The following piece comes from Fur and Feather, 14 May 1958. Ed

The Latest Fashion

Is it responsible for many Best in Show awards?

A thing which has intrigued me ever since I joined the Fancy is the way a certain variety has a run of taking best in show and other premier honours, “Fashion” in mice, I call it. Over the years we have seen P.E. Whites, Dutch, Self Champagnes, Chocolate and Tans, Self Blacks, Brokens and so on, take the premier honour show after show, and then fade out until the variety comes, as it may be, into fashion again. What happens is that the fashionable variety continues to take the premier award until a judge comes along who is strong enough to break away from what has been the rule; setting a new variety on the “go”.

What is the reason for this strange phenomenon? Are our judges slaves to fashion? It would appear so. I am not saying that the mice so chosen were not worthy of being best in show, but you are not going to tell me that at a show at which there are from 200 to 300 exhibits there are no other contestants equal to those which obtain the premier honour. At our leading shows I have seen the judges bring out from their sections some excellent mice, but when it comes to the final choice, the judges holding what we may call “unfashionable mice” have thrown in the sponge with hardly a word and voted for the “fashionable” variety. Even when there has been an argument and a neutral judge has had to be brought in to settle the matter, the “fashionable” variety has invariably got the verdict. It has not, of course, always been the same mouse. I have in fact heard the lucky winners say after obtaining the verdict that it was not the best mouse they had at the show. One can expect an outstanding marked exhibit to catch the eye of the judges for a show or two, but with Selfs, Tans and A.O.V. I cannot for the life of me understand why a particular variety should be singled out show after show in succession.

Within the memory of our newest recruits, we have seen Silver Foxes, Chinchillas, Champagnes, Black and Tans, and of more recent date B.E. Whites, repeatedly obtain best in show, with Brokens, Dutch, P.E. Whites, Variegateds and Self Blacks – which were so fashionable before the war – conspicuous by their absence. And goodness only knows, we have had some good ones in the last named varieties. They have, I admit, had the odd look in, but alas, before you could say “Jack Robinson”, the “fashionable” variety has again been found taking the spoils.

I consider that we as judges, should get away from these “fashions” in mice, and, all things equal, let the premier honours go round.  It will give an awful lot of encouragement and do the Fancy an immense amount of good. Nothing is more disheartening than to keep on sending out good mice which take first prize time after time, but when it comes to best in show they go unrewarded.

I do not want the best in show award to go to the popular variety every time. Note that on this occasion I do not use the word “fashionable”. When I refer to popular varieties I mean those that have most adherents and devotees. Let the “also-rans” such as Self Blues, Self Chocolates, Self Doves, Reds, Dove and Tans, Sables, Silver Greys and even Astrex and Pearls come into the picture from time to time. It will give the variety a fillip, and gladden the hearts of those plucky fanciers who labour away with varieties which never seem to really “take on”.

“But a Self Chocolate did obtain best in show at Grimsby, an Agouti at Rotherham, A Silver Grey at Airedale and a Sable at Calder Valley”, I can hear fanciers say. I am, of course, quite aware of it. This is what I want, but when did a Red, a Blue, a Cinnamon, a Dove and Tan or, come to think of it, a Broken or a Variegated or even a P.E. White obtain best in show? A long time ago, I would say. “Can’t be any good enough”, may be the reply. I cannot agree. Look at the number of champions we have registered in the latter varieties during the last year or two. You are not going to tell me that some of them were not worthy of being adjudged best in show.

Once more I ask our judges to get away from these “fashions” in mice. Judge fairly and squarely, but if you have three or four mice with nothing to choose between them, don’t go for the “fashionable” variety, providing, of course, the “fashionable” variety is among them. Say to yourself, “This variety has recently won best in show, I will give another a chance”. Then when the co-judges are working in unison, follow the same procedure. Providing the mouse that eventually gets the verdict of best in show is as good as any other, nobody will or can grumble, and a lot of satisfaction and pleasure will be given to the owner who has up to now not been the fortunate possessor of a “fashionable” variety.