BuiltWithNOF
   Ponylope Plastic Horses & More

Stuart Manufacturing Company

Sales list. All photos show the actual items for sale, unless stated otherwise. ID numbers (if included) are taken from Timothy J. Geppert's Guide for Non-Metallic Toy Soldiers of the U.S., 1986. There are no missing parts, breaks, splits, chews, chips, scuffs, repairs, or significant wear, unless noted. Ponylope leaves mold flashing in place for new owners to trim, if desired. All items are in soft plastic unless described otherwise. If you would like to see another view of any figure or group, Ponylope can e-mail photos on request — just ask! Want a Stuart horse, figure, or set that you don't see here? Just e-mail Ponylope your *wish list* and ask her to let you know when those special pieces come in. Ponylope also buys Stuarts. Free shipping on all orders of $50 or more.

Vintage Stuart

The Western figures and horses known today simply as “Stuarts” were made by The Stuart Manufacturing Company in Cincinnati from approximately 1953 to 1969. The first to be created were the “character figures” (Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Pat Brady, plus the horses Trigger and Buttermilk, and Bullet, the German Shepherd), offered in 1953 as a premium by the Post Cereal Co., along with a cardboard ranch house and other items. After the premium expired, Stuart began selling the leftover plastic figures and others created to go with them. The line featured a new walking horse pose, the “walker,” to go with the rearing Trigger and running Buttermilk.

P023a

P023b02Supply Sargeant

One of the most popular Stuart packaged sets from the 1950s featured a figure with rifle and kepi, mounted on one walking horse and leading another carrying a full packload. The lead rein and pack saddle with separate packs were unique to Stuart. The delicate crossbars of the saddle are often missing, usually broken off inside the receiving holes in the packs. This set, however, is complete and unbroken, as are the other elements.

P023     $60

 

 

P033

Cowboy / Indian

Stuart made only one figure pose, not counting its character figures (Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Pat Brady). This man in fringed buckskin, usually termed a “pioneer,” did triple duty as a cowboy, an Indian, or a frontier military man, depending on headgear. Choices were: cowboy hat, Indian headdress, kepi, or coonskin cap, in the four Stuart accessory colors of green, red, dark blue, and white. A rifle or tomahawk, carried in the right hand or inserted into a convenient belt loop, were the available weapons.

P033     [each]   $15    
 

P025a     P025b

Running Horse with Red Tack

Cream horse in excellent condition, with only very fine “dry” lines, as Stuart fans call them. In fact, they are found on most if not all Stuart horses in some measure, even those otherwise smooth and lustrous. To Ponylope, the lines seem rather to be imperfections caused by plastic not filling the molds smoothly and completely. As the horses age they do dry out somewhat, and that may accentuate the depth of the lines, which are found mainly in the back and hip area. * The bridle is unbroken and still flexible, a rarity indeed, and the saddle is excellent, with only a few small, closed splits. * The rider is also great, with an intact belt loop.

P025   $25
 

P028a     P028b

Red Walking Horse, Indian, and Accessories

This walker is deep and glossy, with an especially well molded head and neck, but has pronounced lines on the left flank (see photo on right above). * White Indian and green accessories are mint.

P028     $35
 

P029a     P029b

Blue Military Rider Wearing a Red Kepi

Here is an exceptionally smooth palomino walker with a very faint marbling of tones on the body. * The glossy black saddle has a small split on the back, but a nice, robust horn. * The blue rider is perfect except for a closed split in the belt loop. * His kepi and rifle are excellent. Of the Stuart headgear, the kepi is second most rare, after the coonskin cap.

P029   $40
 

P030a02     P030b

Frontiersman in Rare Coonskin Cap

Daniel Boone? Davy Crockett? This white pioneer is reminiscent of both, with his excellent red cap, rifle, and tomahawk. * The saddle has a pinhole; the horse, though glossy, has minor superficial roughness. * It bears repeating: The coonskin cap is really rare!

P030   $50
 

P031a     P031b

Another Scarce Kepi, in Green

Everything is in tip-top condition, from the bright-white walking horse to the tan figure to the accessories. * There is a small pinhole in the saddle, and some mold flashing on the horn.

P031   $40
 

P032a     P032b

Hi Yo, Stuart Silver!

A horse of a beautiful color, with textured swirls, but a few scratches and rough spots as well. * The saddle has a faint streak on one side, but no splits or pinholes. * Excellent hat and rifle.

P032   $30
 

Imitation = Flattery

P017a

Copies of Stuart Horses, Figures, and Accessories
Made in Hong Kong

It was typical in the 1950s for toys and many other items to be cheaply copied and manufactured overseas, mainly in Hong Kong. Stuart also had its imitators. A number of knockoff sets were made that included horses, saddles, bridles, pack saddles, lead reins, riders, and accessories - just like the originals. The copies could never be mistaken for the real thing, however. Everything is slightly smaller and often a little rough around the edges The horses are thin and hollow, with pegs on their sides to slip stirrups over, and the riders are sometimes comically misshapen. Still, every Stuart collector has a few of these novelties around. One thing that the imitators did better was make their bridles and lead reins of tougher plastic. They’re a little stiff, but much less likely to split.

P017     $20

 

The Most Beautiful Plastic Horse Toys Ever Made

P021

Stuart Rearing Horse

Leading the lineup is Trigger, in the color Stuart fans know as palomino, which ranges from a sandy tan to nearly salmon. Right to left behind him are cream, black, and bright white horses. Silver and red (or sorrel) are relatively rare. All are in excellent condition, with no damage, wear, or dry lines.

P021     [each]   $10         Black, Cream, and Palomino SOLD

 

P022a

P022b03P022c

Stuart Walking Horse

Five beauties: red, silver, black, palomino, and bright white. For some reason, it seems that a true cream walker (not just discolored by sun or soil) was never made.

P022     [each]   $8

 

Rare Horses

P018a

P018b

Marbled Pale Gray Walking Horse

Perhaps the Holy Grail in Stuart collecting, marbled horses are assumed to be the result of combining scraps of various plastic colors in one mold pour, perhaps at the end of a day’s run. In mint condition, this horse has a subtle, all-over marbling in pale, flat-gray tones.

P018     $100

 

P019a

P019b

Marbled Medium Gray Walking Horse

Noticeably darker than the marbled horse above, this example has near-black and pale gray patches accenting large areas of pure gray. Though sometimes referred to also as marbled, the more common glossy silver horses are more monochromatic, with occasional streaks and swirls of uneven pigment.

P019     $100

 

 

Vintage Toy Horses and Plastic Playset Miscellany from the 1950s On . . .

 

 

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