Marx Lane

An Inventory of Marx Playset Figures and Accessories
Manufactured from 1951 to 1979

 
Wild West Page 8 - Horses, Cattle, and Other Animals
Contents of this web site may not be reproduced or duplicated for use on the Internet or for commercial purposes without permission by Eric Johns.




Table of Contents

(click on name to move to section)
This Page
Introduction
54mm Cavalry Horse
45mm Fort Dearborn Horses
54mm Skinny Steers
60mm Western Ranch Horses and Cattle 54mm Harness Horse
Horses and Cattle for 60mm Cowboys and Indians (with separate saddles) 54mm Pack Horses
Horses and Cattle for 54mm Cowboys and Indians 54mm Ox Team
"Ben Hur" Horses 54mm Wagon Train Animals
54mm Lying Down Horse Animals for Large Scale Figures
Other Pages
Page 1 - 45mm Figures
Page 2 - 60mm Figures
Page 3 - 54mm Figures
Page 3A - The Alaska Connection
Page 4 - Large Scale Figures
Page 5 - Figures Manufactured Outside the U.S.
Page 6 - Miniature Playsets
Page 7 - Uncommon and Other Miscellaneous Figures
Page 9 - Forts, Structures, and Terrain Pieces
Page 10 - Accessories
Page 11 - Wonderland of Marx Playset Boxes
Page 12 - List of Marx Wild West Playsets
Back to Wild West Table of Contents
Back to Main Table of Contents


     This web page provides photos and general information on The Marx Toy Company's wild west playset horses, cattle, and other animals, arranged in approximately the order that they were first manufactured.  I have attempted to make this inventory as complete and accurate as possible.  However, I cannot guarantee that all my information is accurate or that I am aware of all items that exist.  I welcome any information or photos that might add to or correct information on this web site.  I can be reached by e-mail at info@marxwildwest.com.

Introduction to Marx Wild West Horses, Cattle, and Other Animals

     
Similar to its production of wild west figures, The Marx Toy Company first produced aniamls scaled at 45mm for its wild west playsets, quickly changed to 60mm, and about five years later downscaled to 54mm.  The company also produced a few animals for its larger scale figures, ranging from about 4-inch to 6-inch scales.  These "scales" represent the approximate height of a 6-foot person.

     A few of Marx' wild west animals are shown on other pages of this site's pages.  For the most part, this is because the animals were included in the molds used to make the other figures and are shown with them.  For example, the dog Bullet is shown with other Roy Rogers figures.  These animals are listed below:
     The animals shown below were manufactured in molds, and mold numbers that have been identified are indicated as the "PL" number.  I am greatly indebted to Kent Sprecher for providing many of these mold numbers to me.  Again similar to its wild west figures, Marx produced its early animals in vinyl, changing to soft plastic in the mid-1950s.  Colors used varied among animal groups, but generally animals were made in cream, brown, tan, gray, black, red brown, white and butterscotch.

     A short history of The Marx Toy Company and further general information on its wild west playset toys is on the introduction page of this web site.


Horses and Cattle for 45mm Fort Dearborn Horses
PL-444

     The first animals that Marx created for its playsets were very fine looking 45mm 1) running cowboy and Indian horses and 2) a prancing cavalry horse.  These were in Fort Dearborn playsets which first appeared about 1951.

     The cowboy and Indian horses look more like race horses going at full tilt than horses used for ranching, hunting, or fighting.  The cavalry horses look ready to appear in the Macy's Parade.  However, we should not criticize them too much because all three poses are reasonably well detailed and well scaled to the related-figures.  And importantly, they stand and remain upright much better than many of the company's later horses.

     The Indian horse is virtually identical to the cowboy horse, except that it lacks a saddle.  In the early Marx wild west, all Indians rode bareback.

     I am not aware of any re-issues or copies of these figures.
1.  Running cowboy horse, saddled 2.  Running Indian horse, bareback
3.  Cavalry horse, prancing
 
Go to top 

 
Horses and Cattle for 60mm Western Ranch Horses and Cattle
 
     The Western Ranch playsets, which were produced in the early 1950s, included four horse poses and two long horn steer poses.  In a few cases, two other animals from another mold were added to these early ranch playsets, as noted below.  Like Marx' early 60mm human figures, the horses were molded with little detail and chubby proportions.  They were made in vinyl and were brown, cream, gray, tan, or white.

     Poses 1 and 2 are generally differentiated as head up (Pose 1) and head down (Pose 2).  I personally find it easier to cite them as curly tail and straight tail.  Pose 4 is often called the mustang, as it is unsaddled and obviously is too wild to be ridden by any of the ranch hands.  The steers look appropriately menacing.

     Re-issues exist.


  PL-128
1.  Running horse, curly tail 2.  Running horse, straight tail
3.  Bucking horse 4.  Running horse, bareback (mustang)
5.  Steer, tail up 6.  Steer, tail curved over back

     According to Kent Sprecher, some early ranch and western town play sets may have included a standing "draft" horse.  A draft horse is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as plowing and farm labor.   Some collectors have reported that a few of these early playsets also included a mule with a separate pack to go on its back.  The horse and mule came from a mold of animals that Marx normally used in its farm playsets.  The other animals in this farm-related mold -- PL-162 -- were a similar but slimmer horse (also saddleless), a standing cow, and a lying-down cow, but they were not included in any wild west play sets.

     Most collectors do not believe the mule with pack was ever in a Marx wild west play set, and I would tend to think that is true.  PFPC Issue 2 supports that belief, as PFPC editor Tom Terry wrote, "They were never included in any play sets, rather were sold individually in store displays during the 1950's for 15 cents per set."  Either way, I think this is part of the fun of this hobby, as enough documentation exists for us to know a whole lot about Marx playsets, but not enough to close off all the loose ends.  So disagreements persist.  I have chosen to include the mule and his pack on this page, because even if he was never included in a wild west play set, he certainly would have looked good in one.  Unfortunately, he costs a lot more than 15 cents today!

     If the pack does not seem to fit well, turn it around.  It apparently was made with a bit more room at one end for the mule's hindquarters.

     Kent Sprecher notes that re-issues exist.

  PL-162
1.  Draft horse 2.  Mule
3.  Pack for mule Mule with pack on back
Recent Price Lines I have noticed
Mule with pack $36 June 2012 Ebay
 
Go to top


Horses and Cattle for 60mm Cowboys and Indians  (with separate saddles)

     When Marx dropped its 45mm scale figures, it introduced a variety of new 60mm animals that were common to all ranch and town playsets.  These first appeared in 1953 in Fort Apache and Roy Rogers ranch and town playsets.  They include five horse poses, two steers, and two calfs.

     The animals were made in three different molds, plus one or two other molds for separate saddles, bridle, and wagon harness.  The use of separate saddle and reins must have seemed to be a good idea at the time.  However, these accessories were difficult for kids to attach to horses and easily lost or broken.  Perhaps as a result, these were Marx' only horses that did not have the sadlles and reins molded directly on them.  They are particularly popular among collectors today and, as a result, will cost $15 or so.  The white running horse (at right) is especially hard to find -- I have heard that it came in this color only in a small set of Lone Ranger figures available from a cereal mail-in offer -- and can cost closer to $30.

     The horses included a wagon horse to pull a blue buckboard included in many of the early ranch sets.  The horse, which has a very different look from the draft horse shown in the previous section, attached to the wagon with the soft plastic harness.  However, the wagon horse was soon replaced by a harness horse, as shown below in the 54mm animals section.

     The steers include one short horn (which is difficult to find in today's market) and one long horn.  Marx paperwork refers to the long horn as "snorting," and collectors have picked up on that term to identify him.  The 60mm long horn might appear to be plentiful today, but I suspect that is incorrect.  It is more likely that the look-alike 54mm long horn is the one that is so easy to find now (see section on 54mm figures below).  The two calves seem to be identical at first glance, but one is branded (used in town playsets accoring to Playset Magazine Issue 24) and one is not branded (used in ranch and rodeo playsets).  

     Accessories for the horses include two types of saddles, a bridle, and the wagon harness.  Cowboy saddles are easily found in today's market, though often broken.  
The wagon harness can also be found; it is easily attached, but also easily broken.  Cavalry saddles are more difficult to find.  According to veteran collector Jim McGough, they appeared in only two or three playsets.  They are smaller than the cowboy saddles and, without a saddle horn, do not have a wild west look. 

     Made first in vinyl and later soft plastic, this group provided a nice variety of animals.  For whatever reason, the most commonly seen of the horses today are the bucking and rearing horse.  Perhaps the running and stopping horse got more play time and so were more often broken or lost.  Note that the running horse is in a much more realistic pose for wild west activites than the 45mm race horses.

     This group includes no "Indian" horses, so Indians remained relegated to riding bareback, this time on the same horses as the cowboys used.

   
  PL-326
1.  Cowboy saddle 2.  Reins

  PL-unknown
1.  Cavalry saddle Top of cavalry saddle

  PL-345
1.  Harness for draft horse pulling wagon

     The extracts below from Marx play set instructions sheets show the proper placement of the 60mm saddle, bridle, and harness.  Additional information on the wagon is on Page 8 of this web site.




  PL-324
1.  Running horse (separate saddle) 2.  Wagon horse
3.  Calf with "M" brand

  PL-325
1.  Bucking horse (separate saddle) 2.  Rearing horse (separate saddle)
3.  Calf without brand

  PL-460
1.  Short-horn steer
2.  Long-horn steer (snorting)
3.  Stopping horse
 
Go to top


Initial Horses and Cattle for 54mm Cowboys and Indians

     As the company changed its playset scale from 60mm to 54mm, the company used two molds to exceptionally well-detailed and realistic horses and cattle for its new smaller cowboys and Indians.  Marx reverted to its molded-on saddles and reins, initially providing three cowboy horse poses, a pair of new Indian horses, and a long horn steer.  These first appeared in 1956 in Fort Apache, Roy Rogers, and Alamo playsets.

     These well-sculpted 54mm horses served Marx well for more than 20 years, made in a variety of colors
for dozens of playsets.  Despite that, most of the animals have drawbacks.  For example, as great as the running horse looks, many have difficulty remaining upright.  The stopping horse has a tendency -- espcially with a rider -- to tilt backwards and sit on its hind legs and tail, with its forelegs in the air.  This is so common that I am sure some people believe that is the way it is supposed to stand.  The rearing horse -- as with the 60mm version -- is almost impossible to stand upright with a rider, as Marx made no figures posed to ride a horse at such an angle.  The options are to either 1) mount the rider in a normal riding position so that the horse and rider appear to be ready to flip over backwards at any moment (though it is often impossible to keep the horse standing in such a pose) or 2) mount the rider as if he or she is leaning forward to maintain balance, which results in an appearance that the rider is ready to slip off the back end of the horse at any moment.

     The long horn steer is a nice improvement over previous Marx steers.  While it is nearly identical to the 60mm long horn in PL-325 (see above) with a few millimeters shaved off, it was given much more detailed muscle detail, as can be seen in the photo.
 

     According to Kent Sprecher, in 1959 the two steers were removed from the mold and added to PL-1067 (see below).  The steers were replaced by two of the Ben Hur horses from PL-865 (see below).

     Re-issues exist in large numbers.

  PL-610
1.  Running horse 2.  Stopping horse
3.  Rearing horse 4.  Long horn steer (snorting)

     The second mold provided the Indians with their first Marx non-bareback horses.
 While the 54mm cowboy horses seem to have evolved from the 60mm versions (dropping the bucking pose), the 54mm Indian horses appear to be spinoffs of the company's 45mm Indian horse.  The 54mm running Indian horse is slightly taller than the 45mm version (about 3/8 of an inch), but about the same length.  Both the standing and running Indian horses now have a blanket molded onto their backs and revised reins, but the running horse maintains its "race horse" appearance.  The change in the reins was a nice idea, but they are so fragile that today it is difficult to find horses with reins that remain intact.  Most have broken at about the mid-point of the rein.  

  PL-unknown
4.  Running Indian horse with blanket
Note broken rein.
5.  Standing Indian horse
Black is a hard color to find; the horse is found more often in brown, cream, or white.  This one with reins intact cost me $18.

Go to top


54mm Harness Horse
PL-532

     The harness horse appeared in Roy Rogers playsets in 1957 with the introduction of 54mm figures and became the standard wagon horse throughout the remainder of Marx' existence.  As is clearly shown in the photo below, the harness is now molded onto the horse.  

     About the same time, Marx introduced new 54mm wagons with a new hitch as shown below.  However, to accomodate its existing buckboard wagon, the company revised that wagon with a loop between the two plastic poles of the wagon hitch that hooked onto the protrusion on the top of the horse (also shown below).  These older-style wagons, however, were soon phased out.  

     Made of soft plastic, the harness horses can be found in brown, cream, tan, and black.

     Re-issues exist.


1.  Harness Horse 2.  Hitch used for new wagons
CTS has added a small hole to the front of its re-issue hitches and created a connecting hitch so that more than two horses can be displayed pulling a wagon.
Horse pulling revised older-style wagon with loop Horses pulling new 54mm covered wagon
Photo is of re-issued wagon and figures.

Go to top


"Ben Hur" Horses
PL-865

     Although most collectors refer to the two animals below as Ben Hur horses, Playset Magazine Issue 25 states that they were initially made for wild west sets "to accept the saddle/bridle accessories" provided with the 60mm saddleless horses.  They eventually appeared much more prominently in the company's Ben Hur playsets, so have come to be known as Ben Hur horses.  PM reports, however, that their first appearance was in a Roy Rogers Rodeo Ranch playset in 1957.

     The two horses have a bit more of a fierce look to them than the  previous horses made for wild west playsets and are slightly larger than most others.  Unfortunately, though supposedly made to accept the 60mm saddle and bridle, these 54mm horses are, of course, are too small for them.  They look nice in a corral or as a group of wild horses, but I have found that the 60mm saddles look too large on them and seem to engulf some of the smaller 54mm riders, so that any sense of realism in a display is out the window.  Of course, Marx manufactured them for play, not for display.

     As shown below, the running horse's head is turned to the left.  Some collectors report that they have seen these horses instead with their heads turned to the right, and Geppert's Guide provides an identification number for such a pose.  However, collectors I have spoken with on this issue believe that a small number of horses ended up in this "pose" after they were "taken out of the mold too early, before they had properly cooled."  This is a proverbial reason provided by collectors for figures that have slight variances from the usual pose.  I myself have a Marx long horn with its right horn curving downward instead of up.  I suppose that if such things happened, they could have been done by accident or on purpose, because I am sure Marx had just as many pranksters on their staff as any other company.

     Kent Sprecher reports that PL-610 (see above) was revised in 1959 to include two of the Ben Hur horses.  

1.  Running horse 2.  Standing horse
 
Go to top


54mm Lying Down Horse
PL-850
 
     Many collectors persist in calling this figure a dead horse.  Marx records, however, refer to it as a "lying down horse," and Playset Magazine Issue 1 quotes the designer of the figure to say, "It was designed to represent the cavalryman's trick of pulling down the horse for temporary cover.  We had a lying down figure shooting over him, to shoot from behind.  After firing, the horse would get up and the cavalryman would ride away again."  Similar information is repeated in PM Issue 36.

     It first appeared in Fort Apache and Custer's Last Stand playsets in 1957.  Produced in soft plastic, it was made in cream and red brown.

     Re-issues exist.

1.  Lying down horse
 
Go to top


54mm Cavalry Horse
PL-unknown

     In 1958, Marx finally issued a 54mm cavalry horse for its Fort Apache playsets.  That's one pose -- singular -- and there it remained until Marx went out of business.

     Actually, when the horse appeared, Marx had not yet created its large sets of 7th Cavalry or Civil War figures, which would eventually be the primary riders of this horse.  And when the 54mm cavalry sets came along, Marx plodded along with this single pose
.  How pleasant it would be to have additional poses of cavalry horses to choose from today, but alas such was not to be!

     The horse is a bit taller than other 54mm horses and provides a prominent perch for the soldiers.  The soft plastic horse was made in many shades of brown, black, cream, and tan.  The stirrups are a nice touch and help to keep riders steady in the saddle.

     Re-issues exist in great numbers, some very difficult to tell from the originals.  
1.  Cavalry horse

Go to top


54mm Skinny Steers
PL-1067

     In 1959, Marx added two new 54mm steers to its playsets.  They were welcome additions to the long-standing Marx spread of cattle clones made up of the lone snorting steer from the 1956 mold of 54mm animals (PL-610).  Still, it is impossible to ignore that the newcomers are bone skinny.   They must either have just survived a hard winter or endured an extended trip through the desert.

     This mold also included the original 54mm snorting steer, which was moved from PL-610 (see above).

     Re-issues exist.


1.  Skinny long horn, head right 2.  Skinny long horn, head left
(Photo is of a re-issue.)
 
Go to top


54mm Pack Horses
PL-1099

     Pack horses were the last horse introduced by Marx, first appearing in Fort Apache playsets in 1962.  Unusually, Marx made six soft plastic accessories in the same mold:  the birdle or lead, two different types of packs to place on the back of the horses, a water trough, a pump, and a butter churn.  Why the butter churn was included with this group is a mystery.  Perhaps it just happened to fit perfectly into the remaining space in the mold
.  This butter churn is smaller than the churn that was part of the outside accessories which came with most of the Marx wild west playsets, 1-1/4 inches tall compared to 2 inches for the usual one.
 
     The pack horses -- generally or perhaps always in red brown -- can be placed in a line with leads, giving the appearance that they are tied together.  There is a small loop on the pack with a box on top, and the lead for the horse behind it can be slipped into it.
 
     Re-issues exist.

1.  Pack horse 2.  Lead
(Lead shown is a re-issue)

Pack horse with lead attached
(Horse and bridle in this photo are re-issues)
5.  Pump
 
3.  Pack without box  (re-issue)
4. Pack with box (note loop near bottom of right front corner of box)  (re-issue)
7.  Butter churn
6.  Water trough
 
Go to top


The 54mm Ox Team
PL-1056 or PL-1058?

     If you are lucky enough to find the ox team, it will probably be a re-issue.  Originals are not often seen for sale.  According to Playset Magazine, the team appeared only in the Gunsmoke and one version of the Wagon Train playsets, so very few were made.  The oxen were gray, while the wagon and hitch (PL-1030) were brown.  Note that there is definitely a left ox and a right ox in the team; they are not clones of one another, as shown below.

     The oxen are simply made with little detail.  The hitch (or yoke in this case) is well detailed,
 and in the original figures, the yoke fits tightly into the holes in the sides of the oxen.   The ox with his head down, however, has a hard time keeping its neck in the yoke.  I purchased the original figures shown below with the wagon (no top) from Rick Eber.  I have not removed the oxen or yoke from the wagon to take photos, because such old plastic pieces break easily.  

     To me, it seems like a very "non-Marx" piece.  To the best of my knowledge, these are the only playset animals that Marx issued with holes in their sides to attach the hitch that holds them together (not including the large scale wagon horses at the bottom of this page).  Other toy companies used this technique more often, and it seems to me it is a type of "short cut" technique that Marx avoided in an attempt to keep its figures realistically detailed.

     It is, however, a nice-looking item, and nice re-issues can be found at Classic Toy Soldiers.  Although it does not show well here, the re-issued oxen shown below are a light gray.  The re-issue yoke slips a little too easily in and out of the holes in the oxen, but the team still displays well.

Outer side of oxen.  Oxen on left is the left oxen as seen by the driver.  Oxen on right is the right
 oxen as seen by driver.
(re-issue figures)
Inside of oxen with holes for hitch showing, positioned same as in first photo.
(re-issue figures)
               Hitch (or yoke) for oxen.  (PL-1030A)
                                   (re-issue)
Hitched oxen team (original)
(Wagon is conestoga wagon with top removed.  Boxes in wagon are made by Pegasus.)
Hitched oxen team (re-issue)
Recent Price Lines I have noticed
Original wagon pulled by oxen with wagon driver with whip $225 Sept 2011 Ebay
One ox $37 June 2012 Ebay
 
Go to top


54mm Wagon Train Animals
   
One of the things that spurred me to finally put together this web page on Marx wild west animals was Playset Magazine Issue 42.  That was the November-December 2008 issue which featured Marx Wagon Train playsets, and the article pointed out that some of the Wagon Train sets -- produced from 1958 to 1961 -- included Marx animals which had been originally created for the company's farm playsets.  They also included an animal that I had often figured may have been found somewhere in the wild west playsets, the American buffalo.

According to the PM article, most all of the Wagon Train sets included a 15-piece group of baby lambs, goats and pigs.  They were common figures in the company's farm playsets and worked well for the Wagon Train theme.  On the other hand, I imagine that many young boys quickly killed off these figures (i.e., destroyed, lost, or threw away), as they were of little use in the unending onslaught of cowboy and Indian wars.  All of the farm animals shown here appeared much more often in farm playsets, and any you find most likely came from a farm (unless you happen to find them in a Wagon Train playset that remains pretty much complete).

The baby animal group included (as corrected by Kent Sprecher) three each of the two lamb poses below, three each of the two piglet poses, two each of the goat pose with tail up, and one similar goat with his tail down.

  PL-878
1.  Baby goat - tail up 2.  Lamb bleating 3.  Lamb looking right
4.  Piglet looking ahead 5.  Piglet looking down 6.  Baby goat - tail down

  PL-688
Another group of farm figures included in some Wagon Train playsets was a group of farm cows to go with the always present playset steers, including an interesting and now hard to find mooing cow.  Of note, PM points out that the cows included in wild west playsets have one difference from those that came in farm playsets -- their tail was flatter.  Those with farm sets had a tail that ended with a nicely detailed hank of hair; the wild west cows had shorn tails when viewed from the back (see final two photos below).  Other than the mooing cow, the figures are also slightly smaller than the original farm cows.  Why did Marx change them?  Another mystery....

1.  Cow mooing (from Wagon Train set)
2.  Cow eating (from farm set)
3.  Cow with head up 4.  Calf

The photos below show the difference between the farm cow tails (on left) and the thinned down version of the tails on cows included in the Wagon Train playsets (on right). (Wagon Train photo courtesy of Michael Bush, Ebay newstuff.)


  PL-523A
A final group of farm animals was included in at least one Wagon Train playset, the mammoth #4888.  This group included an adult goat, an adult pig, two younger pigs (larger than those in the baby animal group, according to Playset Magazine Issue 42), and a running dog.  These were from mold PL-523 that Marx used to produce animals for farm playsets.  Kent Sprecher reports that the mold could be split into two parts, and A and a B.  PL-523A was used for the five figures in the Wagon Train playset (two of the piglets), and PL-523B for the other farm animals not used in Wagon Train sets.  As a result, Marx was able to then provide a 14-piece animal group for farm playsets in two different colors, which had originally been run in one color in PL-523.  

These soft plastic figures in Wagon Train sets were either red brown or cream.  It's nice to see that the adult goat and pig provide some supervision for 9 of the 15 baby animals in the playset.  The poor little lambs will have to forever fend for themselves.

Goat Dog

Pig Piglet


  PL-unknown
Finally, most Wagon Train playsets included a group of three buffalo, all in the same pose.  Although I had a Marx buffalo in my Super Circus Playset when I was just a kid, I did not realize until I read Playset Magazine Issue 42 that buffalo are  included in some wild west playsets.  So it's cool to know that the buffalo are among the Marx wild west figures as they certainly should be, but....  

Unfortunately, Marx decided to include in the Wagon Train playsets the same buffalo used for the much smaller scale circus playsets; they did not lift a finger to produce a buffalo that fit the 54mm scale.  So while 54mm buffalo should stand 45mm to 54mm tall (five to six feet) the Marx buffalo is a puny 35mm tall.  Placed beside a Marx cowboy or Indian figure, the company's buffalo looks ridiculously small.  I'm still looking for a correctly-sized buffalo for my Marx figures.  I believe the ones that a current manufacturer (was it Barzso?) produced a year or two back might have been good, but they halted production after very brief sales due to the difficulty in producing them.

So in the wild west of Marx, the true buffalo is an extinct species, and we are left with a strain of midgets.  Place them in the background of your display and don't let any human figures get near them!

The Wagon Train version were a red brown soft plastic.  I am not aware any re-issues or copies.
1.  Buffalo
 
Go to top


Animals for Large Scale Figures
PLs unknown

 
   Marx made at least three horse poses for its 4- and 5-inch riders, as well as a longhorn steer.  The horses measure just over 4 inches tall, 4-1/2 inches tall, and just over 5 inches tall.  Obviously, in real life, not all horses are the same height, so you can call them whatever scale you want, but they definitely go better with some figures than others.  The steer is 3-1/2 inches tall to top of horns and about 7 inches long from nose to tip of out-stretched tail.  All are made in soft plastic.

     Photos of all are shown below.  The horses can also be seen with riders on Page 4 of this web site.  Note especially the fine tooling on all of the saddles.

     The horse on the left below (just over 4 inches tall) has molded-on reins and saddle, including a rein that extends backwards on its right side to insert into the rider's right hand (see the 4- and 5-inch figure group on Page 4).  I have this same horse in cream and black.  I have not seen this horse or its riders listed in any publication and do not know how of if it was sold, but everyone I have spoken with agrees that it is a Marx product.  I purchased it at the 2009 West Coaster Toy Soldier Show (as explained on Page 4 of this web site.)

     The horse on the right (4-1/2 inches tall) with the beautifully sculpted tail belongs with the four riders shown on Page 4 identified as the 4-inch Wild West Figures group.  It also has finely-detailed, molded-on reins and saddle.  "Geppert's Gudie" lists it as MX241A and states that it came in tan and brown and is 5-inch scale.  I purchased the one shown below mint-in-bag from Francis Turner of the Official Marx Museum.  My apologies to all you Marx purists for carefully slitting open the bottom of the bag and removing the horse and rider!  

     The third horse below (5 inches tall) has separate reins and saddle, both thin and fragile.  This pose goes with the mounted 5-inch Roy Rogers and Daniel Boone figures on Page 4; it also is used with an Indian which came in a set with the Roy Rogers figure, also mentioned on Page 4.  Based on a photo in Rick Koch's column in PFPC Issue 50,
the Indian has a saddle blanket to sit on rather than the saddle.  "Geppert's Guide" (figure MX242A) states that that comes in a tan color, though the one below is obviously white.  The Guide identifies it as 5-inch scale. Perhaps Roy got the tan (Trigger), and Daniel and the Indian got the white.  I purchased the one shown below on Ebay.

     I am not sure how the steer was sold.  Geppert's Guide (page 49a of the Appendix)  states it was sold in "boxed sets."  The person I purchased it from believes it was included in large scale Nellybelle jeep sets.  They are hard to find today.  Again, the Guide states they were tan, but the two I have are cream and red brown.
1.  Horse for 4- or 5-inch scale figures - just over 4 inches tall 2.  Horse for 4- or 5-inch scale figures - 4-1/2 inches tall 
3.  Horse for 5-inch Daniel Boone and Roy Rogers figures - 5 inches tall
Recent Price Lines I have noticed
$35 Marchl 2011 Ebay with saddle and bridle

                          4.  Steer in 4- or 5-inch scale - 3-1/2 inches tall

     Marx also made two horse poses for its large scale stagecoaches and wagons.  Those pictured below are from the 1965 Wild West Stagecoach Set, which included two of each pose, along with several of the 6-inch cowboy and Indian figures shown on Page 4 of this web site.  The horses are made in soft plastic and came in at least two colors in the set, red brown seen below and white, as shown in a black-and-white photo on page 183 of Horowitz' book Marx Western Playsets.  
Probably due to the size and cost of plastic, the horses in the set have hollow bodies, but both the inside and outside of their legs are nicely formed.

     As shown below, those in this 6-inch set have molded-on harnesses and brackets that attach to the coach hitch.  A small hole is at the back of each horse's mouth to allow reins to be threaded through.  Each also has a small slot in one forefoot for wheels, apparently intended to allow the stagecoach to roll more smoothly on worn living room rugs and cracked linoleum floors of the 1960s.  At least one set had wheels on the horses' two back legs also.

     A photo of horses with their wheels attached is in the large scale wagons section on Page 9; however, the horses stand perfectly fine without them.  They are still living proof that when made out of the proper material, well-made, well-balanced play set horses can stand rock steady on three legs.

     In addition, Marx used these same poses in its large Wells Fargo Concord Stagecoach Kit, which included the stagecoach figures shown with the 4- and 5-inch figures on Page 4 of this web site.  There are, however, some differences between the kit horses and those in those in the 6-inch figure set.  Because it is a kit, the horses are split into a left and right side and require the owner to glue the two sides together.  The horse is then hollow.  The kit stagecoach has a different hitch and reins for the horses, so the horses do not have brackets to attach them to a hitch, molded-on harnesses, or holes in their mouths to string reins through.  Also, they do not have slots to attach a wheel to one hoof.

     The kit horses I have are black, white, and an nice orangeish brown.

   
Without the wheels, the right-hand horse stands 5-3/4 inches tall; the left-hand one with its head raised is 6-3/4 inches.  It is unfortunate that Marx never downsized these beautiful and rather dramatic poses to 54mm or 60mm scales. 
1.  Horse to driver's right - outside view 2.  Horse to driver's left - outside view
1.  Horse to driver's right - inside view 2.  Horse to driver's left - inside view

     I welcome you to forward me any knowlege or photos of other large scale playset-type figures -- credit will be given!

Go to top of page 

Contents of this web site may not be reproduced or duplicated for use on the Internet or for commercial purposes without permission by Eric Johns.