Featured Breyerfest - 2008

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Breyerfest! We're covering 2008 this week, so let's get going! 

Notable events of 2008:

• Following in the footsteps of the iPhone, Apple launches the App Store
• The 2008 Summer Olympics take place in China
• Barack Obama is the first African-American to be elected President of the USA
• Bernie Madoff is arrested for running the largest Ponzi scheme in history

And, Breyerfest 2008 took place! 

Dates: July 18-20, 2008
Theme: Global Gallop (taking inspiration from the 2008 Olympics)
Celebration Horse: Alborozo
Number of Celebration Models produced: 6,000

Here's the first 2008 page from the commemorative program:

While this wasn't the first time an entire new mold debuted as the Celebration Model (that was Rejoice back in 1998), it was the first (and so far, only) time Breyer destroyed the mold after using it. Rather than rehash things I've already written about, I'll direct you back to a previous time I wrote about Alborozo (the mold)'s destruction. Other guest horses at the event were Bluegrass Bandit, DZ Weedo, Fox Valley Oliver (who came to a very sad end a few years later) and Pimlico RCA, son of Thee Desperado. 

Here's the second page from the commemorative program:

Special runs for 2008 were Limerick, Melbourne, Heidi and Edelweiss, Saltire, Patagonia, Mirage (the porcelain for that year), Riesling and Pharaoh. Of those, the only one I have in my collection is Saltire, though most of those molds aren't ones I've ever collected - if I'd been there in person in 2008 I'd have only wanted Saltire and Pharoah. 

Prize models were quite plentiful this year - Cheveyo, Fox Valley Oliver, Thee Desperado, DZ Weedo, Bluegrass Bandit and Earth were all glossy prize models; plus this was the first year that glossy Celebration Horses were awarded to the costume contest winners. This may have been the first year there even was a costume contest, come to think of it. Another historical event that happened was the smutty palomino Alborozo auction model selling for a record $13,500. This record stood until 2019 when this Alborozo auction model broke it, and since then, any Alborozo auction model tends to be the top seller of the auction (though the current auction record holder is this Silver). 

Here's the third page from the commemorative program:

And here's the first page of the JAH recap for 2008:

Page 2:

As a bonus, here are some on-location photos courtesy of Lea R.: 

I believe that's Bluegrass Bandit. 

And this is DZ Weedo! So beautiful. The SHS doesn't really do him justice. 

Here's Fox Valley Oliver (RIP). 

And the beautiful Alborozo! I wish I'd been there just to see him. He's stunning! 

And speaking of Alborozo, here's the last page from the JAH recap, showing the destroyed mold:

Now, let's take a look at some auction models! 

This Strapless's paint job looks suspiciously familiar. Like this Lady Phase. Or this Esprit. Or this mini Prince Charming...hmm. Could this be the first time Breyer has used this paint job?  I thought the Lady Phase was the first time. Are there any others I've missed? 

Now, this model is stunning. It's an alternate color for Pharaoh. Why didn't they use this color for the actual production run? It's so much cooler than the one they went with. But blue is my favorite color, so I may be biased. I remember seeing this model for sale on eBay several years ago (like, at least 10 years ago and probably more) and at that time some of the gold markings were smeared, but I don't know if that was damage that happened afterward or issues present when the model was originally auctioned off. I can't remember how much it sold for, though. 

I need more information about this model! It's described as a "Tortuga-esque Gold Leaf Dragon" on IDYB. Is that real gold leaf, or just gold paint? How was it applied? Why haven't we seen any other gold leaf models? (Maybe it's a huge pain to apply?) I need more information! Where is this model now? 

This Bluegrass Bandit is so pretty. Her color is so soft and I really like her mane. Another model I'd love to own. I wouldn't mind seeing this color on another model, either. 

And that's all I have for today! Check back next week for Breyerfest 2009! 

CCA returns, and the last of my Breyerfest models!

 Good news, everyone! I had a feeling something was going to happen today, and something did - the Collector Club Appreciation event returns! 

I actually ordered some merchandise this time since I haven't bought any pins lately. Hopefully I get a glossy Riptide this time! 

And in other news, my last Breyerfest models for this year finally arrived! (I waited a while to have them shipped here so I could combine them with other stuff) Behold, it's the matte Oseberg I got from the second chance sale: 

And my Uff Da:

And I was lucky enough to get both colors of Hygge:

I like how the pink one still has a dorsal stripe! 

And let's not forget the Mr. Shining Gun I ordered on Breyerfest morning:

Side note: I like his color, but the speckles in his paint job are so tiny they legit look like dust stuck in his finish, and I spent longer than I probably should have trying to rub them off. 

Lastly, here's the mini Spectre I got from a friend!  

Another view:

I love his little ghosts! So cute. 

So now I get to wait and see if I get a glossy Riptide with the CCA sale. Good luck to everyone ordering! I hope everyone gets what they're looking for! 

Brick and mortar SR and a new barn!

 Greetings, readers! Well, it's been a little bit of a dry spell lately, huh? Well, never fear - I'm sure more releases are coming soon. But check it out - the brick-and-mortar special run for this year has been revealed! 

He's pretty, but I don't want him! Yay! This is a brick-and-mortar model, meaning you'll have to physically go to a store near you to buy one (or have someone else do it for you). I hope everyone that wants one can find one! 

But that's not all - there's also a new barn/arena set! 

It comes with two horses - looks like a flaxen chestnut Charleston and a black appaloosa Corbin, neither of which I need, luckily. The playset looks fun, though! Let's hope there are some other fall releases coming, eh? Seems like there should be more...

Featured Breyerfest - 2007

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Breyerfest! Moving right along, we're covering 2007 this week, so let's get going! 

Notable events of 2007: 

• The original iPhone makes its debut
• Bob Barker retires from The Price Is Right after 35 years
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is the highest-grossing film of the year
  
• The Nintendo Wii is the most popular video game console of the year 

Meanwhile, Breyerfest 2007 took place in Kentucky! 

Dates: July 20-22, 2007
Theme: Stars & Stripes
Celebration Horse: Rugged Painted Lark
Number of Celebration Models produced: 5,000

Here's the first 2007 page from the commemorative program:

Rugged Painted Lark was a son of Breyer portrait mold/model Rugged Lark, and was ridden and trained by Lynn Palm, who also rode and trained Rugged Lark. Rugged Painted Lark died in 2022. Other guest horses at this Breyerfest included Hot Shot the barrel racer, Blackjack the Morgan, Doctor Zhivago, Like Thunder, Cupid and Arrow and more. Here are some on-the-ground photos courtesy of Lea R:

Rugged Painted Lark in his stall

Doctor Zhivago looking like his porcelain counterpart

Blackjack looking handsome

Here's 2007 page 2 from the commemorative program: 

Special runs this year included Heartland, Rushmore, the All-American Trio, Lady Liberty, Alamo, Times Square and Sundance, as well as Doctor Zhivago (the porcelain). Single-Day Stablemates were Stars and Stripes, and the Store Special was Cream Soda. Prize models were the coveted Niagara and Betsy Ross, as well as Yankee Doodle Dandy and a long list of glossy prizes. Additionally, this was the first year the early bird model (dapple gray Five Gaiter) was a run of 3 models, rather than three OOAK models. I still think Rushmore is a really great color for Smarty Jones. A little bit sad I sold mine. I also used to have Heartland but sold her as well. Still have Times Square and Sundance, though! 

Here's the third 2007 page from the commemorative program:

Here's the recap for 2007 from JAH:

And page 1 of the scrapbook from the same issue:

And the rest of it:

Now, let's look at some of the auction models! 

Firstly, here's this "dappled silver black" Bouncer. Looks like a dapple gray to me, but I'm no expert. He's pretty, though! 

I love this unicorn Huck! Wish we could have another one - Alaric was so long ago. As a bonus, here's another photo of this guy courtesy of Lea R.! 

So pretty! Anyone know where this guy is now? 

This one is odd - he looks like he's molded in that color. He has the unicorn beard, but no horn. Was Breyer experimenting with molding things in other colors, or is he an old test from the archive? We may never know. 

This one is interesting too - bay going gray?!  I want to see a series of these in a progression from bay to gray. So pretty! 

Bonus model! This one is from the silent auction. This one is titled "Blue Injection Molded Foal." She definitely would go well with the Running Stallion from earlier. They just need a mare to match! 

And that's it for this week. Check back next week for Breyerfest 2008! 

Featured Breyerfest - 2006

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Breyerfest! We're covering 2006 this week, so let's start with some notable events of 2006:

• Twitter, now known as X (ugh) launches
• Pluto loses its status as a planet and is reclassified as a dwarf planet
• Steve Irwin is killed by a stingray 
• Google buys YouTube for $1.6 billion

And in Kentucky, Breyerfest 2006 happened! 

Dates: July 28-30, 2006
Theme: Summer Carnival
Celebration Horse: Joker
Number of Celebration Models produced: 5,018

Here's the first 2006 page from the commemorative program:

Joker is still alive at the age of 28 (Pokerjoe died this past May, sadly). And I have more guest horse photos! 

I believe these are Magic Man's Grand Slam (top) and Sonador (bottom). Thanks to Lea R. for the photo! 

Here's the second 2006 page from the commemorative program! 

Keychains have departed the special run lineup again. Instead we get the cute little Trixie as the single-day Stablemate, complete with cute little costume! The porcelain for this year is the cute little palomino Circus Ponies set. I still want to see the Circus Ponies (perhaps sans costumes) as Stablemates. Please? Someday? Pretty please? Other special runs include Highwire, the metallic dun Huck; Pierrot, the buckskin splash pinto MFT; Maximus, the wild bay Clydesdale Stallion; Appydaze, the black extended blanket Hackney Pony; Ringmaster, the chestnut pinto Spirit; Nimbo, the copenhagen Elephant; Carnivale, the green "carnival glass" Fighting Stallion; and the Three Ring Circus Set featuring mini Jade, mini Mauvelous and mini Tortuga. 

And here's page 3 from the commemorative program:

Tregoyd Journeyman is so beautiful! And Goffert as well. Wish I'd been there to see them in person, but in 2006 I was still in college, working at Walmart and definitely didn't have the money to attend (or anyone to go with, for that matter).  

Here's the first page from the JAH Breyerfest recap:

And here's page 2 of the recap:

Now, let's take a look at some of the auction models. 

This one is described as "prism paint on clear plastic" on IDYB. Looks holographic to me! Breyer must have been on a color-shift paint kick, because there were several color-shift auction models this year. 

This one is an alternate version of Cai Lun done in a "blue pottery" variation. 

I feel like this one came up for sale on eBay a few years back with some damage? Or maybe it was an extremely-similar custom? Can't remember for sure. 

I thought this one was super cool! There's something about the old-style blue+pinto combination that really fascinates me. I wish they'd do something like this on a mold I collect! 

That's it for this week. Check back next week for Breyerfest 2007! 

August Collector Club Newsletter!

 Well, it's the end of the month and you know what that means...time for the Collector Club newsletter! If you're a club member, check your email for more. This month's newsletter features the Halloween store, a 10% off sale ("just because"), a feature story about filigree paint jobs, a Spectre giveaway, and this sneak peek:

Prevailing opinion is that this is the upcoming Brighty web special, Dryandra, but I'm mildly confused why they'd bother to sneak peek something they've already revealed? Seems odd. Guess we'll find out soon! 

2026 Halloween Store and the last Breyerfest Closeup!

 Greetings, readers! Exciting news - the 2026 Halloween Store is now open! Check it out here. The mysterious third Spooky Stablemate that wasn't revealed at Breyerfest turned out to be a cute little G3 Highland Pony! 

That pony is so cute! I only want the Arabian, but I'm sitting this round out. Hopefully a friend can get an Arabian for me. 

As has been noted online, the pony's design is based on Stitch, the plush from 2024. They'll probably have to start using the plush designs if they want to keep doing these Stablemates, because they're going to run out of designs otherwise! 

And in other news, it's time for the last Breyerfest Closeups post for this year! It's the Premier Club bonus Stablemate...behold! 

I'm guessing he'll be Carmen's color, or maybe Flapjack. Hope we find out soon! 

He (she?) looks better in these photos than in the teaser we got last year, but I'm still iffy about it. 

Seems too long and skinny for me, but we'll see what the finished product looks like. 

And that wraps it up! We're done with Breyerfest Closeups for another year. Here's to next year!