Fan characters based off of real serum run dogs!

BaltoSeppala · **Posted:** Thu Jun 30, 2011 5:31 am

Brown Wolf wrote:

She is indeed lovely

Well thank you! :mrgreen:

Gold Wolf · **Posted:** Thu Jun 30, 2011 5:45 am

JerseyCaptain wrote:

Brown Wolf wrote:

She is indeed lovely

Well thank you! :mrgreen:

I most certainly agree with Brown Wolf,Belle is indeed lovely.

Mighty · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 2:26 am

I have to agree, she's very nice indeed!

BaltoSeppala · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 5:14 am

Celtic Kate wrote:

JerseyCaptain wrote:

Brown Wolf wrote:

She is indeed lovely

Well thank you! :mrgreen:

I most certainly agree with Brown Wolf,Belle is indeed lovely.

Wolf_Bassist wrote:

Permission to agree with that view?

Mightybalto1925 wrote:

I have to agree, she's very nice indeed!

Thanks guys! I really appreciate it!

BaltoSeppala · **Posted:** Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:01 am

An interesting new turn in the development of two of my fan characters...Togo and Fritz! Please have a look-see!

http://www.animationsource.org/balto/en/contests/Mates_for_the_serum_run_heroes/165190.html

MokiHunter · **Posted:** Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:34 am

Dang, these are spot on. I love them so much. <3 I also admire how you guys were able to make very realistic fan characters based on the serum run. Awesome job! 8D

BaltoSeppala · **Posted:** Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:35 am

Moki Hunter wrote:

Dang, these are spot on. I love them so much. <3 I also admire how you guys were able to make very realistic fan characters based on the serum run. Awesome job! 8D

Thanks! Well, the characters and their design are mine. I designed them based upon the histories and pictures of the real dogs. But it was Cat who did the amazing art of them, after consulting with me in detail about what I wanted for each.

alphawolfjenna · **Joined:** Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:39 pm **Posts:** 40

super cool, that you made character that are based on the real dogs XD

BaltoSeppala · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:44 am

Why yes, I rather think it is. :mrgreen:

Especially with all the crappy sparkle dogs and unrealistic dogs out there. Thank you for noticing!

RJAForever13 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 20, 2012 9:44 am

Fantastic work on all of them!

BaltoSeppala · **Posted:** Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:31 am

Thank you.

UnderTheMoonlitDay · **Joined:** Mon Apr 17, 2017 10:10 pm

BaltoSeppala wrote:

Okay, Malwolsky...here (for you and any others who may be interested) are photos of the dogs of Togo's team, and of Balto's (all of which were owned by Leonhard Seppala, and kenneled by him at his Little Creek Kennel just outside of old Nome). Sorry if some of these are a little on the big side...I wanted to give you guys the chance to see as much detail as possible.

Keep in mind that the names of most of these dogs have been lost to history. Only a few are known by name and appearance - Togo, Fritz, Balto, Scotty and Fox. Additionally, there are no color references of any of these dogs. It is only known that both Fox and Scotty were primarily black and white, with some brown coloration mixed in.

1. Togo and members of Seppala's serum run team posing for a photograph some days after the run. Fritz is the fourth dog from the left (first set of swing dogs). And peeking over the back of the dog standing behind Fritz is Scotty, one of Seppala's other famous dogs (who sometimes served as a lead or swing dog...and was mistakenly thought to be a co-lead with Togo during the serum run). Seppala's serum run team had twenty total dogs in it (which begs the question of whether or not Togo was counted in that number, as he was said to run singly on a long, loose lead ahead of the team).

2. Another shot of Togo and members of the team (the same photo seen on page one of this topic). The dog staring off the left of the photo is most likely Fritz.

3. Some of the members of Seppala's serum run team. Fritz is at lower left, and Togo stands above the rest.

4. Togo and some other dogs from Seppala's kennel (who may or may not have been on his serum run team...the dog second from right most likely was, as seen in other photos. Togo is on the left).

5. Seppala with Fritz (at right) and two other members of Sepp's kennels, during the 1926 American tour.

6. Scotty who, as mentioned above, was one of Seppala's other experienced leaders and swing dogs. He was black, white and brown.

7. Balto's team on Front Street in Nome the day of their arrival (February 2nd, 1925). Strangely, Fox is not visible in this photograph. The team numbered 13 total dogs...with Balto running a single lead. Only six other dogs were known by name, and only one has ever been identified in photographs - Fox.

8. Gunnar Kaasen, musher of Balto's team, along with nine of the thirteen members of the team. Balto is second from left in the upper tier of the rack behind Kaasen, and Fox third from left (next to Balto). This was probably taken sometime during the shooting of "Balto's Race To Nome", or the vaudeville tour of the U.S. in 1925.

9. Kaasen and, again, nine members of his team. This was probably taken during the vaudeville tour of the U.S. in 1925. Balto stands next to Kaasen (at his right), and Fox two dogs over, looking at Balto.

10. Fox, Gunnar Kaasen, Balto, an unknown man and unknown dog (probably a member of Kaasen's team). This was probably taken either during the filming of "Balto's Race To Nome" or sometime during the vaudeville tour of the U.S. in 1925.

Hi! Just somethings I noticed and wanted to point out-- the dog you call Fox in the pictures who is black with the white chest and paws I don't think is Fox

in the book I am reading, ”Leonhard Seppala and the Golden Age of Dogsled Racing” by Bob and Pam Thomas, Fox is noted to be sable in color, not black and white, and he is very distinctive in pictures. The dog you call Fox I believe is actually John Johnson

also with Balto on the street, the dog behind him on the left is called Jens. In picture number 3, Fritz is on the left, Lucky Sweed or Russky (another of Sepps favorite leaders) is in the middle, and Nellie is on the right. The others have been named in this book I am reading, but I am blanking on the names lol sorry. Came across this on a Google search and had to comment... 6 years later XD

Mighty · **Posted:** Tue Apr 18, 2017 7:59 am

Just FYI, BaltoSeppala isn't an active user of this site anymore, so he may or may not see this. Even if he did, that doesn't guarantee a response.

I'm no expert, nor do I know anything about this book, but it's possible that this book contains misinformation from a non-reputable/verifiable source. Balto's known team mates have always been referred to as Fox, sye, Moctoc, Tillie, Alaska Slim, and Billy. Perhaps these names belonged to his other team mates, though I wouldn't consider it since there's no proof to back up those claims. There's also the fact that, besides Balto and Fox, that the known names haven't been assigned to any of the dogs. In other words, we don't know who is who. The same can be said for the dogs in the third picture.

BaltoSeppala · **Posted:** Fri Apr 21, 2017 8:56 am

UnderTheMoonlitDay wrote:

Hi! Just somethings I noticed and wanted to point out-- the dog you call Fox in the pictures who is black with the white chest and paws I don't think is Fox

in the book I am reading, ”Leonhard Seppala and the Golden Age of Dogsled Racing” by Bob and Pam Thomas, Fox is noted to be sable in color, not black and white, and he is very distinctive in pictures. The dog you call Fox I believe is actually John Johnson

also with Balto on the street, the dog behind him on the left is called Jens. In picture number 3, Fritz is on the left, Lucky Sweed or Russky (another of Sepps favorite leaders) is in the middle, and Nellie is on the right. The others have been named in this book I am reading, but I am blanking on the names lol sorry. Came across this on a Google search and had to comment... 6 years later XD

Having stumbled upon this (because I still sign in occasionally to see if there is any activity related to my own material, or stuff I have participated in), I will respond.

Cite your source. And more than just the book title. Scan and upload relevant pages and passages, or at least quote it directly with bibliographical references and pages. Because every resource to date, including materials in the Carrie M. McLain Museum in Nome itself, as well as the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, reference the same dog I have as Fox.

As Mightybalto1925 noted, there are many questionable or even disreputable materials out there. And there are also a few aggressive revisionists, mostly living on the west coast of the U.S. (in the states of Oregon and Washington specifically...I will go into no further detail than that) who seem eager to present their own version of the facts, for which they can never cite verifiable source materials that can be accessed by others. And they also claim propriety over them. That makes them questionable at best, and shameful at worst.

I stand by what I posted before. And there is enough current and historic material out there to prove the point. I will not engage in a rehashing of debates on this site. (And would have no interest in a debate about it elsewhere.) As Mightybalto1925 also pointed out, I am no longer an active user on this site.

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Fan characters based off of real serum run dogs!