Gromit Unleashed Raises Over £2.3 Million for Charity
Bristol residents and visitors will all be aware of the invasion of Gromits that have recently graced the city and its various landmarks and attractions with each unique hound being designed and painted in an artists style as part of the Gromit Unleashed exhibition. As well as providing Gromit hunters with a pleasant summer activity the real reason for the pack of pooches parading into town was to raise money for the Grand Appeal which supports the Bristol Children’s Hospital. The finished statues were auctioned off by TV auctioneer Tim Wonnacott with a total of £2,357,00o raised as each of the Gromits went under the gavel.
Tim Wonnacott (Photo by Dan Regan)
With a list of over 80 artists, animators, studios and celebrities contributing a 5 foot piece each as well as miniature “pups” seen around the country it would be quite the task to go through every one of them, so lets take a peep at the top ten Gromits and based on the money they raised at the auction.
1. Gromit Lightyear by Pixar – £65,000
Selling for a bank busting £65,000 this Gromit was introduced to the auction with a video of Pixar chief John Lasseter explaining why everyones favourite beagle headed to infinity and beyond by adding a Buzz Lightyear inspired getup to the mutt.
2. Watch Out, Gromit! by Gerald Scarfe CBE – £50,000
Gerald Scarfe, the satirical cartoonist spared some of the ink he usually splurges on his rather biting caricatures to create a classic comedy scenario.
3. Newshound, designed by Nick Park CBE – £50,000
Painted in collaboration with Jane Kite this creation is the only one featuring Wallace and a slightly smaller Gromit covered in the pun filled newspaper headlines the films starring the duo are famous for.
4. The Secret Garden, by Sarah-Jane Grace – £44,000
Featuring Gromit in hiding popping his head out of the bushes with his eyes on a ladybird perched on his nose
5. Patch, by Emily Golden – £36,000
This colourful edition is inspired by the films of Wallace and Gromit and Emily Golden’s love of all things crafty. One of the Gromits damaged by certain mean spirited individuals whilst on public display patch was patched up and ended up being one of the biggest fundraisers of the night.
6. Jack, by Martin Band – £36,000
Blending the unmistakably british union flag with the blatantly british beagle gromit these two cultural icons quite literally “fly the flag” for the charity.
7. Isambark Kingdog Brunel, by Tim Miness – £36,000
Ahhh what would Wallace and Gromit be without puns? and what would Bristol be without the man Bob Godfrey called I.K.B? Nowhere thats where.
8. Classic Gromit, painted by Jane Kite – £35,000
The Gromit we all know and love
9. Poetry in Motion, by Joanna Lumley OBE – £35,000
Shrugging of the unfortunate problem of vandals early on in the trial this Gromit was put together by Joanna Lumley.
10. Doodles, by Simon Tofield – £34,000
If you don’t know the name Simon Tofield (and you really should if you read Skwigly) then you must have heard of Simons Cat. The loveable cat has clocked up hundreds of millions of views online with his hilarious antics and the antics continue as this Gromit is covered with hundreds of scribbles of the cat and friends drawn by Simon himself.