Antonia is Here

Breyer's Collectors Club Fall Exclusive, Antonia, has arrived. I almost passed on her, and I am so glad that I did not. She is lovely.

Bridgette Eberl sculpted this mare, and while I prefer vintage molds, this gal has become a favorite since the mold was first released in 2017.

What a lovely head and the paint job brings out her pretty features.

I'm not a pinto lover for the most part, but I do like her in this colorway.

We've come a long way since Breyer's plain, black dot eyes (with eye whites in the earliest days.)

Those eyes are very realistic.

I am so glad I changed my mind and decided to get her after all!

Short post today as there is a lot going on including two early morning MRIs. (6:00 AM? What was I thinking? Oh well, I'm not a fan of MRIs so at least they will be over before my day really gets started.)

More tomorrow, so stay 'tooned!

The Snow Globe Video Drops!

Remember that video I was working on in September but could not talk about? It was for the Breyer Collectors Club and Breyer dropped it on social media yesterday.

A workshop on making snow globes for the November Collectors Club! 

Breyer had asked me to teach it last November, so I did a practice run with the grands last Christmas. 

I learned a lot doing it with them, including that I should not buy cute little storage jars from craft stores. Sealing those jars with hot glue did not work - eventually they leaked.

I needed to find jars that were specifically made for snow globes and had a sealing liner inside. 

The three I used in my Collectors Club video have been full of water for several months now with no leakage. 

I think they turned out well, but there were some challenges when it came to making the video for Breyer. Stay 'tooned!

Shrinkies - in a Good Way

Breyer opened membership renewals for the Collectors Club on Thursday with a tantalizing photo of Heath, the first CC web special of 2024.

I jumped in and renewed my Collectors Club membership as soon as I saw that it was renewal time.

Othello is highly popular in the model horse world but he is not a mold I collect.

This is the only Othello to have ever graced my shelves and he was only with me for a year since he was a traveling prize. I had to pass him on to the following year's GLC Member of the Year.

I didn't even buy Othello when he was the 2018 Santa Surprise.

In large part because he was a unicorn; otherwise, I would have bought him because I love the Santa's Surprise horses that drop Christmas morning. (Photo from Identify Your Breyer.)

I do have the very first iteration of Othello, the Porcelain Drum Horse that was released in 1999. I just don't consider him an Othello, if that makes sense. (Photo also from IYB.)

So, why did I jump so fast to renew my Collectors Club membership and to purchase the deluxe membership while I was at it?

Horatio. He is the bonus Stablemate for the deluxe memberships and this non-Stablemate collector is going to have to quit labeling herself as such. I'm finding that if it's a Traditional that's been shrunk down to Stablemate size, I'm going to be sorely tempted, and I was very tempted by Horatio.

I've even been looking at new ways to display my (growing) Stablemate collection. The Breyer barn I got a few years ago is just about full.

So, do I or don't I collect Stablemates? The answer to that is that it depends. If the model in question is a shrunk down Traditional, the chances are much greater that I will buy it. (I count 10 of those in the barn above.) 

Breyer has discovered a new way to sell model horses to a segment of its collectors base. Shrink them down and see them sell. 

Especially to me.

November Collectors Club Newsletter

Breyer's November Collectors Club Newsletter was delayed by several days, but it is out now and it includes an article that I wrote about Simone Smiljanic's passing. Here is a screen shot from Breyer's announcement announcing the publication of the newsletter:

A link to the article would not work for everyone (only Collectors Club members have access to the newsletter), but I am not under any constraints from Breyer about posting it here. Here 'tis!

Simone  Smiljanic, a “Founding Mother” of the Model Horse Hobby

by Lynn Isenbarger

In October, 2021 the model horse hobby lost one of its “founding mothers.” That woman was Simone Smiljanic. Along with Ellen Hitchins, Marney Walerius, and Linda Walter, Simone (or “Simmie” and even “Smee” to her friends) was instrumental in the late 1960s in gathering hobbyists together and organizing us into the giant, multi-faceted hobby that exists today. 

All photos by Nancy Kelly and in the collection of Liz Cory.

Simone was from Indianapolis, Indiana and received her first Breyer, a palomino Fury, when she was three. That was only the beginning. Soon she and her friends were playing with their model horses together and then, as Simone grew up, she began writing penpal letters to her horsey friends who did not live close. Those letters morphed into a club, IMHA (International Model Horse Association) and then a newsletter, the Pony Express, which she printed from 1966 to 1973.

Due to long distances, these friends initially began showing their model horses via photo shows. But like today’s hobbyists, early collectors wanted to meet. Simone teamed up with Ellen Hitchins, one of her subscribers, and together they began hosting live shows held in homes and backyards. But these two weren’t done yet - they formed a new club, IMPHSA (International Model Photo Horse Showing Association), with Ellen as president and Simone as vice president. National recognition of all these hobby activities in Horse and Rider and Western Horseman magazines brought attention to Simone’s and Ellen’s clubs, which in turn led to an influx of even more collectors. The hobby has been thriving ever since.

Longtime hobbyist (and former JAH editor) Liz Isham Cory was a friend of Simone’s and remembers, 

I first met Simone at one of Marney Walerius’ first live model horse shows. We were all crowded around a table in Marney’s backyard to watch her judge. The whole process was so new to me, and I admired the way Simone deftly looked at each horse before assigning ribbons. I wanted to be like her some day.

I knew she was one of Marney’s good friends, and I noticed how kind she was. I looked up to her and I thought I wanted to be like her some day. She knew horses, models, and she was fun and kind, too. She left us way too soon. We will miss her.

Author Nancy Kelly, another long time hobbyist, also shared some of her memories of Simone.

She was one of the “four pillars” of the model horse hobby, active since the later 1960s. She helped lay the foundation for the hobby we know today. Her enthusiasm, energy, and wry sense of humor made her special. She shared her knowledge with so many people and helped many friends build their collections.

Her health has not been good for several years, but over the last few months it really took a turn for the worse. RIP dear one.

Simone’s kindness and helpfulness were legendary. Knowing my love of circus horses, she kept an eye out on eBay and other sales sites for me, sending me links when she found something she thought I'd like. I never asked her to do that - she simply did it because that's who she was - someone who loved the hobby and was willing to act as a friend or mentor to us all.

Thank you, Simone. Your friendship in the 1970s helped countless hobbyists get their feet under them in the new and burgeoning model horse hobby. Many of us are still here, enjoying what you helped start way back in the 1960s. You were a dear friend to so many and we will miss you. 

Rest in peace, sweet lady.

Two Christmas Cards of the Day

Yesterday's blog entry was about Friday's terrible tornado and I just did not feel right posting a Christmas card. So, today you get two!

These lovely drafters are from Nancy Falzone.

Michelle Oviatt created this card of Clydesdales and sent it to me.

Hold Your Horses!!

"Hold your horses" does not seem applicable to Breyer this month - the news and the models are coming out at a fast clip. In just the span of a week, not only have we had the Christmas Clydesdales, but we also have Midas, a Collectors Club web special.

Midas is on the Flash mold and available for $295 if your name is drawn. 

This week you could also enter to win a test piece on the Black Stallion mold. It was priced at $950. (Entries are closed now.)

My inbox is full of ads about early Black Friday sales, snow globes, advent calendars, joining the Premier and Stablemate clubs... Whew!

(Last year I really enjoyed opening the advent calendar one day at a time and getting a little surprise each morning. I'd planned to do the same again this year, but the items in the calendar were the same as last year. Fingers crossed that next year it's a new lineup!)

I don't remember Breyer offering so much in such a short span of time before. Not that I mind - it's been fun, but it has surprised me.

Hold your horses, Breyer? Not for me - I am loving all the offerings pouring out of the factory. Even if I don't buy anything, it's fun to see so much Breyer goodness.