Geo. Borgfeldt & Co./Koyo Metal Co. Celluloid Windup Carl Anderson’s “Henry on Elephant” Variation with Box *SOLD*

Geo. Borgfeldt & Co./Koyo Metal Co. Celluloid Windup Carl Anderson’s “Henry on Elephant” Variation with Box 

We have for you a celluloid windup “Henry on Elephant” in a rare variation with a relined box that was manufactured in made by Koyo Metal Co.\Koyo Kinzoku Co., Ltd. of Japan. and imported by George Borgfeldt & Co. of New York City, New York.    

When wound its original key, the elephant’s head nods up and down taking Henry for a ride. The mahout on the back is attached via its original cord that comes out the back of the elephant and is attached to the tail. The wind-up is strong and everything works as it should.  

The metal hooks within the head that hold the head to the body and facilitate the nodding action are original and still holding strong. The colors are super strong and the paint and overspray are common on these toys. Henry’s cheek on the right hand side has a crack in the celluloid. It is marked on the left-hand side of the elephant’s belly with “Japan” and the Koyo Metal Co.\Koyo Kinzoku Co., Ltd. “K” logo. The relined box is in excellent condition.  

This piece is in great all original condition with restorations, repairs, or touch-ups. This piece shows the usual patina, fading, dust, chips, scuffs, surface rust, scratches, missing accessories, and wear that are to be expected from age and play. This is approximately 8” L x 6” H. We invite you to view the photos to further determine quality and condition.      

A brief history of the George Borgfeldt & Co. of New York City, New York:   

1881 – 1962  

Founder: George Borgfeldt, and Marcell and Joseph Kahle.  

Importer and wholesaler of toys.  

Toys that included comic novelty tin wind-ups under the name “Nifty.” Trademark was “Nifty” smiling moon face. Also distributed “Oh Boy” pressed steel trucks and cars. 

A brief history of the character Henry by Carl Anderson: 

Henry was a comic strip created in 1932 by Carl Thomas Anderson. The title character is a young bald boy who is mute (and sometimes drawn minus a mouth). With the exception of a few early episodes, the comic strip character communicates only through pantomime, a situation that changed when Henry moved into comic books. 

The Saturday Evening Post was the first publication to feature Henry, a series that began when Anderson was 67 years old. The series of cartoons continued in that magazine for two years in various formats single panel, multiple panels, or two panels.