Elastolin Action Figures Identification Tool with Pictures

The early history of Elastolin

During the early decades, like the 1930s, Elastolin’s toy soldiers based on the military had multiple themes. There was the Heer series, which featured authentic uniforms from World War II German soldiers. There were marching panzer troops, infanterie, and even parade troops. They also produced toys that represented the Kreigsmarine, Germany’s naval troops from 1935 until 1945. Otherwise, some toys represented Germany’s Luftwaffe and Paramilitary troops.

Aside from generic troops, O & M Hausser’s Elastolin toy line featured specific historical characters and people referred to as personality figures. The line existed during the start of World War II, and there were figures of some of the leaders of the Axis countries, including Mussolini and Franco.

The production of these toys remained constant until 1943, when Germany’s laws restricted the production of toys. The company then quickly rebounded after the war ended in 1945. However, after the war, they found that most of the public did not want to buy toy soldiers. This led them to seek more cost-effective measures to produce the toys, like using plastics instead of composite materials. They also switched up the theme of their soldiers, starting with a Wild West theme.

1950 to 1970ss Elastolin toy lines

By 1955, O & M Hausser made Elastolin toys using hard polystyrene plastics instead of the original sawdust-based compositions. Even though they were now producing cheaper plastic toys, they continued to create composition toy soldiers until fully phasing them out in 1969. Thus, any toys bought after 1970 were certainly created with plastics.

After the success of the Wild West theme, O & M Hausser continued to create toys that represented historical characters and military units. This led to an exclusive contract with Karl May to produce toys based on historical characters from the publisher’s books. Elastolin also featured characters from other movies and media, like 20^th Century Fox’s Prince Valiant.

Along with the new licensed figures, Elastolin featured many other historic troops. Right after the war concluded, they changed gears to create toys resembling American troops. They continued to produce figurines of cowboys from the American West. However, some of their most successful toy soldiers were medieval-style troops.

Elastolin toy lines in the 1980s

By the 1980s, Elastolin featured multiple historic troops. There were warriors from the Hun, Roman, and Viking forces, as well as multiple medieval calvaries. Other represented groups were Arabian, Turkish, and US Revolutionary troops. Even the Royal Canadian Mounted Police appeared in the toy line.

Beyond the fighting forces, Elastolin featured a few civilians so collectors could create an entire historical scene. These civilians featured groups like blacksmiths, which medieval troops relied on. Otherwise, there were figurines of generic women and children from historical periods, like America’s Wild West.

Despite Elastolin being big enough to become synonymous with an entire genre, O & M Hausser could not survive past the 1980s. The company’s financial standing slipped as the industry changed over the decades. Thus, they closed their doors in 1983, ending the Elastolin toy line for good. Despite the company’s failure, the spirit of Ealstolin remained alive, and the company Preiser used molds to create similar toys.