Mike Jackson’s Hartland Photos:
Chubby Style Horses

Text & Photographs Copyright Mike Jackson 1998-2008


The Chubby Stlye horses were the second style of horses produced to have a rider in the 800 series. There are two different molds of this piece. The first one was apparently designed for the Chief Thunderbird set but used by a few other riders until the mold was retired and replaced with a newer version with a molded bridle and tail that rests lower on the horse’s rump. Gail Fitch is credited with coining the name of this horse mold.
Brown and White Pinto without molded bridle:
The earliest of the Chubbies were used with Chief Thunderbird and had a rope for reins as shown here. Thunderbird was sold in both Brown and also Black pinto version of this mold. The color of this horse is a bit more on the caramel color than the later Tonto colors, though a few of the darker colored Brown and White Pintos do show up. This color and mold is less common of the group. Tonto was also shipped with this horse in the beginning, usually the style with the brown headband.
Black and White Pinto without molded bridle:
From all I can tell, this is the most common of the Chief Thunderbird horses but quite a few of the ones like it with the molded bridle show up, too. There seems to be a little variation in the Pinto markings over the years.
Black and White Pinto with molded bridle:
This would be Chief Thunderbird’s later horse as long as he didn’t have the Warpaint chest. You can’t really see the molded bridle but it is there. Notice how the tail is lower on the rump and the mane is smoother on this mold.
Brown and White Pinto with molded bridle:
This is Tonto’s most common horse, Scout. A few of the regular Chief Thunderbirds might have shipped with this horse, but I really doubt that happened. Because of the number of years this set was produced, this horse if fairly common.
Light Dunn Chubby with brown points, brown molded bridle:
When this horse mold became available, Dale Evans got her final horse mold for Buttermilk. This horse was used for the rest of her production, even when they offered the Purple Dale version and also in the re-released Stevens version of Dale Evans.
Light Dunn Chubby with brown points, brown painted on bridle:
When Hartland decided to produce Dale Evans to go with Roy Rogers, they changed the color of their Champ Cowgirl and put her on a Champ Style horse. This horse is from the earlier Chubby mold which did not have a molded bridle. They simply painted the bridle on the horse. I believe you might find either the Early Champ style Dale or the later official Dale on this horse for a while.
Brown with black points, without molded bridle:
Again, from the early mold Hartland used this horse for the early Davy Crocketts. This version has the black stockings. Crocketts horse is named “Streak”
Brown with black mane and tail, painted on bridle:
Some early Wyatt Earps got this horse from the early Chubby mold. The black bridle is painted on the horse. No stockings. I don't believe it was used with Crockett. The proper name for this horse is “Tombstone”.
Brown with black mane and tail, molded but unpainted bridle:
Another later version of the Crockett horse without the stockings but this time with the molded but unpainted bridle. Crockett horses are named “Streak”.
Brown with white plastic stockings, black mane and tail with molded and painted bridle:
For whatever reason, Hartland stopped producing Davy Crocketts and started making Jim Bowies with the same molds. Bowie’s horse is named “Blaze” and has white stockings and a white blaze. There are basically two versions of this horse. This one has the brown paint, painted over the white plastic. I don't have any scientific evidence, but the two styles seem about equally split in their numbers for the Bowie horse.
Brown with black mane and tail, white painted stocking and blaze, molded and painted bridle:
For whatever reason, Hartland stopped producing Davy Crocketts and started making Jim Bowies with the same molds. Bowie’s horse is named “Blaze” and has white stockings and a white blaze. There are basically two versions of this horse. This one has the white paint, painted over the dark plastic for the mane and tail..

Black Horse with brown:
This is a fairly common horse for O’Rourke, the early Canadian Mountie. This particular one has a crimped bridle in brown leather, but I believe most will have the chain reins. The brown matches the brown on the Mountie saddles.

A collector reports owning a Solid Black Chubby horse and also a Solid Black Chubby horse with a red painted bridle, but lacking the red martingale as below.
Black Horse with red tack:
I believe this is a Black Beauty horse, though there is a chance it occasionally shipped with O’Rourke. Another slight variation of this horse exists with an unmolded bridle and the red painted on. Hartland did that type of bridle on early Earp and Evans sets. I don’t own one at this time.
Stevens Plastics 1993 Buttermilk
This horse was recast in 1993 by Stevens Plastics in Hermann, MO from original molds for the Dale Evans set. It feels more like Styrene to me and is not as glossy as older Hartland sets. The brown is a shade lighter and redder and there is an abrupt line where the stockings end, where the older sets were smoother in the airbrushing.
Stevens Plastics 1993 Traveler:
Also recast in 1993 or 1994, Lee was placed on a white Chubby horse with black stockings, mane and tail instead of his normal walking horse. The plastic might be acetate but it feels more like styrene to me and some paint had chipped off the horse’s hooves with little or no use or abuse. The old Hartland company never painted a Chubby horse with these colors for a production run.
If you have, or know of any other Chubby horses, please let me know!