photograph by lynn leach
A few years ago, I wrote about the Wonder Horse, a rocking horse made by a company in Collierville.
Working out of an old Quonset Hut a few blocks from the Historic Town Square, Wonder Products made several different versions of this popular toy. They first produced the "horses" from slabs of plywood, painted red, with details like the eyes, mane, and tail painted on in black. The whole horse was suspended from a wooden frame by four heavy-duty coil springs, and — as a former Wonder Horse owner — I can tell you that just getting on the thing was quite a challenge.
But once you did saddle up, and took hold of the reins (or the wooden handles protruding from the horse's head), you could rock back and forth for hours. It took a bit of skill. A few kids got bucked off — either tumbling off the back, or (like I did one day) somehow flying over the steed's head, but once you got the hang of it, you could ride for hours, and the toy was made so well that kids (or their parents) kept them for years.
The Wonder Horse became such a best-seller that Wonder Products explored better ways of making them, and soon came up with a molded fiberglass version, much more detailed and "lifelike," with the colors somehow blended into the fiberglass. These now came with a tubular steel frame, so the whole toy was easier to transport (since the frame came apart), but also much more durable — though those springs could snatch the hairs from your leg, if you weren't wearing the proper cowboy (and cowgirl) gear.
The company eventually expanded its stable (ha) to four different models, including a "Wonder Mare," as you can see here (the one ridden by the girl, second from left, is the early wooden model).
Okay, so why am I bringing up this story again? Well, a few weeks ago, I received an email from Lynn Leach, who lives in New Eagle, Pennsylvania, and had come across that column. She sent me the photo you see at the top of the page — and wanted to know if Wonder Horse ever made see-saws, or teeter-totters, or whatever you want to call this thing. Here's what she told me about it:
Greetings, Vance.
I am in New Eagle, PA, about 21 miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. In 2019, I answered a listing on Craigslist, to remove the teeter-totter from a park. They said I could have it for free if I removed it. My son and his crew picked it up. The location where he picked it up was in West Newton, PA. And boy was that a job! It is extremely heavy!
I've been wanting to auction it off, or sell it. But I just could not find any information on it. My research led me to the Wonder Horse company, but I still could not find any photos or information about this particular item, although I did read that the company did make some playground equipment.
I would be grateful if you could help me find out anything about its actual origins. I've been trying to find information about it for years!
Peace, Health and Prosperity,
Lynn Leach
Well, this turned into a harder question (and quest) than I expected. I've managed to turn up only a few images of the original Wonder Horses, and they certainly look identical to Lynn's. Notice the "tucked-up" positioning of the legs, the general shape of the head and mane, and other details like the star on the back of the saddle (look carefully at the ads and the photo Lynn provided).
So it seems very likely that these are indeed products from the company in Collierville. But so far, I haven't been able to confirm that.
I'm also puzzled how these see-saws were sold. Did Wonder Products also provide that very formidable-looking steel-beam base? As Lynn mentioned, that makes this thing "extremely heavy." (The horses themselves were hollow fiberglass, so only weighed a few pounds.) To me, that base — which looks handmade to me — just seems an accident waiting to happen. Apparently, the whole thing rocks on that base, but there's a gap beneath it just waiting for some kid to stick his foot there — and end up with a crushed foot or missing toes.
So, that's where I am right now — stumped.
If any readers remember seeing Wonder Horse see-saws anywhere, let me know. At least one of them ended up as far away from Collierville as Pennsylvania. Surely others were sold for other parks and playgrounds?
