Mike Jackson’s Hartland Photos:
Tonto and Variations

Text & Photographs Copyright Mike Jackson 1998-2008
#805 Tonto:
There is only one Tonto mold variation for the figure but it has two major color variations. The early style has a brown headband and solid black belt, while the later variation has a silver headband and silver diamonds around the belt. Some of the earliest Tonto figures lacked any form of mold mark and a few have a rubber stamp “Lone Ranger, Inc 1954” on the bottom of figure. Later molds were modified to have the traditional “Hartland Plastics Inc. Hartland Wisc”.
The color and paint used on the Tonto figure varied quite a bit over the long production run as you can see in this photo. While some have a soft leathery texture, others are very glossy and smooth. The skin tone varies from dark brown to a lighter reddish color. Tonto was a very popular set and found in almost all collections. Originally shipped on a bridleless Chief Thunderbird horse, it was quickly switched over to the similar Chubby style horse with the molded bridle. Later in the production, Hartland shipped a few of the sets on Semi-Rearing horses.

Early Tonto on Bridleless Scout
While the Tonto set is very common, I think the version with brown headband is slightly less common. When combined on the bridleless horse, I’d say he deserves two stars! The normal early Chief Thunderbird horse was more caramel in color than the deeper chocolate color used on Scout. The horse shown above is one of the darker colored ones, though I suppose you might find a lighter caramel colored one paired with Tonto at times. This version would likely ship with beaded chain reins.

Early Tonto on Scout with Molded on Bridle:
Again, the earlier style Tonto is slightly harder to find than the one with the silver headband, so I gave this one a half star. The regular Scout horse with the molded bridle is more common than the bridleless version. More than likely, if Hartland did ship this version for a while, it would have had beaded chain reins, too. The leatherette reins were not a common accessory for a couple of years after the introducion in 1954.

Later Tonto on Scout with Molded on Bridle:
This is by far the most common variation of the Tonto set. I’s say he shipped basically this way from around 1956 until 1962, with the temporary combination of the Semi-Rearing Scouts being the only exception. The horse will probably have a leatherette set of reins.

Later Style Tonto on Semi-Rearing Scout
Around 1960, Hartland shipped some Lone Ranger and some Tonto sets on Semi-Rearing horses. I don’t think I have ever seen any Hartland documentation actually showing this combination, but I have spoken with numerous collectors who know for a fact that they got one that way when they were young. In this case, the figure and accessories are the same as the more common set above. The only variation is the horse and he is quite hard to find. I don’t know what prompted Hartland to make this color horse and combination, but some people speculate it was to spur sales in the later years to people who might have already purchased one of the basic sets. It could have also been a special run for a specific retailer, but I haven’t been able to prove that theory.
Figure
No.		 Show
Name		 Star’s
Name		 Figure’s Name Studio
Name		 Show Year Brochure Years
805 The Lone
Ranger		 Jay
Silverheels		 Tonto Wrather Corp,
LR Television, Inc.		 1949-
1957		 1955-1962

*portions of this chart from “Total Television” by Alex McNeil 1996, 4th Edition

Mold Marks
Tonto: None on occasions. Normally “Hartland Plastics Inc. Hartland Wisc.” on the back of fringe on the left arm.
On Occasions: Rubber stamp “Lone Ranger, Inc 1954” on the bottom of figure.
Tonto’s Brown Saddle with Silver Stripes
As far as I know, this is the only saddle Tonto ever had. It resembles the later Lone Ranger saddles, except for the design of the tapaderos, plus it is brown instead of black. A few of them have the punch holes in the fenders, probably a result of the Semi-Rearing horse he rode temporarily.
Tonto’s Feather
This feather was used by Tonoto and also Brave Eagle. They are difficult to find since the stem is easily broken. Jay Silverheels didn’t wear a feather in the TV show, so many collectors leave the feather off the set. I have mine sitting on the shelf next to the horse!
Tonto Accessories
This is probably the basic configuration of small parts. In later years, he probably had a brown pistol,
After zooming in on the historical mold for Tonto, it is apparent the gun included in the mold was the early Champ style pistol. The sealed package of parts shown here indicates at least some Tonto sets actually received them. Not long ago, I found an original BROWN version of this early Champ style pistol, and it appears to have been shipped with a Tonto set.
The image above is a zoomed in shot of the pistol in the Tonto mold.


Early Cardboard Shipping Box and Later Pictorial Box
Both Tonto and the Lone Ranger shipped in fairly generic cardboard boxes for a while. Later, Hartland put them in the colorful picture box. They shared the front and back, but the ends and tops were modified to show the different lettering and diagrams for each set.
Brochure Photos
The photo on the left appeared in the brochure starting in 1955 and was changed over to the middle one in 1957. The later rearing LR photo shows up in the 1958 brochures.
Tonto Tag
As far as I know, this is the only tag Tonto ever had. I don’t believe the earliest sets had them. The Lone Ranger tag is similar in size and color.