“The biggest hobby horse yet – Blaze whinnies, neighs, snorts, and talks!”
In 1961, Mattel released Blaze, a talking horse that wasn’t named Mr. Ed! The hobby horse was equipped with an integrated voice unit that debuted the previous year in the company’s Chatty Cathy doll. In addition to making the expected equestrian sounds, the unit also allowed Blaze to utter one of 11 different phrases. Pulling on the toy’s Magic Ring caused Blaze to say things like, “How about some haaay?” and “Whooa!”
Blaze stood 41-inches tall and 36-inches long and was realistically sculpted of high-impact plastic. He sported black and white markings and a tooled saddle with a red blanket. Fixed hand posts, footrests, and plastic reins completed the ride-on for junior cowgirls and cowboys.
Mattel marketed Blaze’s tubular steel stand as tip-proof. Rocking the horse back and forth caused all four of his legs to gallop realistically. Children could also lean forward and backward in the saddle without fear of tipping over.
