The widows of Keith Harris and Rod Hull are taking legal action over the ownership of Orville and Emu.
The iconic puppets were initially put up for sale by the Bonhams auction house and had been expected to attract bids of up to £10,000 each, but those plans have now been put on hold after Keith’s widow Sarah Harris and Rod’s widow Cher Hylton-Hull insisted the puppets are being "held to ransom".
According to Sarah and Cher, a merchandiser called Roger Shaw allegedly decided to auction the puppets after claiming he’d been gifted them by the late TV stars.
However, Sarah has disputed Roger’s version of events, instead claiming Orville had been loaned to him in order to make replica puppets that could be sold at venues and she and Cher have rejected his offer to sell the puppets to them for £1,600.
Sarah – whose husband died of cancer in 2015, age 67 – told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "This has come about because Keith and Rod are no longer with us. They would have made sure of the puppets’ return to their loved ones.
"Both Cher and myself thought the puppets were in storage with International Artists, the agency which Keith and Rod shared."
Similarly, Cher claimed Emu had been loaned for a merchandising deal, and was shocked to see news of the auction.
Cher – whose husband passed away in 1999 at the age of 63 – added: "I feel we are being held to ransom over the return of our own property and it would be wrong to give Roger Shaw any money whatsoever. For what? Keeping Emu and Orville in a box?"
Keith’s former manager and close friend Robert C. Kelly said his solicitors have been in contact with Shaw and added: "I wanted to try to have this issue resolved. The result is Roger Shaw is prepared to sanction the release of Orville and Emu, but at a price.
"Both widows came to learn of Roger Shaw’s moves to sell independently but they are now united in their bid to get their puppets back.
"But remember, these aren’t just puppets. They are national treasures. They represent all the wonderful fun the British public enjoyed at the hands of Keith Harris and Rod Hull."