The Fallibility of Memory

The funny thing about memory is that we are often SO sure that we remember something perfectly when in fact our memory is actually incorrect. Sometimes it can be hard to know what to believe when you can't even always trust your own memory. The most famous is probably that there are several hobbyists who will swear they saw the Christmas Decorators in person on the shelves when they were a kid in the 1960s - and yet to this day no evidence of these red and green dappled Breyers has emerged.

It happens all the time to a much lesser degree too. I recently purchased this lovely satiny/semi-gloss Pokerjoe on the Adios mold, new in box. As I was buying him I thought to myself it's funny I don't have one yet for my conga - but, well, that is because he was available as a RR for so many years and only just recently discontinued, so I hadn't made an effort to get one. I would have sworn up and down that this was true... imagine my surprise when I looked in my records to discover he was actually only made for 3 years and discontinued fifteen years ago!! Wut.

Other models that were discontinued in 2010 like Idocus and Mon Gamin and Fleetstreet Max feel like ancient history at this point. Why does Pokerjoe loom so large in my memory? It must be because the actual horse was a regular for a few years in person at BreyerFest too. He shares headspace with Lil Ricky Rocker who indeed was a RR from 2012-2021 (and I would have told you Pokerjoe was the same).

The DVD he comes with probably should have been a clue. When was the last time I watched a DVD? Do I even have a DVD player anymore?

It's a good reminder to myself and others that you cannot always trust your memory. Even if you are so sure and even if you were "there" sometimes your mind plays tricks on you. It's not the first time I have completely misremembered the year something was made or exactly what it looked like and it certainly won't be the last either!

Unfortunately there was also an epidemic of yellowing among models of this era and it seems to be the plastic itself which is yellowing, rather than the topcoat as is often the case with vintage models. This is the second NIB model from this time period that I bought this year that was already very yellow right out of the box. I really like his color and finish though, so I'm going to put him in with my other sunning models to see what I can do.

He doesn't look so bad in the glamour shot up top, but if you put him against something white white you can really see the difference.

This particular Pokerjoe also does not have a VIN under his hoof, which dates him to 2008.