Imagine Kids and Family Pacts With Breyer for Horse-Themed TV Series

By BreAnna Bell

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Imagine Entertainment’s Kids and Family division has partnered with Breyer, a maker of collectible model horses and other toys, to develop a live-action horse-themed TV series.

The series will be executive produced by Entertainment chiefs Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, as well as Stephanie Sperber, president of Imagine Kids and Family. Ashley Avis, writer and director of the “Black Beauty” adaptation in development at Constantin Film, joins the project as showrunner and writer.

“As both a longtime equestrian and collector of Breyer horses, getting to be apart of creating this series is a very special opportunity,’ Avis said in a statement. “Breyer helped to inspire so much of my imagination and I hope to do the same for our future audiences through collaborative storytelling with these two truly eminent partners.”

Breyer got its start in 1950 as a molding company in Chicago that made model horses to top a mantlepiece clock sold by F.W. Woolworth Co. The company, owned by Pequannock, N.J.-based Reeves International, is well-known among horse enthusiasts. The company’s annual Breyerfest fan gathering draws more than 30,000 fans and will be held in Lexington, Ky., this week.

Along with the series, Imagine Kids and Family and Breyer are working on several other development prospects including a documentary about the history of Breyer.

“Breyer fans have created over 200,000 original stories in YouTube, so we know the hunger for more stories is there. We are excited to be working with the team at Imagine to help create horse inspired stories for kids and families,” said Breyer exec VP Rick Rekedal.

Launched in January Imagine Kids and Family division recently announced another partnership with James Patterson’s kid’s division to produce film, TV, and digital projects based on his books in March. The family entertainment division also announced taking an equity stake in “The Tiny Chef Show” to develop content, and a global consumer products program.