The Legacy of Rich Rudish

An equine artist of many talents
By Jocelyn Cote

In 1984, Breyer introduced the Artist Series: a line of models sculpted by well-known equine artists in 1:10 scale. Up until this point, a vast majority of Breyer models were sculpted by a single artist – Breyer’s master moldmaker and artisan, Chris Hess. The debut of the Artist Series was a big deal not only because it brought some fresh new styles to the Breyer lineup, but also because it was the first time that many of these artists’ work was available in an accessible manner as a plastic model.

Leading the series was a sculpture of Sham, the main character in Marguerite Henry’s 1948 novel King of the Wind. The story follows a fictionalized account of the life of the Godolphin Arabian, one of the three Arabian stallions that served as the foundation for the modern Thoroughbred breed. Sham’s story had already been delighting readers for more than three decades at this point, so it’s no surprise that Breyer was keen to add him to the lineup of Traditional models.

To bring such an iconic horse to life, Breyer approached artist Rich Rudish with the idea. Rich, a California native, was an artisan with many different talents, including illustration, sculpture, and even animation. He had been working with Hallmark as a product line designer since the 1960s, and one of his best-known projects was their “Rainbow Brite” franchise. Rainbow Brite’s horse, Starlite, was a product entirely of Rich’s own – his distinct Arabian style is Rich’s calling card. In addition to the animation special “Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer,” Rich also worked on another 1980s cartoon favorite, “The Real Ghostbusters.” (His son Paul Rudish carries on that legacy today, working on animation projects including “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” and “Mickey Mouse.”)

Rich had a small connection to Breyer a few years before he was commissioned to sculpt a model for the company. In 1976, he illustrated a calendar for Hallmark titled “History’s Great Horses,” which featured iconic mounts from Alexander the Great’s Bucephalus to Napoleon’s Marengo. For the month of April, the featured horse was El Morzillo, the stallion of Hernán Cortés. This illustration is said to be one of Chris Hess’ main sources of inspiration when he was sculpting Breyer’s Foundation Stallion model.

"History's Great Horses" calendar, and the El Morzillo illustration that inspired Chris Hess

Rich was horse fan from the very beginning – his childhood consisted of a steady diet of Western films and Marguerite Henry novels. (He even struck up a penpal friendship with the author, which eventually led to him illustrating her books The Little Fellow and Our First Pony 20+ years later.) He owned and worked with a variety of horses through the years – his favorite breed, however, was the Arabian, and his love for King of the Wind likely had something to do with that. Aside from his artistry, Rich also worked as a judge for the American Horse Shows Association (now the United States Equestrian Federation).

Sham and Lady Roxanna, as seen in the 1987 Breyer Dealer Catalog

With so much love for Arabian horses in tow, Rich was an obvious choice to bring his beloved Sham to life in the Breyer line. Even though he may not be the fanciest Arabian in Breyer’s lineup today, he continues to glow with modern-day paintjobs and retains a strong cult following among Breyer fans. Rich perfectly captured the beauty and spirit of the breed in this sculpture, and he continues to “speak” to both seasoned Breyer fans and horse-crazy kids alike.

After the success of Sham, Rich returned to the Artist Series in 1986 for a sculpture of Lady Roxanna, Sham’s mate in the King of the Wind novel. Although she may not have the same fervent cult following that Sham has these days, her style and poise is still distinctively Rich Rudish. She was also the first Breyer model released in a high-stepping trot, as Rich cleverly used her tail as her third point of balance to stand upright.

In a heartwarming turn of events, Rich also became involved in the model horse hobby himself after the release of his models. He amassed a small show string of customs and tack, and was seen at many local West Coast hobby events in the late 1980s.

Unfortunately, his experience with model horses was short-lived – after a few months of illness, Rich Rudish passed away on May 7, 1989. Today, Rich’s legacy lives on in the works of art he produced across so many different mediums, including the models found in many Breyer fans’ own herds.

Promotional image of Sham's sculpture in progress

This article originally appeared as part of the November 2021 Breyer Collector Club Newsletter.