The Foal Count: Dapples/Ponies/Pony Gals

 Let's talk babies!

My babies! 

Sarah gathered their pictures together and made that collage as a gift for me years ago. It hangs in our bedroom over my reading chair and is a cherished possession for both Craig and me.

Today we are looking at Dapples/Ponies/Pony Gals and it turned out to be a surprisingly interesting line. First some information and history. 

Dapples were sculpted by Kathleen Moody as toys in 1:12 scale and first appeared in 1995. In 1998, Breyer made them more realistic looking color-wise and named them Breyer Ponies or just Ponies. Finally, in 2008, the line morphed into Pony Gals with added, moveable joints. (That bouffant hair remained throughout the years.)

Another interesting thing to note is that currently Breyer does not have a specific, dedicated "shop" for the line on its website. Instead, the pieces can be found mingled among the Playsets and Unicorns shops.

Identify Your Breyer has six foals shown individually. (All foal photos from Identify Your Breyer.)

Flash,

Magic,

Splash,

Copper,

Echo,

 and Frolic.

They all appear to be the same mold except for Magic who does not have the splayed feet the other foals do.

But those aren't the only foals in the line. A quick scroll shows two more foal molds paired with adult horses.

There's a head up foal that is seen in several sets,

a frolicking foal,

and a third that appears to be the Magic mold. 

So, by my count, there are 4 Dapples/Ponies/Pony Gals foal molds in total: Flash, Magic,  the head up foal, and the frolicking foal. 

This line from Breyer is not one I collect, but I did find one once while out thrifting.

Little Debbie and Oatmeal, a special edition set from 2005.

The price was right and it had its box, so I bought it so I could get it into the hands of a collector.

Which didn't take long. That is the only piece I've had from the Dapples/Ponies/Pony Gals line and its time with me was brief.

Believe it or not, I have found at least one more set of Breyer foals to share.  Stay'tooned!

Sleek & Shiny

All those things I hoped to get done yesterday? I did! The heat nearly wiped me out while planting the flowers, but they're in pots and planters and looking good.

This is my favorite planter. Begonias do well in it. (It's not really a planter, it's something I repurposed, but that's another blog post.)

But the flowers aren't the only things looking good in early summer. The horses are sleek and shiny. 

Listen carefully - that's Abby you can hear talking to me. She talks to me a lot and it never fails to make my heart melt.

I chose this photo of Two Socks because it shows her dapples, how deep a shade of gold she is, and the incredible contrast between her white mane and her gold coat.

Barn Buddy Kelsey's Dolly living her best life in on a beautiful summer day.

Another photo of Two Socks' beautiful mane and coat, and one where you can see Abby's dorsal stripe. She may have just turned a year old in April, but this yearling is as big as Abby!

Enjoy that fleabane now little girl; in the fall it will be burrs and tangles all through that pretty mane and tail.

Shiny! Shiny! Shiny!

Uncle! Uncle!

Several weeks ago, I started doing some research on Breyer's dapples (and Appaloosa) spots over the years. It is fascinating and it has been fun. 

It has also been overwhelming.

Just when I think I've finished my research and am ready to organize my notes and WRITE, I find another rabbit hole to go down. Or I find some variations in my collection that are really interesting and need to be looked into and compared.

Trying to group them by decade or dapple style has proven difficult as sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to the spots and speckles even on the same run. Take a look at Giltedge

Giltedge with gold and yellow dapples,

Giltedge with gold and white dapples,

Giltedge with gold and white lace dapples, 

and gold plated Giltedge with fewer, round white dapples. (All the above Giltedge photos are from Identify Your Breyer.)

My own Giltedge is the gold plated version.

From resist, splatter, hand, fish scale, cornflake (my favorite), 

halo, and mildew (above), the different styles of dapples pile up. 

It was a far bigger project than I anticipated and if I complete it, it will take much more time than I thought.

I'm going to set it aside for the time being. I have several sewing orders to complete, and two more projects that I am under contract to complete by deadlines that are fast approaching. I hope to get back to it as I have invested a lot of time into it already with research as well as photographing pieces that I want to share.

So, I'm calling Uncle for the moment and time will tell  as to whether or not I complete it.

Stay 'tooned.

Dapples Project Prep

 I was doing research on the Dapples project and was pulling models out to photograph. 

I needed help from Craig as I'd lost some height after my most recent spinal fusion, so I asked him to come help me get some models off the top shelves in my office. I simply cannot reach them anymore.

The first piece he pulled down was a shrinky - the dapple grey Running Mare from 1987.

I told him that she was a shrinky and explained what that meant. He was pretty surprised when I set her next to a non-shrinky Running Mare to compare - in fact, he did not think they were from the same mold, the size difference was so great.

This led to a conversation about the why/how of shrinkies, and then on to the lick test, the vinegar smell, bloaties, and oozies. 

Craig was fine (even with the lick test) until I explained about oozies - that made him look a little green. And when he learned that I was keeping a ready-to-ooze in a box in my closet, he asked why I didn't just throw it away before it leaked out of or through the box.

Before I could respond, he guessed the reason. "Sentimental reasons," he said knowingly.

Sometimes it's hard to throw away something that has given you joy over time. That model will stay in its box until I have no other choice.

Those "Dapples"!

I love the early Breyer dapples - cornflake, spatter, and more. And Breyer vintage molds are my favorite.

So, when the two are combined, I am a happy collector.

I would call the dapples on this pretty Running Mare cornflake dapples although they are more rounded than most cornflake dapples are. 

She was a gift in a Secret Santa exchange last summer, and I was very glad to receive her. My Secret Santa told me that she had had her for a long time and intended to customize her but hadn't because she was too pretty. I agree and am glad that she didn't!

If I can get time (I'm still unpacking and inventorying from last weekend's event in Kalamazoo) I'd like to do an occasional series on Breyer's dapples. I have a lot of examples in my collection so that part will be easy; it's finding the time to pull and photograph them and do the research.

But I intend to try, so cross your fingers and stay 'tooned!