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My Little Pony is a product line of colorful '' from 1993 to 1995. All three My Little Pony lines consist of vinyl ponies with brushable manes and tails. Their hair and body colors are deliberately fanciful and span every color of the rainbow. Each has a unique symbol on the hindquarters of one side. The symbols of the original six ponies released in the line make them reminiscent of pastel colored Appaloosas, but over the years the line has expanded to Unicorns , Pegasi , Seahorses , and even beyond the equine family. The second-hand market price value for ponies fluctuates wildly. This may be the reason there exists no reliable price guide for individual ponies. The value of any given pony may either appreciate or depreciate at any time or for any reason since being discontinued. Most individual ponies are not worth a whole lot of money, due to the fact that many were manufactured in large numbers. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. Toys that were only available in limited supply are sometimes worth more to collectors, although rarity is not the only factor which contributes to how sought after or valuable a particular item may be. In some cases, a pony may appreciate in value greatly due to no particular reason, and values for some remain inexplicably high. 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 referred to as "fakies." Almost all real My Little Pony toys have Hasbro's stamp on their foot so it is relatively easy to tell them apart. It should be noted, however, that if the mold for the inauthentic toy was stolen outright, then it too will include the Hasbro stamp. This has happened with increasing frequency. GENERATIONS Generation one: Dream Valley The My Little Pony brand launched in 1982 with the first six 'Earth Ponies' (the My Little Ponies who most resembled real-world horses, albeit in a variety of rainbow colors). These first six Earth Ponies would establish several defining characteristics of the brand, including the rounded bodies, anthropomorphized faces, and colorful, unique symbols on their rear flanks. These first six Earth Ponies were:
The Earth Ponies were soon joined by additional species. Pegasus Ponies had molded wings, while Unicorns had horns which purportedly gave them magic powers in addition to the ability to "wink" ( Teleport ) through unobstructed space. Sea Ponies resembled real-life Seahorse s, apart from the colourful mane they shared with the original Little Ponies. Flutter Ponies were much smaller and thinner than Pegasus Ponies and had translucent wings more like those of an insect, and featured a "fluttering" action. Windy Wing and Summer Wing Ponies were even smaller in size compared to the Flutter Ponies, but were proportioned more similar to their larger kin, and had larger, distinctly butterfly-like wings. Finally, Mermaid Ponies loosely resembled the mythological Hippocamp . Baby Ponies were available in Earth Pony, Unicorn, Pegasus, and Sea Pony forms; early Baby Ponies resembled their mothers, but were smaller and typically had softened colors and simplified identifying symbols. Later, the Baby Ponies would take on more distinct identities, with symbols and names that were more 'child-like'. Sweetheart Sisters were the 'teenagers' of the My Little Pony family, with bodily proportions that were longer and slimmer than a standard My Little Pony adult, although they stood roughly the same height. Many different sets of Little Ponies with striking variations were produced, starting with the Rainbow Ponies (which all sported rainbow-colored manes and tails) in 1983. Other notable variations included the So-Soft Ponies (which were entirely covered in flocking), Twinkle-Eyed Ponies (with small jewels in place of the eyes), Twice As Fancy Ponies (with symbols covering most of the body), and Brush n' Grow Ponies (which had a longer-than-usual tail stored inside the body that could be drawn out through brushing). The first generation of My Little Ponies ran in the US for ten years, ending in 1992 , but continuing internationally to 1995. Oddly, 1992, the final year in the US was marketed as the celebration year of My Little Pony. Apart from the ponies themselves, merchandise included children's bedding and room decorations, plush toys, puzzles, and books. A huge house-like playset called "Paradise Estate" was made during this time and consisted of four rooms complete with furniture and ceiling fans, a pool and a garden. At the same time there was a nursery for the baby ponies, and a dance school called "Baby Bonnet School of Dance" that resembled a bonnet. There were also more unusual items, such as a Pomander and toy sewing machines. Two animated television series were aired during this generation. In 1985 the My Little Pony 7 Picture Disk was released. It was recorded at AIR Studios in County Durham and the songs voiced by singer Tony Markey. It is now out of production. Mail-order ponies All packaging (typically a plastic bubble attached to a backcard) came with Horseshoe Points, which could be used to obtain discounts on special ponies available in the U.S. only through Mail Order . Mail-order ponies were generally reissues like Majesty, first available only with the Dream Castle Playset, or unique ponies such as the first boy pony, Lucky. Many of the mail-order ponies, while not necessarily "rare" or "hard to find" in all cases, may nevertheless be more sought after than their store bought counterparts, and a select few are considered quite valuable: one, Rapunzel, regularly sells for above US$400 and has sold for over US$800. 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). Many of the excess ponies offered as mail orders in the US were bagged and carded and sold overseas. 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 are tiny pony figures that came in sets. Some have different traits such as combable hair, shimmery bodies, or glow-in-the-dark bodies. Under the base of each is an engraved hoof that allows the pony to function as a key to the Petite Playsets. Most of these smaller ponies had no official name and many had the same symbols. They were sold in the from 1989 to 1991.
Larger figures, made of hard plastic, were advertised as "grown up" ponies and called Dream Beauties. 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 sold from 1989 to 1990 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 bases of their manes.
Kitty, puppy, and bunny sets were sold under the Hasbro MLP logo in 1990-1991. Each set comprised a mom, two babies, and a plastic comb. 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 was introduced in 1997. They are colloquially referred to as "Generation Two" (G2) or 'Friendship Garden Ponies' because they lived in Friendship Garden. Most were Earth Ponies, although a few Pegasus and Unicorn Ponies were made. They were made in completely new redesigned poses, and compared to the original 1982 line they were smaller, slimmer, and longer-legged. In the U.S. the line failed to catch on and was discontinued in 1999 due to massive widespread unpopularity, although it continued overseas. The G2 line sparked no television shows, although they did have their own PC game which involved taking care of a pony and playing games along the way. In Europe, the ponies lived in Ponyland, rather than Friendship Gardens, and was discontinued only with the inception of the G3 line in 2003. Many ponies released in the last years of the G2 line are much less common than usual. Many playsets were introduced, including a mansion and a castle. Some of the licensed merchandise released in Europe included beanie ponies (not exclusive to Europe), magazines, clothing, perfume, wrapping paper, colouring books, and more. Generation three: Ponyville The current and third incarnation of the My Little Pony line began in 2003, and are called G3 or Generation 3 by collectors. The G3 line body type is closer to the G1 line in shape than were the G2 ponies, although smaller. Pegasus ponies were released in 2005, and until then they had been exclusively earth ponies, and Unicorn ponies were released in 2006. 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, but right after that she named every pony on Ponyville a princess too. 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 "Celebration" year, heralding the return of the My Little Pony Line. The years following have been the Friendship Ball in 2004, Butterfly Island in 2005, and in 2006 and 2007 the line was called Crystal Princess. 2008 is the 25th Anniversary of the entire property, and so 2008 is called the Anniversary Celebration. Each year has had video and DVD cartoons starring the new ponies. Packages were originally shaped like plastic purses with white cords at the top, and the background was of Ponyville's meadows. The early Ponies came with a shiny cord called a "Friendship Ribbon" and a small pony shaped charm that matched the pony's body color. Until late 2005, 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. Some of the things available with the Pony Points Program were: Dazzle Surprise, a pink pony with purple and pink tinseled hair, Sunshimmer, a yellow pony with neon pink and orange hair, and one of the first jewel cutie marks, and Love Wishes, a blue pony with red hair and a letter in an envelope as a symbol. There were only two exclusive ponies, except for a very large pony plush toy that went out of stock very quickly. You could also get some posters or a Ponyville play mat for you to put your buildings on, among other things. Single ponies were originally of two main types, Rainbow ponies, and Glitter Ponies. 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. Many of these original ponies have since been re-released in different poses and/or outfits, some have been re-released more than once. Later in the year two new Glitter and Rainbow ponies were released, and the four originals were released in new poses. While the line was simultaneously released in the US and Europe there have not been very many ponies that have been unavailable in the U.S. The first of such is a green pony with white hair named Winter Snow. Several of a small breed of G3 pony called a Breezie, which is about 2 inches tall and has a large protruding head and delicate glittery fabric wings have been made which are as of this writing still un-released in the U.S, although other Breezies have been released in the U.S. One of the most uncommon ponies released so far in the G3 line was actually released by mistake in 2004. A Pinkie Pie with the words '2003 Licensing Show' integrated into her symbol was used to promote My Little Pony at the 2003 spring Licensing Show, and were intended to be released only at that show and in plastic bags. 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 has sold for large amounts of money. Other limited edition ponies have been the Pony Project promotional ponies and Rosey Posey, who was given to attendees at a charity dinner held by Hasbro to benefit charity. The G3 points program had some problems, most notably with the large plush. 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, much to the great disappointment of devotees of the entire My Little Pony line, who are eagerly hoping for a possible resurrection of any incarnation of an official pony-by-mail program. Other items A veritable flood of licensed My Little Pony merchandise has been released for the current generation. The 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. There is a huge 3' plush pony line 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, among others). In the United States and Canada, 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 on more than one occasion, as have other fast food chains. Eight characters were used in the first U.S. McDonald's promotion, while other countries chain restaurants had only four. Due to the 1980's nostalgia trend that is currently going on in the western world, My Little Pony merchandise aimed at adults have also appeard, including T-shirts decipting the ponies with such slogans as "Livin in the 80's" or "I Love Rainbows". Hasbro sold the digital gaming rights various properties (including ''Pony'', '''', Tonka , Playskool , and '' Transformers '') to Infogrames for USD$100 million in 2000, buying back the rights for USD$65 million in June 2005." HASBRO REACQUIRES DIGITAL GAMING RIGHTS FROM INFOGRAMES FOR $65 MILLION ", Hasbro press release, 9 June 2005. THE PONIES IN ANIMATION The first My Little Pony cartoon to ever air was the prime time special ''Rescue at Midnight Castle'', in 1984. Like other cartoons aired during prime time, it was intended to be entertaining for the whole family (instead of solely for small children, which was usually the case with cartoons aired during morning hours), and thus featured darker elements, action and relatively advanced animation. It was followed by a similar special, ''Escape from Catrina''. In , who went out of business several years afterward. It was followed however by the more popular '' My Little Pony '' TV series (which is arguably the most famous and well-remembered part of the My Little Pony franchise apart from the toys themselves). The series promoted a great many of the toys available in 1986-1987, featuring a large regular cast of Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorn Ponies with guest appearances by new lines such as Flutter Ponies and Princess Ponies. In this series the famous My Little Pony theme-song would play often. The TV specials, the movie and the TV series were all set in the same continuity. They were set in Dream Valley, a land inhabited by witches, goblins and other magical creatures with whom the Little Ponies, their human friend Megan and their dragon friend Spike would often interact with. Althogh aimed primarily at girls, these cartoons format was actually not very different from that of many of the 80's cartoons aimed at boys (such as ''He-man'' or ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''), in that they were very focused on adventure, and that the stories would often concern the protagonists' battle with various enemies. A later program, '' My Little Pony Tales '', was set in an all different continuity. This series anthropomorphised the Ponies - they lived in a human-like town, going to school, fretting about relationships, running businesses, going on vacation, and exchanging currency for goods. The Ponies would not appear in animation again until 2003, when a new series of direct-to-VHS/DVD movies began production. These are set in yet another continuity, and stars the G3 ponies. They have been criticized by long-time fans for having very little adventure or drama. So far these have included: 1)''"A Charming Birthday"'' (2003)- A direct-to-VHS release, it was not sold on its own, but instead was packaged with some of the early G3s. 2)''"Dancing in the Clouds" (VHS-2004)''- This was packaged along the first pegasus pony of the G3 line, '' Star Catcher ''. 3)''"Friends Are Never Far Away"'' (DVD-2005)- It was packaged with a new pegasus named Hidden Treasure. 4)'''' (DVD-2006)- The first video sold by itself, it included ''"Dancing in the Clouds"'' as a bonus episode. 4)'''' (DVD-February, 2006)- Featured the debut of a re-design of Spike the dragon, who originally featured in G1 (this makes Spike the only character in the franchise to appear in both the G1 and G3 cartoons). It also included Breezies--small, fairy-like ponies. ''"A Charming Birthday"'' was re-released on the same DVD. 5)''"My Little Pony: The Runaway Rainbow"'' (DVD-Fall, 2006)- Featured the new G3 unicorn, Rarity, as well as Spike and the Breezies. Also included ''"Friends Are Never Far Away"'' as a bonus episode. 6)''"My Little Pony: A Very Pony Place"'' (February, 2007)- ''3 All-New Pony Tales'' which include: ''"Come Back, Lily Lightly"'', ''"Two For the Sky"'', and ''"Positively Pink"''. In 2004, the first season of the 80's ''My Little Pony'' television series was released on DVD. The four-DVD collection features two television specials--"Rescue at Midnight Castle" (later retitled "Firefly's Adventure" when sold as part of a VHS and pony set) and "Escape from Catrina"--and fifty episodes from the original series. Some songs from the original airing of the two specials have been cut, leaving the specials as they appeared when syndicated as part of the cartoon series. Strangely, the packaging on the DVD features ponies from both the series and the 1997-1999 line. The ten-episode miniseries "The End of Flutter Valley" was released on a single-disc DVD in 2005. 2006 brought the release of episodes from the second season, with two single-disc DVD releases: "Flight to Cloud Castle and Other Stories" and "Quest of the Princess Ponies and Other Stories", in addition to a DVD of "Two Great Pony Tales", with "The Magic Coins" and "The Glass Princess" available as 8 episodes. ''MY LITTLE PONY LIVE'' On 19 June 2006, Hasbro and VEE Corporation announced a live touring production of ''My Little Pony''. VEE is famed for its long-running '' Sesame Street Live '' production. 1 RESTORATION Because the My Little Pony toy line has been around for about 25 years, and because it is a toy line, My Little Pony collectors (G1 collectors, in particular) have to occasionally deal with figures in need of restoration. These problems can range from old dirt, known as "play dirt," which simply needs to be washed off, to tail rust caused by the bolt that holds the tail in place being overexposed to water. Some other restoration problems collectors might experience are scraped paint, chewed ears, and newsprint stains from prolonged storage. There are fan-made websites available with tutorials to help collectors solve these restoration issues. One example is ''Paradise Styling Salon and Day Spa'' 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 the artist. Customizers may paint new symbols on the pony, change their body color, paint their eyes, and re-thread their manes and tails with a different color of nylon 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, many customs sell for $50-100). Artists are often commissioned by collectors and non-collectors alike to make a unique pony. COMMUNITY Since the mid-1990s, My Little Pony fans have used the Internet to connect with one another and build up their collections. Online communities quickly formed, the largest of which was a message board founded in 1997 and named the Trading Post. Over the next several years, the Trading Post grew to have nearly five thousand members who actively chatted, bought, and sold the colorful toys with one another. In 2003, a new online collector community named My Little Pony Arena was introduced. This community offered new features to a growing pony fanbase such as personal photo galleries and a new system of trader feedback ratings. The release of the G3 ponies in 2003 led to many new collectors introducing themselves into the community. To help accommodate its growing numbers, the Trading Post moved to a new domain which featured a more stable forum system. The Trading Post and Arena are hubs for collector news and announcements. Collectors formed close-knit friendships with one another and wanted the opportunity to meet other fans in their area. Small gatherings were arranged that were later termed "Pony Meets" where collectors would meet at one another's houses or a local park to celebrate ponies in person. These meets paved the way for more large-scale gatherings, such as the conventions introduced in 2004. The My Little Pony Fair is the US-based collector convention and takes place in the summer. UK Ponycon is the European convention which takes place in autumn. A representative from the My Little Pony division of Hasbro, speaking at the 2007 MLP Fair in Memphis, TN, openly recognized collectors and their community as an integral part of the continuted success and popularity of My Little Pony, although their target market "will always be little girls." TRIVIA The toys
My Little Pony in popular culture My Little Pony, being amongst the most popular toy lines of all time, is regularly referred to in various media. Perhapes most prominently, the ponies have had several "cameo" appearances in cartoons.
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