Horses for Barbie and GI Joe

We had never realized how much interest existed in resin horses. Given the huge market for Barbie dolls and military action figures like GI Joe, we are surprised and disappointed that horse figurines apparently rarely, if ever, can be found in a scale of 1:6, the scale common to both those areas of miniaturists.

They would appear to be a perfect fit for the hundreds of thousands of avid Barbie fans who are a natural market for model horses, and fit in perfectly with the same special interest niche.

Furthermore, although most 1:6 scale male military figures (action figures and GI Joe) are currently crafted for World War II scenes, quite a few represent earlier wars, when horses served as both draft animals and cavalry mounts. In fact, horses played a major part in military operations as late as World War I (1914-1918) and could be found as draft animals in Eastern Europe on the Russian Front in World War II (1939-1945). Horse figures would be a welcome resource for dioramas representing that era.

And, of course, in the dioramas of hometown life in the 20th Century, the miniature universe that we advocate, model horses would fit in almost everywhere.... and a farm or ranch scene would be incomplete without horses grazing peacefully nearby to set the mood.

When we started searching for horses of that size and scale, we envisioned artisans building models (to the same scale) of authentic nineteenth and early twentieth century horse-drawn carriages and wagons, a natural fit for the most common means of transportation in that era. Another good fit would be with models of contemporary carriages used in post-wedding ceremony photos for, say, Ken and Barbie.

This would also establish a reason for other craftsmen to produce harnesses, draft gear, and other tack. It would also justify the production and sale of one-sixth size Percherons and Shire horses. We wouldn’t say that this can’t miss, but it certainly seems like a good bet. A ready-made distribution network exists with an established group of avid fans for equine models, and we believe that the need is there.