A Pair of Vintage Plush Hand Puppets, Soo and Sweep Characters, mid-20th Century

A pair of vintage-style plush hand puppets attributed to the iconic characters from the long-running British children’s television programme, The Sooty Show. The first puppet depicts Soo the panda, constructed from white and black plush fur, wearing her signature red fabric dress with white polka dots and a red ribbon detail to the head. The second puppet depicts Sweep the dog, featuring a grey plush body, long black ears, and a prominent red felt circular nose. Both puppets are fitted with amber and black plastic eyes and are designed for manual hand operation. While the design and attire strongly resemble the characters created by Harry Corbett, no manufacturer labels or country of origin markings are present. These items are characteristic of mid-century television tie-in merchandise produced by companies such as Chiltern or similar toy manufacturers of the era. Each puppet measures approximately 250mm in height.