My Little Breyer Gets No Respect

Well, despite their big push for help from their fan base, it seems that Breyer didn't make the short list for the Toy Hall of Fame.

One collectible horse manufacturer did, however -- Hasbro, with their My Little Pony franchise.

Now I'm not gonna lie:  I did write a letter of support for Breyer's nomination and I would have loved to see them inducted into the Hall.  But I think the reason I wanted them to be there is so that they would get some respect within the larger toy world, and perhaps the reason they didn't get short-listed is because they're in some ways lacking that respect.

I mean, Breyer horses are not a household name in the way that My Little Ponies are.  While both companies manufacture horse-shaped objects, Breyer's growth in the marketplace has been slow and steady, while My Little Ponies basically took off running from the start.

In terms of history and staying power, Breyer horses have it hooves down over My Little Ponies.  Breyer horses have been manufactured continuously since 1950, whereas My Little Ponies were born as recently as 1982 and have gone through several reboots in the 37 years since their first appearance.

My Little Pony image courtesy of the Toy Hall of Fame

But it was not until Breyer began producing hairy ponies (Dapples) for kids in 1995, that they started competing directly with more toy-like collectible horses.  Initially, their offerings were like much-improved Grand Champions, with horse-like conformation but exaggerated expressions and copious hair. It was not until 2008, with the addition of the even more cartoonish Pony Gals, that Breyer started to take on My Little Ponies on their own terms.  

Once they got into the market, they did a good job of it though.  Today, for instance, there is little difference between Breyer's Color Change bath toys like Ella and Jasmine, and My Little Pony's Color Changing Magic Bath Figures featuring Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash -- except that the Breyer's change of pigment is a lot more dramatic in comparison.

Ella Color Change Surprise image courtesy of Identify Your Breyer

But despite Breyer's rather late entry into this market, and the admittedly superior quality of many of their products, Breyer is not the go-to choice for a horse figurine that, as the Toy Hall of Fame noted, "encourages children in traditional forms of doll play—fantasy, storytelling, hair grooming, and collecting."  And it doesn't have to be.  

Breyer's main line of Traditional, Classic, and Stablemate-sized figurines are the product Breyer is and should be known for.  These figurines too, encourage fantasy, storytelling, and collecting, among other things.  But the problem remains that when the average toy shopper thinks about collectible horses, that shopper thinks "My Little Ponies" and not "Breyers."

Ironically, Breyer collections often last the lifetime of the collector, whereas I suspect that My Little Pony collections more often tend to be discarded as their collectors age. Not all, of course -- there are collectors for everything and there are some serious My Little Pony collectors out there -- not just girls and women but also the infamous "Bronies" or male My Little Pony fans.

So why are My Little Ponies in and Breyers out of consideration for inclusion in the Toy Hall of Fame?  Well, there will probably be as many theories out there as there are fans, but here are my thoughts for what they're worth:

As I've already noted, Breyer lacks a certain amount of name recognition amongst the general public,  They have never had a huge media buy to promote their products.  Yes, there are magazine ads in equestrian publications, and there have been a couple of stabs at television advertising, but nothing near the media blitz that many other toy company campaigns entail.  Breyer puts up impressive displays at New York's annual American International Toy Fair, but if you watch the YouTube videos that surface during and after that fair you'll quickly note that other toy companies (like Hasbro) get many more views and seem to have bigger crowds elbowing each other out of the way to get the first view of all their new products.

To give them credit, Breyer has embraced social media with a presence on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  But these efforts primarily reach existing fans rather than seeking to expand the market.

Also, speaking as a Canadian, I have to say that Breyer does not have a great international presence.  I could easily walk into any toy store anywhere in my home town and find any of the other toys nominated as Hall of Fame finalists, but I can't say the same for Breyers, which are available in only a handful of stores.  I suspect that the same is true of other countries.

So, to reiterate, I think a lack of name recognition and availability might be scuttling Breyer's chances to enter the Toy Hall of Fame.  But I could be way off base on this.

At any rate, although it might seem like a betrayal, I'm actually quite pleased to see My Little Ponies make the short list.  The more collectible horses, the merrier, for me.  I wasn't the right age to get hooked on My Little Ponies when they first came out, but I certainly see their appeal.  And any respect that horse-shaped objects get makes me very, very happy indeed.