Sixty years after he first attempted to steal Christmas, the Grinch delivered one of the biggest victories in Animation Art collecting history. A record-setting production cel from the 1966 special Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas sold for $115,900 to lead Heritage Auctions June 19, 20, and 21 The Art of Everything Cool, Vol. VIII Signature Auction, helping propel the event to a total of more than $1.73 million. The three-day auction attracted 3,139 bidders competing for 1,289 lots and achieved a 100 percent sell-through rate. The sale also established a new auction benchmark as the highest-grossing non-Disney, non-Anime Animation Art auction ever held. This auction proved once again just how passionate collectors remain about the characters and stories they grew up loving, said Jim Lentz, Heritages vice president of animation and anime art. It is so rewarding to see virtually every category in our Everything Cool Animation Art auction do so well. The Grinchs 60th birthday led the auction, but we saw very strong results in Simpsons, Nickelodeon, Hanna-Barbera, Chuck Jones and Looney Tunes and many other categories. People love cartoons! The result comes just one month after Heritages May 15, 16, and 17 The Art of Anime, Vol. VIII Signature Auction realized $2.5 million. This year marked the first time Heritage separated its Everything Cool and Anime categories into standalone events. Combined, the two auctions realized more than $4.2 million, underscoring the strength of the Animation Art market. The undisputed star of the auction was the Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas climactic feast production cel and animation drawing group, which soared to $115,900, establishing an all-time auction record for a hand-painted Grinch production cel. The iconic image depicts the Grinchs transformation from holiday villain to beloved hero as he carves the roast beef during the specials joyful finale. Featuring nearly the entire cast of Whoville gathered around the feast, the production cel represented one of the most memorable moments from Chuck Jones television classic. The result follows another milestone anniversary success for Heritage. Last year, the 60th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas produced record-breaking results for Peanuts animation art. This year, the Grinch proved equally irresistible to collectors celebrating the television specials diamond anniversary. Strong prices extended throughout the auction, including a pair of record-setting results for Hanna-Barberas futuristic first family. A rare pair of production cels featuring George, Jane, Judy and Elroy from the opening sequence of The Jetsons achieved $14,640, establishing a new auction record for the franchise. Another opening-sequence Jetsons production-cel pair featuring George, Jane and Judy realized $6,100. Collectors also competed aggressively for Peanuts material, one of the auctions strongest-performing categories. A Charles Schulz Peanuts daily strip dated June 27, 1959, featuring Snoopy, brought $34,160, while a production cel from A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring Charlie Brown and Linus realized $24,000. Another fan favorite, a production cel of Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace from Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown sold for $14,640. Superhero and fantasy animation performed equally well. A never-sold-to-the-public 6-foot-6-inch Batman fiberglass store display from Warner Bros. Studio Hollywood stores realized $7,625. A Princess Daphne production cel from Don Bluths Dragons Lair brought $7,930, matching the result achieved by a much coveted (and memed) Prince Adam production cel from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Additional highlights included an original storyboard from Tim Burtons The Nightmare Before Christmas that realized $6,100 and a Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? production/model cel group featuring Scooby-Doo and the entire Mystery Inc. gang that sold for $5,856. The breadth of results was one of the most exciting aspects of this auction, according to Lentz. Whether it was the Grinch, Peanuts, The Simpsons, SpongeBob, Jetsons, Batman, Scooby-Doo or classic Warner Bros., collectors responded enthusiastically across the board. That tells us these characters continue to resonate with people decades after they first appeared onscreen. For complete results, visit www.HA.com.