1938 Marx, Ferdinand the Bull in Original Box
Classic mechanical tin litho toy based on the animated Disney short. Fantastic near mint to mint condition complete with high grade original box. Although somewhat common in used, worn condition, it's a difficult toy to find without the typical haunch scratches and missing parts. This example is complete with original rubber horns, cloth flower, and metal bee. Beautiful lithography accurately captures the facial characteristics seen in the cartoon. However it's the shadowy body sketch (pencil) lines, representing an illustration rather than an actual bull, that really make this an memorable toy. Once wound the metal tail spins rapidly around as the bull turns in a circle in an attempt to escape the movable metal bee attached to a small hole in his body. The box features a terrific three color drawing of a dreamy Ferdinand underneath a shady tree. Two calves are gamboling (butting heads) off to the left. The side panels show a head portrait of Ferdinand casting his shadow. The name of the toy appears above him. The toy is copyrighted and marked 1938 on its underside, however it actually sold at retail in 1940 for 25¢. Marx purportedly released an earlier version in 1938 which included the same bull, but added a farm cart and farmer. It sold for 49¢. Size: 5½" long (not including the tail), 4¼" tall. Sold: Aug. 2005
Price Sold: $ 860
