The Grand Champions brand has been known to duplicate models as rereleases with different names, especially in the later years. Two of the hardest to tell apart are Jumpy and Shadow.
According to the Grand Champions ID Site at http://www.angelfire.com/on/raventyde/grandchampion.html , Jumpy was released in 2006. He was not pictured with a family, but rather as a solo horse in a group including Amady and Sunny.
It wasn't until years later that I came across an identical mare and foal for sale on eBay, with no names, but with Holsteiner mentioned on the front of the box, similar to Jumpy's.
Shadow, on the other hand, came in the next year, 2007, in a completely different colored box.
Getting them NIB makes it easy to ID who's who. Even if they are out of box but still come with their original tack, it's a safe bet you're getting the assumed horse. But sometimes they are 'naked', and then what can you do? Shadow was sold for quite a bit longer than Jumpy was and is much more common. That means, in retrospect, that Jumpy is more rare, and possibly worth more. But how to tell who you're buying?
Unfortunately, there's not an easy answer. I checked on their legs, and they were both stamped with the same info, and no year. Telling them apart comes down to marking detail and amount of shading, both of which can be too subtle to tell.
Now, on to the comparison pictures.
According to the Grand Champions ID Site at http://www.angelfire.com/on/raventyde/grandchampion.html , Jumpy was released in 2006. He was not pictured with a family, but rather as a solo horse in a group including Amady and Sunny.
It wasn't until years later that I came across an identical mare and foal for sale on eBay, with no names, but with Holsteiner mentioned on the front of the box, similar to Jumpy's.
Shadow, on the other hand, came in the next year, 2007, in a completely different colored box.
Getting them NIB makes it easy to ID who's who. Even if they are out of box but still come with their original tack, it's a safe bet you're getting the assumed horse. But sometimes they are 'naked', and then what can you do? Shadow was sold for quite a bit longer than Jumpy was and is much more common. That means, in retrospect, that Jumpy is more rare, and possibly worth more. But how to tell who you're buying?
Unfortunately, there's not an easy answer. I checked on their legs, and they were both stamped with the same info, and no year. Telling them apart comes down to marking detail and amount of shading, both of which can be too subtle to tell.
Now, on to the comparison pictures.
Here they are side by side. If you notice, both are extremely dark in some areas and extremely light in others, which means they are more susceptible to differences in light. (Meaning one can appear darker than another just by being at a slight angle.) To my eyes, Jumpy appeared redder at the rump, where Shadow was more brown and darker.
I also feel like Jumpy's hair is noticeably longer. It feels more bouncy, and sits lower on his neck.
I also feel like Jumpy's hair is noticeably longer. It feels more bouncy, and sits lower on his neck.
Their markings are also too similar (again, this is a result of being re-releases of one another. However, I did notice that my Jumpy (on the left) has a narrow black line between his snip and the pink on his nose. Shadow's area is directly white to pink, with no such line. I would like to see another Jumpy to verify if this line appears on theirs as well.
Shadow (on the right) has a lot of overspray around his star, which makes it seem quite a bit bigger than Jumpys. However I don't think that is the most interesting part. The top of my Shadow's star is edgy, with little lacy edges near the top. Jumpy's is smooth by comparison.
Here is the last comparison picture, showing the shading on the shoulder. Again, I feel like Jumpy (in the back) has a much redder tone than Shadow, but this could be too difficult to tell with a solo model you may be trying to buy, as there won't be a good comparison. Otherwise, I feel that Shadow (in the front) has a teensy bit darker shading on him along his shoulder muscles and top of his head near his ears.
I hope this helps anyone, but please keep in mind these are only two models. Other Jumpys and Shadows may and probably will look different than mine, even the shading.
I hope this helps anyone, but please keep in mind these are only two models. Other Jumpys and Shadows may and probably will look different than mine, even the shading.