A FAMOUS puppet has finally been reunited with its family after it was stolen over 50 years ago.
The location of where the puppet was hidden came to light following a deathbed confession.
In 1973, Mother Clanger, from the children’s TV show The Clangers, was stolen while on display at an exhibition in London.
At 15 years old Michael O’Connor, along with his friend, took beloved Mother Clanger and hid the puppet in his attic in Ireland.
O’Connor confessed his misdeed to his son Michael Burke just before he died.
Burke found the puppet and contacted Canterbury Council in Kent where the rest of the Clanger family are currently on display at The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge.
Mother Clanger has now been reunited with the rest of her family and is said to be in “remarkable condition” and is “still radiating her unique charm”.
The puppet first appeared on TV in 1969 in the original series narrated by Oliver Postgate.
The Clangers followed a family of knitted mouse-like figures who lived on a cold, blue planet.
They communicated by whistling and ate green soup made by the Soup Dragon.
Emily Firmin, daughter of the show’s creator Peter Firmin, said it was “such a surprise” to have the puppet back.
She added: “She has faded wool and the tip of her nose is damaged. We are just glad to get her back to be with her Clanger family.
“My mum and dad would’ve thought what naughty boys they were at 15, but now would be full of forgiveness, especially as they told us as soon as they found her.”
Emily’s father also created Bagpuss alongside Oliver in their Canterbury studio.
The show was revived in 2015 and ran for 104 episodes before ending in 2020.
It featured a newly created Mother Clanger puppet and was narrated by Michael Palin.
Charlotte Cornell, the council’s cabinet member for culture and heritage, said: “For someone who has not been fed Green Soup by the Soup Dragon for five decades, Mother Clanger is not looking too shabby.
“We’re very happy to give her a warm welcome as she returns to Canterbury.
“This heartwarming reunion marks not only the return of a treasured artwork but also the closing chapter of a story filled with curiosity, guilt, discovery and, ultimately, a proper homecoming.”
