ULIP HORSES OF ENGLAND

empty This company makes hard rubber model horses that have plastic fiber manes and tails that can be brushed. Aimed towards children, Julips are usually sold in sets that include jumps or a stable, fences, or other things for kids to play with along with the models. Inexpensive in England, they are pricey in the United States due to importation costs.

Keren GM reports: Lavender Dower, who founded Julip Models in London in 1947, died in February 2004.

Photo Credits: Appaloosa Family: Photo provided by Julip Horses of England.

Laura Bond provides a link to the Julip Archive (managed by Elli Garnett) shares this information about the company: "Hello, some info on Julip models for you. There are 2 types of Julips, the Horse of the Year range which is the "toy" range and was started in 1989, first made of solid rubber and now from solid plastic, and has a range of accessories, stables, riders etc available also. This is the range aimed mainly at children. And the originals which are the handmade latex models and have been made since the 1950s, first with natural fibre manes and tails and now with synthetic hair. Originals animals are also made (dogs, cats and a fox; also there used to be doves but these are no longer made; donkeys and donkey foals also used to be made but no longer are). There also used to be a variety of handmade child and adult riders in various styles (including a huntsman, sidesaddle rider and eventing rider) and accessories such as sidesaddles, harness, pony carts/traps, a hay wagon and a gypsy caravan made in previous decades (most examples tend to date from the 1970s) but these are sadly no longer made either. Originals are made in a variety of different moulds. There used to be many more types and breed of horse and pony available but now the range on offer is less varied, as many of the moulds have worn out and become unusable. Oh and I'd like to point out that this statement "Inexpensive in England, they are pricey in the United States due to importation costs" isn't exactly true. The HOTYs are fairly pricy for what they are (i.e., mass produced models, especially when compared to similar sized models like classic Breyers) but the originals especially are quite expensive new (around £45-50, whilst vintage ones have been regularly making well over £100 and even up to £250 on ebay lately. Also the originals are not really aimed at children, both because of the price and because they are classed as dolls house accessories and not suitable for under 14s due to the wire in their legs to enable them to be posed. Most originals collectors are older children or adults, especially the collectors of the vintage models. Oh and the first Julip horses were handmade from chamois leather in the mid to late 1940s before the latex models replaced them." Thanks, Laura.

Summer 2008: Update

Julip models have been galloping into collector’s homes since 1945.Wow!
Early Julips were made of chamois leather, with lead wire in their legs.
The first Julip shop was at 18 Beauchamp Place in the heart of London’s Knightsbridge.
The highly collectable latex Julip Originals were Produced in the 1950’s. They are still carefully hand made the same way today.
In 1989 the immensely popular ‘Horse of the Year’ range was launched.
Many Julip models are based on real horses. In 1997 Julip made a white horse called Mousie in memory of Julip Director Annabel’s own pony.
In 1995 Julip celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a limited edition model and a party covered by Hello! magazine.
Forget meeting rock stars and trips to Disneyland …in 1999 Julip were asked by the Make-a-Wish Foundation (who grant the wishes of very ill children) to make a Julip horse to one of the children’s designs.
In 2000 Julip made a model of ILPH Bob the Cob who went on to become equine ambassador to the world’s largest equine charity the International League for the Protection of Horses, the ILPH.
Julip celebrated its Diamond Anniversary with the launch of two new Julip Original models the Lippizaner and the Irish Draught.
Early last year Julip were proud to introduce the chestnut Julip Original ‘Oliver’ to help raise funds for the Riding for the Disabled
In 2007 Julip teamed up with the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund (MDIRF) to help raise money for this great charity. Visit www.mdirf.co.uk for more details.
In June 2008 Julip Horses will be ‘appearing’ at a Celebratory Charity Polo Day at Cowdray Park raising funds for the MDIRF, with guests such as Patron Zara Phillips, Katie Price, Pete Andre, jockey Richard Dunwoody amongst the celebrities.

Foals

Photo Credits: Calico Cat sleeping. 2010. Owned and photograph by Melodie Dowell.

Riders

empty Vintage rider with plaits
Owned by Jessica Shorkey. Photo by Melodie Dowell.

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