Kelvin Circus Ponies

Look what I just found - two new circus ponies to add to my collection!

They're bone china and made by Kelvin, a Japanese company that (clearly) did knockoffs of the Hagen Renaker circus ponies. I paid $19 ppd for the set, and found them on MH$P. The seller is April Powell from New York.

Hagen Renaker did not do a rearing one, but this copy has the harness (complete with heart), the white body color with the black mane and tail, and the red pipe cleaner plume of the Hagen Renaker Circus Ponies.

In this case, the plume is a pipe cleaner folded in half, not a single piece like Hagen Renaker's. There is a little crazing in their finish, too, not uncommon for older china pieces (including Hagen Renakers.)

This one mimics Hagen Renaker's Head Up Circus Pony.

On both ponies, the mane and tail have white in them, possibly for depth and detail or maybe just because of sloppy painting. I lean toward the latter because the hooves and harnesses also have white streaks in them.

Here is a comparison of the Kelvin to a Shiken (Japan) copy and the original Hagen Renaker Circus Pony. Note the Kelvin is larger in scale, too. Check out those hooves - all the copies in my collection have black hooves. Was it due to the cost of gold paint?

You can also tell that the copies are bone china (see that stark white color?) while the Hagen Renaker has a creamier color due to the slip that was used to make it.

As I said, Hagen Renaker did not make a rearing Circus Pony, but Shiken did. The Kelvin is on the left and the Shiken on the right.

I have eight various circus pony copies in my collection, and not one of them is a copy of Hagen Renaker's Head Down Circus Pony. I wonder if they're out there?

While I don't care much for the idea of one company taking another's product, making a few minor changes, and then marketing it as their own, it was (and remains) a common occurrence. But I have to admit, I find all the copies charming, and I really, really like these two.

RubberNedz Circus Pony

Last August Catriona Harris posted a photo of her new RubberNedz Circus Pony from Donna Chaney.

I gasped in amazement - I had no idea that Donna was making RubberNedz into circus ponies! Immediately I contacted Donna and inquired about having her make one for me.

Mine arrived yesterday and I am over the moon about him.

 RubberNedz Circus Pony on the Talus mold, ($187.50/148 pounds.)

I asked her to do a bay with four varied socks, a white blaze with pink and white on the nose, and orange feathers and I got everything I asked for. There are even two orange crystals for bridle rosettes!

At that cost, this will likely be my only RubberNedz, but I sure do like him.

My HR Tennessee Nostalgia is Here!

Note: I sold this piece for cost plus shipping to Demise Gimmarro, 2032 Hunter's Creek Dr., Superior Two., MI 48198 on January 2, 2019. I just did not feel good about spending that much money on a piece that I didn't really like.

My Hagen Renaker Tennessee Nostalgia arrived while we were in Florida and I only just had a moment to open it.  Kristina and her crew did a marvelous job - the shading is lovely.

HR TN Nostalgia Grulla, Love mold #749, 116 pieces made, HR Tennessee, 12/2018.

This piece cost more than I usually feel comfortable paying for a horse, whether it be plastic or clinky.

But I decided to purchase it and then see what it looked like in-hand. So often pieces look very different from their promo photos. My photos aren't the best, but I do think it looks nice in person!

Someone has scratched the letter "H" in the near hind hoof. I'll have to do a little research as I was not expecting that. Is it the initials of the painter? (Christina Harrington, perhaps?)  That would be my guess.

Overall I am pleased with my Nostalgia. I am going to enjoy it for a while and then decide after the holidays if this piece is staying in my collection or not.

Kudos to Kristina and her crew for producing these!

Van Gogh & Breyer Christmas Blanket

Although it is a vintage mold, I do not collect the Action Stock Horse Foal mold. I have had a couple come through my collection but, with the exception of Bailey from the Vintage Collectors Club, I have sold them all to someone who would appreciate them.

I just added another to my collection. I didn't really want him, but to get something I did want, I had to buy something and he fit the bill.

Breyer has been running a lot of holiday specials, and finally they had one with the holiday blanket that appeared on the cover of their winter catalog. (Screenshot from Breyer web site.)

 It was so pretty! But it wasn't listed on the website for quite a while after it appeared on the catalog's cover.

It popped up as a special a few days ago - if you bought a traditional model then you could get the blanket for free. I really didn't want (or need) any of the models, but I did want that blanket, so I took a look at what was on offer.

Van Gogh, a 2017 piece was on sale for a good price, but would that piece count as a traditional and get me the free blanket? It was a foal and therefore cheaper than the adult models. Would Breyer let me buy a cheap foal to get that blanket?

Van Gogh, #1775, 2017 - current, $15.99 with blanket, Breyer 11/2018.

They sure did! So, I placed my order.

They arrived this afternoon and I am pleased with both them. The Van Gogh is much nicer in-hand than he looks on Breyer's website. (Or in my photos.) 

The blanket is beautiful and in a soft flannel. Overall the stitching, especially on the bias tape binding, is very well done. The hip darts, though, were not pressed and so when the blanket was bound, one was bound up toward the back while the other was bound down toward the hocks. (I probably would never had noticed that had I not just made two blankets myself.) But that is a quality issue and won't affect the fit.

I am still not sure I will keep Van Gogh, but he was a pleasant surprise. The blanket, however, is staying with me.

Walker-Renaker Stubborn Horse

I have wanted one of these for a long time.

Stubborn Horse, #944, $23.00, Walker Renaker, 11/2018, Ruby Lane

Breyer History Diva called this piece "Horse of a Different Color," while it is listed as "Stubborn Horse" in other places. I have also seen the manufacturer listed as Freeman-McFarlin, but most sources agree that Walker-Renaker produced it. (Photos from Google Images - it's too dark to take photos as I write.)

The body is very matte and has a bit of a texture to it, but the mane and tail are glossed and very smooth. I love the pink, yellow, and blue flower chain!

I am most definitely not beginning another collection-within-the-collection, but if I found more of these Walker-Renakers, including the cows, I wouldn't say no!

Wish and Wonder - 2018 Christmas Mare & Foal Set

I love Breyer's blankets, so I was disappointed when they posted the 2018 Christmas Mare and Foal set and there were no blankets on the models, just a shiny satin gift bag.

Unsure if I wanted the set or not, I held off purchasing them for a while but the set proved quite popular with collectors and then it went on sale. I also had a discount code and so I took the plunge.

I am glad I did - the set is quite nice. (And I am not fond of the Misty or Stormy molds.)

Wish and Wonder, #712279, $44.50, 11/2018, Breyer.

Using the Misty mold for Wish, they made her a chalky by spraying a white base coat before painting her.

I like the effect that has on the piece - she has a textured coat already, and with the additional layer of paint, she looks more realistic to me. Her dapples are nice, too.

This is the first time I have ever liked a Stormy. I think he looks very appealing as Wonder in his chalky coloring, parrot mouth notwithstanding.

And since I wanted blankets so badly, maybe I can get some fabric and make those after the holidays when I have a little more time.

In the meantime, I am happy with my newest purchases.

A Boatload of Blankets

Having just bought nine blankets off eBay, I thought it might be a good idea to go through my blanket tub and see just what I have so that I don't make duplicate purchases. (Which has happened before, but the extras make good donations.)

Four of the nine I ordered are here (the last five were sold in a lot) so this is what I have thus far. I'll do a separate blog entry on the lot when it arrives.

 The tub is getting full but I can still squeeze a few more in.

Breyer has done several types of packaging. I prefer the kind on the left as it is compact and sturdy, protecting the blanket, but the open-blanket style in the middle allows you to see both sides of the blanket at once, good when there is a different motif on each side. But it also takes a lot more storage space in exchange for that clarity.

The sealed plastic bag on the right allows you to see both sides of the blanket but it is very flimsy and not as protective of the contents.

Having said all that, most people open the packaging and use the blanket; very few like me actually collect the blankets themselves and keep things intact. So, I do understand Breyer's various methods for packing those blankets.

Susan Bensema Young's eagle eyes spied these next four blankets on eBay and sent an email to tell me about them. I checked with her first to be sure she was not planning on bidding on them herself before I snapped them up.

This green turnout blanket also came with the model! I already have Karinthia, but will check it against my other for variations. If there are any, it will stay with me. (Photo by eBay seller.)

 The blue turnout blanket didn't come with the model horse. (Photo by eBay seller.)

As you know from the variation post on Stud Spider, the brown canvas blanket came with the Stud Spider and both are staying with me.

The blue canvas blanket is in remarkable shape considering it was first produced in 1977 and is one of Breyer's earliest blankets. (Photo by eBay seller.)

Now I am looking for the red canvas blanket to complete my collection of the three different blankets produced in canvas. (Photo taken from Identify Your Breyer.)

A few blankets that came with models remain on those models - Milo, Crystal & Crispin, Eve & Claus, and Vixen & Blitzen - and will remain so instead of going into the tub. Personally I like them on the models.

As for the lot of five which I am still waiting on... They have not been mailed to me as of this writing. I won them on November 11, and the seller messaged me on November 16 through eBay and apologized for the delay. She said that she would mail them and send me the tracking number the next day, November 17, but I have not received that tracking notice yet nor does it show up on eBay. No explanation was given for the delay, but I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt at this time. If I haven't received a tracking number in a couple more days, I'll check back with her and see what is going on.

Collecting Breyer blankets is fun, and a big thanks and shout out to Sue for her help in finding many of these!