Blue Monday, er, Tuesday

Blue Monday is an expression that means, according to Merriam-Webster, "a Monday that is depressing or trying especially because of the return to work and routine after a weekend." I think we all feel that way returning to work, especially after a time change, whether we spring forward or fall back. An extra hour of sleep this past weekend was helpful, but not enough! (Blue Monday is incidentally also an excellent New Order song.) Today however is now Tuesday, and because I really love blue decorator models, this feels like a good excuse for a pretty pony picture post.

When Breyer offered their decorator line in 1963, the models sold poorly, so much so that they were discontinued after not much more than a year in production. Some were even painted over by the factory and resold in realistic colors. Collectors who remember seeing decorators in stores as kids have said they weren't interested in them because they weren't real horse colors. Decorators have become wildly collectible in the intervening decades because of their rarity, but I think also because most collectors now appreciate their beautiful fantasy paint jobs, too.

Having grown up with My Little Ponies and Fashion Star Fillies, unrealistic colors have never phased me, and I have a decided weakness for models painted in varying shades of blue. I love the traditional decorator colors of Wedgewood and Copenhagen, both the vintage originals...

1960s Wedgewood Running Foal and
Copenhagen Running Mare

...as well as modern takes on these colors.

2014 Web Special "Glacier"

2024 Stablemate Club Gambler's Choice "Miguel"

I also like models molded in blue plastic, both opaque...

Mostly stripped former battleship grey Donkey
molded in blue plastic

...and especially clearware! I don't have any pictures of Breyer clearware handy, so this lovely Nosco Buck is a good stand-in. (Breyer copied this mold for their Modernistic Buck.)

Sometimes, a nice blue paint job on a model can induce me to buy a mold I don't otherwise collect, like this Show Jumping Warmblood.

Washington, a current regular run

My blue horse addiction isn't limited to just Breyers---I have Hartlands, too. This blue 9" Polo Pony and blue 11" Quarter Horse were both made in 1967 only. I'm not sure if their limited production was due to lack of popularity for the color or possible financial struggles for Hartland (the company was sold a few years later).

I have dabbled in blue Stone horses as well. While I sold most of the ones I had to pay bills a few years ago, this stunning Morgan is a keeper---I love all of the shifting metallic shades of blue, turquoise, and green.

Believe it or not, I even have a few blue ceramic horses. This turquoisey-blue Hagen-Renaker Retro was a colorful re-release of the Black Bisque Horse mold. He was offered in a run of 1000 pieces in 4 colors from 2005-2021, but the run did not sell out so only a few hundred were made. This turquoise example is #2 from the run.

I'm not sure if this lovely old Rosenthal piece was meant to be dappled blue rather than dappled grey, but he's a delightful piece regardless.

I'm casually on the hunt for more blue horses. I still need the 2021 holiday blue Croi Damsha Sprice Drop, and even though I don't collect the mold, I kind of love the 2020 holiday blue clearware Icelandic Pony. It's like blue kryptonite. Eventually, I also hope to add Peplum, the rare turquoise 2018 event Foalzilla, and the 2021 BreyerFest blue Ansel variation to my collection, but both of those will have to wait while I (try to) save up money.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to more affordable fixes of blue horse dopamine, like this gorgeous silvery blue-ish clearware piece due out next year for Breyer's 75th anniversary. Rural King has a sneak peek on their website. It is stunning!

Mink mold + clearware + pretty color =