Tobin Fraley
Carousel
Four Hallmark ornaments — the complete Tobin Fraley Carousel series, 1992 through 1995. Each one fine porcelain and brass, painted by hand, 5–5½ inches tall, with a specially designed display stand included. Designed by Tobin Fraley, a renowned authority on carousels who spent a lifetime restoring the graceful horses that thrilled young and old at the turn of the century. The 1994 #3 is in The Henry Ford. All four here.
1994 Tobin Fraley Carousel #3 — In The Henry Ford Collections
The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan holds the 1994 Tobin Fraley Carousel #3 (QX5223) in its permanent collections. The box text reads: “Fine Porcelain and Brass. Dated 1994. Painted by Hand. Third in the Tobin Fraley Carousel Series. A renowned authority on carousels, Tobin Fraley has spent a lifetime restoring the graceful carousel horses that thrilled young and old at the turn of the century. This third edition is based on the carving style created by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in the early 1900s. Displayed on your tree or on its specially designed stand, the horse will bring the beauty of the carousel into your home.”
“A Lifetime Restoring the Graceful Carousel Horses”
The Tobin Fraley Carousel series launched in 1992 as one of Hallmark’s most premium ornament series of the decade — fine porcelain and brass, painted by hand, 5 inches tall at $28.00 original retail, with a specially designed display stand included with every entry. The series was designed by Tobin Fraley himself, a real-world carousel authority and restorer. Fraley spent decades researching and restoring antique American carousel horses — the ornately carved, gilded, painted horses from the golden age of American carousels (roughly 1880–1930), when master carvers like Charles Carmel, Marcus Charles Illions, and the Philadelphia Toboggan Company produced the most coveted carousel horses ever made.
Each entry in the four-year series is based on a different historical carving tradition: the 1994 #3 is specifically based on the carving style of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company from the early 1900s. The 1992 founding entry (QX4891) is a white horse with red and gold trim on a brass stand. The 1994 entry carries the name “Skater’s Waltz” — a titled entry among the four. Every ornament hangs on a tree or stands on the included display stand. “The horse will bring the beauty of the carousel into your home.” Four horses. Four years. The complete series. All here.
“Fine Porcelain and Brass. Dated 1994. Painted by Hand. A renowned authority on carousels, Tobin Fraley has spent a lifetime restoring the graceful carousel horses that thrilled young and old at the turn of the century. This third edition is based on the carving style created by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in the early 1900s. Displayed on your tree or on its specially designed stand, the horse will bring the beauty of the carousel into your home.”
— Box text, 1994 Tobin Fraley Carousel #3 · QX5223 · In The Henry Ford · Fine Porcelain + Brass · Painted by Hand · Philadelphia Toboggan Co. style
Tips for the Complete Collection
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01Every entry includes a specially designed display stand — these horses display beautifully off the tree. The Tobin Fraley Carousel ornaments were designed from the outset to work as both hanging ornaments and standing figurines. The display stand is included with each entry. On a mantel or shelf as a row of four standing carousel horses, these 5–5½” tall porcelain pieces create an elegant display that shows off their hand-painted detail far better than a tree branch. A dedicated shelf display of all four horses in numbered sequence is the most impressive way to present the complete collection.
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02Handle with care — these are fine porcelain, significantly more fragile than resin Keepsakes. The Tobin Fraley Carousel ornaments are fine porcelain, not the more common resin or metal Keepsake formats. Porcelain chips and cracks with impacts that would leave resin ornaments unharmed. Handle by the body, not the legs or tail. Store individually wrapped in acid-free tissue. The brass pole and stand elements add stability when displayed, but the porcelain horse itself should be handled gently.
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03The 1994 #3 (QX5223) is in The Henry Ford — the most museum-recognized entry in the series. The Henry Ford holds the 1994 Skater’s Waltz entry, based on the Philadelphia Toboggan Company carving style of the early 1900s. Position it prominently in any display of the four horses.
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04All 4 Tobin Fraley Carousel Hallmark ornaments — the complete 1992–1995 series — are at Already Christmas. Four fine porcelain and brass carousel horses, painted by hand, each with its display stand. The beauty of the carousel, all four years. All here.
Every Tobin Fraley Carousel Hallmark Keepsake
Four hand-painted porcelain carousel horses. Click any to shop.
Tobin Fraley spent a lifetime restoring the graceful carousel horses that thrilled young and old at the turn of the century. Hallmark made that lifetime into four ornaments: a white horse with red and gold trim on a brass stand in 1992, fine porcelain, painted by hand, $28.00, with a display stand included. Three more followed through 1995, each based on a different historical carousel carving tradition — the 1994 third entry in the Philadelphia Toboggan Company style, now in The Henry Ford. Four horses. The beauty of the carousel, brought into the home. All four here.
✦ Part of our Collection: Hallmark Premium Porcelain Series, Explored ✦