For The Third Time

He’s a beautiful model, actually, though saddled with a rather unimaginative name: Le Taureau. It’s French for The Bull.

Still on the fence whether or not he’ll be on my buy list: I’m going through another one of my "I own too much stuff" phases, and I’m trying to buy less of everything, in general, outside of incidental finds at local thrift stores. (Still looking to replace that stolen scarf!)

Another reason for my ennui about him? This is the third go-round for the Spanish Fighting Bull as a "Stand in Line/Ticket" Special Run. Several of the horse molds have reached that milestone, but he is the first Nonhorse mold so far. His first appearance was in 1999, as the Red Roan Flint, and again in 2004 as the gray-brown pinto Magnifico.

The Brighty has been a BreyerFest Special three times, as well, but only once - 2005’s Oliver - as a Ticket SR. He was a Diorama Contest Prize in 2010 (the Red Dun Pinto Cameo) and a Store Special in 2013 (Tennessee Titan).

The Small Poodle has appeared twice - or five times, depending on how you count the "Surprise Poodle Raffle" of 1997, where they raffled off four pieces each of four different colors: Gray, White, Apricot and Gloss Black. The other time being the pink Cotton Candy in 2009.

The Longhorn Bull has appeared twice (2001’s Mesquite, and 2007’s Alamo), as has the Pig (1999’s Oreo, and 2013’s Short Ribs). All of the other Nonhorses have appeared only once, if at all.

Nonhorse molds that haven’t shown up as BreyerFest SRs yet include: the Brahma Bull, the Polled Hereford Bull, the Polled Walking Angus Bull, the Standing Black Angus Bull, the Elk, the Moose, the Deer Family, the Large Poodle, the Pronghorn Antelope, the Bighorn Ram, the Zebra, the Bassett Hound, the Standing Donkey…

It’s a way longer list than even I expected, even if we factor out the handful of these molds that have appeared in the auctions, like the Glow-in-the-Dark Elk, and the infamous "Fruit Stripe" Zebra.

Some of these would be a tough sell  - Glacier aside, how many things can you do with the Pronghorn Antelope? - and others would probably be cost-prohibitive, like the Elk and Moose and their delicate antlers. Benji and Tiffany pretty much tanked when they were released, so a new release of either of those seems unlikely, no matter how cleverly you could work it into a theme.

Even so, four of the Bull molds: Inconceivable! None of them as exciting as the Spanish Fighting Bull, perhaps, but still deserving of some time in the blistering hot Kentucky-in-July sun.