TivoliToo studio is auctioning 1,500 display pieces and collectibles

By AI, Created 4:20 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Grafe Auction will sell more than 1,500 items from TivoliToo’s Mendota Heights workshop in an online auction running May 12-27. The sale puts 45 years of themed sculptures, character figures and display pieces from a studio behind Disney and Peanuts installations up for bid.

Why it matters: - The auction offers rare access to a body of work that helped shape major brand experiences seen by millions. - The sale includes pieces tied to Disney, Peanuts, Nickelodeon and other national names, giving collectors and institutions a chance to buy proven display assets. - The collection reflects 45 years of themed sculpture and environment-making from TivoliToo, a studio that operated largely behind the scenes.

What happened: - Grafe Auction is offering more than 1,500 items in nearly 1,400 lots from TivoliToo, Inc. in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. - The sale is titled “A Collection of Joy: Display Sculptures & Pop Culture Figures from TivoliToo.” - Bidding opens May 12 at 9:00 AM CDT and runs through May 27 in three sessions. - The auction is being held online at GrafeAuction.com. - In-person preview and inspection will be available at the TivoliToo facility in Mendota Heights on May 21 and May 26 from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM. - Registration is open now.

The details: - The catalog includes life-size character display sculptures, oversized novelty pieces, faux bronze statues, sports figures, themed seating and furniture, and hand-painted seasonal displays. - The sale also includes custom display and photo-op 3D sculptures, wall vignettes, collectible figures, themed jewelry, small character figurines and one-of-a-kind commissioned works. - Many items were originally produced for national brands and major venue installations. - The inventory ranges from Disney and Peanuts characters to pop culture figures and custom-painted art sculptures. - TivoliToo was founded in 1980 and grew from a custom jewelry store into a large-scale sculpture and environments studio. - TivoliToo created the 75 six-foot Mickey Mouse statues for Disney’s “Celebrate Mickey: 75 InspEARations” campaign, which toured nationally before Sotheby’s auctioned the statues in 2005. - TivoliToo also produced nearly 800 Peanuts on Parade statues displayed in St. Paul from 2000 to 2004. - The Peanuts project drew more than three million visitors and raised over two million dollars at auction for art scholarships and permanent bronze installations. - TivoliToo’s work is installed in Six Flags parks across the U.S. and Canada, the Mall of America, American Dream’s Nickelodeon Universe, cruise ships, resorts, sports stadiums and children’s hospitals. - The studio has worked with Disney, Nickelodeon, Peanuts, McDonald’s, Hasbro, Warner Bros., Mattel and Major League Baseball. - Judd Grafe, president and CEO of Grafe Auction, said the collection represents four and a half decades of craftsmanship and offers a rare chance to own part of that legacy.

Between the lines: - The auction signals a likely winding down or restructuring of the TivoliToo studio’s physical assets, even though the release does not spell out the reason. - The breadth of branded work suggests the value lies not just in decoration, but in recognizable, large-format experiential marketing pieces that can be repurposed or displayed. - The mix of high-profile character art and smaller collectibles broadens the buyer pool beyond museums and institutions to retail, hospitality and private collectors.

What’s next: - Bidding continues through May 27 across three online sessions. - Preview days on May 21 and May 26 should give buyers a chance to inspect condition and scale before the sale closes. - Grafe Auction says registration is already open for prospective bidders.

The bottom line: - A long-running studio’s signature character sculptures and branded display pieces are heading to market, and the auction could disperse decades of pop-culture installation history into private hands.