The History Between Hagen-Renaker and Breyer, Part 1: The Large Arabian Family

The subject of the history between Hagen-Renaker and Breyer comes up fairly regularly on Facebook, and since it can be confusing for newer collectors, I thought this would be a fun topic to tackle. Breyer collectors discovering Hagen-Renakers for the first time are often surprised to find that some of their beloved plastic models bear a striking resemblance to ceramic models made by Hagen-Renaker. And they are further surprised to find out that the Hagen-Renaker models actually came first, not the Breyers. A little history of both companies is helpful to understand the sometimes contentious relationship between the two.

Hagen-Renaker was founded in 1945 in Culver City, CA, before later moving to sites in Monrovia, San Dimas, and San Marcos. They began by molding and selling cute functional ware like dishes, but they quickly realized that small animal figurines were far better sellers. Of particular interest to model horse collectors, Hagen-Renaker hired local artist Maureen Love in 1951, first as a decorator, and when her immense talent was recognized, as a designer and sculptor. Maureen's first horse sculptures for HR were issued in 1953.

A notation from the Hagen-Renaker mold book dated July 1953
next to the entries for Maureen's first DW horses, the Morgan family
(Heather, Thunder, Clover, Scamper, and Roughneck)

Breyer meanwhile began as a plastic molding company in Chicago in 1943. They made a variety of car, airplane, and radio parts for the government during World War II, and they then branched out to simple toys like checkers and money managers in the later 1940s. In 1950, Breyer began molding the Western Horse (and a clock base) for the Mastercrafters Clock and Radio Company, also in Chicago. They soon began to sell the horse free-standing as well before expanding their line to include other horses and animals. The majority of the models produced by Breyer before 1958 were copied from other manufacturers like Hartland, Boehm, Rosenthal, and Grand Wood Carving.

The sometimes fraught relationship between Hagen-Renaker and Breyer began in the mid-1950s. In Fall 1956, Hagen-Renaker began the roll-out of their large Arabian family, Zara, Zilla, and Amir. The foal Zilla was the first piece available in Fall 1956, Zara the mare followed in Spring 1957, and Amir the stallion came last in Fall 1957. 

Left to right: HR Amir, Zilla, and Zara

By late 1957 or for sure by 1958, Breyer had begun molding very close copies of Zara and Zilla that we now know as the Proud Arabian Mare and Foal. The most notable differences are that the Hagen-Renaker mare and foal have slightly turned heads while the Breyer pair face straight ahead. There are also other more subtle differences in positioning, size, and detail that I hope these pictures show. 

Breyer PAM on the left, HR Zara on the right

Differences in body and tail width, slight 
position changes, etc

Zara's whole body is slightly curved 

Just like the PAM and Zara, the PAF is essentially a simplified version of Zilla. 

Breyer PAF on the left, HR Zilla on the right

Just as with the mares, Zilla is more complex 
while the PAF is straight and simple

So similar and yet so many nuances

The matching stallion, now known as the Family Arabian Stallion, was not pictured in the 1958 Breyer catalog and probably was not released until late that year or in early 1959. Interestingly, the Family Arabian Stallion was much less closely copied from the Hagen-Renaker Amir than the PAM and PAF were from their Hagen-Renaker counterparts. (Which is honestly a shame because Amir is such a knock out, but I digress.) As you can see, the FAS is somewhat of a mirror image of Amir, at least in terms of his legs, and he is decidedly less finely detailed. He is much more a Chris Hess original and less a Maureen Love copy than the mare and foal are.

It does make you wonder why the FAS is so different. If I had to hazard a guess, it would be that Hess had an example of the Hagen-Renaker Large Zara and Zilla on hand to work from, so he was able to study them closely for the purpose of copying them. I would also surmise that Hess did not have access to a Large Amir and perhaps was working only from a photo of the piece.

HR Amir on the left, Breyer FAS on the right 
(notice the reversed raised legs)

Whatever the case, by 1959, Hagen-Renaker was fighting a growing tide of imported as well as domestic knock offs of their designs. Sometime in mid to late 1959, they unsurprisingly sued Breyer for copyright infringement over the unauthorized use of Zara. (Hobby lore has it that Zilla and Amir were included as well, but the only extant legal documents available to me are from 2005, and by that point, both parties had apparently forgotten the exact specifics of the original lawsuit.) The dispute was resolved, and Breyer discontinued production of the Proud Arabian Mare and Foal, but not the Family Arabian Stallion. (They then created the Family Arabian Mare and Foal (after the hiccup that was the In Between Mare) to replace the PAM and PAF in their line in 1960.)

The 1960s were initially a boom time for Breyer, and their plastic horse and animal line grew exponentially. With only a few exceptions, Breyer seemed to have learned their lesson, and most of their new models were original sculptures by Chris Hess, not copies of other companies' works.

Hagen-Renaker in contrast faced a serious sales slump that almost put the company out of business in 1960. Cheap imported copies of their figures made in Japan were flooding the market, and the company was forced to lay off all but a handful of employees. They limped along on a skeleton crew until business began to pick back up in the mid-1960s.

The Large Arabian family was issued sporadically in the late 1950s and into the 1960s, but production of all three molds ended for a number of years after Spring 1968. Around this same time, Sam Stone, the owner of Breyer and father of Peter Stone, was considering closing down their horse and animal molding division of Breyer as not profitable. Peter begged his dad to reconsider and began traveling the country to promote the line. [1] 

In 1971, Breyer heeded collector demand for a more modern Arabian stallion sculpture and released the instantly popular Proud Arabian Stallion mold. When collector and hobby consultant Marney Walerius reminded Peter Stone of the existence of the Proud Arabian Mare and Foal molds, Breyer opened negotiations to arrange a licensing agreement with Hagen-Renaker to reissue the molds as companions to their new stallion. [2] The PAM and PAF remained in steady production until about 2005 when a new dispute arose between Breyer and Hagen-Renaker. 

The root of the issue was a disagreement between the parties over the contours of the 1970s arrangement to re-release the Proud Arabian Mare. In 2005, Reeves (Breyer's parent company after a buy-out in 1984) sued Hagen-Renaker, asserting that Reeves owed no royalties for their Zara-derived model because Breyer had purchased her ownership rights from Hagen-Renaker years before. For its part, Hagen-Renaker countersued and alleged that due to the omission of Zara (the PAM) from a 1990s written licensing agreement, Breyer had relinquished any right to produce her.

The court record indicates that this 2005 dispute was "settled." We do not know the terms of the settlement, but we know as collectors that Breyer did cease production of the Proud Arabian Mare and all other Hagen-Renaker sculptures for about ten years thereafter. (The only exceptions were a handful of one of a kind models painted for BreyerFest auctions, the 2008 Velvet Rope Event micro run PAM "Celebrity," and a 2009 Fun Foals micro run palomino appaloosa PAF. (I assume these were produced on already molded ware, and therefore fell into some sort of loophole (or flew under the radar.))

Happily, the companies were apparently able to reach some manner of satisfactory arrangement again, and starting in 2014, Hagen-Renaker molds returned to the Breyer line. Interestingly, most have been fairly limited releases like BreyerFest special runs, web specials, and Vintage or Stablemate club releases. In fact, I think the 2025 silver dapple bay Classic Arabian Mare release "Ariana" is the first Love mold to be widely available in brick and mortar stores in about 20 years.

Most excitingly, a new chapter in the Hagen-Renaker and Breyer relationship opened in 2025 with the release of the Stablemate Club model "Madonna." She's a scaled down scan of Hagen-Renaker's Large Zara mold (not the Proud Arabian Mare!), making it the first new Maureen Love sculpture to be introduced to the Breyer line up in 50 years. How very fitting! I can hardly wait to see more colors on this mold!

Left to right: Breyer Proud Arabian Mare, Madonna, and 
Hagen-Renaker Large Zara

This new relationship between Hagen-Renaker and Breyer gives me hope that we might someday see new mini versions of other Hagen-Renaker molds issued in plastic. A matching mini Zilla and Amir would be so exciting! Maybe we can even dream of new Classic scale models based on Designer's Workshop molds Breyer rejected for leases in the 1970s. I would lose my mind for accessible, repaintable, plastic versions of Hagen-Renaker's Comella and Vanguard. But more on that in the next post!


___________________________________________________

Works Cited:

1) Young, Nancy Atkinson. Breyer Molds and Models: Horses, Riders, and Animals 1950-1997. (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd, 1999), pg. 5.

2) Walerius, Marney J. Breyer Models: Reference and Insurance Guide. (Barrington, IL: Self published, 1991), pg. 5.

Breyer Grooming Kits

When I first saw the announcement for Trailblazer, Breyer's 2020 Vintage Club retro grooming kit Western Horse, I may have squealed out loud. (Who am I kidding, of course I did!) Not only is he a fun homage to the (hilariously named) Giant Palomino Groomer of the 1950s, but he also comes with a very cool vintage-style box based on the old Breyer horse and rider set boxes. It's an absolute smorgasbord of Breyer vintage nerdiness, and I must have one. I've been meaning to blog about Breyer grooming kits for quite a while, and now that Trailblazer has been announced, this seems like the perfect opportunity.

In the early 1950s, Westerns were at the height of their popularity. The genre had been lucrative for decades for writers from Zane Grey to Louis L'Amour, and for movie producers from the days of silent films, but as televisions became more common in American homes in the boom years after World War II, Westerns became a true pop-culture phenomenon. Many companies cashed in on this trend with all manner of "Cowboy and Indian" themed toys, child-sized cowboy boots and hats, toy six-shooters, and much, much more. Holiday catalogs were full of all sorts of these items catering to both boys and girls, and Breyer of course was right in the thick of it with horse and rider set offerings like Kit Carson, an Indian brave and chief, several cowboys, and Western Horses and Ponies in a variety of colors.

Breyer offered their horse and rider sets for play, but they also offered some spin off items like the Fury Prancer music boxes (more on those in a future blog) and various grooming kits, most with a Western theme. I don't have a full library of old catalogs at my disposal, so this post may not contain an exhaustive list of Breyer grooming kits, but as far as we know, the first grooming kits debuted in the 1954 Sears holiday catalog. They consisted of a regular run palomino Western Pony, but in place of the usual plastic snap saddle, the pony sported a vinyl "pack saddle" instead. Each pack saddle had a snap girth and several pockets on either side to hold a toothbrush, plastic comb, nail file, and nail clipper. My family acquired several different old grooming kits still sealed in the box in the 1990s at our favorite flea market, so we know that while Sears very likely supplied the vinyl grooming kit saddles and the little accessories for the grooming kits, they were packaged and sealed at the Breyer factory. (Sears of course is also a Chicago business, and at that time, its main ordering and distribution hub was less than 2 miles from Breyer, making collaboration between the companies an easy venture.) These Western Pony grooming kits constitute some of the earliest special runs that Breyer offered. (The Mastercrafters clocks technically have the distinction of being the very first.)

A 1956 Sears holiday catalog ad

A typical Western Pony grooming kit found with the original box

Interestingly, Breyer used regular Western Pony cardboard mailer boxes for their grooming kits. The only thing to indicate there was something other than a normal pony with the standard plastic saddle inside was the item number stamped on the box. By the early 1960s, grooming kits were also available on alabaster and black and white pinto Western Ponies. Some came with different accessories, such as the rifle-shaped pen, ruler, and eraser with the alabaster pony below. The Western Pony grooming kits were available off and on in the 1950s and 1960s and were last seen in the 1973 Sears catalog.

A 1962 Sears holiday catalog ad

Another 1962 Sears holiday catalog ad

As you can see from the photo below, the vinyl pack saddles came in varying shades of tan and brown, and some were smooth while others had an embossed surface meant to mimic leather tooling. The designs include steers, lariats, spurs, bucking broncos, cowboy boots, etc. Several tooling patterns have been observed, and some of these pack saddles have dark "tooling" on the designs while others have shading all over.

The black saddle came with the rare My Lady Fair sets discussed below

In 1956 and 1957, the Sears catalog offered the palomino Western Horse with a grooming kit saddle and accessories as the Giant Palomino Groomer. Like his smaller compatriot, the Giant Groomer has been found with a smooth or tooled pack saddle, and they contain a toothbrush, plastic comb, nail file, and nail clipper. The Western Pony grooming kits are fairly common which is not surprising given how long they were offered. The Giant Groomer sets are much harder to find.

Two styles of "tooled" grooming kit saddles

In 1956 and 1957, Sears offered a feminine twist on the Western Pony grooming kits. The My Lady Fair grooming kit featured an alabaster Western Pony with a black pack saddle that had loops on the side to hold barrettes as well as pockets for a comb and nail file. The 1957 Canadian Simpsons-Sears catalog also featured a My Lady Fair set, but on an alabaster Fury rather than a Western Pony. These black pack saddles are exceedingly rare. My sister and I have three---one each found on an alabaster Western Pony, an alabaster Fury, and surprisingly, a black and white pinto Western Pony. I know of only a few other saddles like this in the hands of collectors.

1956 Sears holiday catalog ad

This set has the very rare original barrettes

1957 Simpsons-Sears catalog ad

The barrettes in this set are reproductions.

The 1958 Sears holiday catalog featured some of the most rare and desirable of the grooming kits, the alabaster Proud Arabian Mare and Foal sets and the Western Pony with the houndstooth blanket. The PAM and PAF set were offered in 1958 only because, by mid-1959, Breyer had been sued by Hagen-Renaker for copyright infringement. Hagen-Renaker won, and the PAM and PAF were discontinued before the next holiday season. The Western Pony with the unique blanket grooming kit was offered in 1958 and 1959, but he, too remains exceedingly scarce. I know of only two mares, both found new in the box in the Atlanta area (now owned by my sister and me), around ten foals in boxes, and about six of the Western Ponies with houndstooth blankets (two of which were found with boxes and are in our collection). I'd to love to hear from anyone who might have a PAM or Western Pony grooming kit like these!

1958 Sears holiday catalog ad

The PAM grooming kit features a uniquely shaped powder blue vinyl saddle with pockets for a plastic comb, nail file, nail clipper, pen, and notebook. The set also includes a strip of gold leaf so kids could emboss their name on the notebook (or saddle or horse or sibling).

The PAF grooming kit has a matching blue saddle on a smaller scale with pockets for the cute tortoiseshell barrettes included in the set.

The Western Pony has a most unusual grooming kit saddle, a checked vinyl blanket with a smooth saddle-like section complete with stirrups. It snaps under the belly like all of the other grooming kit saddles. The stirrup leathers are attached to the blanket portion and have loops to hold a plastic comb, toothbrush, nail file, and a ballpoint pen. Like the more common Western Pony grooming kits, it came in a box with a line drawing of a regular pony, and only the item number stamped on the box indicates it's not a normal Western Pony.

Another very rare grooming kit is the bay Rearing Stallion set pictured below. I have only seen one example in person which is in our collection. The saddle is about the same size as the Western Pony saddles, but the pockets are cut at an angle (rather than being rectangular), and this set came with the less common accessories, a ruler, rifle pen, and eraser. As I mentioned above, we don't have a complete record of holiday catalogs, so as of this writing, the Rearing Stallion set has only been spotted in the 1966 Sears holiday catalog. (I don't have a photo of my Rearing Stallion set yet, but I'll add one after the holidays.) Do any of my readers have this unusual groomer, too?

1966 Sears catalog ad

A Western Pony grooming kit saddle on the left
and the Rearing Stallion saddle on the right.

The 1969 Gamble Aldens catalog also advertised a hard to find grooming kit, an appaloosa Running Stallion set that held a comb, toothbrush, nail clipper, and file. The saddle and accessories are identical to the ones sold with the Giant Palomino Groomers. My own set came with a smooth saddle. (Real picture forthcoming on this one, too.)

Interestingly, at least one knock-off of the Breyer grooming kits was made. I have seen several examples of a pseudo-bay Hong Kong horse, a crude copy of the Breyer Western Prancer, all wearing brown vinyl grooming kit saddles with a name printed on them---Tammy, Rusty, Mike, etc. My sister and I actually own three of them. We bought the first one thinking that perhaps the saddle might have been meant for a Breyer and had just ended up on the wrong horse at some point over the years. But having seen multiple identical sets now, I'm certain these are not Breyer saddles. The construction of the saddles is very similar to the Breyer saddles however, so whichever company made them may have been the source for both the Breyer sets and the knock-off sets. I would guess these Hong Kong copies were also offered through a mail order catalog, and while the horses were manufactured overseas, the saddles and accessories were probably sourced here in the US. The saddles all bear different names, either in print or in cursive, which suggests to me that the sets could be ordered with personalization for the recipient.

Hong Kong grooming kit personalized for Tammy

Breyer's Western Prancers were first issued in 1963, so these copies must of course be later. I would guess they date from the late 1960s or early 1970s.

Hong Kong copy personalized for Mike (photo from eBay)

The Western genre was on the decline by the 1970s, so I would guess these sets, along with the ones Breyer made, were discontinued by the mid-1970s at the latest. As I mentioned above, the last appearance of the Breyer grooming kits came in 1973. The world by that point had moved on technologically and culturally by leaps and bounds since the 1950s, and the toy market was geared more towards the space race than a nostalgic look back at the Old West.

My parents grew up in the 1950s, and so as a kid growing up in the early 1980s, they happily encouraged my cowgirl phase with a Clip-Clop horse, a hat, boots, and little cap guns. I have never really outgrown my fondness of Westerns---everything from classics like the Lone Ranger and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly to Longmire and Firefly---and I am delighted that after almost 50 years, Breyer will be offering a new grooming kit for us. I can't wait!