By Shawna Mount
Tom McCain, president and master craftsman of Horny Toad Connection Inc., remembers sitting cross-legged in the dirt, holding a small and mesmerizing creature that kept him distracted from the sizzling heat of the desert sun. He recalls as a child feeling the roughness of the Texas horned lizard’s skin and lightly touching the reptile’s small horns lining his head and body.
“If you grew up in Texas, you probably have a lot of childhood memories of playing with (horned lizards),” McCain said.
McCain was one of hundreds of vendors displaying unique and diverse products at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo this week. With immense energy and a smile on his face, he showed off his art and shared his knowledge about horned lizards. No customer left without a wide smile and the enjoyment of learning something new.
In his youth, McCain grew up in New Mexico, spending most of his free time wandering Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights. The land was inhabited by various wild creatures, but the western short horned lizard was always his favorite.
As an adult, McCain found a knack for jewelry making and wax carving, specializing in animals such as elk, deer and rabbits. He developed a jewelry line of over 100 animal casts.
It wasn’t until a quiet afternoon on his ranch, spotting a horned lizard, that he remembered his childhood love.
“I told myself that he must be here to remind me of something,” McCain said. “I had carved about every southwestern animal except for this guy, my favorite as a kid.”
Using the small lizard as his model, he carved his first horned lizard, developing it as a small pin. He found that his little “horny toad” pin was his biggest attention getter.
“You would be surprised just how many people will stop you and tell their story of playing with horned lizards as kids,” McCain said. “Native Americans and those from rural areas would tell me about legends and stories from their cultures (about the horned lizard).”
Realizing the popularity this small creature brought, he created Horny Toad Connection Inc. His collection includes earrings, pendants, keychains and figurines all cast in pewter, finished with an antique surface, hand–painted surface or plated in nickel or gold. He also produces them in bronze, sterling silver and 14–karat gold.
The process
Photo courtesy Tom McCain
When he’s not carving out another masterpiece, McCain travels to various fairs to show off his “horny toads” and share his knowledge of these creatures while cracking a few of his horned lizard jokes.
“See this little bobble head here, place some double-sided tape on the bottom of him and place him on your dashboard; he’ll agree with whatever you say,” McCain said, touching the figures head to make it bob up and down. “Now how often does that happen?”
McCain shows off his “horny toads” in the Freeman Coliseum until Feb. 24, the last day of the rodeo.
