Over the course of her four-decade career, Whoopi Goldberg has racked up many impressive achievements, from becoming the first Black women to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards (a Hollywood feat known as the “EGOT”) to cohosting over 3,000 episodes of The View. Through it all, the actress and comedian has maintained a distinctively quirky sensibility both onscreen and off, and she’s recently partnered with Julien’s for the first-ever auction of items from her personal collection.
The auction, which is currently open for online registration and bidding and will open for live bidding on March 10 and 11, with a portion of proceeds from the 500-plus items going to One Simple Wish and Donors Choose, features costumes, jewelry, art, memorabilia and more. Read on to learn about some of the things that are up for grabs and see how the fascinating collection came together.
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The ‘cathartic experience’ of putting the Whoopi Goldberg auction together
Martin J. Nolan, cofounder and executive director of Julien’s, worked closely with Whoopi on the auction. “Whoopi Goldberg has been an avid collector for many years, and the selection process was both thoughtful and deeply personal for her. She described it as a cathartic experience-choosing to share whimsical, eclectic pieces that hold memories from different chapters of her life,” he tells Woman’s World.
At 70, Goldberg is as lively as ever, and while high-profile auctions often feature items from the estates of celebrities who’ve passed away, Nolan says, “There’s something incredibly special about working directly with a living legend like Whoopi Goldberg. Collaborating with her in real time allowed us to hear the stories behind each piece firsthand and to share those personal memories through the treasures she thoughtfully chose to let go.”
An embellished foot stool Whoopi Goldberg used on the set of The View
Auction highlights: ’80s pop art, vintage Disney, ‘Star Trek’ and more
While the auction includes some of the designer goods you’d expect from a celebrity, the majority of the items embody Goldberg’s creativity and humor. “The pieces that surprised me most were the deeply personal ones with incredible stories behind them,” says Nolan. “She vividly recalled where each piece came from and what it meant to her at that moment in time.”
One of the most unique items in the collection is a two-sided black marker drawing on a brown envelope by none other than iconic ’80s pop artist Keith Haring. The drawing, which features the phrases “Delivered by hand” and “This package does not contain flowers” alongside the artist’s signature cartoonish figures, was delivered to Goldberg at New York’s swanky Carlyle Hotel. “It’s an especially meaningful piece given their friendship,” says Nolan, and this personalized artwork is made all the more poignant by the fact that Haring died of complications from AIDS at just 31 in 1990.
A Keith Haring drawing made for Whoopi Goldberg
Another surprising item up for auction is Goldberg’s tour bus, a custom 1998 Prevost LeMirage model that spans 45 feet. “The story of her luxury tour bus stands out as she absolutely loved traveling all over America, often with stars like Barbra Streisand,” Nolan says. “After the tragedy of 9/11, her bus was in huge demand, with many stars requesting to travel from coast to coast because of flight restrictions.” While it’s hard to imagine buying a tour bus from a celebrity, it’s interesting to think about how many stories the vehicle contains.
Whoopi Goldberg’s tour bus
Whoopi’s whimsy comes through in a rare Mickey Mouse watch. The charming timepiece, created by Ingersoll and debuted at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, was released early in Disney’s history, and is the first officially licensed Mickey Mouse product. It’s hard to believe it now, but in this era Disney was on the verge of bankruptcy. The watch, which sold 2.5 million units, was so popular that it was credited with helping to save the animation company. Goldberg had a Cinderella watch as a kid, and decided she needed a Mickey Mouse watch as an adult. Once she found this vintage gem, however, she realized she didn’t actually like wearing watches.
Whoopi Goldberg’s 1933 Mickey Mouse watch
Even the mass-market memorabilia from the star’s film and TV roles reveals personal stories. For example, discussing a signed 1993 action figure of Guigan, the fan favorite character she played in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Goldberg said, “People are just always happy that I was on Next Generation. It’s one of my favorite experiences. It was one of the best things I ever did. And I got to meet Gene Roddenberry and talk about why I wanted to be on the show. I love sci-fi. I’m a big sci-fi person. Before the first Star Trek started, there were no Black people in the future anywhere,” and she expressed her enduring admiration for how Nichelle Nichols’ role as Uhura in the Original Series paved the way for women of color in the genre.
Whoopi Goldberg’s Star Trek: The Next Generation action figure
Whoopi Goldberg on her auction: ‘I never get rid of anything’
Given her long career and many accolades, Whoopi Goldberg has quite the collection. “I never get rid of anything. And now I have,” she said in a video promoting her auction. “The stories behind things interest me. Unique things or things that I didn’t know about as a kid interest me . . . The truth of the matter is I didn’t know if people would like the stuff I like,” she added, but with so many different items available, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a fan of antique plates or Star Wars-themed shoes.
“I’m really lucky,” Goldberg continued. “I have a wonderful life and I’ve put wonderful things in it. And as the collection was leaving my house, I thought, ‘Oh, you did all right, kid. You did all right.'”
Whoopi Goldberg’s Star Wars shoes
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