Funrise Horses, help with information and pictures please

Another one for the herd! Really like this guy. A different style of sculpture than the chunky 1991 series or the familiar, bit more realistic 1988 series. He's a little more slender than the others, with "noodle" legs. The 1988 and 1991 horses seem to feature on the International Show Horse pamphlets like above, and this guy and his friends show up on the backs of packages along with the 1991 set.

Frederiksborg A 1994
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(sorry about the photo quality of this one, just taken from an internet picture - maybe someone has a better one floating around)
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I have a few more 1994s in the mail, they all look to be characters, I look forward to seeing them in person. With the Funrise, I think, the straight up weirder they are they better.   This guy, though, he has a sort of old toy dignity to him. I'm really not sure what color they were aiming for with the big red spot on his barrel. Maybe like a dark bay?

It is good to know you will receive more from that 4th set. I like the Frederiksborger and it is the first of its breed on TAW.
I already added your picture at the wiki but I still need to open a breed page.

Here they are! What a bunch of delightful weirdos. I like that no matter how strange they look, they never go toward cartoon-ish, only bizarre.

Anyway, I love them.

Their letters are also weird and do not form a neat grouping, but all are 1994.

Trait du Nord B
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Highland B - I included both sides because his mane was painted on his off side.
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Batak C
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Skyros C
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Hackney F
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One of the best parts of this series of the range of breeds. I had never heard of the Frederiksborg, the Skyros, the Batak (though I've probably met some!), or the Trait du Nord before. Where they skimp on, say, painting, they make up for in research into rare breeds.  

Here's a comparison between the Frederiksborg and the Batak. They feel like two separate sets. I think the Frederiksborg and the Hackney look much more alike! Unfortunately, that doesn't explain the letters, since the ones that look alike have the same letters.
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Yes, that's the magic part of this Funrise Horse collection.
I added all these charming new models and all of them were needing breed pages, what shows how unusual they are in this hobby.
Despite their style, I think there is an effort to make the horses to match the breed. Maybe the Greek pony is the less recognizable but I really like them all.
It is interesting that a few have the same letters and that we only know letters up to "F" (6th letter) - so, the set of 12 is probably divided in two series of 6. Something to find out.
thanks for your great pictures, it is being really fun.

Roger wrote:

Despite their style, I think there is an effort to make the horses to match the breed. Maybe the Greek pony is the less recognizable but I really like them all.

That's it, I think! There's a gallant effort to make them individual and to have something of the uniqueness of the breed to them. Now, the coloring is often in direct opposition to that, and I sort of wish these were more common so I could give a go at painting them the colors they ought to be and see what it does for their weirdness. They'll always be a bit goofy, but a good paint job I think could bring out what the original artists, whoever they were, were trying to do.

Some of my favorites are the Basque, the Przewalski, the Batak, and the Frederiksborg because they managed to give them a feeling of dignity in their lumpy little shapes. I also love how seriously the Highland pony seems to be taking himself.

Characters and personality! (The Skyros really is unusual, I am not sure if those are supposed to be ribs showing?)

Jill wrote:

Roger wrote:

Despite their style, I think there is an effort to make the horses to match the breed. Maybe the Greek pony is the less recognizable but I really like them all.

That's it, I think! There's a gallant effort to make them individual and to have something of the uniqueness of the breed to them. Now, the coloring is often in direct opposition to that, and I sort of wish these were more common so I could give a go at painting them the colors they ought to be and see what it does for their weirdness. They'll always be a bit goofy, but a good paint job I think could bring out what the original artists, whoever they were, were trying to do.

Some of my favorites are the Basque, the Przewalski, the Batak, and the Frederiksborg because they managed to give them a feeling of dignity in their lumpy little shapes. I also love how seriously the Highland pony seems to be taking himself.

Characters and personality! (The Skyros really is unusual, I am not sure if those are supposed to be ribs showing?)

Ribs showing is a feature that toy designers usually avoid once kids usually don't like that detail.
I don't think it is usual to the breed, maybe a detail to represent the narrow body of these ponies. They also have very skiny legs for a pony and maybe the sculptor thought they were hungry.
I also am not sure its color is normal for a Skyros pony, what's that color called?
Since you intend to collect them all, I believe you will find some duplicates in poor shape and you'll have the chance of giving new colors to them. Luckily, you'll get a Highland pony with both sides painted and then you can give new colors to this one.

Roger wrote:

I also am not sure its color is normal for a Skyros pony, what's that color called?

I think they meant him to be a sorrel with flaxen mane and tail, which is ironic since the Skyros' wiki says right off, "The mane is long and thick and usually a hue darker than the skin (I assume they mean coat) colour." Whoops!

Jill wrote:

Roger wrote:

I also am not sure its color is normal for a Skyros pony, what's that color called?  

I think they meant him to be a sorrel with flaxen mane and tail, which is ironic since the Skyros' wiki says right off, "The mane is long and thick and usually a hue darker than the skin (I assume they mean coat) colour." Whoops!

I ran a translator on the corresponding Greek page at Wikipedia and it is obviously coat. We can find the same sentence there so I assume it is a translation error from the editor.
Thanks for telling the color, I suspected it was not one of the typical colors of the breed and sorrel is defintely not.
As you say, we learn a lot with these figures, I didn't know the Skyrnos is a horse and not a pony. It is so small but it makes all sense if we read the story of the breed. Now I understand the thin legs and narrow body.

A very exciting package came today, a lot that completes my 1988 sets. They are not hard to find, to be sure, but it IS a bit tricky to find one lot with everything you need and not seven dozen duplicates. I even replaced the chewed up Friesian and the Toric that I purchased from someone that they accidentally sent to someone else. Hooray!

I think these are the only photos missing on TAW:

Karabair (I think this black and red combo is Funrise's favorite horse color, whatever it is supposed to be)
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Polish Draft (he's my favorite of the whole set, maybe. What a handsome little guy)
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Saddlebred
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Friesian
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If I was wrong and there are others missing from the set, let me know, I'm getting pictures of everyone for my own records.

Also, just for interest, here is a comparison of the Funrise Karabair and the Toy Major version:

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Congratulations for completing your early Funrise Horse series!
Yes, those were the ones missing on TAW from those two series.
Now that they are complete, I will turn them into galleries.
I suspect the Polish Draft horse intends to represent the widely variable breed known as Polish Coldblood that groups several horse types, including a few "sub-breeds"?
thanks also for comparison with Toy Major, really interesting, if they weigh the exact same, they use a similar pvc what could corroborate that Toy Major produced them for Funrise.

Thanks! Finally fulfilling a childhood dream.

I was confused by the Polish Draft, too - maybe someone who knows more about European breeds can be of more help! I suspect that's what they mean, though.

The do weigh and feel the same.

Jill wrote:

Thanks! Finally fulfilling a childhood dream.

I was confused by the Polish Draft, too - maybe someone who knows more about European breeds can be of more help! I suspect that's what they mean, though.

The do weigh and feel the same.

That's the most important that you are fullfilling a childhood dream. I am a very nostalgic person so maybe I understand how happy you are.
Yes, i think the model represents a Polish Coldblood, also Polish draft horse, Wikipedia does not have an English entry about the breed, or better, they only have about the Sokolski that is one of the five types of the breed but that uses to be chestnut. I think I am learning more about horses with your Funrise than with my own horse figures. Fortunately there are a few websites about the breed, for example here. and Wikipedia have pages in French and polish versions.

Thank you for the breed information! I'm learning a lot about a lot of breeds as well, so thanks for doing so much research.

Found this on ebay, just was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about what it is? I am considering buying it, because I like these odd ball mysteries, but maybe someone can shed light on it before I even get it in hand, since I am technically not supposed to be buying things at the moment.  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

It's the Karabair mold, and almost the Karabair color, only missing the red/brown ring around the middle. Weirdest is the stamp, which is exactly like all the 1988 horses except without the breed.

Just part of another random set produced by Funrise/Toy Major that they chose not to include breeds with?
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I can't help too much about that and my idea is the same as yours. Just from a set where the breed is not used. I tried to check pictures of the stable with horses to see if it is one of those that come with the stable but no, those are marked with breed.
It is even more curious since they preserved the letter.

I may have to get him if he's still there in a couple days . . .

In other investigation news, I found some images of the 1994 series in package. Maybe people interested in Funrise have already seen these, but I thought they were cool! Unfortunately, they are pick up only far from where I live, so I can't buy them, or they are already sold. In one package, they are called the Gold Medal Horse Collection instead of the International Show Horse Collection. In the other, they are included in the International Show Horse Collection series. So clearly, lots of blurred lines all over, I just thought it was interesting to see them unopened. The palomino mare and foal shared earlier was also in the Gold Medal Horses collection.

Since they do seem to have been released in the same sets of six, I thought this would at least explain the lettering overlap, but weirdly enough, it doesn't.

Set 1 "Gold Medal Horses" left to right: Highland (B), Frederiksborg (A), Barb (?), Gidran Arabian (?), Skyros (C), Batak (C)
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Set 2 "Gold Medal Horses" left to right: Cicillian (?), Icelandic Pony (?), Trait du Nord (B), Breton (?), Albino (?), Hackney (F)
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Set 3 "International Horses":
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I have the "Albino" on its way to me, so I can see what letter is there, but . . . the double C in the first set is bewildering. I thought it would be A, B, C, D, E, F in each package. Maybe they were packaged in multiple different ways?

Anyway, nothing groundbreaking, just thought it worth putting in this thread.

Yes, that's all interesting. when I studied the Funrise horses, I noticed that they were sold in many different combinations. The only logical I've found was the individual blisters. Each with a single model but showing all others of the same series at the back of the card.
Thus, I used that way to list them on TAW. It is exaustive to list all sets but it is good to have them  presented onforum.
So, listing individually in 4 series: 1998 series 1, 1988 series 2, 1991 series 3 and 1994 series 4.

Edit: Now I see I haven't read correctly your post.It is really weird they're divided in two sets but without a sequence of letters for the 1994 series.

Here is a typical Funrise card of an individual figure but showing all from a particular series. It is fun to read T.M. indicates a trademark when you have the TM (Toy Major) versions. It doesn't wonder why it is so difficult to identify these markings.

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I'm sorry if I told before. There's a 1993 Horses and Riders series. I am telling it because the saddle is removable so I have no idea how these horses look like when sold on Ebay without the saddle and rider.

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Goodness, they really did reuse and recycle didn't they! It would be cool if there was some distinguishing factor between releases, or even better, it would have been great if they had designed different colors for different sets . . . but maybe that's asking too much. I have seen some horses with riders floating around on ebay, I didn't realize they were actual sets!

The series 1 - 4 definitely makes the most sense, all things considered.

(I challenged that "solid unbreakable material" as a child, and I won.  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] )

I hope there are some more brands out there that used these molds in different colors, kind of like the Toy Major. I'd love to find them sporting some different looks.

Jill wrote:

Goodness, they really did reuse and recycle didn't they! It would be cool if there was some distinguishing factor between releases, or even better, it would have been great if they had designed different colors for different sets . . . but maybe that's asking too much. I have seen some horses with riders floating around on ebay, I didn't realize they were actual sets!

The series 1 - 4 definitely makes the most sense, all things considered.

(I challenged that "solid unbreakable material" as a child, and I won.  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] )

I hope there are some more brands out there that used these molds in different colors, kind of like the Toy Major. I'd love to find them sporting some different looks.

I see that as a child you were a toy tester. Those unbreakable legends of the toy industry were always easy target for kids.
Funrise released at least 48 different horse models representing 48 breeds. That's impressive, especially the number of breeds. OK, a few are color breeds. Actually their way of showing new products was offering different combinations of the same models in different sorts of packages. Play Visions, another North American brand, used the same exact strategy. It seems Club Earth did the same so I believe it was a typical commercial strategy for North American market during these years.
I particularly enjoy this system where you can sort, transport and display.

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That's the case I have! But yes, mine came with a slightly different assortment of horses. This approach reminds me actually of Hasbro's approach with My Little Pony in the more recent years, where there are only a few characters and they get released in multiple different playsets. As a kid, that kind of thing annoyed me - I always wanted more options, not the same thing presented slightly differently, but at least Funrise had 48 choices and not 6.

I finally got my (much loved and abused) "Albino" today! He's been stuck in Indiana for ten days, but home at last.

I know TAW includes a bit of info about the real animal of the model as well, so in case it wasn't widely known, I wanted to point out that this is an interesting choice for Funrise to make first because A) Albinism is a genetic mutation, not a breed or even a "color", B) horses have not been recorded with the albino mutation and C) even if they were, they would not have black eyes and hooves. Though I think they meant to suggest something other than a gray that has aged to white with the yellow areas. (Reptiles show yellow when they are albino, so perhaps this horse is a reptile.)

The only "true" white on horses is the dominant white gene (also known as extreme sabino or white spotting gene), which can express in a lot of different ways, and sometimes that's a fully white horse with pale skin but normal colored eyes (the W2 variation). I think that was probably the direction Funrise meant to go, but somewhere along the way, the research team got stuck on Albino instead.

Color genetics are really fascinating to me, though I have a beginner's understanding of them, so I actually think this weird "albino" is a fun piece to have in a collection. It's wrong, but it's neat.


Albino E - 1994
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Edit to add, here's what they were probably going for, this is a "dominant white" thoroughbred:
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Congratulations for getting your very wanted Albino! Will you call it Indiana?
I added it on TAW just now, I will probably add the equine color you suggested but later.
It is all very interesting though I think they just wanted to make an albino horse without any research and they ended with something like htat. White horses are very popular and often the horses that girls dream to see their princes riding.
I think it is a reptile, you really convinced me.
CollectA introduced in their range a Camarillo, a much more sophisticated idea to introduce a neat white horse but I think what Funrise did with these series is already very interesting.
Here's a real Camarillo.

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That's a beautiful horse! Camarillo is (apparently) a form of the white spotting gene, too - the W4 variation. I hadn't heard of them before! That would have been a good, rare breed to throw into the mix for sure. (Though reptile horse is even rarer.)

You are no doubt right about the amount of research. They needed a white horse, and already had a Lipizzan, so "albino" it was.

Reptile horse? What's that?

Bowhead Whale wrote:

Reptile horse? What's that?

Only what I am calling this particular one, because he is an albino with yellow markings, like a reptile would be.

Not sure where to stick this, but it's a farm animal like a horse is, so...
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Funrise llama 1989. TAW can use the pic.