Can anyone ID these little horses?

[sunny_ell]

I think they are chalkware, a fingernail across the bottom scrapes some off.

They are small. The white one is 2" high. 

I'm assuming they are horses. And not toys because of the chalkware.

I've searched..... to no avail.

Thanks for any help!!

[melda58]

They look more like hippopotamus to me.  

Rita

[maxine*j · Accepted solution]

They are  Moomin characters:

https://www.moomin.com/en/

and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomins

I don't know how many makers there were / are of Moomin figurines, but now you have a place to start researching that, and this might help:

https://www.google.com/search?q=moomin+figurines&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiT8sK22Ln-AhX3AFkFHeP3CvIQ2-cCe...

Lots more general images here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=moomin+characters&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi817Dz2Ln-AhVwE1kFHecTDtcQ2-cC...

[sunny_ell]

Wish I could give 2 Best Answers. You were correct, too! Thank you!

I look at them now and... horses? HAHAHA

[sunny_ell]

Thank you! Hippos they are. I've never heard of Moomins.

[maxine*j]

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@sunny_ell wrote:

Thank you!  Hippos they are.  I've never heard of Moomins.

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If you think they are hippos rather than Moomins, then you should go with that, of course.  But I have no doubt they are Moomins..

As the cited Wikipedia article said:  "They are a family of white, round fairy-tale characters with large snouts that make them resemble the hippopotamus.  However, despite this resemblance, the Moomin family are trolls."

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[sunny_ell]

OK... I meant, yes they look like hippos and I might have found the Moomins if I hadn't been searching for horses.

They ARE Moomins. I have messaged their website to find out more about these particular ones. Still waiting for an answer.

Thank you again.

[maxine*j]

Well, you still weren't completely off, since "hippopotamus" means "river horse" in Greek, from hippos  "horse" and  potamos  "river, rushing water".    🙂