I can't believe we're at the end of June already! BreyerFest is approaching so fast - are you ready? If not, let's get you in the BreyerFest mood. This month, we're looking at the Online Exclusive Stablemates from BreyerFest. I'm not including Eire or Kaleidoscope in this post, just the online Stablemates since BreyerFest introduced the hybrid model in 2022. Don't worry, they'll get their time to shine eventually (when I make a post about BreyerFest Limited Edition Stablemates!)
The first Online Stablemate was in 2022, the first year BreyerFest had both an online and in-person event. This little guy is Torlinie, known to the hobby as the soccer ball Stablemate. It's safe to say that the poor guy was not the most popular - decorators are already kind of a hard sell (people either love them or hate them), and the G2 Clydesdale was facing serious fatigue from the hobby. He's not a super popular mold, and he'd had about 13 uses since 2019 thanks to Breyer using him in just about every unicorn blind bag release. I think he's a cute idea, but I understand why people weren't drawn to him.
After 2022, Breyer introduced a new fun twist to the online Stablemate, and with that stopped including an in-person Limited Edition Stablemate in the Breyer Store. Starting in 2023, the Stablemate has had some kind of split in the run, though the numbers vary from year to year.
The first split run Online Stablemate was Buggy in 2023. The variation came as a surprise, revealed on the BreyerFest livestream. While Buggy had been advertised as a glossy bay roan appaloosa, part of the run was the same pattern in a rosy gold. The entire 2,000 piece run sold out on Friday. This was my first year at the live show, and I wasn't anticipating a sell-out so I didn't try to buy one on my phone. I want to say I got the regular version late 2023 from either eBay or a Facebook seller, and I got the gold through Kelly M. who ended up with an extra somehow. The split ended up at 1,800 bay roan and 200 gold. It's important to note that for some reason, most of the gold variation ended up with flaws in the gloss, almost like it wasn't cured long enough before being packaged, so that's something to be aware of when buying one.
The second split run was Wild Things from 2024. Like Buggy, the variation was revealed on the livestream, though I don't believe the numbers were stated until after BreyerFest. This year, the split was more equitable - the advertised realistic variation of Wild Things, a glossy flaxen chestnut sabino, was a run of 1,950. The variation was the same pattern but in a green to gold color shift in a run of 1,050. I wised up this year and had a friend who wasn't showing at the Open Show order two for me. Between the two of us, we ended up with both variations.
Finally, we have last year's Online Stablemate - Shindig! As was typical, the variation was announced on the BreyerFest livestream but the numbers weren't. I was dreading that the split would be another micro run like Buggy - and I was correct. The decorator variation of Shindig was a run of 75, while the realistic matte gray sabino ended up as a run of 2,925. I bought two (again through my friend who bought my Wild Things in 2024), and ended up with two of the realistic. I ended up putting out an ISO for the decorator version last fall and paid him off over the course of several months.
Breyer threw us for a loop this year by revealing the variation splits for BreyerFest early. They revealed the Online Exclusive Stablemate Hygge on the Icelandic mold would have a split - one-third of the run would be a pink decorator color instead of the chestnut dun tobiano advertised. I was anticipating this, since in 2024 the split was more equitable as well. I don't mind alternating between smaller and larger splits!
Which BreyerFest Online Exclusive Stablemate is your favorite? Are you partial to the decorators or the realistic colors? Personally, I love the shifty colors they've been using on the decorators lately!
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