Kikimalou's Indian rhinoceros collection updated July 5 2024

After Germany in the 80's, we are back in England just after the war. In 1946, John Leaver and W. Cherrington left JoHill&Co to found the company Cherilea. They offered a small series of hollow lead zoo animals before switching to plastic at the turn of the 1960s.
Among them was a parading, singing Indian rhinoceros.
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It will survive the transition to plastic, it just shrank slightly during the process.
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A bit shrunken I say…
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Finally I want to tell you about a little last one, he sings, he parades and I took him for the plastic Cherilea since 2012, with just a tiny cloud of doubt in my head.
The arrival of the real plastic Cherilea a few days ago has put everything in question: no more doubts, this little rhino is not the Cherilea. What is it? A beautiful mystery.
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All together now, the mighty marching band
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Those Bullyland were probably the first of their era when Britains and Starlux were just releasing vintage looking figures. Not that they look better, they just start a different concept where we can include AAA and Schleich, for instance and currently, they have their realistic successors since the release of the Safari model. I think Papo and current Schleich are very realistic too.
Those Cherilea like are very intringuing, especially since they adopt an unusual but somewhat dramatic pose. I think it turn them special and I think there's a little family of this kind of rhinos too.

I like this old stuff

I didn't know Cherilea made rhinos. Interesting that the plastic version got more texture than the metal version.

After the letter C for Cherilea, we go back to the letter B to welcome the Britains Ltd tonight. The reason was that I couldn't get my hands on the plastic baby Rhino and I finally found him…

Britains is one of the oldest brands of toy soldiers, founded in 1893 by the inventor of the lead die-casting process which revolutionised the production of lead soldiers, previously these toys were made of solid lead and were easier to manufacture but also more expensive.
From 1929 to 1953, Britains created and expanded a range of zoo animals.
This included no less than three Indian Rhinoceros.
The first one dates from 1929, it is an imposing model at the time, for the Franco-British standard of course.
It lived until 1960 when it was replaced by a similar plastic model.

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In 1931, he or she was joined by a baby Rhinoceros who lived out his or her life as a baby until 1959. This was not the only baby in 1931, Britains offered babies to other species in his zoo that year. This was probably the first time that a baby Indian rhino was born in the industrial toy world.

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1933 was the year of the "young" for the English brand, as smaller wild animals were offered for sale. I suppose that these "young" animals were made because their smaller size made them cheaper and therefore more saleable in a world plunged into financial crisis.
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Sometimes collectors, or eBay sellers, confuse Young Britains with Blancherie Freres - they may be cousins but they are not brothers.
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The whole Hollowcast lead family
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The baby was reborn in plastic in 1960 and Britains took the opportunity to remake the mould and add more detail to the figure. He lived until 1980. This model will not be copied by other famous brands but it will be copied by companies based in Singapore and Hong-Kong and is probably the most reproduced Indian Rhinoceros in history.
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With the lead ancestor
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In 1961 it was the turn of the adult Rhinoceros to strike back in plastic. Once again, the mould was changed and the new one was more detailed but also smaller. It will be marketed until 1999, so it will have been produced for 38 years which I think is a record. If we count its lead ancestor, the rhino would even reach the venerable age of 70 years. It will also be copied a lot by companies based in Singapore or Kong-Kong. It will also be "officially" taken over in hard plastic by ZZreisen.
The third model, the "young" won't be reissued in plastic.
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With the Hollowcast lead one
a smaller body
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a smaller head too
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With the baby
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The whole family with a Schleich
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Great to learn this piece of Britains history
And interesting insights! Why do you think the baby rhino was replicated (knock offs?) more frequently than the adult? The standing adult would be a more logical choice, no?

The adult was also very "imitated" of course but his copies were of a reduced size, he is very big for toys made in HK or Singapore. The small rhino is the appropriate size for an adult rhino for bazaar toys.
To be exact I don't think the smaller one was much more imitated, that's not a reasoning, it's an observation I've made since I started collecting.

Well, I don't know which one was the most replicated but probably the plastic adult is the most emblematic Indian rhino figure of ever. I remember my excitment the first time I hold it in my hands.The Hollowcast version seems to be a perfect animal figure for a soldier themed company. It's armoured look gives to it a war like appearance. Fantastic presentation again, I always love the comparison pictures!

This topic is very interesting,

Kikimalou wrote:

The adult was also very "imitated" of course but his copies were of a reduced size, he is very big for toys made in HK or Singapore. The small rhino is the appropriate size for an adult rhino for bazaar toys.
To be exact I don't think the smaller one was much more imitated, that's not a reasoning, it's an observation I've made since I started collecting.

Oh right, that makes sense! Very interesting observation

I'm trying to remember if had any "bazar version" of this figure as a kid, but most of those memories faded. I do remember some cheap copies of Britains from that time, mostly giraffes, lioness, bears and Eland antelope.

Another great comparison. The Britains rhinos are some of my favourite models even though the calf looks like a miniature adult with its horn. Interesting to see the difference in texture of the metal and plastic versions. Do you think the BF is an imitation of the Britains adult or the Britains young rhino?

The baby does indeed look like a miniature adult, which is no doubt why it was such a hit with the HK knock-offs of the 70s and 80s.
As for the BF, while it drew its inspiration from Britains, it is not a copy of any of them.
It is the same size as the 'young' Britains, but proportionally more robust than the adult Rhino.

Kikimalou wrote:

It's already Tuesday  

Among them, an Indian Rhinoceros and her little one that I find irresistible. I only hope they are not as big as the Lineols I just bought!  

When they arrive my wishes are granted, they are very beautiful, very finely detailed and... not as big as the Lineol.  
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Hi Christophe

Just tried to see if these Bandai rhinos were available on ebayUK. Well Rhinos from Bandai are available but are either the armoured lorry from Captain Scarlett or something from Power Rangers!

Anyway really love your Indian rhino figurine presentation full of interesting facts and superb images.

BTW I have been interested in rhinos of all types since I was around six years old. Perhaps this is a Christophe/Christopher/Chris thing

Indeed maybe there is a Chrisnoceros thing

You can find them HERE

The Tuesday evening appointment will therefore take place this Wednesday, as a weekend getaway prevented me from getting the job done in time.  
Today I present the 20th rhinoceros and also the first hybrid.

Charbens!
The name comes from its two founders, brothers Charles and Ben Reid. The London-based company began in the second half of the 1920s.

Charbens items were often marked RD "Registered Design" and, from the 1930s, some carried the brand name "Mimic Toy".  The brand humorously claimed a talent for 'taking inspiration' from products made by other British, or not, manufacturers...  
The company produced farm toys and also a lead zoo series. Charbens will switch to plastic at a date unknown to me. It seems that the brand disappeared in the 60s but here again I lack reliable information.
The expertise of friends in the UK would be greatly appreciated.    


The Indian lead rhinoceros belongs to the tribe of yellow-horned rhinos, red-eyed rhinos and reddish-brown rhinos.    
The pose is simple, the lipstick bright and the sculpture is not lacking in detail, which is not always the case in hollow lead production.
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It will be followed by a different plastic model.
By changing the material, Charbens has also modified the shape, colour and possibly the species of his Rhinoceros. The details on the body and legs, and the rabbit ears are unmistakable signs of filiation.
On the other hand, the newcomer has swapped brown for grey, lost the red eyes and lipstick, and been given an extra horn. The body, however, is clearly inspired by an Indian rhinoceros.  
This is the first hybrid I'm presenting to you, but it won't be the last. Many brands in the 20th century produced Indian rhinoceros with two horns, unless they were African rhinoceros with an Asian body.
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The two partners
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With the now traditional Schleich
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These hybrids are peculiar. It may just have been ignorance by the sculptor, but I suppose it is also possible that they wanted to make the model as impressive as possible by combining the most striking characteristics of two species. Clearly, realism wasn't so important in this era.

I like the yellow horn, the rabbit ears, and the angry face Both are adorable objects, and made me smile, thanks Kiki

strange to add one horn more to a previous model!

You can clearly see the evolution of our animal models.

Lovely old figures with modern figures.

widukind wrote:

So ?

rogerpgvg wrote:

These hybrids are peculiar. It may just have been ignorance by the sculptor, but I suppose it is also possible that they wanted to make the model as impressive as possible by combining the most striking characteristics of two species. Clearly, realism wasn't so important in this era.

Caracal wrote:

strange to add one horn more to a previous model!  

I think it isn't really ignorance, I think the idea was to make a versatile rhino that could do everything. With a few rare exceptions, it's a practice that developed mainly during the transition to plastic.

Ana wrote:

I like the yellow horn, the rabbit ears, and the angry face Both are adorable objects, and made me smile, thanks Kiki

I'm delighted they brought you a smile

landrover wrote:

You can clearly see the evolution of our animal models.

Lovely old figures with modern figures.  

I'm glad you like them

Tonight we cross the English Channel back to continental Europe, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean.
Our first destination is Germany. The year is 1910, and it's already five years since Oskar Wiederholz founded the Lineol company. This year he will make an Indian rhinoceros for his Series I. Production of this model lasted 30 years, going through series II and III. It will be replaced for Series IV by a Black Rhinoceros. In all, the Brandenburg an der Havel-based brand produced just two rhinoceros. Both were sculpted by Albert Caasmann, who was hired in 1909.
This is one of the oldest industrially produced Rhinoceros, not the oldest, but old nonetheless.  
It was copied by the Danish company Neo-Form and inspired other manufacturers.

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When asked if Blancherie Frères drew inspiration from Britains, and if so which Britains, I always think of the old Lineol, its shape, its folds, its head... I think it has a beautiful ancestor's face and it's possible that it had offspring in France as well as in England.  
The shape is a little different each time, but there's a family resemblance, as Darwin would say: Descendants with modification.  

Let's cross the Alps to Italy, to Milan to be precise, in 1934. That year, Ottavio Confalonieri and Luigi Chiappa founded the "Ottavio Confalonieri e C." company.
Their credo was to make artificial flowers and other decorations for pastries.  
Soon, however, the company extended its activity to the production of toy soldiers, Indians and cowboys, and zoo figurines, imitating the production model of Pfeiffer, Hausser and Lineol.
Confalonieri quickly became the champion of toy production in Italy, until the war put an end to the adventure for a few years.
Luigi Chiappa relaunched the company in April 1949, and it enjoyed a second golden age under the name Chialù with the advent of the "consumer society". Unfortunately, in 1960, a fire devastated a large part of the Milan factory.  
The Milan fire brigade demanded then unavoidable and costly adjustments.
Two years later Chiappa, then aged sixty-nine, closed the company...

A book has been written about the Chialù and Nardi animal figurines, but unfortunately it's nowhere to be found.  

Let's talk about Rhinoceros, the brand has produced more than one. For today, we'll settle for the biggest one, inspired by the old Lineol.
This one isn't a copy, it's a bit smaller but stronger, and it's no less charming than its predecessor.  
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Let's let our two companions waltz around.
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Finally, it's time to bring us closer to "modern times" with a little Panini rhino. The Modena-based company, well known for its collectible cards and stickers, has also produced a number of series of plastic figurines. In 1990 it brought out a series called Animali del Mondo. These are small monochrome plastic figurines imitating the ancient Chialù. The Indian rhinoceros is no exception, even though it has a second little horn growing out of the first.  

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With the Chialù
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With the Lineol
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The whole tribe with a Schleich
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A little attempt to wake up this sleepy topic...    
Still in Italy (I can hear the cicadas), Chialù has produced several Indian rhinoceros. This week's is a little smaller and less well finished than the Lineol's cousin. Unfortunately, I don't know which series it belongs to or what that series looked like.
This 25th rhino is part of my Mickey mouse club, whatever the angle he always has his ears visible, one in front and one behind.  
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We stay in Italy for the 26th rhino, a Nardi Fratelli. Like Chialù, the NF brand was a major player in Italy in the 1930s until 1979. It produced toys in composition and plastic and suffered the same tragic fate as Chialù. The adventure came to an abrupt end when a fire ravaged the workshops in April 1979, destroying most of the moulds and sounding the firm's death knell.  
NF left us a few rhinoceros, including this compo model with beautiful ears.  
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The two cousins together
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With a Schleich, as usual
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Are you sure the Chialu is not contagious?!