A little birdie (okay, a thread on the BLAB forums) told me that Breyer may be planning to create a Shadowfax model for 2011.  This rumor - which has been circulating since earlier this year - is interesting for several reasons.  And when I say "interesting," please understand I mean "I know several people who are totally going to LOSE THEIR MINDS over this!"

One interesting thing is speculation on what this foretells for 2011's theme.  I mean after all, this year's theme was "Hollywood," so why not put out a Shadowfax now?  Why wait until 2011?  Unless - and this is all sheer speculation, please understand - unless Breyer is planning to have a "fictional horses" or "fantasy horses" or otherwise "ridiculously nerdy" theme for 2011.

Frankly, I also find it interesting that Breyer hasn't yet made a Shadowfax.  I mean, doesn't it seem like a natural choice?

Shadowfax is, of course, the stallion who comes to the aid of Gandalf in Lord of the Rings.  (I talked about another Lord of the Rings horse, Brego, in this post about Idocus.)  Shadowfax lives in Rohan, and is the lord of all horses, and king of the Mearas, a horse-like resident of Middle Earth.  

The Mearas are not just horses; they are an elevated form of horse, in the same way that the Elves are an elevated form of humans.  The Mearas live as long as humans, and understand human speech.

You do not ride Shadowfax, any more than you would saddle up the Queen of England.  Which is why it is such a mark of his respect for Gandalf and their friendship that Shadowfax agrees to carry Gandalf upon his back.   

In the Lord of the Rings movies, Shadowfax was played by two Andalusians.  (The owner of one of the Andalusians used is the source of the Breyer rumor.  She posted excitedly to her Facebook stream that Breyer had contacted her about using her horse for a Shadowfax model.  I wonder if she regrets having made that post?  It certainly spread quickly beyond her friends list.)

Andalusians are a beautiful and historic breed, hailing from the Iberian peninsula of Span.  Andalusians were first defined as a breed in the 1400s, when they were used as war horses.  (Albeit mostly in a decorative capacity, being far too valuable to be risked in actual combat.)

The classic Andalusian is gray, although they do come in other colors as well.  As a rule, when you see a gray horse in a movie,  particularly in a dramatic role, it's an Andalusian.  Breyer has an Andalusian Stallion mold, which was created by Kathleen Moody in 2004.  

But if Breyer is approaching Shadowfax's actor's owner, it sounds like they may be planning to create a completely new mold?  Or perhaps they just want her to approve the coloring on the existing mold, the way that Alison Bernhard went through an approval process for creating a model of her horse, Fleetstreet Max, using the existing Zippo Pine Bar mold.