Kikimalou's Indian rhinoceros collection updated May 8 2024

The nesting models are really great especially when there is a fox included.
It's really a fact that the motivations for our fox/Asian rhinos collections are very different, the way we collect is also different and you go deeper into each figure history and being far more eclectic. Though, Roger is surely right about the experience it is providing to both of us.
Congratulations for your new models!

Thank you Andreas and Jean-Luc  

Roger wrote:

The nesting models are really great especially when there is a fox included.
It's really a fact that the motivations for our fox/Asian rhinos collections are very different, the way we collect is also different and you go deeper into each figure history and being far more eclectic. Though, Roger is surely right about the experience it is providing to both of us.
Congratulations for your new models!

I really didn't know what to do with this nesting fox. Now that I know my set isn't complete, it'll be easier to part with it.  
My collection may be more eclectic than yours when it comes to vintage and exotic manufacturers, but it's much less eclectic when it comes to horses, farm animals and pets. All eclecticism has its limits.  
Yes, Roger is certainly right and these two collections, restricted to a single species, open the door to a much wider universe, enabling us to visit our world of toys without getting lost along the way. The choice of species is intriguing though, whether it's your choice of foxes or the choice of rhino Indians to invade me. To be sure of covering the whole subject, the lion would have been an easier choice. In that case, perhaps the collection would have been too vast. I have more Lions than rhino Indians and yet my rhino collection is closer to being complete than my lion collection, which doesn't even exist as such.

Kikimalou wrote:

Roger wrote:

The nesting models are really great especially when there is a fox included.
It's really a fact that the motivations for our fox/Asian rhinos collections are very different, the way we collect is also different and you go deeper into each figure history and being far more eclectic. Though, Roger is surely right about the experience it is providing to both of us.
Congratulations for your new models!

I really didn't know what to do with this nesting fox. Now that I know my set isn't complete, it'll be easier to part with it.  
My collection may be more eclectic than yours when it comes to vintage and exotic manufacturers, but it's much less eclectic when it comes to horses, farm animals and pets. All eclecticism has its limits.  
Yes, Roger is certainly right and these two collections, restricted to a single species, open the door to a much wider universe, enabling us to visit our world of toys without getting lost along the way. The choice of species is intriguing though, whether it's your choice of foxes or the choice of rhino Indians to invade me. To be sure of covering the whole subject, the lion would have been an easier choice. In that case, perhaps the collection would have been too vast. I have more Lions than rhino Indians and yet my rhino collection is closer to being complete than my lion collection, which doesn't even exist as such.

I was just mentioning the eclectism in terms of brands and styles of our rhino/fox collections. Though, checking it better, my fox collections is quite eclectic since I even have a few cartoons, resins, ceramics, etc.
About the nested models, I think it would be great for you to complete the set if it is possible because they are all part of the same ensemble. However, it would be appreciated if the nested fox could find a place among my foxes. If you ever find the missing link, it can always return to you.

About the nested models, what interested me most was that bloody pink rhino. If the set had been complete it would definitely have had a place in my collection. I won't spend time and money to complete it even if the set is interesting, I just need to know about it.

I have never seen anything like those nested figures, a very cool piece of collecting history and really cool figures each in their own right. I like the running fox especially.

I also really enjoy both Marx rhinos. The larger one has such a different personality than most, he looks quite wild, and the other is charming in its roundness and also in its story of getting to you. :)

Thank's for your words Jill

In our hobby, Germany has been associated with Schleich for the last 20 years, but this was certainly not the case in the 20th century.
Back then, the country was a battleground for two giants: Lineol and Hausser Elastolin.
Lineol only produced one Indian rhinoceros between 1910 and 1940, but I already introduced you to it last year.

For Hausser Elastolin, things are a little more complicated. The brand may not have produced any Indian rhinoceros, or it may have produced one, or even two.

More clearly, in 1925 Hausser created one of these famous hybrids, meaning an Indian rhinoceros with two horns.
This model was produced until WWII. It is made of composition but it is hollow, the result of assembling two parts.
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After the war, this model was replaced by another hybrid repainted in grey. It was offered for sale until 1969.
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You might think that this second model is just a paint variation on the previous Rhino.
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Well no, this model is different, it's still hollow but heavier. The head is also different, lower than the pre-war model and it looks straight ahead whereas its predecessor turned its head slightly to the right.
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The rear legs are also closer together on the post-war model.
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Together with the traditional Schleich
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Perhaps I am wrong, but I thought the Elastolin composition models were known for their realism. These two look more artistic than realistic and the sculptor used some artistic license with the additional horn.

Some Hausser composition models can be considered as realistic and some more "artistic" like this rhino. The plastic series were more realistic.
Lineol is the most realistic of the Composition toys manufacturer.

2 very beautiful rhinos Christophe!

Thank you Annette

These two are Indian rhinos. The only thing that is wrong are the horns so I assume the sculptor made an Indian rhino and wanted to gave to it a much larger horn and why not a 2nd one? It is not so uncommon to find Indian rhino figures with two horns, it is much rarer figures of African rhinos with a single horn.

Kikimalou wrote:

About the nested models, what interested me most was that bloody pink rhino. If the set had been complete it would definitely have had a place in my collection. I won't spend time and money to complete it even if the set is interesting, I just need to know about it.

I understand. :) It will be great to see figures of the same set in our collections. How many chances that we find a fox and an Indian rhino in the same set?

Roger wrote:

These two are Indian rhinos. The only thing that is wrong are the horns so I assume the sculptor made an Indian rhino and wanted to gave to it a much larger horn and why not a 2nd one? It is not so uncommon to find Indian rhino figures with two horns, it is much rarer figures of African rhinos with a single horn.

In fact, I strongly suspect that the sculptor created a one-horned Indian rhino and it was then that a sales manager asked "what if we added a second horn between the first and the ears?"
What makes me think this is that this little horn really does look like a last-minute addition when you look at the head up close.
This Hausser is rather atypical for a pre-war model, it's the only hybrid I know of except the little Pfeiffer. Indian rhinos with two horns are more typical of the post-war plastic and 60s.

Roger wrote:

Kikimalou wrote:

About the nested models, what interested me most was that bloody pink rhino. If the set had been complete it would definitely have had a place in my collection. I won't spend time and money to complete it even if the set is interesting, I just need to know about it.

I understand. :) It will be great to see figures of the same set in our collections. How many chances that we find a fox and an Indian rhino in the same set?

At the moment I'm lucky enough to have both, but I have a feeling that won't last.

After the two Hausser elastolin, we're going to stick with rhinos in composition. Our three guests for the evening are complete unknowns, at least to me.
They all have something in common: a single horn, the same material and the same provenance - I found them all in Germany.
They also all have great personalities and they're all rare.

First N°67, the Red Rhino. I met this model a few years ago and didn't catch it. Since then, it's been one of the figurines that haunt me. Then one day I spoke to Uli Raue about it and he had one to offer me: what a delight!   I think it's the one I missed out on years ago, but maybe I'm wrong. So I've only come across one or two since I've been collecting.
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No.68 isn't red, but he doesn't skimp on lipstick and rimmel to make a splash. When we met, it was with an elephant from the same series and had the reputation of coming from DDR. The ears and eyes remind me of Marolin, but I can't be sure. It's the only one I know.
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N°69 is without doubt the behavest of the three, grey with a pretty little white horn. I only know two of these rhinos, this one and another with a slightly broken horn. I own both of them.
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These three little guys aren't prestigious must-haves, but they're not lacking in charm. They also bear witness to an era when toy manufacturers abounded throughout Europe. Many of them have become unknown today, but I don't despair of discovering their origins one day.
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With the Schleich
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Congratulations on your very rare rhinos Christophe!
3 unusual but striking beasts :) I think they are wonderful and it's always fun when a model has some rather unusual trait to it - like very strange ears on the red coat or snowball on the nose area

Yet again, another delight to see a peek at your incredible collection!

Three amazing pieces with lots of misteries to be unveiled. I hope you can find information about them. The background of a figure is always something interesting t give more identity to each piece. Though, those, inspite of being anonymous, they have surely their own identity as Annette perfectly pointed. I love especially the one with rabbit ears. You can call it Rabhino.

And the one I have available...
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