Circus Time: The Phony Ponies

Yesterday's Hagen Renakers were so lovely that Shiken, a company in Japan that produced bone china figurines in the 1960s, copied the Head Up Pony. 

This one fooled me at first, but when I took a closer look, I noticed black hooves, not gold. The next photo shows my two variations of the HR Head Ups. Can you see other differences between them and the Shiken?

The Shiken harness is brown, not gold, and the body color is a stark white, unlike the Hagen Renakers which are creamy colored due to the slip that is used in producing them.

Still it was a charming piece and I added him to my collection even though he was an imitation. But Shiken and another company, Kelvin, didn't stop with copying the Head Up circus pony. They created new pieces. (And I am so glad that they did.)

I have eleven of them - look at the variety of poses and sizes! Aren't they fun?

These four all bear Shiken stickers. Now, we all know that stickers can be switched around or removed altogether, but I feel confident that these pieces are by Shiken.

These two have stickers from Kelvin (sometimes called Kelvin Bradley.) Like the Shikens, they are made from bone china and very white. The piece on the right is a copy of the HR Head Up pony, but is a bit larger in scale. They have unusual plumes and their harnesses have scalloping and are two different colors. I have never seen any others like these two.

These four do not have stickers but I believe them to be Shikens as their harnesses are the same as the other Shikens. This Head Up pony is the only one in my knock off collection that has no plume. Look at the one on the left - what a long plume and I love the energetic pose.

There is some size variation among the pieces that adds interest to them, at least in my opinion.

A little hard to tell, but the pony on the right is a bit bigger.

You can see the size difference here, too.

These Phony Ponies are some of my favorites, and not just in my collection of circus ponies but in my entire collection. I'd love to find more - I suspect there are other poses, too. 

After I was nearly fooled by the Head Up Shiken pony, I put together an entry for the Anything Goes class at a Great Lakes Congress show.

It did well for me, and was a lot of fun to assemble.

These phony ponies make me smile every time I get them out. (I'm even smiling now as I type!)

Next up? We will look at some non-equine circus animals.

Prepare to be amazed!