Janet and I went to her parents house in Houston for Thanksgiving. Not to enjoy their company, nor to eat a holiday feast. We came down to clean it out and fix it up so it can be sold. While cleaning out one of the upstairs room we found this horse, slightly marbled. Is it, or isn't it a Cracker Jack toy?

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Hi Luke,
I think you will find that this horse is made by NOSCO, however, it is not a Cracker Jack prize. I have the same horse in a transparent blue color (very pretty) on display with a few other animals that go with it including a dog, bear and camel (some transparent and some opaque). I do see sets of these animals for sale on eBay once in awhile. These animals are generally larger than the animals distributed in Cracker Jack and likely would not have fit into a prize sleeve. They are neat animals anyway and I like the the transparent colors. I hope that helps! Anybody else have additional info on the animals?

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Gail--I'd love to see this set of animals, if you will post it. I have a stylized dog that looks a little like a Scottie, so of course I had to have it. I've never thought it was Cracker Jack, though, due to the size. If you see a set for sale on eBay, let me know!

Well, here's the horse and dog. My camel has evidently run off to join the circus or audition for Santa's team. I think the dog does look like a Scottie now that you mention it! These animals are quite beautiful, but too large for CJ prizes of the time. They look like they are early plastic, bakelite even, but now I've forgotten how to tell if plastic is bakelite? Can somebody help with that? Anybody else have others of these animals? Cyndy, will let you know if I see them up for sale.

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Hi Gail, Thanks for the post! Those are really neat. Bakelite is never truly transparent, so these have to be some other type of early plastic. My Scottie is a pale turquoise and certainly has that Bakelite "look", but it fails all the Bakelite tests. If you want to test anything you think might be Bakelite, the definitive test is to rub on a miniscule amount of Simichrome polish with a white paper towel or Kleenex. Simichrome is pink, but Bakelite makes the residue on the towel or tissue turn a bright YIELD sign yellow. There were some early Cracker Jack tops that were Bakelite.

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This squirrely gal is *NUTS* about collecting Cracker Jack prizes!

Wow! Thanks for the tips on Bakelite Cyndy and Ginger! It seems to me I once heard something about scratching and seeing if it smells like a match or something too once long ago. Anybody know more about that or other methods?

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Well, Martha is nuts! If you put bakelite in the sun, not only does it drastically fade, but if it gets hot enough, it will warp. Don't scratch bakelite--that will just damage the piece. In the past, dealers used to insert a red hot needle. If it melted, it was bakelite, but it left a permanent blemish. The Simichrome test is definitive. You can also rub the piece with your finger. If you have a sensitive enough nose, you can smell phenol. The kitchen cleaner "Fantastic" will also turn yellow when rubbed on bakelite, but it has to be washed off thoroughly, or it will damage the piece. Simichrome is actually good for bakelite, which is why most collectors rely on it.

The style from Lukes photo is an original from the 1930s and is larger. The clear plastic ones are smaller and from the 1950s. I have seen four different sizes of these made from a number of different types of plastics and thermosets. I was trying to remember one of the designers names, but I think his last name was Manning. None of these were ever used as CJ prizes.

Hi Jeffrey,
Thanks for your input. It is great to have you and your expert knowledge here at the CJCA forums!

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