When co-creator of The Simpsons Sam Simon died in March of this year, he left behind not only a legacy of brilliant and groundbreaking television, but also the Sam Simon Foundation. This philanthropic enterprise has primarily focused on animal rescue efforts and service animal programs, though it has also been involved in providing free meals to the hungry. Now, you can help out by contributing to these worthy causes, and maybe pick up a little bit of television history as well. On Thursday, October 22, Sotheby’s will host the live auction “The Creative Genius Of Sam Simon: A Lifetime Of Memorabilia,” which includes notable items from Simon’s career, including a number of rare animation collectibles from The Simpsons. The auction will also be hosted on eBay.
There have already been a number of auctions selling off Simon’s holdings, but this will be the major bidding for his television and animation collection. It includes such items as animation cels from Simon’s early work on Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids, rare Warner Bros. cartoon cels, scripts from Taxi (on which he served as showrunner), annotated Cheers scripts, and a clapboard from The Tracey Ullman Show. However, arguably the biggest draw is his Simpsons’ paraphernalia, such as original concept drawings from 1988, stills from the opening credits sequence, a Simpsons pinball machine, and much more. (The A.V. Club is already pooling its money to bid on his copy of the production script signed by Leonard Nimoy.)