Shrinky Dapple Grey Running Mare and Foal

Teresa asked me if I might be interested in purchasing this set from her. I used to own it, and had been looking for them. They are shrinkies, but I told Teresa that I was fine with that.

 Graceful Mare and Foal set, #491212, 1987 Sears SR, $20, Teresa Rogers, California, 10/2016.

 Just look at the difference!

There is a pretty stark contrast, but for the most part, the mare and foal are shrinking proportionally instead of more in one area and less in another. They don't look grotesque (although that could happen.)

Vinegar Syndrome Information

From Kirsten Wellman's blog, July 1, 2014

I have highlighted the models that I have on this list. None of them smell like vinegar, but several have shrunk and are noted.

Vinegar syndrome victims

The subject of Breyer shrinkies and oozies is going round on Facebook again, and I thought it might be handy to post a list of models identified as prone to vinegar syndrome. Before I do so, here is a quick refresher on what vinegar syndrome is and its symptoms:

1) So far, only models made from about 1987-1992 seem to be affected. Not all models made between those years have gone bad. Presumably, some will remain unaffected.

2) Models affected by vinegar syndrome (VS) shrink and slowly warp inward. VS models that are kept wrapped up usually ooze a liquid that smells strongly of vinegar. Models kept in the open, such as on a shelf, are less likely to ooze, but they also will smell of vinegar. Models that are not outwardly oozing are still doing so inside. Shrinkies and oozies are therefore two names for the same problem.

3) Many VS models develop a chalk-like film as they start to shrink.

4) The paint on most VS models usually begins to fade and white areas become yellowed.

5) Vinegar syndrome in Breyers does NOT appear to be contagious despite early reports to that effect. Many collectors have normal models that have been shelved or stored with VS models for years that are completely unaffected. If it were contagious, this would not be the case.

And below is a list of models that have been identified as shrinkies/oozies. Not all copies of these models are affected, but some are. I am listing them by mold followed by specifics regarding which model(s) of that mold have been documented as affected. I will update this list periodically.

Action Stock Horse Foal (#225 Buckskin, 1987-1988)
Action Stock Horse Foal (#238 Grey Appaloosa, circa 1987-1988)
Adios (1987 JCP Chestnut Appaloosa)
Adios (1987 BHR SR Dapple Grey)
Adios (1987 BHR SR Palomino)
Adios (#51 Yellow Mount, produced in 1987)
Appaloosa Performance Horse (1990 Sears SR Black Appy)
Belgian (1987 Mail Order SR Bay)
Black Stallion (1988 JCP SR Bay)
Black Stallion (#811 Leopard Appy, 1988
Buckshot (#416 Chestnut Pinto, 1988-1989)
ClydesdaleFoal (#826 Light Bay, 1990-1991)
Clydesdale Mare (#825 Light Bay, 1990-1991)
Clydesdale Stallion (#824 Light Bay, 1990-1991)
El Pastor (#116 Precipitado Sin Par aka Cips, 1987) shrinking
FAS (#4 Palomino, purchased in 1988)
Fighting Stallion (#709 Leopard Appy, 1988-1990)
Foundation Stallion (1987 JCP SR Liver Chestnut)
Five-Gaiter (#109 Dapple Grey, 1987-1988)  shrinking
Five-Gaiter (#117 Project Universe, 1987-1989) shrinking
Hanoverian (1987 Your Horse Source SR Alabaster)
Hanoverian (1987 Your Horse Source SR Bay)
Hanoverian (1987 Your Horse Source SR Black) 
Hanoverian (1987 Your Horse Source SR Chestnut)
Indian Pony (1987 BHR SR Bay)
Indian Pony (1987 BHR SR Dapple Grey)
Indian Pony (1987 BHR SR Grey Appaloosa) 
Indian Pony (1987 BHR SR Leopard Appaloosa)
Indian Pony (1988 JCP SR Red Dun) 
Justin Morgan (1988 JCP SR Chestnut) 
Lady Phase (#711 Breezing Dixie, 1988) 
Lady Phase (1990 JCP SR Dapple Grey) 
Man O' War (1990 Sears SR Glossy)
Mustang (#118 Chestnut, 1987-1989) shrinking
Mustang (1988 SR Ruby) may be shrinking, unsure
Pacer (#819 Dan Patch, 1990)
Phar Lap (1988 Your Horse Source SR Red Bay)
Pony of the Americas (#821 Rocky, 1990-1992)
Proud Arab Foal (#806 Rose Grey, 1989-1990) 
Proud Arab Mare (#840 Chestnut, 1991-1992)
Proud Arab Stallion (1987 BHR SR Bay)
Proud Arab Stallion (1987 BHR SR Black)
Proud Arab Stallion (1987 BHR SR Light Chestnut)
Running Foal (1987 Sears SR Dapple Grey)
Running Mare (1987 Sears SR Dapple Grey) 
San Domingo (#67 original release, purchased 1987)
San Domingo (1987 JCP SR Bay)
San Domingo (#703 Grey Appaloosa, 1988-1989)
Secretariat (1990 Sears SR Glossy)
Sham (1990 Sears SR Glossy)
Sham (#411 Fleabit Grey, 1988-1989)
Sham (#812 Palomino, 1989-1991)
Sherman Morgan (#430 original release, 1987-1990)  shrinking
Shetland Pony (#3066 Black Pinto from Our First Pony set, purchased in 1987)
Stock Horse Mare (#222 Buckskin, 1987-1988) 
Stock Horse Stallion (#221 Buckskin, 1987-1988)
Stretch Morgan (#48 Black, produced in 1987)
Stretch Morgan (#702 Buckskin variation, 1988-1989)
Stud Spider (1990 Sears SR Blue Roan Appy) 
Stud Spider (#823 Chestnut Appy, 1990-1991)
Touch of Class (#original release, 1986-1988)

Classic Arabian Foal (#3066 Bay Pinto from Our First Pony set, purchased in 1987)
Classic Merrylegs (#3040 Black Beauty set, circa 1987-1992)
Classic Mustang Foal (#3066 Black Pinto from Our First Pony set, purchased in 1987)

SM G1 Arabian Stallion (Alabaster)
SM G1 Arabian Stallion (Bay)
SM G1 Drafter

Black Angus (circa 1987-1992)
Brahma Bull (circa 1987-1992)

Found a... What?

I am in the process of documenting my collection, cross-referencing it between two major sources, and this afternoon I spent an hour or so playing with my ponies. To my dismay, I discovered a problem with my alabaster Lying Foal Unicorn (1985 - 1988.)

Those dates themselves are enough to dishearten me - that's part of the timeline when Breyer produced models with a type of plastic that breaks down over time, and many (not all) of the models produced during that time are shrinking, oozing liquid, or both.

Ick.

I have a couple of them, but not too many, at least that I know of yet. Today as I picked up this foal to document it, I noticed it had developed yellow spots on the side facing outward.

The side facing the back of the shelf shows none of the yellow spots (the marks are scuffs from whoever owned this piece before me. I found it at a flea market or antique shop.)

And, the yellow spots will rub off with my finger or with some water. I am going to give this piece a bath, but first I want to photograph it and study it, possibly even making some inquiries around the hobby to see if anyone else has had this occur to a piece in their collection.

Kristen Wellman recently wrote about these kinds of issues on her blog, Model Horse Collectibility, and I have cut and pasted part of what she said:

Breyer models that are beginning to disintegrate from a problem that seems to be akin to vinegar syndrome in film. Like some kinds of film, many Breyers were made of a kind of plastic called cellulose acetate, and they are likewise starting to break down on a molecular level. The problem has only cropped up in the last few years, and so far, the only models that seem to be affected are those that were produced from around 1987-1992. (It is certainly possible that models may crop up from outside that range of years, but let's hope not many.) Not all models from those years are affected though, and it stands to reason that the affected models were made from a defective batch (or batches) of plastic.

Symptoms of vinegar syndrome include shrinking of the model in height and width, warping, slow implosion of the body cavity, legs that warp inward, paint discoloration (it gets lighter), a whitish film on the model that feels like chalk dust or soft powder, a strong vinegar smell, liquid oozing from the plastic, yellowing of white plastic areas, and in extreme cases, bubbling and collapse of the model.

Unfortunately, at this time, there is no known method to stop vinegar syndrome. So far, models that have been kept out in the open air tend to just slowly shrink and warp without any of the uglier symptoms. But as this is a recent development for Breyers, we don't yet know exactly what will eventually happen. Models kept in storage and models exposed to heat and humidity are much more likely to ooze and frequently go through the full gamut of symptoms

POA Shrinky

(From Breyer History Diva, May, 2011)

Meet my lovely little Toad:



At first I thought he had been the victim of a fire or some other sort of household incident, but when I picked him up and got a good whiff of him, I realized he was no accident victim: he was a Shrinky. Possibly the worst Shrinky I’ve ever seen. He’s not just shrunken, discolored, smelly and cracked, he’s lumpy: Lumpy and warty, like a toad!


Hence, his name.

I’ve seen some pretty messed up Shrinkies in my time, but this guy’s right up there with the worst of them. I’ve never seen lumpiness on a Shrinky like that before. Was it a consequence of the plasticizer pooling on the surface of the plastic? Was a "good" batch of plastic mixed in with a "bad" batch, with the lumps representing the unshrunken "good" bits?

I found him in a fairly large (60 piece) collection of contemporary (late 1980s-early 1990s: i.e. The Shrinky Era) pieces, most of them in good or better condition. There were a few other Shrinkies in the herd, but most of them were just smaller, smellier, and a little discolored - nowhere near the same horrifying level of deformity of my little Toad.

Some folks on Blab have speculated that something must have happened to Toad to make him this way, but I’m not so sure of that. It could be that like some people, he "lost" the genetic lottery, and just happened to get made out of a particularly bad batch of plastic, at a time known for that sort of thing.

He’s not oozing or weeping, at least not anymore, though I am hesitant to give him the "taste" test. I already suspect I got a contact high the other day from handling him so much. It’s not like I need to confirm what is already very obvious to my eyes, and nose. (Did I forget to mention that you can smell him a couple rooms away? That boy is pungent!)

Oh yes, he’ll be coming to BreyerFest this year; I’m thinking about setting up a little "kissing booth" for the Toadster and run some sort of fairytale-style promotion. "Kiss the Toad, and get a prize?" Hmm.

(Too bad I already have a great idea for the "Happy Endings" contest, because he’d make a great - and super easy - "Frog Prince" entry. Just set him up next to an unshrunken Rocky, with "Before Kiss" and "After Kiss" signs, and voila!)

Shrinkies & Boxes

(From Breyer History Diva, 2010.)

First, about Shrinkies: yes, I am aware of the existence of more recent Shrinkies. Unlike the late 1980s Shrinkies, the more modern ones occur more randomly - a batch here, a batch there. That suggests to me that the problem is more a result of faulty plastic, than faulty molding. (Bad molding certainly wouldn’t help, though.)

All Cellulose Acetate models will shrink eventually, it’s just a matter of when. If your models manage to make it through the first decade or so of their lives without exhibiting any unpleasant behaviors, I think they’re safe for the long haul, however long that may actual be.

Now, a few more words about shipper boxes.

We call the early, corrugated cardboard boxes shipper boxes because they were designed to be shipped as is. One side typically had the spaces marked out for the shipping and return addresses:


The other side would have the shipping details and instructions:


If you can’t read it, it says:

Contents: Merchandise - 4th Class Mail
Postmaster: This parcel may be opened for postage
inspection if necessary. Return and forwarding
postage guaranteed.

The example illustrated above (from a #22 Brown Pinto Shetland Pony) was obviously never mailed, but some were. I once owned an old Family Arabian Stallion with a used shipper box. (The best part was the return address: Mission Supply House!)

The shipper box was the standard packaging for virtually all Breyers prior to 1973. There were some exceptions - Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, the Horse and Rider sets all came in fancy shelf boxes - but most models didn’t merit that kind of treatment. It was cheap, and practical, especially for mail-order businesses like Mission Supply House. Address it, stamp it, and it’s ready to go!

Shipper boxes worked for retail businesses, too. In the 1950s, 1960s, and into part of the 1970s, most toy stores would have a display of horses on a shelf or a case. You’d make your selection, and the store would then go to the stock room and get you a still-boxed one. A fancy box wasn’t necessary to make the sale.

I imagine that the shipper box might have even been a bit of a selling point, especially to grandparents with distant grandkids. Straight from the toy store to the post office - no muss, no fuss!

I’m guessing that my bull was either old store stock, or a gift that was purchased, and never given. Doesn’t matter either way, he has a happy home on my shelves now.

Shrinkies

(From Breyer History Diva, 2009.)


As I was compiling my BreyerFest saleslist yesterday, I discovered that I had three different Appaloosa Yearlings. I didn't realize they were all that popular around here: the Thoroughbreds and Adioses I find I understand (I live in an area that used to have a small but thriving horse racing industry.) But Appaloosa Yearlings? Go figure.

I have a disproportionately large collection of Appaloosa Yearlings in my own private collection, but that's because it seems to be one of those models – like the Black Stretch Morgan, or the Chestnut Saddlebred Weanling – that comes in endless variations. My post today, however, is about only one of those Yearlings. This one:


I purchased her several years ago at BreyerFest. Even in the low light endemic to the host hotel, she stood out: she was one weird girl. Nearly gray, with pale yellow spots. I had to have her! For comparison, here's a relatively normal/average Appaloosa Yearling:


And believe it or not, it's a variation that actually comes with an explanation: my gray girl is a Shrinky!

I almost totally missed out on the Shrinky phenomenon originally: most of the Shrinkies collectors discover or seek out nowadays date to the late 1980s or early 1990s, a period in which I wasn't really buying all that many new horses. (There's a long, interesting story about how I ended that hobby “hiatus,” but another time, sweeties, another time.) The only ones I recall having were the BHR SR Indian Ponies: my Bay one was particularly … oozy. And at the time, I attributed it to something else entirely.

I don't know what precisely causes the shrinking: something is slightly off in the composition of the Tenite, or in the molding process, that causes models to shrink, warp, crack and (sometimes) ooze. I haven't put any time into discovering what the precise problem is – it is again, another consequence of a lack of time and way too many topics to cover.

Just because some of your models are slightly taller or shorter than others of the same mold doesn't automatically make them Shrinkies, however. Tenite is a semi-synthetic material that's subject to environmental factors, and you're going to have some minor variations in size and shape as a result.

There are several other indicators of a models status as a true Shrinky, and this very pale girl of mine taught me that.

A while back I took a picture of this girl as an avatar on Blab. She was a bit dusty in spots, so I gave her a quick lick in lieu of walking over to the nearest sink and rinsing her off. I wasn't expecting her to taste so … nasty! I had to run to the sink anyway and rinse out my mouth!

I had licked some of my Breyers before in similar situations and had not experienced that before. Sometimes I'd feel a bit of a tingle, but nothing quite so dramatically wrong. What on Earth was going on?

I compared her to my other Appaloosa Yearlings and noticed that she was somewhat shorter than the rest – not dramatically, but noticeably. I then recalled a Spanish-Barb Buckshot I had in my collection that was slightly smaller than average, and of a somewhat unusual color – more pink than chestnut. So I pulled her out of storage, and gave him the lick test too.

Same result. Grossness! And out of that grossness came an epiphany (of sorts.)

I had noticed on eBay and elsewhere a number of unusual looking chestnuts – ones that were more pale, peachy pink than actual chestnut. Most of theme were on models from the late 1980s or early 1990s. They were pretty distinctive: why hadn't I noticed these guys before, when they came out? Was it another case of me being insufficiently observant?

No, it was probably because the paint finish hadn't yet started reacting to the messed up chemical composition of the Shrinky plastic. It took a few years before Chestnuts turned pink … and Bays turned gray!

My Appaloosa Yearling was not a variation, in the strictest sense. She was a Shrinky.

Shrinkies do still occur from time to time: last year at BreyerFest, my friend Bernie showed me a smallish, slightly off looking Diamondot Buccaneer who, one lick test later, revealed his true nature. And he was made several years after that first, now notorious batch.

I'm not advocating a wholesale licking of your collection to root out your potential Shrinkies – there are some that definitely don't need that test. (Especially if they're oozing!) But if you're curious, and have nothing better to do in the privacy of your own home ….