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Tonto Books has acquired the rights to a biography of the man behind 'Rainbow' character Zippy, puppeteer Ronnie Le Drew.
Tonto managing director, Stuart Wheatman bought world rights directly from authors Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi.
Unzipped: Life on the Inside will be published in summer 2010. The book will tell Le Drew's account of what went on behind the scenes of 'Rainbow', with public scandals, creative struggles and fights for control of the scripts. Le Drew has also worked as a puppeteer on films including 'Little Shop of Horrors', 'Labyrinth' and the Muppet movies.
"It's great to be working with such a legend as Ronnie," said Wheatman. "One week I was talking to a friend about how incredible it would be to 'publish a book by Zippy' and the following week he was signed up with a deadline in place."
Wheatman added: "I heard of a book by a slightly bigger publisher claiming that the stars of Rainbow had been refusing approaches by publishers to tell their side of the story, so it made it all the more exciting to me. Ronnie's book may even reveal what Zippy actually is and why he never unzipped himself."
Hachette publisher Headline is also bringing out a 'Rainbow'-inspired book, which is billed as "the official and uncensored story of the stars of Rainbow, as told to Tim Randall by Zippy, George and Bungle". The book is due out this week (1st October).