Alot of people here on BaltoSource don't exactly agree on Balto's colour - Black and White. Well, I decided to show people he WAS Black, and not brown. Now, I am sure some of you have seen pictures of his stuffed body in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and if not I am happy to show you some pictures.

Pictures of Balto from the Cleveland Museum were taken from: http://images.fbrtech.com/album02/100_0150

Yes, you must admit that this is VERY disleading. But, I still believed he was black and white. And another thing is, that all the pictures I attempt to find of the real Balto are in Black and white. Which also makes it somewhat difficult to tell if he was black or brown.

I have two pictures of Balto, both very sketchy and somewhat hard to see, that I have collected over time. I am not sure when or where I found them.

In picture two, he seems too dark even for a Black and White picture to be brown, although in picture one he could possibly be a dark brown. But, this still may not convince people. So, I went to the people who have had Balto sense death, the Cleveland Museum. I e-mailed them, a lady named JoAnn Coburn responded. I asked her about it, and this is what she replied:

Thanks for asking the question about Balto. You're on the right track:
Balto has always been described as a black and white dog. but any black fur, over time or with sun exposure turns a reddish-brown. Balto has been here at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History since his death in 1933, and although we always try to limit exposure to sunlight, his fur now has a brown color.
Hope this stops the confusion.
JoAnn

I was very happy to recieve a reply from her in about three days of sending out the e-mail. So thus, as many (but not all) of us had thought, his fur changed from black to a reddish-brown colour, due to sunlight exposure and time.

You must realise that they have had Balto sense his death, as she had mentioned. So you MUST figure that at least they would know.

As for why the creators of Balto the animated movie decided to colour Balto the wolf-dog brown, that is for another time and place.

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150 visitors have seen this article (38 this week)

Fle Bag, January 25, 2007 at 03: 28 Webranker

Nice article. I agree. Balto was even pretty in real-life.

catwhohas14tails, January 25, 2007 at 04: 23 Member

Coudln't it have been possible that he was dark brown?

MayaHuskee, January 25, 2007 at 04: 36 Member

Cat -> True, but he wasn't. I never said WHAT kind of brown, but true true. Possible. But not what the source says.

catwhohas14tails, January 25, 2007 at 13: 33 Member

Uh...I don't understand the point you were trying to make. LoL. You're saying he wasn't dark brown. It's POSSIBLE that he WAS dark brown, but it's FACT that he was NOT because that's what "your source" said? O_o (To add: I asked this because TONS people often mistake dark brown for black)

Detektiv-Ran, January 25, 2007 at 14: 39 Member

Yeah, you're right he was black and white... I'm really agree with you for other things

MayaHuskee, January 25, 2007 at 17: 23 Member

Its not just mine, Cat. The pictures shows that it is POSSIBLE that he was dark brown because of the way they came out. BUT the soure, who just has happened to have him sense he died in 1933, SHOULD know. I e-mailed them myself, and asked if he was black. JoAnn says he was, and she is part of the education department.... Not that that really has anything to do with it. o.0 But all well.

baltobabe9000, January 25, 2007 at 21: 31 Member

i like the artical i think stuffing animals is bad! anyway good job

MayaHuskee, January 25, 2007 at 23: 07 Member

baltobabe9000 -> I agree, well, sort of. I don't APPROVE of stuffing animals that were once alive, and especially if it was killed before its time by the hands of a human. But then again, at least he had DIED before they decided to stuff him.

{Meeko}, January 26, 2007 at 02: 04 Member

Wow, thank's for this imformation! I was wondering about that as well.

nintendog/warriorcat, January 26, 2007 at 15: 52 Member

i knew he was dark and i wonder is that his acual fur beacuse sometimes they use the skins of something when it dies and stuff it

tala the whitewolf, January 26, 2007 at 16: 35 Member

balto was black but have been dead so many years he lost his colour

x_X_Emily_X_x, January 26, 2007 at 16: 45 Webranker

Alright, Balto was black and white for his whole life. It's a fact, he was pure black. The lighting at the museum made his fur turn to an unatural brown.

MayaHuskee, January 26, 2007 at 20: 47 Member

Emily -> He was not PURE Black. He was black and white. As you can see, on his stomach and on his paws he has a white stocking and a white sock. But indeed, he was black. And it did not turn an 'unnatural' brown. Over time things fade. Jeans fade. Pictures fade. TV's, computers, and other things fade. Colours just fade!.. And that is what happened with Balto. Over time and under sun exposure, came his new faded colour.

Drawolf, January 29, 2007 at 16: 02 Member

I agree with Mayaa. this article was once have been post here. and everyone agree that : Balto was Black and white. but for animals fur "black" is actually "really dark brown" and over time the fur color fade away.

The StoneFox-{BP}, January 31, 2007 at 02: 39 Member

Awesome artical. I agree, all the way Maya!

MayaHuskee, January 31, 2007 at 09: 09 Member

Thank you all for the lovely 'agreeing' comments.

BEAST, February 09, 2007 at 08: 49 Member

TWO THUMBS UP

ARUOQMCI-IBP, February 17, 2007 at 14: 57 Member

that is a white and black photo,how you can say he was really black and white?

MayaHuskee, February 25, 2007 at 18: 25 Member

I did not say he was Balto and White. The Cleveland Museum, which have had him sense his DEATH, say so. And they would know, because they had him when he WAS black.

tammywatts, March 03, 2007 at 00: 37 Member

wow great pictures.and i have always wondered that myself

elfen lied, March 30, 2007 at 16: 21 Member

what a idea to put balto in full sun, because of that, to look at how ilest become! good article!

Collie tracer, July 25, 2007 at 16: 03 Member

Awsome article really good research

Juneau, August 26, 2007 at 21: 25 Member

Cool article I was never really sure about this particular subject! Thanks for clearing it up

dusty101, February 16, 2008 at 02: 42 Member

great way to get that point out but im still questioning if its true i understand that he could have lost his color throughout time but if u look at the stuffed balto he has white patches around his eyes and in those photos u had of him in black and white he didnt but thats all im questioning

wolf_girl_772, March 25, 2008 at 10: 52 Member

Wow! That was a very well put together article! I think that the only reason they made Balto the colors they did in the movie (specifically B1 which was made by better animators) is because in the movie he was part wolf. I don't think he was part wolf in real life. Great article!

jadewolf, June 21, 2008 at 03: 54 Member

Wait if the pictures at the museum are his real body then i guess that points out he was brown wouldnt it?

ofloper(cay), November 04, 2008 at 03: 01 Member

why does he look so diffrent in the movie?Is that really the real balto?!Or is it a fake???!!!!

wyverntamer, November 09, 2008 at 10: 08 Member

balto in real life was very short and looks nothing ike a husky or a wolf more like a corgey

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