Equine Molds
There are six Magpie Model Horses molds: Hunter, Arabian, Welsh Pony, Donkey, Shetland, and Foal. While all six were available for order through the Dream Pony catalogue, during the Magpie days the Donkey and the Shetland were only available in limited numbers.
Dream Pony models were available in a set, mold-specific, list of shell colours; the shells were of coloured plastic rather than being painted. Any colour of shell could be paired with a limited range of hair colours, making for some interesting combinations. An option for factory-added markings was available at certain times of year. Hair could either be silky nylon or viscose and was left long for the new owner to style.
A note on Dream Pony colours. Most of the Dream Pony colours - black, white, dark grey (a battleship grey), & light grey - are easy enough to identify, but the Palomino and Chestnut colours can be more of a challenge.
The picture here shows a Welsh Pony in Golden Palomino, a Shetland Pony in Light Chestnut, and a Foal in Mahogany Chestnut (also called "bay" in some catalogues. The Creamy Palomino colour is not shown, but is a lighter colour than the Light Chestnut, a sort of yellowy cream.
Shade can vary a bit with the different colours and some Golden Palominos and Light Chestnuts can be difficult to tell apart in separate pictures.
Magpie Models had a line of coloured models, also called Dream Ponies, continuously available in a small range of simple colours. Hair colour was not customizable, but custom markings could be ordered. Dream Pony models, like those produced under the original Dream Pony name, were of coloured plastic with airbrushed shading on the legs and face.
Dream Pony Personality Collections were a yearly offering from Magpie and consisted of a specially painted collection featuring one or two of each of the molds. Like Dream Ponies, the base colour was primarily coloured plastic, but body, as well as leg shading was added and they featured more detailed colours and patterns, and often mixed-colour manes and tails.
From 1990 to 1998 Personality collections were numbered (One through Eight). During the Adams Era (2004-2009) the Personality-type models were called Persies, Personalities, and Specials interchangeably. In 2015, I decided to label models from this era as Personality Collection Nine to acknowledge their place in the Magpie time-line. The new Personality Collections start with Collection Ten.
Heather era (starting in 2015) models are fully painted with detailed markings, patterns, eyes, and hooves. The first Personality Collection, Collection Ten, was the only time during this era that nylon hair was used - the collection was split between nylon and viscose. All subsequent models have been haired with viscose or mohair, with the exception of the Foal mold which sometimes uses wool, and the Donkey which uses wool exclusively.
Heather Era models are also individually numbered - the first collection on their bellies, later collections on their hooves and come with a certificate of authenticity. The numbering system indicates more than the individual model - for example, #21H6102 tells us that the model was created in 2021 and is the Hunter mold; 6 indicates it is a special (0 for Persies, Easter Eggs were originally 6, but after 2020 are 7, C for Custom), the 1 tells us it is the first Hunter Special of the year; and the last two digits tell us which model of the run this particular model is, in this case, #2.
Accessories
Accessories have been a vital part of the Magpie line since the Dream Pony days. Barns, jumps, tack, riders, rugs, and even at one time, carts could be purchased for the Hunter, Arabian, and Welsh Pony models.
Most of the accessory molds date from the Dream Pony days, but molds for a handful of new items were later commissioned by Magpie. The buckets and bowls, and other items such as hinges and pins for the barns were created by Graham Stephens of Springside models. A mold consisting of several mucking-out implements exists, but does not seem to have been used since the Dream Pony days. Perhaps this will change in the future.
Magpie Model Horses does not currently maintain a catalogue of accessories, but instead offers a variety of items in more or less limited quantities.