Candace Liddy was commissioned to sculpt the molds. Three series were produced: one each beginning in 1996. In mid-1998, the companies behind the horses had a disagreement and the models were discontinued.
Luckily, in 2004, Breyer bought the rights and molds to all the Creata horses, and the horses were once again produced in 2005 under the safety of big Breyer's name.
I don't believe the first Breyer Mini Whinnies (MW) were of the same quality as the first Creata ones. Big splotches of black paint mark the eyes and areas around it, as shown by this mare.
This probably lowered many collector's expectations of the micro mini-sized horses. But it is hard to argue with the gorgeous detail and the cuteness of the WC foal.
However, the more recent releases of MW have had a large increase in quality, and I am excited to add them all to my collection.
Meanwhile, Creata horses are becoming increasingly harder to find as the years progress since their manufacture. I was lucky enough to own the entire first set, Series 1, from my childhood, and recently came into possession of many of Series 2. Series 3 was only produced for a short time, so I have doubts I will ever be able to obtain them. At the end of their lifetime, some of the horses were sold to a company that put them into soap!
During my searches, I've come across two great reference sites for these models. There used to be a third, but I think that one got swallowed up into the great Geocities apocalypse. They can be seen here:
http://www.angelfire.com/miniwhinnies/WCSeries0.html
http://creatamicrominis.webs.com/index.htm
I hope you enjoyed this introduction to a long-lost brand!
No comments:
Post a Comment