TOP ROW - "Wonder Pony" Rocking Horse

Hobby Horse, 1960
Donor: Charles A. Van Zoeren, 2004

Wonder Products Co. of Collierville, Tennessee, the maker of this horse, is credited with manufacturing the first spring-action rocking horse in 1949. “Wonder Horses” were made entirely out of wood, until the company switched to plastic bodies and steel frames in 1959. The Wonder Horse was the most popular hobby horse in the U.S. from the 1950s to the 1970s. This one was owned by the Charles A. Van Zoeren family of Kalamazoo.

Cowboy's Best

The term "Wonder Horse" harkens back to the classic era of American cinema. In early Western films, a Wonder Horse was the horse companion of the cowboy hero. Given their own screen personalities, Wonder Horses were characterized as heroes as much as their cowboy riders. Because they added so much to the cowboy mythology, Wonder Horses found great popularity among youth. This resulted in an abundance of Wonder Horse-themed merchandise for children.

Medieval

Hobby horses, including rocking horses and the simpler stick horses, have been used as children's toys for centuries. To "ride a hobbyhorse" in Old English meant to engage in a favorable activity, giving us the modern meaning of the word "hobby.