Throwback Thursday: Retro Toys,The Daddy Saddle
Image courtesy of Kenner Collector.
By: Brittany Bevis
For this Throwback Thursday, we’re taking a trip back in time to the 60s when the Kenner toy company’s Daddy Saddle made its debut in the 1965 Toy Fair catalog. Formed in 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio by the three Steiner brothers, Kenner Products was responsible for popularizing such retro favorites as the Bubble Rocket, Easy-Bake Oven, Spirograph, Baby Alive, Stretch Armstrong, Strawberry Shortcake, and eventually Play-Doh (KennerCollector, 2014).
With the irresistible tagline, “Now every child’s favorite game- ‘Horsie’- comes to life,” the Daddy Saddle definitely makes the top of our list as one of the most entertaining vintage children’s toys of the era. Longtime Kenner toy collector, Dan Flarida, was lucky enough to uncover one of the original Daddy Saddles and has generously agreed to share his photos for use as illustrations in this piece.
“I wrote about the Daddy Saddle’s 1965 Toy Fair catalog entry and put the word out that it was at the top of my most wanted list,” Flarida says. “I have been actively looking for one for years, and I considered it to be a holy grail of sorts for my collection. I didn’t think I would ever see one pop up for sale, and I even had my doubts that it was ever made by Kenner.”
The 1965 Kenner catalog ad. Image courtesy of Kenner Collector.
Thanks to the miracles of the Internet, Flarida came into contact with an individual who was willing to sell their vintage saddle complete with original box. By all accounts, the brightly colored packaging with its throwback graphics and humorous descriptions is probably the best part of this acquisition.
As it reads on the package, “Giddyeup ole’ Daddy! For hours of the most exciting fun any child and parent ever had playing together.” The real-looking saddle comes complete with stirrups, girth, saddle horn, and “real tooled leather Western trim.” Thanks to the vinyl skim coat over a foam rubber base, the Daddy Saddle promised to provide hours of enjoyment for both father and child (as long as daddy’s knees and back didn’t give out first.)
For those times when daddy is “out on the range,” other suggested uses include placing the saddle on a teeter-totter, arm of a couch, back of a hobby horse, on a wagon, on a swing set, or on the box as a TV seat. The price for such a gem in 1965 was $4.98.
Image courtesy of Kenner Collector.
Fast forward to the 21st century, the toy’s modern-day counterpart is a bit more expensive at $44.95. As seen on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Cashel’s Daddle Saddle is a soft-stuffed model that’s a bit more comfortable for dad’s back.
Also in that thread, there’s a unique creation invented by Minneapolis-based entrepreneur Robert Klick that he cleverly named the Po-Knee. After all, why bounce your baby on your knee when you can use a Po-Knee plush horse!
With a bottom that’s contoured for the comfort of dad’s leg, velcro straps, and all important sound effects, Klick’s invention was featured as the winner of Oprah Winfrey’s Million Dollar Idea Challenge and on QVC. Touted as possibly “the next Mr. Potato Head” in a 2004 article by Inc, a few Po-Knees can still be found here or there on resale sites like eBay.
We enjoy seeing your photos from the past. If you have an image that you think would make for a great Throwback Thursday piece, email b.bevis@equinechronicle.com.
