A Treasure Trove of Little Bits Tack

Some time ago, a quiet, unorganized movement began of appreciating and saving hobby history. Ardith Carlton and Corky Visminas have been leaders in preserving early customs with their Vintage Custom Model Equine Center; Nancy Kelly has written several books on Hagen Renakers as well as hobby history, Gail Fitch has done something similar for Hartlands, and Kristina Lucas Francis has been instrumental in saving Hagen Renaker's items for us all. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. 

My 1970s customs by Sherri Cook McDonald.

Recent losses of some of our more well-known and loved long-time hobby members (Simone Smiljanic and Liz Bouras among others) have prompted even more hobbyists to preserve their own historical pieces or to pass them on to someone who will care for and appreciate them.

Recently I was contacted by an early hobbyist and asked to take her early tack and other items. I agreed, and a few weeks later I received four very large boxes in the mail.

What was inside ran the gamut - mugs, backdrops, books, and other horsey items.

But the real treasure was a large assortment of tack for Little Bit sized horses. 

I looked at that tack and the riders that came with a few of the sets and realized that I had a very valuable piece of hobby history sitting on my dining room table.

And that that hobby history really needed to be saved for the rest of the hobby.

I'd never seen tack and riders made for the Little Bits scale. Stablemate? Yes. Classic and Traditional? Of course.

But not Little Bits. The seven molds were not very popular and not marketed much by Breyer,

so to find tack set after tack set was a surprise.

It was a thrill to sit down and look at them and the workmanship in each piece.

I enjoyed them the short time they were here, but then I passed them on to someone who understood their rarity and value and will take care of them.

What a treat it was to get that glimpse into our hobby's history.

Ebay Surprise - New Paddock Pals?

First post of the day. Look for another around noon.

What is this? An eBay seller has new Paddock Pals listed, models that have not yet been announced by Breyer nor are they on Breyer's web site. (All photos from eBay.)

This looks like the Marabella mold shrunk down to Paddock Pals (the old Little Bits) size.

The back of the box shows that there are four models, with another in black on the mini Marabella mold.

The eyes on them are interesting - sort of a cross between the cartoon eyes seen on the Breyer playsets and the more realistic ones on those models marketed to collectors.

This one is missing an ear tip.

I love black horses and I am curious, so I went ahead and hit the Buy It Now button on Smokey. He should arrive next week.

There are also unicorns in the line. That bent horn makes me wonder if these might be made of rubber-type material. 

I've seen a little chatter on social media about these but as I write, no one knows just what they are. Factory escapees?  Display pieces from a toy fair?

I'll keep my eyes and ears open. My curiosity is really piqued.