How the West was worn by them little cowboys & cowgirls

"I wish these came in adult sizes," is what we hear most often from people who stop by our stall, smiling at our rack of tiny cowboy shirts and jackets. Cute, made of the softest fabrics, and often adorned with novelty embroidery or symbols of the West, the little cowboys gear we stock (and drop online this Sunday!), is a great reminder of what western wear used to be, for kids and adults alike - a fun way to step into the boots of their silver-screen heroes and live the cowboy dream, if only for an afternoon.

But how did these little outfits, fancily decorated in ranch fashion, become such a cultural thing, with children’s cowboy gear turning into the most profitable branch of kids’ clothing in the 1950s (The Southern Cross News, June 15, 1950), and a Disney TV series so popular it reached a sale of merch worth $100 million in months, a $1 billion in today's money (TIME, May 23, 1955)?

Put on your best Hoppy suit and let's find out.

Marina & Joao, back on our range in Arkansas, 1952 ;)

Early 20th century

By the early 1900s, the cowboy had already ridden deep into American pop culture.

The Virginian (1902) was the first true Western novel, and it was a runaway hit, followed only a year later by the first Western film ever made, The Great Train Robbery (1903). From there, the Wild West went from campfire stories to printed pages to moving pictures in less than a generation. We wrote more about this here.

1925 Montgomery Ward Christmas ad

Some of the earliest evidence of children’s cowboy dress shows up around this time, too (well, 20 years later, to be precise). A Montgomery Ward Christmas ad from 1925 (above) featured a “Cowboy Play Suit” complete with hat and toy gun, right alongside an “Indian Chief” and Oliver Twist costume, an early sign that the Western theme was becoming a ready-made fantasy for children.

These weren’t yet everyday wear but rather playtime clothes, fancy-dress outfits, or Halloween costumes, as advertised in Sears, back in 1928 (below).

A page of boys’ costumes from Sears Supplement Catalog, 1928.

By 1930s, those previously known as costumes, start to become a real deal - partially thanks to the popularity of silver screen cowboys, dude ranches and brands like Levi’s and Lee getting a bit more serious about their western wear lines. What was previously made to serve well on the job, was now becoming cool on the streets, too.

illustration of boys in cowboy-style Lee pants, likely from late 1930s promotional material

The 1940s when the fun begins

But it wasn’t until the 1940s that the trend really saddled up. By the time television arrived at the end of the decade, the West had officially moved into America’s living rooms. And for children, this meant one thing: they didn’t just want to watch their heroes anymore, they wanted to be them, head-to-toe in cowboy gear - we don’t blame them, duh.

McCall Catalogue, between 1942-43

It was first the silent screen heroes, like Tom Mix, and then the singing cowboys like Gene Autry, who, apart from crooning about life on the range, also made sure their ten-gallon hats stayed sharp while doing it. They were the ones who made children go wild.

That is, until 1949, when Hopalong Cassidy rode on Topper, his white stallion, and suddenly, cowboy fever went nationwide.

‘‘This is bigger than Mickey Mouse’’

It was William Boyd, the actor behind the Hoppy character, who had a knack for marketing. Seeing the popularity of the series, he bought the rights to the films and struck licensing deals that put Hopalong Cassidy’s face on more than fifty different products- from lunchboxes to pyjamas and roller skates (and watches, hair clips and milk glasses - all of which are in our personal possession now). By 1950, sales of Hoppy merch had topped $70 million (close to a billion in today’s money), with the runaway hit being the Hopalong Cassidy lunchbox - the first TV character lunchbox ever made, which sold over 600,000 units in its debut year.

LIFE Magazine, June 1950

In June 1950, LIFE Magazine has dedicated a cover and their close up section entirely to William Boyd, or perhaps to Hopalong Cassidy, as these two were so intertwined. In the article, we can read that last fall (so in 1949), ‘‘when he undertook a cross-country tour of department stores, a crowd of 200 000 turned out to watch him parade through New Orleans. In Oklahoma City, 35 000 screaming fans overturned counters trying to see him in a local store. At Loeser’s in Brooklyn, some 85 000 people paralyzed business, and Boyd shook an estimated 10 000 childish hands.’’ The article goes on, even adding that Boyd himself punched somebody in their face when he realised they were crossing the line with another fella. A true cowboy!

Hopalong is everywhere and he’s making that dollar. He’s on the tv, radio, has a circus show, sells records and - what everyone wants, he sells merch. LIFE calls the later ‘his biggest bonanza’ - and that’s 5% on wholesale price which manufacturers pay for he use of his name/face/character, following with ‘‘children are on his side and their parents will buy anything - from candy bars to roller skates with spurs on the heels as long Hoppy’s face is on it.’’

The 1950s, aka peak cowboy madness

The Southern Cross News, 15 June 1950

(We feel personally attacked by this news, btw, carried away - excuse us?!)

But back to facts, this decade was simply mad for all things cowboys. ‘‘It is impossible to estimate the number of youngsters who appear in public as cowboys (…) and the manufacture of cowboy garments has become the most profitable branch of the children's clothing business in the United States.’’

LIFE Magazine, between 1955-57

Western wear is everywhere and those that can’t afford it, are now presented with an opportunity to cowboy up their children DIY-way, with home sewing patterns (Simplicity, McCall). Notably, J.C. Penney partnered with the Advance pattern company – Advance patterns were sold exclusively at Penney’s stores meaning a mother could walk into Penney’s and pick up a “cowboy costume” pattern along with fabric and notions, which would allow those from small towns dress their children up as if they were living in big cities.

“Buckaroos” costumes made from McCall sewing patterns, McCall catalog, May 1950.

And though Hopalong Cassidy is still the king of the cowboys, his popularity begins to wane sometime around 1953. The new generation of youngsters is asking for a new hero, so ABC gives them The Lone Ranger - a masked and mysterious rider, who shortly appears on everything, too - outfits, toys, lunchboxes.

But year later, Disney enters the room and kids go all unhinged.

Born on a mountaintop…

It’s 1954 and those previously glued to their mini Stetson hats, now ditch them for even more raw and badass real frontier accessory, a coonskin cap. It’s all happening because of a Disney series character, Davy Crockett, who ‘‘fights the Indians’’, ‘‘goes to Congress’’ and most notably, is called ‘‘The King of the Wild Frontier’’.

1950s McCall Davy Crockett costume pattern

Only 1 year later, in 1955, his fame reaches new records, with Americans purchasing over $300 million worth of Davy Crockett merchandise, mainly the caps for which the demand was so high, they run out of racoon tails [*]. All sorts of items are being produced again, and the same year, Disneyland opens a dedicated theme park Crockett-flavoured, Frontierland. Outside Disneyland, there were “Davy Crockett Days” events across the U.S. - local fairs, parades, and even Crockett contests where kids showed up in buckskin and coonskin caps.

All good things come to an end

It was just natural that after such a madness, balance had to be restored. Western wear mania started to fade for many reasons, the main ones being people simply had too much - they were overstimulated, they’ve seen too many westerns on the TV (at one point in 1959, over 30 different Westerns aired on U.S. television each week), their plots had become predictable, and finally, audiences were fed up with the endless depiction of Native Americans as villains. Kids’ focus changed too - they now wanted to be astronauts and Batmen, rock stars and superheroes.

The cowboy didn’t exactly ride off into the sunset, but he lost his monopoly on children’s imaginations.

By the 1970s, Western wear was still around, mainly in form of jeans, boots, and snap shirts that never really went away.

The cowboy craze may never hit quite the same fever pitch again - today’s kids are more likely to dress as superheroes, princesses, or Paw Patrol than as pint-sized wranglers. But what’s left from those wild mid-century years are some truly incredible pieces of design history and they’re reminders of a time when being a cowboy (or cowgirl) wasn’t just a game, it was the biggest fantasy in America.

This Sunday we’re dropping a mini collection of vintage children’s Western wear online, a little slice of that golden age, ready for a new life.

I wish these came in adult sizes.

Us too, buddy, us too.