Watch The Giant Story Continue
- Tammy Vaughn
- Jul 30
- 5 min read
The continuing history of the Colored Giant Angora in the USA
Today’s live began with two articles on my table. One was Candy Haenszel’s original history of the Giant Angora. The other was my continuation of the story. Together, they cover the creation of the breed, the long dream of color, the people who kept trying, and what comes next.
History can look very tidy once it is written down. A breed was created. A presentation passed or failed. A new variety entered the Standard of Perfection. But behind those short statements were years of breeding, grooming, travel, cage space, recordkeeping, disappointments and a whole lot of love.
That human side of the story was the heart of today’s conversation.
From German to Giant
Candy’s history takes us back to the German Angoras imported into the United States and Canada. Louise Walsh blended several German bloodlines and worked with ARBA to develop a distinct American breed. The name moved from Commercial Angora, German Type, to the Giant Angora we know today.
The purpose was always clear. This rabbit was meant to be a large, commercial bodied wool producer with tremendous density and a three-fiber coat made up of underwool, awn fluff and awn hair.
The White Giant Angoras built that foundation. They earned recognition, proved the value of the breed and gave later breeders something strong to protect and improve. Candy preserved the story before those names, decisions and early struggles could disappear.
Why Weight Matters
Weight has been part of the Giant Angora story from the beginning. The breed needed to be clearly different from the other Angoras, not simply a large wooly rabbit.
English, French and Satin Angoras are four class breeds. They are shown as Junior Buck, Junior Doe, Senior Buck and Senior Doe.
The Giant Angora is the only six class Angora. It adds Intermediate Buck and Intermediate Doe between the junior and senior classes because Giants need more time to mature.
Giant juniors are under six months of age. Intermediates are six through eight months. Seniors are eight months and older. A senior buck must weigh at least nine and one half pounds. A senior doe must weigh at least ten pounds. There is no maximum senior weight.
Those minimums matter. One Black Giant presentation once came down to a single rabbit that missed the required weight by only two ounces. Years of work can rest on one rabbit, one measurement and one difficult moment.
That is why I keep talking about honest weight records. A colored Giant must first be a correct Giant, with proper size, body type, furnishings, health and wool. Color alone is never enough.
The Long Dream of Color
Colored genetics were present from the early development of the breed, and breeders continued working with them long before a colored Giant could compete on the ARBA show table.
Black was carried toward recognition through several different breeders and teams. Some came painfully close. Rabbits missed weight, presentation plans changed, and one team lost its senior buck only a week before Convention. Yet the rabbits, knowledge and dream kept moving forward.
Those efforts were not wasted. Every breeder who preserved colored genetics, improved wool and body, shared stock, raised a litter or helped another person get started added something important to the breed.
Chestnut Opened the Door
I raised and showed beautiful White Giants for years, but I could not let go of the dream of seeing a colored Giant earn full recognition. I chose Chestnut because I truly love the color.
The Chestnuts passed in Reno and later received a unanimous exemplary pass in Louisville. The third presentation was waived, and Chestnut became the first colored Giant Angora variety accepted into the ARBA Standard of Perfection.
That success belonged to an entire team. Twelve promising Chestnuts were placed with foster families across the country, and six of those rabbits were chosen for the final presentation group. One foster parent was Louise Walsh, and the rabbit she prepared became part of the final string. The woman who helped create the Giant Angora also helped carry it into its colorful next chapter. That still gives me chills.
Whites Are Beautiful and Colors Are Magnificent
White Giants created the foundation of this breed, and they remain absolutely breathtaking. Their wool, size and presence are a powerful reminder of what the early breeders worked so hard to create.
Colored Giants do not replace that foundation. They build upon it.
The addition of colored Giants has already strengthened the breed and will be one of the reasons it continues to thrive. Color brings new excitement, new breeders, new fiber artists and new reasons for people to become involved. Whites are beautiful. Colors are magnificent. Together, they give the Giant Angora more room to grow.
The New Rules and What Comes Next
The current Certificate of Development rules make community participation even more important. A future presentation must demonstrate support from multiple breeders and households, including at least twenty-five developing variety entries from five different households beyond the COD holders.
Working standard rabbits may also be exhibited at ARBA sanctioned shows before final recognition. They cannot compete for Best of Breed or Best in Show, but breeders can receive feedback from licensed judges and help the public learn about the developing variety.
Chocolate Agouti is our next great adventure. Our goal is not simply to produce chocolate colored wool. We want competitive Giant Angoras with correct size, strong shoulders, commercial type, sound health, proper furnishings, and beautiful Chocolate Agouti ring color.
This is why the Colored Giant Angora Village and the Village Elders matter. We are sharing pedigrees, tracking weights, comparing litters, evaluating wool and type, coordinating transportation and helping promising rabbits reach the programs where they can contribute the most.
A successful color project can no longer rest in one or two barns. The genetics, records, knowledge and responsibility must be spread widely enough to survive the unexpected.
Thank You for Keeping the Giants Going
To the breeders who imported the early Germans, created the American Giant Angora and protected the White foundation, thank you.
To Candy for preserving the history, and to every breeder who carried Black, Chestnut and other colored genetics forward, thank you.
To the foster families, transporters, groomers, judges, mentors, record keepers, newcomers and quiet supporters whose names may never appear in an official history, thank you.
You kept the Giants going.
The history is still being written. This time, an entire Village has the opportunity to help write it together.
For the love of Giants. Go Team Giants.
Life’s just better with a Giant Angora hug.
Watch and Read More
BTW, if you want to join our Colored Giant Village on Discord, Here's more information;
We’re creating more reasons for people to stay engaged, to show up at shows, and to fall in love with Angoras all over again. And that right there… is what this is all about.
Stay Fluffy My Friends,
Tammy,
Life’s just better with a Giant Angora hug
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