Orville and Emu have become puppets in a legal battle between the widows of late TV stars Keith Harris and Rod Hull.
The famous pair were placed for sale with leading British auction house Bonhams, expected to attract offers of upwards of £10,000 each.
But the sale has been dramatically halted after Keith’s widow Sarah Harris and Rod’s widow Cher Hylton-Hull claimed ownership of the iconic puppets.
Both women are, “determined to have the birds returned to their rightful owners”.
Rod and Keith, who passed away in 1999 and 2015 respectively, featured the birds throughout their TV and stage careers.
Sarah and Cher say a merchandiser called Roger Shaw put the puppets up for auction after he claimed to have been “gifted” them by the entertainers.
Sarah, who lives near Blackpool, said Orville had been loaned to Mr Shaw to make replica puppets which could be sold at venues. She said: “I had always presumed Orville had been returned to Keith’s management firm for safekeeping.
“With Keith’s illness and death, the true whereabouts never emerged.”
Sarah added: “That was until I heard that Roger Shaw was selling our Orville at auction. I was totally shocked. You don’t give away part of your family. Keith and I felt that way about Orville.”
Sydney-based Cher said Emu had similarly been loaned for a merchandising deal, but added: “There is no way he’d have given Emu to him for keeps.
"And after Mr Shaw had made the small copies, we asked him to send the original to Rod’s agent at International Artists."
She continued: “I presumed this is what had happened, until I read about the Bonhams sale in December.
“I was totally taken aback and hurt. And since then, I’ve been demanding the return of Emu – with no success.”
Cher added: “This is the original Emu, the very same one that attacked Michael Parkinson, the same Emu that prompted Billy Connolly on the same show to say, ‘if it bites me, I’ll break your arm and it’s f****** neck’."
She added: “There is no way Rod would have let Roger Shaw hold on to his puppet. The bird represented his life in comedy. It is beyond value. Now it’s trapped in captivity.”
Sarah and Cher contacted Bonhams on hearing of the sale and managed to have it halted while there is a dispute over ownership.
Both widows then contacted Mr Shaw’s solicitors to demand the return of the puppets. But they claim they were told Roger Shaw said he was gifted both puppets.
Nick Thomas, a director of International Artists Ltd, which represented both Rod and Keith, said: “I do not believe that Mr Shaw has legal title to these puppets, which should be returned to the respective estates.”
Roger Shaw was unavailable for comment. Bonhams declined to comment.
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