Play Sets and Singles: Got to Be a Götz - Ponies and Dolls

Götz (or Goetz in the US) started as a small, family owned, German doll company in the 1950s. Originally made with paper mache, in 1957 the company began using rotational molding to produce vinyl dolls. They pioneered the mass-production of "designer" dolls with their product line by artist, Sasha Morgenthaler, in 1964. After establishing a factory in the US in the late 1980s, Götz became involved with the Pleasant Company, the producers of the American Girl Dolls.³³ The company continues to be a major player in the designer doll world to this day.

Breyer produced models for both the Pleasant Company and Götz, but the runs produced for the former company were only of the larger scales, and thus of little interest to us here.

At the 1995 BreyerFest, Jessica, a 19.5 inch doll in riding gear was displayed in the booth of the Bentley Sales Company. Jessica and her accessories, including saddlebags stamped with the Breyer logo, were produced by Götz, but the pair of Stablemates peeking out of her bags were pure Breyer.¹²

Models and picture owned by Deb Walsmith and used here by permission.

This pair were both regular run releases: #5120 G1 Arabian Stallion and #5141 G1 Thoroughbred Mare.¹² These models were both discontinued at the end of 1994 with the rest of the assortment, so maybe this was Breyer's way of getting rid of some overstock? The State Line Tack catalogue carried pictures of the set through 1996, so it's generally assumed the set was discontinued at the end of that year.¹²

Apparently Jessica and her plastic friends were popular enough for Götz to agree to two additional models. In 1996 the first single, and only named model, was added to Götz's catalogue - a chestnut leopard appaloosa G1 Arabian Mare named Butterscotch.¹²




Records from Breyer state around 1,000 of these models were produced, but a model number for the run itself was not listed. The packaging was simple, a small plastic baggie adorned with the following sticker:¹⁹

Front:19	Back19
Götz Puppenboutique Doll Boutique Boutique Pour Poupees	Specially made for Götz-Puppenfabrik GmbH Einberger Str. 113 96472 Rödental

Butterscotch could be found at tack and toy stores which carried Götz products and were also sold through mail order sources such as Back in the Saddle and The Enchanted Doll House.¹⁹

She was followed in 1997 by a "sleek, brown and white miniature horse" in the form of a chestnut roan G1 Morgan Stallion which was called Miniature Horse, Miniaturpferd, and Cheval miniature in the catalogue. The model was available through the same channels as Butterscotch.¹⁴



Production numbers and model number for the Miniature Horse are unavailable. Like the previous model, he too came in a plastic baggie with the same sticker as described above.¹⁴

There haven't been any other Stablemate/designer doll pairings, but a pair of leather saddlebags did play a role in a G2 set which we will see in time.

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Many thanks to Deb Walsmith for providing a picture of the first Götz set!