Christmas Cookies: Gingerbread!

 

Gingerbread Cookie Army:

Their fearful leader, since he has a fancy scarf, buttons, and a lock of hair:

Yes gingerbreads, live in fear…your cookie composition has placed you in peril. The contents of this box  have no such trepidation…

Ho, ho, ho, looky what we have here! It’s Breyer’s 2021 Pony for Christmas (2020’s Christmas Pony was Honeybunch). The pony, named Gingerbread, is a rich chestnut on the Bouncer/Welsh Pony mold and comes with a blanket:

Random things that came to my mind after seeing this photo:

-Blanket, or is it supposed to be an ugly sweater? I don’t think the blanket is ugly at all, but it and the pattern on the box are meant to evoke cozy winter sweaters (I don’t wear sweaters since it’s too hot here). Some multicolored pompoms, gaudy bric-a-brac trim, and sequins would fix that blanket up into an ugly sweater quickly!

-The name Gingerbread. I picture a pony gleefully galloping away from the children on Christmas morning singing, “Run, run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man!” Of course, the rest of the day is spent in tears trying to capture a naughty pony. 

-Nat King Cole singing the opening lyrics of “The Christmas Song.” Yep, it has a dual meaning here because Gingerbread is chestnut and horses have chestnuts. “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose…” Don’t worry, no chestnut ponies shall be roasted over fires. 

Here is Gingerbread once again, without the wintry background. I wish we could see his other side and see him without the blanket:

I don’t really conga Bouncer, but I have a few. I bought this one because I really like that shade of chestnut, plus the blanket reeled me in. I hope Breyer produced an ample supply of Gingerbread so more collectors can get one, as they did with Eek! (the Halloween Classic model). 

*Photos of Gingerbread from Breyer’s website.*

*Photos of gingerbread cookies are from the internet.*

*Photo of chestnuts roasting scavenged from the internet.*

Forgotten: The Lipizzan Stallion

Breyer’s Classic/Freedom Series Lipizzan mold (#620) was introduced into the Breyer line in 1975. Depicted performing a classical dressage movement, the levade, this carefully balancing fellow is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, he lands on the list of the underused. Underused as a horse, that is. The Lipizzan Stallion has made appearances as a unicorn (white and black), various incarnations of Pegasus, and in a deco color. As a unicorn, dubbed Unicorn III, the black and white pearl unicorns were available in 1996 at Toys ‘R’ Us:

Here is my black pearl unicorn. I have no idea where the white pearl unicorn is hiding:

Wings were added in 1984 to create the first Breyer Pegasus:

This is the original 1984 release. He’s been through many moves, and has acquired some battle scars along the way. I remember seeing him for the first time (at Toys ‘R’ Us) and being amazed. News traveled quite slow back then, and I didn’t know he existed. Of course I bought him, and couldn’t wait to get home to unbox him. Such excitement back in the day, lol! To transform the Lipizzan Stallion into Pegasus, Breyer engineered a slot in his back to accommodate his new wings (did a bell ring? Bonus points if you caught the reference). The wings had tabs on the base to fit into the slot, and BOOM! a Pegasus was born:

Revisiting the topic of this mold being underused as a horse, he has never been in any other realistic horse color other than alabaster. He did wear deco colors (orangey-gold and shimmery) as Sagittarius for Breyer’s 2015 Zodiac Series, but yeah, a deco. I have always wanted to see him as one of the rare bay Lipizzaners, as well as in any of the other historical Lipizzan coat colors. Actually, I’d like to see him in any realistic horse color.  Here are some more photos:

*Photos of the gold labels for the white and black pearl unicorns are from the Identity Your Breyer website.*

2022 Stablemate Club Memberships Now Open

 

The enrollment period for the 2022 Stablemate Club is open from now until December 31, 2021. The first release will be Dax, a chestnut Appaloosa on the mini-me Fighting Stallion. Breyer has stated he will have a “subtle interference purple finish.” Raider, 2021’s fourth release, was a chestnut and had the purple interference. New trend? “Henceforth, ALL of the chestnuts must have purple interference!”

Dax (maybe named for a Star Trek DS9 character? She had spots, too) will undoubtedly be a welcomed addition to SM Fighter congas. Dax will expand the conga to five Fighters strong:

1. Charcoal, 70th Anniversary Blind Bag

2. Prince, palomino 2020 Deluxe Collectors Club model

3. Nouveau, teal, orange, yellow-gold 2021 Breyerfest Event SM

4. Spirit of Hallows Eve, 2021 Halloween Blind Bag

5. Dax, chestnut Appaloosa (with purple interference), first release of the 2022 Stablemate Club

*Photos are from Breyer’s email/website.*

2022 Premier Club Reveal: Zafirah

 

It’s sign up time for the 2022 Premier Club, which is the club’s 10th anniversary. The first release will be Zafirah, a “show stopping mare,” as Breyer describes her. The name Zafirah translates to the English meanings of victory, success, and triumph. Sculpted by Brigitte Eberl, Zafirah wears a dark liver chestnut coat by Myla Pearce. Premier Club memberships are open until December 31, 2021 EST. 

*All photos are from Breyer’s email/website.*

Boo! 2021 Halloween Stablemates!

 

This year I ended up with the three different Halloween Stablemates. 2021 marks the third year Halloween SMs have been offered by Breyer. I’m neutral on Bogeyman (as I was on the original Classic one), definitely wanted Spirit of Hallowed Eve, and was a bit indifferent to Jack. I am having mold fatigue with the constant use of the G2 Clydesdale, which we’ve seen over and over. That is until I noticed something about him, and I don’t mean the excess glitter. When I opened the bag and peered in, I saw this:

Why is he wearing a thong? This is definitely a case of ‘what has been seen cannot be unseen.’ A couple of photos to demonstrate what I mean:

Views from the side, which hides the thong nicely:

Moving on from pumpkin butt, the ghostly pallor of Spirit of Hallowed Eve is the perfect backdrop for the little ghosts on him. I wish that the traditional one had been obtainable, but having the opportunity to have a mini-me version is the next best thing: 

Bogeyman is well done, and attention to detail was not overlooked-he even has the two different colored eyes (green and purple) like the original one:

The Series 3 Halloween Stablemates together:

*Photo of the intact Spooky Surprise Blind Bag is from Breyer’s website.*

Simplified Unidentified Breyers and the 2022 Vintage Club

Most collectors have heard about some odd Breyer horses which had been spotted on eBay. These horses definitely look to be aimed at children as the primary audience, but the models seem to have appeared out of nowhere. These have not been advertised by Breyer anywhere, which has led to a lot of speculation. Are these fakes? A product line that was scrapped before it even launched? It seems they may be a new line, going by the back of the boxes, which states, “Welcome to the World of Breyer,” and some other advertising stuff. They are Classic/Freedom Series scale, with two molds used. The two molds are split between eight models. Four are horses, and the other four are unicorns. One mold is clearly a weirdo Marebella, and the other weirdo mold I cannot make my mind up on. He sort of looks like a Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse; he reminds me of the Classic Show Thoroughbred, but the head and neck are different. Yeah, I know, that doesn’t make any sense. Moving on then. These toys are not fully encased in boxes as Breyers typically are, but are strapped into the bottom part of the box and have open tops, sort of an updated touchability box. At the moment the different eBay sellers who have these seem to be clustered in the Northeast. However, reports are coming in that these toys are being found at Five Below stores in the Midwest as well. Here are the backs of the boxes:

I wish Breyer would comment on these simplified unidentified models, even if it this was an ill-fated new line. Nosy noses need to know, you know! Speaking of nosy noses, I would love to know the number of Collectors Club members there are. Many people have multiple accounts, including me, but I’d still like a rough number. I’d also like to know the numbers on the Premier and Stablemate Clubs, which are probably larger than most of us suspect. Even with the expansion of 250 additional memberships, the 2022 Vintage Club apparently sold out in under two hours, and a waitlist is available for interested parties. 

*Photos of the simplified unidentified Breyers are from the internet.*

The Unicorn Chronicles: New Breyer Unicorn Available, And a New Blanket/(old) Unicorn Set

 

Hahaha, more news! Just spied on Breyer’s website a new Classic/Freedom Series Unicorn. The unicorn is on the Malik mold and is called Solar Flare. Solar Flare is described by Breyer as having an “incredibly detailed, shaded golden-orange coat with a wild, fiery golden yellow mane.” He also has a golden sheen, along with golden hooves and horn. 

Solar Flare is this year’s exclusive limited edition web unicorn, as Nova was last year’s. I didn’t order Nova as I don’t conga the American Quarter Horse Stallion/Frolicking Stallion mold, but I almost did due to his coloring. He has a pearly coat blushed with rose and gold accents:

Le Mer, Unicorn of the Sea, is currently in Breyer’s line. Breyer decided to offer him in a gift set with a fancy sequined disco mermaid blanket (which can morph from to teal to purple). So now you can purchase Le Mer naked or with a beach coverup:

I ended up ordering both of them, since I still had to order my other Dahlia. I was trying to hold off ordering Dahlia with the hope I could order her with Astrid (PC second release) or with the remaining Vintage Club models. Since Breyer is projecting availability for the end of October for the VC models, and Astrid is a vague ‘very soon,’ I went ahead and ordered Dahlia. Now that means Breyer will probably send out an email saying that Astrid is now available, hahaha. 

*All photos are from Breyer’s website.*

2021 Vintage Club Updates

 

Yay, more updates! I’m glad that Breyer has been updating collectors about what’s going on by giving potential shipping estimates. Today Breyer sent out an update to Vintage Club members. Nugget, the Brighty mold gambler’s choice, is slated to be available in late October. 

The Vintage Club bonus duo of Dusk and Dawn are supposed to overlap with Nugget’s release giving VC members the option to combine shipping. Dusk and Dawn will have an ‘extended purchase window’ according to Breyer. No information has been given on the actual length of the purchase window, but it’s good to see them offering purchase flexibility for collectors.

And last but not least is the VC Stablemate, which you may or may not remember is a gambler’s choice too. The mini-me Smart Chick Olena SM pays homage to Yellow Mount, a traditional portrait model which was in production from 1970-1987. Early models had a white spot on the right foreleg which was later dropped from the model. The SM run will be a 50/50 split of arm spot/no arm spot. 

Breyer also gave a reminder than midnight tonight is the deadline for current VC members to renew their memberships for 2022.  Starting tomorrow, the VC memberships are open to all Collectors Club members.  Breyer also gave us another photo of Cooper and his box:

*Photos of Nugget, Dusk andDawn, SM Yellow Mount, and Cooper are from Breyer’s email.*