Fleur Animals

Meet Fleur's very first horse - a dark brown horse with no name. It was available to buy from the very first year of Fleur's production - 1979 - until around 1982, according to the catalogue from that year (see blue photo). You'll see it quite a lot in promo photos for Fleur outfit 1205. This horse is beautifully made, sturdy, with a full mane and tail for brushing and styling. All joints are moveable, and the head also moves up and down.

For some reason, this horse has two catalogue numbers - the box shows number 4000, but the 1979 catalogue shows number 4200. It could be a simple typo - or maybe a correction, because the next horse (black horse Iris) also has number 4000 on the box. Two identical item numbers would probably cause some merchant confusion when ordering.

Here's Iris, Fleur's gorgeous black horse with ruby eyes. This horse does not appear in ANY Fleur catalogues at all, so it is impossible to guess its release date. However, from the box design (and even the quality of the box cardboard), I am guessing it is from 1980 or 1981. On the sides of the box, there is a sweet note introducing Iris in Dutch and English. Iris has beautiful ruby eyes, and a gold star sticker in the middle of her forehead and on her saddle. Her reins and saddle are beautifully made, with real rings and embossed decorations. All joints are moveable, and the head moves up and down too.

Beauty is the horse you have seen in almost all promos and ads where Fleur is a jockey - such as Amazone Fleur doll and ad, Fleur outfit 1267, and Fleur outfit 1280. It is, by far, the best known Fleur horse. Its first catalogue appearance is in 1982, and the last one in 1986, in the big Fleur booklet (see bottom photo of Beauty and her friend Pony). Note how the text describing Beauty in Dutch and English (printed on the side of her box) is identical to the text about Iris the black horse above. Beauty is fully articulated in all joints, including the head. Her mane and tail are the softest of all horses, and she is overall very lovely and graceful.

Pony was photographed and promoted together with the horse Beauty (above), so it was most probably also released in 1982 or 1983. Even Pony's box design is almost identical to Beauty's. The back of the box shows them posing together, with a random ponytail Fleur dressed in Amazone outfit. The two horses also pose together in the 1986 big booklet - see photo above. Pony is sweetly introduced on her box in Dutch and English, describing her moving legs, accessories and hair. Unfortunately, Pony's hair is the worst quality of all the Fleur horses, but it still looks pretty.

Animal Doctor Fleur doll had the best accessory - the cutest puppies ever. So far, I have found two - the yellow-black puppy (looks like a spaniel), and the white-brown puppy (probably a beagle). In the promo photo of Fleur at her clinic, you'll also see a mystery cat - there's more info below in the unknown animals section. It is possible more types of puppies were available. The puppies are made of solid lumps of vinyl, they are heavy and not hollow inside, and the vinyl surface is textured to resemble fur.

Fleur's famous black-white dog was included with three dolls: Rainy Day Fleur, Jeans Fleur and Country Walk Fleur. You'll also see it in many promo photos (for example, Jogging Fleur). It's very recognisable for its closed mouth and pink tongue. The dog is made of solid vinyl (not hollow inside), and textured to resemble fur. Usually, the dog has three black spots painted on its left side, and two black spots on its right side. Check unknown animals for a brown version below.

Fleur's charming yellow room wouldn't be as cute without these two kittens. They are hard to find and popular, so if you have a chance to buy them, do treat yourself. Each Kitties Fleur comes with both cats - a black-white in a playful pose, and a brown-yellow resting inside a round wicker basket (the cat is removable). Both cats are made of heavy vinyl (not hollow inside), with a textured surface to resemble fur. If you have an Animal Doctor Fleur puppy (above) for size comparison, the kittens are a bit larger.

The two photos below are of Animal Doctor Fleur doll - the first photo is the official promo from the back of her box, and the second is from the 1986 big booklet. In these photos, you see a mystery cat, and a light-brown puppy. It is possible they were included with a few Fleur dolls, but I have never seen these animals myself.

This is Country Walk Fleur doll with her four-legged buddy - which unfortunately doesn't seem to exist. It is possible this dog was there just for this one promo photo. It is the exact same dog as the black-white above (closed mouth and tongue out), but brown in colour. Fun fact: this dog is sometimes confused with Sindy's brown dog from the A Walk in the Park set, but it is definitely not the same dog - check out the detailed photos on my friend's Little Sindy Museum page for comparison.

The three photos below are promos of various items in Fleur brown living room furniture collection, and the last photo is from the wicker collection. In each one of these photos, you'll see one or two small cats. These cats seem to be there just for decoration. I have never seen them for sale, with any Fleur item or separately, which is too bad because they are very cute. They seem to be slightly too small for Fleur in scale as well.