Before I start this review I would again like to thank our friends at Happy Hen Toys for donating this review sample. It was on my radar when it was first announced, but I wasn’t 100% sure I wanted it. I am happy to have received this figure to see it in-hand and better appreciate it.
The Old English Sheepdog is an iconic breed of pastoral herding dogs. Older names for the breed include Shepherd’s Dog and Bob-tailed Sheep-dog, the latter of which was used by Schleich in early promotional images. The Old English dates back to at least the mid-late 1700s. The precise stock used to create the Old English is not known, but most certainly included the Bearded Collie and possibly the Smithfield and Russian Owtchar. As the name suggests, the breed originated in England and was initially used for herding livestock, especially sheep. By the late 1800s, it had become a popular show dog, and today remains popular as such in North America, Europe, and Australia. Looking at Toy Animal Wiki, the Old English Sheepdog is not commonly made, but a few western companies have produced them, including Bullyland, CollectA, Schleich, and Safari Ltd., as well as by lesser-known companies such as New-Ray, Nayab, and Panini. Today we will be looking at the 2024 rendition by Schleich, the successor to their first Old English, which ran from 1996-2002.
The height at the shoulders is approximately 4.2 cm for a scale of 1:14.5 for the minimum requirements by most kennel clubs. The figure is not sexed but generally females are slightly smaller than males.
The dog is sculpted in an active, playful pose, as if prancing through a field or chasing a tennis ball. At rest, most Old English Sheepdogs have fur covering their face and eyes, but because our pal today is in motion, the face and eyes are exposed. Historically, Old English had docked tails, but today tailed sheepdogs are more popular and some countries have outlawed cosmetic docking. Today’s figure has a full tail, representing the more popular take on the breed these days. Wavy texture over almost the entire body accentuates the long, dense, shaggy coat characteristic of the breed.
The base color is white with a grey back; other acceptable colors by most standards include grizzle, fawn, brown, black, blue, or blue merle. There are also dark infuscations around the eyes and under the paws. The nose is black and the mouth is pink with black highlight on the lower jaw. Old English can have blue eyes, brown eyes, or one of each color; the figure today has the common blue color.
I am not a dog specialist or expert (I don’t even have any interest in owning a dog). The dog figures I collect tend to be aesthetically pleasing and represent breeds I find interesting. To me this is a fairly decent rendition of the Old English, but others more familiar with the breed might find others to their liking. It certainly doesn’t quite hold up to recent dogs by CollectA and Safari Ltd. Based on pics online, I might actually prefer the older Schleich version that has the characteristic covered face, although overall its sculpt looks cruder. This pooch is available at Happy Hen Toys in the United States or wherever Schleich figures are sold.
The sheep are having nothing to do with it…
I knew and Old-English sheepdog named Emma, she would bring you your own shoes as gifts so you had to be careful where you left them. She was a good dog.
The eyes on this one are unsettling, I would have preferred them covered! Great review!