September Round-Up: The 2010s & Breyer Collector Club

In case you missed it, as part of Breyer's 70th birthday celebrations, we're taking a stroll through Breyer history all year round on our social media channels! Like August, September also featured a dual theme to fit in that extra bit of Breyer history! We looked at our most recent decade, the 2010s, and a program that has just so happened to flourish during this decade: the Breyer Collector Club. 

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter-  we're now jumping into our look at Breyer holiday models and celebrations! From the annual Holiday Horse series to holiday catalogs and holiday merchandise, this retrospective is sure to make your days merry and bright.

WEG Bonanza

The 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games were a BIG deal in the equine world - it was the first time ever that this prestigious competition would be held outside of Europe. Hosted by the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, the long-time home of BreyerFest, Breyer was proud to be a part of such a historical event!

A selection of Breyer products that were made in celebration of, or exclusively for,
the 2010 World Equestrian Games.

Esprit, a new sculpture by Kathleen Moody, was named the "Official Model Horse of the 2010 World Equestrian Games" and was released as a special edition limited to 2010 production only. Breyer created dozens of fun models and products to celebrate the Games, in every scale available! Many of these items were released as regular line products, and a special handful were available exclusively at WEG. These included limited edition portrait models of legendary WEG horses such as Chester Weber's Jamaica and Karen O'Connor's Mandiba.

Breyer pop-up store at WEG

On-site, Breyer created a pop-up store that not only sold merchandise, but also hosted signing sessions with notable equestrians such as Steffen Peters, Tim McQuay, and Tommie Turvey. The KHP was also where Breyer's famous WEG dioramas were first displayed - handcrafted by a team of model horse hobby artisans, these works of art now reside at Breyer's headquarters in New Jersey.

Mont Tremblant

The first Breyer Web Special debuted in 2008, and when the Collector Club debuted in 2011, they became a new benefit for club members! These models are released in highly limited quantities and available for purchase by lottery to all of our Collector Club members who wish to enter the drawing. The first model to be officially designated as a Collector Club Web Special was Mont Tremblant. 

Named for the ski resort area in Québec, Canada, this Arabian mare wears a lovely silver filigree coat that has become a signature color for Web Specials released during the winter months! When our "Weather Girl" sculpture debuted in 2011, it was announced that she would be retired to the "Breyer vault" for five years, not to be released again until 2016. Mont Tremblant, who debuted in December 2011, was the last chance for Breyer fans to own this sculpture until she disappeared for the next half-decade!

Breyer continues to release a variety of Web Specials for our Collector Club members, both of the decorator variety like Mont Tremblant and in realistic horse colors, as well.

War Horse

In 2011, a critically-acclaimed film adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel War Horse was released, directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg. "War Horse" follows the journey of Joey, a bay Thoroughbred raised by a boy named Albert. As World War I begins to unfold, Joey is purchased by the British Army and begins an intense journey through Europe as the war rages on. No spoilers beyond that - it's an excellent book and film!

To celebrate the film's release, Breyer teamed up with Morpurgo to release three portrait models of Joey, each packaged with a paperback copy of "War Horse." One of these models, created on Breyer's Foundation Stallion mold on the right, was a special giveaway hosted on the Breyer website. A strictly limited edition of 100 pieces, these models were given away to 100 lucky winners on the day of the film's release - Christmas Day 2011.

Breyer's three portrait models of Joey: Traditional (limited edition of 2500 pieces), Classics, and Christmas Day giveaway (limited edition of 100 pieces).

VIP Events

There's quite a few benefits to being a Breyer Collector Club member, but one of our favorites to put together is our members-only VIP events. Since 2012, these Collector Club Events have taken place across the country from coast to coast, and have included tours of gorgeous horse farms, exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences, and even a tour of Breyer HQ! And of course, what would a Breyer event be without exclusive models?

Collector Club VIP Event ticket models: Café au Lait (Big Easy Bash, 2014), Redmond (Seattle Soiree, 2020), Chesapeake (Chasing the Chesapeake, 2016), My Kind of Town (Sweet Home Chicago, 2015), Phantom Face (Scottsdale Stampede, 2018) and Like Thunder (Passage to the Pacific, 2012).

A total of six Breyer events have been held as Collector Club VIP Events. 2012's Passage to the Pacific brought us to sunny California, 2014's Big Easy Bash was a supersized celebration at Breyer HQ in New Jersey, Sweet Home Chicago brought Breyer back to its roots in 2015, guests walked the legendary Fair Hill eventing course at 2016's Chasing the Chesapeake, and 2018's Scottsdale Stampede gave guests an equestrian twist on the Southwestern experience!

While our 2020 event, the Seattle Soiree, unfortunately had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, we are looking forward to being able to bring another unique experience to our club members in the future. Until then, let's celebrate our happy memories!

Fantastic memories from VIP events!