pelham continued to head the company, until his death on 19 June 1980, and was assisted by his wife Ann Pelham who continued with the business until 1986. Pelham Puppets are very collectible, and those in good condition can change hands for significant amounts of money. There are also a number of websites devoted to collecting these puppets. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pelham Puppets」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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