Iconic sleigh from 'Elf' movie makes its way through Midtown
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- Through the Candy Cane Forest, down the LIE, and through the Midtown Tunnel, there was a police escort of an unusual kind - a giant sleigh.
It was not just any old sleigh - it was the actual one from the classic movie 'Elf' that arrived in Midtown to everyone's delight.
"It's got the Kringle 3000 jet-propelled sleigh engine," said Larry.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film, on Fifth Ave, there was a chance to take a picture next to the treasured piece.
Like Buddy in the movie, Mark Bozek was determined to bring holiday cheer to New York City.
"God know the world is facing some pretty bad things - this is about smiles and giving back," Bozek said.
Bozek, who lives in Huntington, Long Island, first spotted the sleigh nearly two decades ago as part of an online auction. He thought it was a perfect piece for his holiday party - but there was one catch.
"I didn't know it weighed one ton. Didn't know it was 18-feet long and my wife didn't know I did it," Bozek says.
Bozek initially bid just 500 dollars for the iconic movie prop - but that was not the final sale.
"Twelve thousand dollars," he says.
Bozek adds that he did not tell his wife about the purchase until the sleigh pulled into their driveway.
Bozek then had a lightbulb moment - to donate the sleigh. He called the Halesite Fire Department to see if they were interested.
"I think we all looked at each other and said 'What is this? Who is this?" said Larry Northcote.
It was something everyone would come to love - never again did the Clausometer drop to zero - the one thing firefighters had to promise.
"If you accept the sleigh and you take care of it, it's yours forever," said Bozek.
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