PlaymoFriends
General => Collector's Corner => Topic started by: Martin Milner on January 11, 2011, 18:14:52
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With some input and advice from Tim (thanks Tim!) my wife got me these three spendid fellows for Christmas.
(http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd97/Martin_Milner/018.jpg)
The Mountie is of course a real gem, and came with all his accoutrements. The horse is not the original one, but that's a trivial detail. I love the Mountie, so distinctive, and of course rare as Playmobil will probably never produce these again.
(http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd97/Martin_Milner/020.jpg)
The Ranger is also a new figure in my collection, as other rangers I have wear a different color hat. I thought he was missing his hatband, but it turns out there never was a hatband in the original set 3228.
(http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd97/Martin_Milner/019.jpg)
This particular hat shape with four creases rising to a crown falls under the name "Stetson" in Playmodb, and is widely used to describe any wide-brimmed high-crowned hat. I wasn't sure if this was correct (it is), so I looked up a bit about the history of the Stetson name.
I found that Stetson was a particular hat maker, John B Stetson, who set up manufacturing hats in Philadelphia in 1865 after some years travelling in the West. Presumably he designed very good hats because his "Boss of the Plains" soon became "The Hat" to be seen in.
The Stetson Hat Company still manufactures hats, their website currently featuring 34 different styles ranging from $28.50 to $310.00 (US Dollars) http://www.stetsonhat.com/ . They don't sell the Mountie's Stetson direct to the public, but the original Mountie hat was supplied by Stetson, and you can buy one direct from the RCMP veterans store for $250 CAD. http://www.mountiestore.com/products/item12.htm
The "Mountie" style of Stetson is still widely used across North America by Park Rangers, the Armed forces and Police forces, especially State Troopers, and it would be nice to see the style produced by Playmobil in other colors (e.g. Blue with a gold band & tassels). The crown gives extra height to anyone wearing it, and signifies officialdom and authority.
So, as so often with Playmobil, I've got not only a nice set of figures, but also more knowledge of what it was represents, and a little more understanding about the world we live in.
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Wow, Martin, great additions to your collection (and a great wife for buying you them!)
:wave:
PS: and that's a wonderful photo of the Mountie on horseback - excellent angle and pose.
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A wonderful present indeed and great pictures to boot! Thanks for the history.
Joe
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HI
What a great present from your wife. That Mountie is a hard to find (at least at a decent price) Klicky. He looks so good with the rangers.
Thanks for sharing
Rasputin "The Mad Monk"
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Hi Martin!! Gongratulation on the Mountie!!! Love him dearly!!! :love: :love:
And why do the boy scouts wear them hats?
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Great presents and thanks a lot for the little history!!
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Wonderful additions to your collection, Martin! I love this old mountie.
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Those are some nice klicky additions, Martin! I particularly like the Mountie. Good history on Stetson too. :cowboy:
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Merry Christmas eh! ;D
Very nice figures! :)
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Oh the Mountie is cute! Gotta get me one of them! It was very nice of your wife to give such a wonderful surprise! :)
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Hi Martin!! Congratulation on the Mountie!!! Love him dearly!!! :love: :love:
And why do the boy scouts wear them hats?
I don't think Boy Scouts still wear the Stetsons, though they did up until about WW1, as they are excellent outdoor hats. I couldn't find any modern photos of Scouts in Stetsons, only baseball caps. I doubt modern parents would or could pay for a Stetson, possibly several as the child grows and needs bigger hats.
@Ras - My wife says this one cost less than €10 - so he was a bargain!
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Great to see she was able to score the Mountie for you.
The saddle isn't the original one btw - missing the insignia, but the figure is all there and correct. I really like these ranger sets. Do you have the tan one in short sleeves? Let me know if not, I think I may still have one extra.