Two old "ENGLAND" models.... from Timpo!

These days I am having a great time going through my box of unicolour models, which are mainly German brands.
And now I found these two which ar neither German nor really unicoloured  

Can anybody tell me something about them ?


This picture shows that lions should neither wear lipstick nor green eye shadow  


I really, really like this little rhino, even - or because - he has got rather Asian thighs  


Here is how they are marked :

Nice oldies

The rhino is a Timpo Susanne

Kikimalou wrote:

The rhino is a Timpo Susanne

I am glad your life gave you a little truce. Such a joy to have a little sign from you.

I think the lion is also a Timpo figure.

Thankyou , guys

So great ! Imagine !I have two Timbo models

SUSANNE wrote:

Thankyou , guys

So great ! Imagine !I have two Timbo models

Hi Susanne

Timpo zoo range started in 1950 and were hollow-cast metal. These were designed by Roy Selwyn-Smith (who went onto designing most of the Herald range of figures). Then in the mid-1950's production was changed to plastic and any additions to the hollow-cast metal series were designed by Norman Tooth. Both your Lion and Rhinoceros figures were never issued in hollow-cast metal so were designed by Norman Tooth.

These Timpo plastic zoo animals had a production run from the mid 1950's to the early 1970's.

Your rhinoceros figure is number 6003.

Your Lion figure is 6004.

BTW Timpo is derived from the words Toy Importers and were founded in London in 1945 and later had a factory in Scotland.

Hope this helps.

WOW !!!! THANKYOU, dear Chris

I just ,love to learn such details about my dear critters !
It makes them much more valuable in my eyes

Great info again Chris,many thanks!

Taos wrote:

Great info again Chris,many thanks!

You are welcome Taylor but I had a bit of help:


This is a superb 28 page book featuring the complete range of Timpo Farm and Zoo products produced in plastic. This is a full colour publication with just a few pages in black and white featuring copies of original catalogues/information leaflets.

Published by Plastic Warrior in 2011. Photos printed in this issue were provided by Barney Brown, a well known plastic figure collector and author of several books on Herald/Britains plastic figures.

Amazing !!!! How I would love to take a couples of hours with that one

I have just started collecting Timpo plastic zoo and farm animals. Obviously this book is out of print- you don't have a facsimile available or on uSB do you??? I have no idea the breadth of the range they produced, for example did they make a zebra? It's really difficult trying to find out about the animals....had some info from Michael Maugham which was useful, and there is apparently a Timpo museum in Germany but haven't heard back from my email message sadly. Anything would be useful....either on here or via email ros.steward@uwe.ac.uk Thanks :)

Thanks this is really useful. Is there a list of all the zoo and farm animals they produced do you know? :)

From the left; Farm/Domestic, Dinosaurs/Prehistoric and Wild Life



The whole page, showing counter-top boxes, blister-cards and the Farm 'big box' play set



The were also used in Christmas Stocking and 'Lucky Bag' (Wundertüte - Sobre) gift sets



getting desperate toward the end, the Wild West train guard doubles as circus master and an Apache girl gets married to Noah, all accessories/constructions are card, bar the circus ring [zoo] railings!

Many thanks for the pictures

widukind wrote:

Many thanks for the pictures

Indeed

Wow, thank you smallscaleworld, these are so useful!!!

Thank you very much Smallscaleworld!

No worries, glad to help, I should do more here, but I'm busy elsewhere!

Very useful catalogue. Do you know from what year it is?

1978 Roger!

Thank you. It's interesting to see that in 1978, the Timpo zoo animals were no longer painted, but their farm animals still were.

I found a few, most still in reasonable condition.


I'd like to put them onto TAW, but I have a question. The metal version of the ape on the left below is identified as an orangutan in TAW. But it seems to me that the ape on the right is an orangutan, and so the one on the left may be a chimpanzee. Or is the one on the right meant to be a gorilla?


In the same batch, I also got a giraffe. It is a Britains knock-off and says "Made in England". I think it probably isn't Timpo, because the plastic feels different and the information in this topic doesn't show this giraffe. Anyone an idea what brand it is?

rogerpgvg wrote:

I found a few, most still in reasonable condition.

I'd like to put them onto TAW, but I have a question. The metal version of the ape on the left below is identified as an orangutan in TAW. But it seems to me that the ape on the right is an orangutan, and so the one on the left may be a chimpanzee. Or is the one on the right meant to be a gorilla?

This is how Timpo label them:

On left, 6016, Monkey on tree. On right, 6014, Gorilla.

rogerpgvg wrote:

I found a few, most still in reasonable condition.
In the same batch, I also got a giraffe. It is a Britains knock-off and says "Made in England". I think it probably isn't Timpo, because the plastic feels different and the information in this topic doesn't show this giraffe. Anyone an idea what brand it is?

Hi Roger

Timpo never made a Giraffe in plastic and largely produced original moulds without resorting to copying other manufacturers but may have been inspired by them.

Therefore, the Giraffe isn't a Timpo product but likely to be one by Hilco - typically their products had flash around the casting and this is notable around the lower legs and hoofs plus the lower part of the tail. Other British manufacturers copied Britains including Barrett who made a Polar bear cub based on the Britains Brown bear cub.

Hope this helps.