Schleich Bayala: Unicorns & Fantasy Figures

Where Bayala sits next to Horse Club

Because Bayala shares its build and scale with Horse Club, the two collections mix naturally on the same shelf, and many children move between them freely rather than treating them as separate collections. A unicorn stallion can stand in a herd alongside a mustang without looking out of place, which is deliberate: Bayala was built to extend stable play into fantasy, not replace it.

A good first Bayala figure is usually a single unicorn or winged horse rather than one of the more elaborate character figures, since it pairs immediately with an existing Horse Club herd and gives a child an easy way into the wider collection from something they already recognise. From there, elves, smaller creatures and other fantasy figures tend to follow.

The colours across Bayala run brighter and more varied than the naturalistic tones used elsewhere, which is intentional rather than a departure from Schleich's usual approach, fantasy figures are allowed a different palette to real animals. That brightness is still applied by hand, and figures wipe clean the same way as the rest of the collection, with a damp cloth and away from direct heat.

As a gift, Bayala suits a child moving on from purely realistic animal play without wanting to leave horses behind altogether, and it's a strong option for a birthday once a child has shown any interest in unicorns, fairies or fantasy creatures more broadly, whether or not they already own Horse Club figures.

Bayala figures also tend to hold their appeal a little longer than some other fantasy toys, since the quality of finish means they don't feel like they've been outgrown the way a cheaper plastic unicorn might. Many children keep favourite Bayala figures on display well after they've moved on to other collections, which says something about how the collection is built.

For a household with siblings at different ages, Bayala often works as the collection that bridges a younger child still drawn to bright, fantastical figures and an older one who's moved into Horse Club's more realistic territory, since both collections are designed to sit together without one looking like the babyish version of the other.