Animal figures have been made for centuries with horses being the most popular.

The Egyptians, 2,500 years ago, made horses from wood, they were about 20cm high and had wheels.  Possibly the first hollow wooden toys were those sold to travellers in Troy 1,500 years ago.

Small model horses have been found from most parts of the world made from a variety of materials such as wood, clay, white limestone and bronze.

Although wheels with spokes were being used on carts, the toy pull along horses still had wheels of solid wood.

A whole variety of ‘pull toys’ on wheels came from Thuringia, Bavaria, from the 18th century onwards, the horse being the most popular.