The Golden Era of Plastic Heroes Founded in 1941 in Hartland, Wisconsin, Hartland Plastics originally produced functional items like light switches. However, in the early 1950s, they revolutionized the toy industry by hiring talented sculptors like Roger Williams and Alvar Backstrand to create realistic, hand-painted plastic figurines.
The Western Boom As Western TV shows and movies dominated American culture, Hartland secured licenses for major stars. While they produced famous sets like Roy Rogers & Trigger and The Lone Ranger, they also sold “generic” versions of these molds.
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The Cowgirl: Introduced in late 1954, the green-outfit cowgirl was often paired with a light dun horse (Buttermilk) to represent Dale Evans.
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The Cowboy Master: This mold was one of Hartland’s earliest successes, appearing in various color schemes (red/white, blue/brown, or tan/gray) as “The Wrangler” or “The Champ Style Cowboy.”
Legacy and Collectibility Unlike the “flat” plastic toys of the era, Hartland figures were 3D-molded with incredible detail—down to the buttons on the shirts and the musculature of the horses. Today, they are prized by both toy historians and model horse enthusiasts (many of whom later transitioned to Breyer horses). Finding these with original accessories like the removable western saddles and bridles significantly increases their value to collectors.
