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 In
the 1960's thru the 1980's Pedigree produced horses, carriages,
and figures for their Sindy doll line. Marx toys oddly used
their name on some of these; Black Beauty, as well as A Sindy
version of Comanche They came complete with accessories. What
many do not know is Pedigree continued to use The sculpt of
Thunderbolt in a modified form for these wagons, carriages,
and riding horses. Pedigree horses had real hair for the main
and tail, yet had the same body as we all know as Thunderbolt.
Sindy was first introduced in 1962 by Pedigree Toys in Kent
England. Pedigree produced manyitems for Sindy's world including
furniture, clothes, cars, houses, horsetrailers and horses.
Between 1978 and 1981 Louis Marx was liscensed
to distribute Sindy in America. Almost all of the Sindy items
sold by
Marx were drawn from the British product lines of 1977 and
1978. Marx's horses for Sindy were NOT cut from the Pedigree
mold, but rather from their "JOHNNY WEST" line of
toys (Top left and right photos). These horses did not have
hair on their main and tails. They were sold with the English
bridle and saddle set designed byPedigree.
 In
1981, Marx stopped distributing Sindy in the USA. In 1981
WESCO took over the distribution of Sindy. Wesco produced
a "Western World" Sindy and Buckskin
colored Western horse in 1982, and a grey Dapple horse with
buggy (or "Gig") in the UK in 1983. There were numerous
other horses and foals made by PEDIGREE for Sindy including
a pony called "PIXIE" for Sindy's little sister,
Patch.
In 1982, WESCO also
produced a Sindy doll for McDonald's in the USA that came
dressed in a McDonald's uniform. This Sindy which is very
rare today, did not come boxed, but sealed in a plastic bag.
These dolls were intended for
convention attendees, but something went amiss and none were
deliveredin time for the convention. The shipment of dolls
sat in a Florida warehouse until 1985, where they were finally
discovered and sold to collectors.
In 1987 HASBRO bought the rights to produce Sindy. They gave
her a "makeover" and Sindy no longer resembled the
vintage doll that PEDIGREE or MARX had produced. She now had
a smaller head and a new body. This Sindy was produced until
1993, then was slowly removed from sales due to the legal
battle between HASBRO and MATTEL over the close resemblance
between Sindy and Barbie.
Article was submitted and Written by Diane Northington (Circle
X Rancher) on (8/6/04), and modified by The Vintage Toy Room
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Tom- VTR ....
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