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The 40-Year Gallop of Montag Brothers’ Blue Horse Products

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 A familiar scene from The Wizard of Oz depicts Dorothy and her three curious cohorts being escorted in a carriage pulled by a “horse of a different color,” the stately critter changing coloring with each view. From my five years at Henry Johnson School during the early 1950s, I recall another unusual steed that “galloped” through school bookstores all across this country.

The animal was the famous Blue Horse trademark of Atlanta’s Montag Brothers' Paper Company, a 40-year enterprise established soon after the Great Depression. The corporation quickly found its niche with the younger crowd by launching a clever awards marketing promotion to boost sluggish sales.

Our Market Street school sold the Blue Horse product line and other supplies in a small store adjacent to the principal’s office near the front door. A table was positioned across the supply room door where a school employee manned the store each morning before classes began. This allowed the attendant to dispense supplies through the door without allowing student access into the room.

I was familiar with the Blue Horse notebook loose-leaf filler packs from my previous year’s attendance in the first grade at West Side School. The paper sold for a nickel a pack and contained about 25 5-hole punched sheets, allowing it to be conveniently placed in either 2 or 3 ringed binders. Each pack was enclosed in a small wrapper with the familiar Blue Horse head icon in the middle. These trademarks were then clipped, saved and later redeemed for prizes.

Literally millions of Blue Horse heads were exchanged for cash and prizes, making Montag one of the largest paper companies in the industry by 1950. An old Montage Brothers’ wrapper from the spring of 1953 shows, “50,000 Prizes For All You Lucky Boys And Girls.” Products costing 5 cents counted as one trademark, while 10-cent items yielded two. Participants were instructed to fasten the clippings in bundles of 50 or 100 before mailing them.

Students sending in 20 Blue Horse heads received a souvenir beanie cap containing the company logo; all other prizes required a minimum of 30 heads. Youngsters did not actually choose prizes; the number of heads mailed to the company determined the relative value of the reward. Contest rules required that labels be submitted by June 15 each year, making it easier for the corporation to tabulate results, award prizes and formulate plans for the next year’s campaign.

The top prize was a Horse Head brand bicycle given to the 425 students sending in the most emblems. In addition, there were 375 table model radios, 550 footballs, 550 zipper notebook cases, 1250 surprise awards, 20,000 bonus prizes and 26,850 other prizes – totaling 50,000.

A significant advantage to this unique sales promotion was that students and schools were concurrently rewarded. Cash was offered to the 167 schools whose students sent in the most trademarks. Prize money included $100 for first, $50 for second, $40 for third, $25 for fourth, and $5 for fifth. The total money dispersed nationwide by the company was $2025.

About 1970, the Montag Brothers’ once-famed azure four-legged creature was escorted on a one-way trip to a glue factory. Today, the only trace of the hoofed animal is a large Atlanta building still referred to as … The Blue Horse.   

  • Schools

Blue Horse

Connie (not verified) — Mon, 2012-09-17 07:43

I have one of the Blue Horse Paper Company bicycle that has never been restored. It's all original. The only thing is the seat has rusted.

Blue Horse prizes

Jean (not verified) — Fri, 2012-03-02 22:41

I saved those Blue Horse Montag logos (each worth so many points) as a kid in the 50's-60's and was finally able to buy the beannie (I loved it, but my classmates had a great laugh), and those gold charms with the painted enamel settings in the shapes of the states. I managed to obtain Georgia and Kentucky before I could no longer find the products. 8-( I wanted to collect all the states but must have run out of time. Thanks for the memories! Jean

Great

fancisol (not verified) — Wed, 2011-12-07 12:38

Fantastic article, this is so well explained that even my kids could follow it, thanks and keep up the great work!

bakeca incontri

Blue Horse

bobcox — Thu, 2011-12-08 17:16

Thanks for your kind words. I still remember those blue horse heads. That was in the early 1950s.

I have several hundred Blue

Bob (not verified) — Mon, 2011-08-01 11:15

I have several hundred Blue Horse trademarks. Is there a market for these trademarks?
Reply to bljustus@att.net
Bob

Blue Horse head Trademarks

Steve (not verified) — Thu, 2011-07-21 21:26

I have every Blue Horse Trademark that i collected from first grade to 12th.
I never traded them in for anthing, alll 1161 of them..

blue horse trademarks

greg pennington (not verified) — Thu, 2011-08-04 16:20

Hi , I have all of mine in a model car box from around 57. DO you know what our blue horse trademarks are worth? Thanks Greg

Blue Horse Beanie Cap

Ed (not verified) — Thu, 2011-06-23 09:59

I have some of the beanie caps.

Blue Horse Bicycle

PAUL REYNOLDS (not verified) — Tue, 2011-01-04 17:04

Alan McCord Please send me your address

Blue Horse Bike

PAUL REYNOLDS (not verified) — Mon, 2011-01-03 10:16

Bob , I have access to a Blue Horse Bicycle, purchased with Blue Horse heads back in the early 50s please contact me for further information. As a student in the 6th grade we the teacher save up these heads, and won one of these bikes. I am now 73. Paul paulreynolds2546@aol.com

Blue Horse bicycle

Jim (not verified) — Sat, 2012-03-24 19:34

Paul: Saw your post... I, too, have a 1950's Blue Horse bicycle made by Columbia that I am going to restore soon. My Dad bought it new from a school teacher at my school in 1955. I rode it hard but still have all of it minus the chain guard. Have you been able to do much in finding out about the bikes. I can send pictures of mine if that helps. It has a Montag Blue Horse tag on the head piece.

Thanks,

Jim
Greenville, SC

Blur Horse Bicycle

Tom (not verified) — Thu, 2012-09-06 01:26

My dad traded a car for a truck at Burrell Motor Co. in Franklin NC in 1950. Someone in Highlands NC had won a blue horse bike and traded it in on a car there. I always wanted a pony but he never got me one. He saw me looking at the bike in the showroom window and asked me if I would like to have it since I wouldn't have to feed it. I told him I had rather have a pony. He got it in the trade and brought it home in the back of the pickup. I kept it for yrs and let my younger brother have it and he left it in the pasture and the cow got hung up in it and tore it all to pieces.
I did not have any pictures of it and would love to have some. Thanks for posting that you have one of the bikes. I have never heard of anyone else having one.

Blue Horse bicycle

Alan McCord (not verified) — Fri, 2010-11-26 22:18

My Father would tell me the story about the Blue Horse school products that he had purchased during his school years. In 2006 he passed away at the age of 73. He had sent in several of these blue horse heads and actually recieved one of the bicycles. He recieved this bike at the age of 9 so this would have been around 1942. Before he passed away he gave me this bike and told me to fix it up when ever I got time. Do you know where I could find a picture of one of them so I can restore it to original condition? I don't know how many of them are actually left, but I do have one complete and would like to restore it for him.
Thank you for your time,
Alan

Montag's Blue Horse Bicycle

Scott Boyer (not verified) — Fri, 2011-03-18 18:38

Oh My! I have a 42 model bike, complete, but its been painted silver......original tires and all.

Bob Cox's Yesteryear

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