Toy Major 1997 Dogs, updated in 2021

Taos wrote:

Thanks Roger,that's him!

Thanks to you too, Taylor.
With the pictures you provided recently, namely the Doberman above, We're only missing the German Shepherd and Dalmatian on TAW for the 1997 series.

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Look what I've found in my external hard drive. For any reason I saved these pictures from @Deseo's collection. As you know Emilia's huge collection of dogs website is down and she is not having time to be active on boards. Though, she is a TAW editor and I have her permission to use her pictures. However, I wanted to share all of them with you here. Her collection is a international reference. These pictures belong to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

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Hurray, we can now see some of Deseo's amazing dogs!
Such beautiful TM models, and a joy to see some of Jill's again like that Collie, American Cocker and Golden Retriever! This is perfect for TAW!

And I have just found today the Dachshund from Toy Major's very small dog series, from the list I sent you!
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Great photos! A black poodle! All of those have a nice paint job, I especially like the Collie. And good to know what the Dalmatian looks like, too.

Congrats on that find, Bonnie, what a sweet little dachshund! I wonder which breeds are represented the most across the board. The dachshund and the poodle must be top competitors.

Jill wrote:

Great photos! A black poodle! All of those have a nice paint job, I especially like the Collie. And good to know what the Dalmatian looks like, too.

Congrats on that find, Bonnie, what a sweet little dachshund! I wonder which breeds are represented the most across the board. The dachshund and the poodle must be top competitors.

Thank you Jill!
Yes, those breeds definitely would be! I remember reading on here somewhere that the German Shepherd is the most common breed in figure form according to TAW!

Good memory, Bonnie, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

However, updating it, the Rough Collie surpassed the Dalmatian. The fight between Retrievers keep quite interesting but the German Shepherd gives no chance.

Here you have the updated top 10 according to Toy Animal Wiki

1st German Shepherd
2nd Labrador Retriever
3rd Golden Retriever
4h Rough Collie
5th Dalmatian
5th Poodle
7th Dachshund
8th Saint Bernard
9th Boxer
10th Border Collie

While lost counting so many dogs, let's see if I find the list you've sent with the small TM dogs.

This is such an interesting list, thank you! Wonderful to see two favourite breeds of mine in the top 3! It will be interesting to see how this list changes over time, as different breeds become more/ less popular!
And I can definitely resend the list if you can't find it!

Bonnie wrote:

This is such an interesting list, thank you! Wonderful to see two favourite breeds of mine in the top 3! It will be interesting to see how this list changes over time, as different breeds become more/ less popular!
And I can definitely resend the list if you can't find it!

Thanks, I still have the lists of the 4 Toy Major series you've sent to me. I assume that little Daschund doesn't ahve anything marked, a year, a number or a letter.
Well, our top 10 dogs does not reflect yet how dog breeds turn popular because we are listing mostly figures from the last century and not exactly new releases. It may explain why the Rough Collie surpassed the Dalmatian when the tendency of the last years seem to be the opposite. Though, on the other hand, it seems the French Bulldog is turning more popular than the English Bulldog and I think it was not like that a few decades ago. It is also fun because some dog breeds are almost equally represented and I would need to use some criteria to make a more accurate list. For instance, as soon as I upload your Daschund and a Dalmatian set, the poor Poodle will fall back to the 7th place. Also, both retrievers have a technical draw, these two breeds have always very similar numbers.

Roger wrote:

Good memory, Bonnie, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

However, updating it, the Rough Collie surpassed the Dalmatian. The fight between Retrievers keep quite interesting but the German Shepherd gives no chance.

Here you have the updated top 10 according to Toy Animal Wiki

1st German Shepherd
2nd  Labrador Retriever
3rd Golden Retriever
4h Rough Collie
5th Dalmatian
5th Poodle
7th Dachshund
8th Saint Bernard
9th Boxer
10th Border Collie

While lost  counting so many dogs, let's see if I find the list you've sent with the small TM dogs.

My friend Sylvie would be disappointed to read this, to see that the Doberman Pinsher is not very often represented in the toy world...

Such drool worthy dogs here... I have a few but there are many to find still. Great update Roger, thank you!

Roger wrote:

Bonnie wrote:

This is such an interesting list, thank you! Wonderful to see two favourite breeds of mine in the top 3! It will be interesting to see how this list changes over time, as different breeds become more/ less popular!
And I can definitely resend the list if you can't find it!

Thanks, I still have the lists of the 4 Toy Major series you've sent to me. I assume that little Daschund doesn't ahve anything marked, a year, a number or a letter.
Well, our top 10 dogs does not reflect yet how dog breeds turn popular because we are listing mostly figures from the last century and not exactly new releases. It may explain why the Rough Collie surpassed the Dalmatian when the tendency of the last years seem to be the opposite. Though, on the other hand, it seems the French Bulldog is turning more popular than the English Bulldog and I think it was not like that a few decades ago. It is also fun because some dog breeds are almost equally represented and I would need to use some criteria to make a more accurate list. For instance, as soon as I upload your Daschund and a Dalmatian set, the poor Poodle will fall back to the 7th place. Also, both retrievers have a technical draw, these two breeds have always very similar numbers.

It's marked with China and '1', I'm not sure if that helps much!
Exactly, breed popularity changes all the time and I'm sure this list will keep changing! I think the popularity of the Rough Collie was due to the famous Lassie, which is why in earlier years we have had so many wonderful models of this breed, but now sadly I don't think we'll see as many 'Lassies' in the future. I'm still hoping CollectA will update their one with their new amazingly realistic style! And I completely agree about the French Bulldog too, I'm sure we'll see many more models of this breed because as you say it's seen a huge surge in popularity! It even beat the Labrador here in the UK on the list of the top 10 most popular breeds for the first time ever! And of course, the constant battle between the labs and goldies!  I sometimes wonder whether we'll see some of the crossbreeds like cockerpoos that have become popular in recent years, this is definitely one of the breeds I see the most here on walks!

Bowhead Whale wrote:

My friend Sylvie would be disappointed to read this, to see that the Doberman Pinsher is not very often represented in the toy world...

It is on top 20 fighting with the Irish Setter.

Bonnie wrote:

It's marked with China and '1', I'm not sure if that helps much!

Thanks, it surely helps. How do you know it is a Toy Major, does it have the oval with TM or do you know it from other sources?
Here is a page on TAW for these small dogs. As only your Dachshund is pictured, it is still early to make a gallery.

I have it written down as TM, I remember I think it was from Emilia's old website where I found this information but I'm definitely sure that it is this Dachshund as it matches the one I remember seeing and is the same size and style as the others!
Thank you so much for opening the page, it's perfect! I'll let you know if I ever find anymore of these dogs!

Bonnie wrote:

I have it written down as TM, I remember I think it was from Emilia's old website where I found this information but I'm definitely sure that it is this Dachshund as it matches the one I remember seeing and is the same size and style as the others!
Thank you so much for opening the page, it's perfect! I'll let you know if I ever find anymore of these dogs!

Thanks Bonnie, I was not doubtful about its autencity, just checking if it was brand marked. Now I know these are not.

Bonnie wrote:

This is such an interesting list, thank you! Wonderful to see two favourite breeds of mine in the top 3! It will be interesting to see how this list changes over time, as different breeds become more/ less popular!
And I can definitely resend the list if you can't find it!

I wonder if GSDs are [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] due to their use and popularity as K9s, so many may be accessories to action figures etc. They're probably one of the most globally recognized breeds too, because of their use as military/police/assistance dogs. Besides, it seems their molds and wolves get used interchangeably, so more bang for the buck for the manufacturers.

As for other breeds, their rankings probably will rise and fall due to their pop culture popularity would be my guess. So with the collies for example, they were immensely popular in film, advertising and literature in the mid century Lassie days, as well as in real life with dog owners. I bet if you broke the dog model statistics down by decade, collies would be right up there with or maybe even top the perennial GSDs in the 50s and 60s. Now, French Bulldogs are very much an 'in' breed, as are Pomeranians, so I'm not surprised that they've not only appeared in models but risen to the top, while collies- no longer so popular- have fallen.

pipsxlch wrote:

Bonnie wrote:

This is such an interesting list, thank you! Wonderful to see two favourite breeds of mine in the top 3! It will be interesting to see how this list changes over time, as different breeds become more/ less popular!
And I can definitely resend the list if you can't find it!

I wonder if GSDs are [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] due to their use and popularity as K9s, so many may be accessories to action figures etc. They're probably one of the most globally recognized breeds too, because of their use as military/police/assistance dogs. Besides, it seems their molds and wolves get used interchangeably, so more bang for the buck for the manufacturers.

As for other breeds, their rankings probably will rise and fall due to their pop culture popularity would be my guess. So with the collies for example, they were immensely popular in film, advertising and literature in the mid century Lassie days, as well as in real life with dog owners. I bet if you broke the dog model statistics down by decade, collies would be right up there with or maybe even top the perennial GSDs in the 50s and 60s. Now, French Bulldogs are very much an 'in' breed, as are Pomeranians, so I'm not surprised that they've not only appeared in models but risen to the top, while collies- no longer so popular- have fallen.

You are so right, and definitely an interesting point about GSDs as action figures too! I would of course love to see more collies but as you said, the Lassie days have now gone and so we probably won't see as much of this lovely breed. But on a positive note maybe as trends change we will see new breeds in this hobby!

In our subject collecting the hegemony of the German Shepherd is much related with the fact that this dog was historically used as "the dog" in several farm series. That's not the only explanation, they're common as action figures but those are not often amongst our collecting interests.
When we thingk about a cow, it is the Holstein breed and when we think about a dog, it is usually a German Shepherd regardless of being or not our favorite.
I could make a whole topic about what is a Farm Dog for toy companies and it would be interesting to see how the German Shepherd is favoured among French, German and North American brands while the Border Collie has a special role among British related companies. A kind of farm dob brexit or breedxit.

I agree with the generic 'dogs' identification of GSDs and historically they WERE farm dogs so their inclusion in farm sets isn't surprising. The traditional farm dog in the US was an Australian or English shepherd type, more a type than a breed and unrecognized off the ranches, so once again a GSD works and was used.
About the action figure link though, I think there's a fair degree of unintended overlap... we may not as a group be interested in action figures, but they and their accessories do end up in the secondary market. From there, their animal companions end up in our hands. So we may not be into Hasbro's GI Joe, but his dogs, wolves, barracudas etc. grace our collections.

Really interesting points from both! I definitely agree, lots of people would think of them as a typical farm dog, and it's interesting how this would change depending on country too.

I think it's because they have a reputation as good tough guard dogs, they put off trespassers and thieves just by being around, on farms and stables and so on. Labradors are also really popular with farmers, but everyone knows they're generally soppy dogs who don't bite, so they're not intimidating enough to keep unwanted visitors out!
Where I work now has a German Shepherd, where my horses live the owner's had three over the years, and where I used to work (as groom on a posh lady's private stable yard) there were two as well. They weren't guard dogs as such, they were pets and very cuddly, and definitely weren't trained to attack on command, but if any time I was there to mind the property and protect the horses overnight, my instructions were to always take the dogs out with me if I heard suspicious noises in the night - cos being my friends and very loyal, they'd protect me if I surprised any burglars who then came after me and acted threatening!
After the time I DID scare off some potential horse thieves, I also used to put my riding gear on, too - the body protectors aren't bulletproof but they'd help against stabbing, and the jockey helmet would've helped if they'd tried to knock me on the head Looking back, that job was ridiculous and I'm amazed I put up with it so long (it was only cos her horses were so nice, and I was so attached to the one I'd raised from a foal)

It sounds as though you worked with some wonderfully loyal German Shepherds! And a very brave job too!

Only the Dalmatian needs confirmation but since it is the only number left we have now the numbered list of dogs complete.

1. Akita Inu
2. German Shepherd
3?. Dalmatian
4. Boxer
5. Dachshund
6. Doberman Pinscher
7. Poodle (Neon or black)
8. American Cocker Spaniel (marked Springer Spaniel)
9. Collie
10. Springer Spaniel (marked Cocker Spaniel)
11. Labrador Retriever
12. Golden Retriever