New Home For Trunki Gromit!

You might remember that this summer Trunki sponsored a Gromit as part of the fab Gromit Unleashed – a public art exhibition led by Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal and Aardman Animations.

‘Our’ Gromit was a Mexican wrestler tiger designed and created by Carys Tait and displayed at Windmill Hill City Farm. We were pretty fond of him. But now he’s got a new home!

All 80 sculptures were auctioned off at the start of October raising an amazing £2.3 million for the Grand Appeal. Our tiger went for an incredible £26,000 and was bought by the mum of a member of the Trunki team!

What does one do with a life-size 1.5 metre tall bright orange Gromit sculpture? We asked new owner Maria about her plans for his future and you can read all about them below.

But first, some more exciting Gromit-related news. Carys Tait has designed and custom-painted two Trunki suitcases! Here they are in all of their colourful glory.

One of this duo will also be auctioned off in November to raise funds for The Grand Appeal. If you’re interested in owning your own custom Trunki, we’ll be posting the details soon on our blog and on social media.

Where’s Gromit now?

The Trunki Gromit sculpture was called Grrrrromit! and was on display in Bristol for 10 weeks where tens of thousands of people saw him. But where will he be spending his retirement? We spoke to his proud new owner Maria.

Why did you pick this Gromit out of the 80 in the auction?

My daughter is part of the Trunki team that sponsored this particular Gromit, and it’s closely modelled after one of my favourite products of theirs, a little tiger stripe Trunki suitcase. Added to that, I’ve always loved animals and have had an avid interest in nature in general. Putting all that together, Grrrrromit became my favourite from the very start.

Did you like or  bid on any others too?

I liked many of them. And I was tempted to bid on others that came up earlier in the auction (Grrrrromit was number 67). But as the auction went on, I realised that I would always be a little disappointed if Grrrrromit didn’t become part of the family. No other Gromit would do!

Where have you put him?!

I was going to display him in my garden, but I’ve become quite attached and worry about him in the inclement winter weather. And so he proudly sits in my formal living room, right in the bay window so passers-by can still enjoy him.

What sorts of reactions have you had from friends and family on your new addition?

I turned 83 just a few days before the auction. All my family and friends were happy I took the plunge and won the bid on something I had fallen in love with, and in support of a cause that’s very close to my heart. It was one of the best nights of my life.