My Little Pony

Fizzy and Galaxy the unicorns from the My Little Pony animated series

My Little Pony is a product line of colorful toy ponies marketed to young girls, and is produced by Hasbro. The toys were first introduced in 1982, following the related "My Pretty Pony" toy which was introduced in 1981. They became enormously popular throughout that decade. The original toy line inspired several animated specials, an animated feature length movie, and two animated television series. Redesigned toys have been introduced to the market twice since then, one near the end of 1997 and again in mid-2003. Collectors refer to each line as a "generation."

All three My Little Pony lines consist of plastic ponies with brushable manes and tails. They are generally bright-colored and can have multi-colored manes and tails. They have specific symbols on their hips that allow them to be identified. Some ponies have marks that stretch over their backs and sides or can be found on their cheeks and foreheads as well as hips. There are various types including Unicorns, Pegasus and seahorse-like Seaponies.

My Little Pony was one of the most popular collectible toys of the 1980s and is enjoying a successful comeback on the current market.

Due to the brand's recent return to stores the second hand market for the adorable equines has boomed. However, many of the older Ponies are not worth a large amount of money, due to the fact that many were manufactured in large numbers and were purchased by many people. There are exceptions to this rule, such as in the case of Mountain Boys (not to be confused with the more common Big Brothers). The Mountain Boys were furry-footed male Ponies with weather themes, who were only released in the United Kingdom. They were only available for a short time, making them highly desirable for foreign collectors and UK collectors alike.

Other toy companies have chosen to mimic My Little Pony designs (and in some cases use actual My Little Pony molds) and create what are commonly known as "fakies" in the hopes of cashing in on Hasbro's success. Most fakie Ponies are easy to tell from the real thing as they are often made from cheaper materials.

Hasbro has confirmed that they have not lost their rights to the G1 ponies. Any information saying otherwise is mere speculation.

Generations

Generation One: Dream Valley

The original line of My Little Ponies (referred to as "Generation One" (G1) or 'Ponyland Ponies') was the jumping point for the My Little Pony line.

The line started in 1982 with six Earth ponies: Minty, Snuzzle, Butterscotch, Bluebelle, Cotton Candy, and Blossom. Each pony was a single color with monochrome hair and faced forward like the original Pretty Pony. These six have been referred to as the collector ponies. Originally they came with flat feet, but later issues had concave feet which were slightly indented. This expanded to many different breeds and variations of ponies; These include baby ponies, sea ponies, jewel eyed ponies (Twinkle Eye), and flocked (So Soft) ponies. Mail orders generally were either reissues or specialty ponies--one of these was the first boy pony, Lucky.

The ponies lived in a place called Dream Valley in Ponyland, and were ruled by Queen Majesty who lived in Dream Castle. After their original home was destroyed, they relocated to the Paradise Estate. This toy line consisted of all different types of ponies; most ponies were either "earth" ponies with no special marks, pegasi with molded on wings, or unicorns with molded horns. Most unicorns had the power to "wink out" or disappear and were very magical; pegasi could fly but otherwise has no special magical skills. This line served as the foundation for the entire My Little Pony line and later lines to come. Almost every pony came with a molded comb or brush and a ribbon, though others came with varying accessories.

Two popular animated television series (My Little Pony and Friends and My Little Pony Tales) were aired during this generation. The first focused on Ponies who lived happy, fairly simple lives in Dream Valley (when they weren't fighting menaces of a mythical or supernatural nature). The second was geared towards a rather trendier crowd, with the Ponies living in a town, going to school, fretting about relationships, running businesses, going on vacation and exchanging currency for goods. Each of the ponies -- Shady, Lickety Split, Wind Whistler, Melody etc. -- had his or her own personality and voice. There was also a movie and several television specials.

Merchandise included bed and room decorations, plush toys, puzzles, and books. There were also more unusual and interesting items, such as pomanders and toy sewing machines.

All packaging (mostly a bubble attached to a backcard) came with Pony Points. Marked with horseshoes and ranging in value from 1/2 point to 12 points, these could be clipped and used in mail orders. To make an order, a customer could either pay a flat fee or lower the price by sending in Pony Points. Many of the mail orders are hard to find and some are considered rare. The most common promotional pony is Baby Stockings, who was available through a cereal box offer and can be found for a few dollars; while one of the rarest, Rapunzel, sells regularly for above $400 and has sold for over $800. Very few ponies achieve this price.

The line ran for ten years, ending in the US in 1992. Oddly, this year was touted as the celebration year of My Little Pony.

International Ponies

In many parts of Europe, there were European exclusives. These were produced by factories in France, Greece, Italy and Spain. European ponies generally fetch more than their respective counterparts made in Hong Kong or China (where the vast majority of ponies were made). Some are fairly easy to find (for example: a Peachy made in Italy) whereas some are much harder to find (for example: Happy Birthday, a Greek exclusive pony made in the sitting pose with candles as a symbol).

Most ponies released in the United States could be found in Western Europe as well. The majority of domestic mail-order ponies never appeared overseas, though many countries had their own mail-order systems (covered below). Some of the ponies (and even playsets) were given different names abroad (for example: the Big Brothers were known as Adventure Boys in the UK).

Some variations came from different countries and were variations on US or UK released ponies. Some, however, were unique to their country or region.

Related Lines

Petite Ponies

Petite Ponies are tiny pony figures that are about the size of a quarter. Each came in sets, some with different traits such as combable hair, shimmery bodies, or glow in the dark bodies. Under the base of each is an engraved hoof. This way the pony can act as a key to the petite playsets. None of these smaller ponies had official names and many shared symbols. These were first released in Year 8 and continued into Year 9.

Dream Beauties

These are larger figures, made of hard plastic, that were advertised as "grown up" ponies. Unlike the main line, they looked more like horses. All of them were earth ponies except for the three Highflying Beauties, who had large multicolored wings. They were only sold in Year 8 and were often confused with "Fashion Star Fillies" and Barbie horses. One way to tell the difference is that Dream Beauties have a line of plastic "beads" along the base of their manes.

My Little Kitty/Puppy/Bunny

Just as they sound these are kitty, puppy, and bunny sets sold under the Hasbro MLP logo. Each set consists of a mom and 2 babies. All the moms were flocked and all the babies were mini plastic figures. Kitty moms had cottony tails. Puppy moms had either silky or cottony ears. Bunny moms had cottony tails and silky forelocks.

Generation Two: Friendship Garden

The second line of My Little Ponies (referred to as "Generation Two" (G2) or 'Friendship Garden Ponies') lived in Friendship Garden, and were almost entirely limited to Earth Ponies, although a few Pegasus and Unicorn Ponies were made. They were fairly small, and in slim, long-legged poses. This line was largely popular in Europe, where it continued for several years after it had been discontinued in the United States due to a lack of popularity. There were no television spin-offs for the G2 Ponies., although they did have their own video game on the PC which involved taking care of a Pony and playing games along the way.

In Europe, the ponies lived in Ponyland, rather than Friendship Gardens. The line was much more successful. Unlike the USA, it ran until late 2003, where the introduction of Generation Three ponies brought out the end of the line. A lot of the ponies released in later years are hard to find. Many more playsets were introduced, including a mansion and a castle. There was more merchandise to be found, including beanie ponies (though those were released in the USA), magazines, clothing, perfume, wrapping paper and colouring books.

Generation Three: Ponyville

The current line of My Little Ponies is referred to as "Generation Three" (G3) by collectors. This has been attributed to it being the third release of ponies, which started in 2003. The G3 line is very similar to the G1 line in construction and design, although they are smaller. They have been almost exclusively earth ponies, but a few Pegasus ponies are also in the line. The ponies live in Ponyville in the shadow of the Celebration Castle. Until the recent release of "The Princess Promenade" (Jan.2006), there appeared to be no distinct ruler (like the G1 line), however the discovery of Spike the dragon brought a new princess to the G3 line - Princess Wysteria.

Most ponies in the G3 line have shiny or pearly bodies and matte symbols on one side, now referred to as "Cutie Marks". G3 Ponies also have a magnet in one hoof that is used to activate playset items. These magnets are fairly strong and can ruin computer equipment and TVs if prolonged contact is made. The foot where the magnet is found is marked with a small symbol, often a heart. In some early ponies, the heart and magnet were mismatched and the heart was on the wrong foot; this has since been corrected.

The first year was the "Year of The Celebration", heralding the return of the My Little Pony Line. The years following have been the Friendship Ball and Butterfly Island, with the most recent being Crystal Princess, and each year has had video and DVD cartoons starring the new ponies. Packages were shaped like plastic purses with white cords at the top, and the background was of Ponyville's meadows. Some of the earlier Ponies came with a shiny cord called a "Friendship Ribbon" and a small pony shaped charm that matched the pony's body color; these were phased out quite early. Also, some of the earlier packaging came with Pony Points that were later used for exclusive mail orders. Unlike the G1 line, the pony points had to be sent in to order; a customer could not just pay a flat fee and add points to it to lower the price.

Single ponies were of two main types. Rainbow Ponies had hair that had three or more colors in their mane or tail. The first four were Wysteria, Sunny Daze, Sweetberry, and Rainbow Dash. Glitter ponies had one or two colors in their manes or tails, which were interlaced with iridescent tinsel. The first four were Kimono, Pinkie Pie, Minty, and Sparkleworks. Sparkleworks, Pinkie Pie, Sunny Daze and Rainbow Dash have since become the trademarks of the line, having been re-released in different poses and/or outfits at least three times each. Later in the year two new Glitter and Rainbow ponies were released, and the four were released in new poses.

While the line was simultaneously released in the US and Europe there has been only one non-US pony, a green pony with white hair named Winter Snow.

One of the rarest G3 ponies so far was released unintentionally in 2004. A Pinkie Pie with "2003 Licensing Show" integrated into her symbol was used to promote My Little Pony at the 2003 spring Licensing Show. Only three hundred were supposed to be given out at the show alone, but due to packaging error a few were packaged as regular ponies and sold in stores. Because of this, she has quickly risen in value and can go for as much as $400. Other limited edition ponies have been the Pony Project promotional pony and Rosey Posey, who was given at a benefit dinner by Hasbro.

Hasbro's handling of the G3 points program had some problems, the largest being the Frilly Frocks plush situation. An offer for a three foot plush Frilly Frocks pony was put up in exchange for 150 points and 2.50 in shipping in December 2004. The shipping cost for the 3' foot Frilly Frocks ended up being an error and was edited to a more correct amount of $25. But by then the demand had outgrown the supply and the stock was quickly depleted. The plush was removed from the site to prevent additional orders. Those who ordered the plush before January 18th had their offers honored; any after had their points returned. Most customers received a postcard in the mail detailing the understock situation and prompting a toll free call to the Young America Company. A customer could agree to wait and have a plush sent later (but no later than July 15, 2005). Those who either decline the wait or did not call had their orders cancelled and the points returned. The points program ended on January 31, 2006.

Other Items

A lot of licensed merchandise has been released for the newest generation. The main characters can be found on items ranging from bedding and home decor to clothing and dishware and school supplies. Plush ponies have been given away as theme park prizes and used in crane machines. The most noted of the plush is probably the 3' plush pony which was first available for sale in Australia (characters including Rainbow Dash, Minty, Sweetberry, and the special Kimono, which was used as a prize by Red Rooster Restaurants and Target). In the US/CAN, the 3' Frilly Frocks was offered in the points program as a redeemable item and a special Star Shimmer was used by the Starlight Foundation to help special children and their families celebrate the magic of My Little Pony. McDonald's has also featured ponies in its Happy Meal promotions. Eight characters were used in the US promotion, while other countries had only four.

Movies

In 1986, the Ponies appeared in their first film, My Little Pony: The Movie. Directed by Michael Joens, it starred the voices of Rhea Perlman, Madeline Kahn and Danny Devito, among others.

It was a failure, both at the box-office and with critics. (This was one of many unsuccessful releases from its distributor, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, who went out of business several years afterward.)

The Ponies would not appear in another movie of any kind until the 2005 direct-to-DVD release of A Very Minty Christmas. Once again, it gained little response from critics.

However, both movies (like the TV series) have largely proved to be popular among fans of the toy line.

Another direct-to-DVD movie, The Princess Promenade [1], was released on February 7, 2006. It featured the G3 debut of the re-designed Spike the dragon, who first appeared in the G1 line. It also included Breezies, small, fairy-like ponies. The animated feature A Charming Birthday was packaged on the same DVD.

In fall of 2006, a new direct-to-DVD movie will be released, 'My Little Pony: The Runaway Rainbow'. It will feature the new G3 unicorn, Rarity, as well as Spike and the Breezies.

Collectors

Over the past decade, a large number of My Little Pony collectors has emerged. Once a small and relatively unknown market, the numbers of collectors have skyrocketed into the thousands during recent years. Such interest has sparked a rise in regional "pony meets". Recently, such conventions have morphed into large gatherings on an international scale, such as the My Little Pony Fair, which hosts hundreds of collectors from all over the world for one weekend every summer.

Custom Ponies

Another feature of the recent pony collecting scene is the making and selling of custom ponies. This is an art form in which common or poor condition ponies (called bait) are redesigned according to the vision of an aftermarket manufacturer. Customizers may paint new symbols on the pony, change their body color, paint their eyes, and re-thread their manes and tails with an interesting color or texture of hair. Some customs can become very elaborate, using sculpted parts, specially made wings, or detailed painting all over the pony. Customs have found a sizeable market on ebay alongside regular pony sales (because of the large amount of detailed work, most customs sell for $50-100), and each year a number of custom swaps and contests take place at pony meets and over the internet. Several prominent customizers now maintain customizing galleries and tutorials [2][3]

Trivia

The Toys

Many Ponies from the G1 line were manufactured with pink hair that faded to white easily. Ponies with this problem tend to sell for a lot less. Ponies that suffered from this include Wind Whistler (pale blue Pegasus Pony), Tornado (dark blue Mountain Boy Pony) and Posey (yellow earth Pony). This was not changed in the G3 line; ponies such as Minty, Pinkie Pie, and others with pale pink hair also fade under prolonged sunlight.
Belonging to the same company, some My Little Ponies shared names with two other popular toy lines of the 80s, Transformers and G.I. Joe. For example, Beachcomber and Seaspray were both My Little Ponies and Transformers characters, and Firefly was both a My Little Pony and a G.I. Joe character.
During year four of G1 production, Hasbro began using "regrind" plastic. This is where old plastic is ground up finely and mixed in with new plastic. It reduces waste, but the old plastic does not hold the dye as well as the new plastic, and can lose its colour over time. If too much regrind is used then the quality of a toy can suffer. As a result there are now some Ponies with bright pink spots in the plastic where the plastic has deteriorated over the years.

Other Media

In 2005, when US President George W. Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court of the United States, political cartoonist Steve Sack drew a cartoon depicting Bush brushing a pony toy with false eyelashes under the title "My Little Crony", since it was recently after the dismissal of Michael D. Brown for failing to handle the Hurricane Katrina crisis.
My Little Pony has had "cameo" appearances in several other comics as well as some TV shows. (The OC debut of Princess Sparkle from the G1 line is a prominent example.)
Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, released an April Fool's joke revealing that the newest d20 RPG setting would be an adaptation of the My Little Pony setting to a tabletop roleplaying game ("d20 MLP") [4].
For April Fool's day in 2006, the front page on Slashdot.org (a popular news site) was redesigned in the fashion of My Little Ponies. Screenshot taken from Flikr. [5]

External links

Official site by toy manufacturer Hasbro for My Little Pony
MLP Arena - A comprehensive My Little Pony Community on the internet - Forums, galleries, contests and more
My Little Pony Fair Convention & Expo' - The world's largest annual gathering of My Little Pony collectors
My Little Pony Trading Post - My Little Pony collectors' discussion forums
Ponytopia's Resource for G3 ponies!
Elite of Ponyland Network - A database resource providing collectors with links to informative My Little Pony websites and information about trustworthy and reliable buyers and sellers
UK My Little Pony Convention Homepage
Rainbow Forest - A site about the second generation ponies including descriptions and pictures of all ponies and playsets
Ponymeet! - Website dedicated to helping My Little Pony collectors create organized regional meets.
My Little Pony Toys: My Little Pony on TheToyReview.com.
Where the Rainbow Ends: A My Little Pony site with a comprehensive pony ID section for each generation of ponies and one of the largest resources of foreign pony information.
My Little Pony Playhouse- Well known among collectors as the friendliest pony community around. Perfect for anyone just getting into collecting.