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

My Little Pony is a line of colorful toy ponies marketed primarily to young children and produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. This article is about playthings For other uses of the term see Toy (disambiguation. A pony is a small Horse with a specific conformation and temperament Hasbro ( is an American Toy company It is one of the largest toy makers in the world second only to the toy giant Mattel. [1] "My Little Pony" was first introduced in 1982, following the related My Pretty Pony toy, introduced in 1981. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 "My Little Pony" became immensely popular during the 80s, at one point even outselling Mattel's Barbie. Barbie is a best-selling fashion Doll launched in 1959 The doll is produced by Mattel Inc The original toy line ran from 1982 to 1995 (1992 in the U. S. ) and inspired animated specials, including an animated feature length movie and two animated television series. My Little Pony was an American Animated television series based on the My Little Pony toys released by Hasbro. The brand was relaunched between 1997 and 2003 (1999 in the U. S. ), and then fully relaunched globally in 2003.

Contents

Generations

Generation One

Generation 1 (G1) was 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 rounded bodies, anthropomorphized faces, and colorful, unique symbols on their rear flanks. These first six Earth Ponies were Blossom, Minty, Butterscotch, Cotton Candy, Blue Belle, and Snuzzle.

The Earth Ponies were soon joined by Pegasus and Unicorns. In Greek mythology, Pegasus ( Greek: Πήγασος, Pégasos, 'strong' was a winged horse that was the son of Poseidon, in his role A unicorn (from Latin unus 'one' and cornu 'horn' is a Mythological creature. Sea Ponies resembled real-life seahorses, apart from the colorful mane they shared with the original Little Ponies. Seahorses are a Genus ( Hippocampus ') of fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae, which also includes Pipefish and Leafy 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 similar to their larger kin, and had larger, distinctly butterfly-like wings. Finally, Mermaid Ponies loosely resembled the mythological hippocampus. The hippocamp or hippocampus (plural hippocampi Greek: ἵπποκαμπος from ἵππος "horse" and κάμπος, "monster"

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 were produced, starting with the Rainbow Ponies (which all sported rainbow-colored manes and tails) in 1983. Other 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 until 1995. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The final year of sales in the US was marketed as the celebration year of My Little Pony.

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 is a term which describes the Buying of goods or services by Mail delivery 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. Some collectors actively seek out mail-order ponies and a select few are highly valuable.

International ponies

European exclusives 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 produced). Some are fairly easy to find (for example, a Peachy made in Italy) whereas some are much harder to find, such as Greek ponies.

Most ponies released in the U. S. 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. Many of the excess ponies offered as mail orders in the U. S. were bagged and carded and sold overseas. Some of the ponies and 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, while others 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 brushable 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. Only Earth Ponies and Pegasus were made.

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, with a line of plastic "beads" along the bases of their manes. All of them were earth ponies except for the three Highflying Beauties, who had large multicolored wings. They were sold from 1989 to 1990.

Kitty, puppy, and bunny sets were sold under the Hasbro MLP logo in 1990-1991. Each Li'l Litters 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. There were also Nursery Family sets featuring the puppy and kitty characters.

Merchandise

Apart from the ponies themselves, merchandise included children's bedding and room decorations, plush toys, puzzles, books, the "Paradise Estate" playset and the "Baby Bonnet School of Dance" playset. There were also more unusual items, such as a pomander and toy sewing machines. A pomander, from French pomme d'ambre, ie apple of amber is a ball made of perfumes such as Ambergris (whence the name Musk, or Civet 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.

Generation Two: Friendship Gardens

The second line of My Little Ponies was introduced in 1997. They are colloquially referred to as "Generation Two" (G2) or "Friendship Garden Ponies. " G2s were made in completely new redesigned poses, and compared to the original 1982 line they were smaller, slimmer, and longer-legged, with jewel eyes and turning heads. In the U. S. the line failed to catch on and was discontinued in 1999, although it continued overseas.

Most were Earth Ponies, but a few unicorns were made internationally. Although no official Pegasus Ponies were made, some adult G2s had clip-on wings. In the early 2000s, several unicorns with clip-on wings were made, called "The Magic Unicorns. " Only two baby pony poses were introduced. None of the baby ponies were ever sold in the U. S.

In Europe, the ponies lived in Ponyland, rather than Friendship Gardens, and were discontinued with the inception of the G3 line in 2003. Many ponies released in the last years of the G2 line are quite rare. A number 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. Other merchandising includes the meal prize ponies, wallets, watches, plushes, air fresheners, and many more. Sundance and Light Heart also appeared on the cover of the 'My Little Pony n' Friends Complete First Season', and several alternating G2s sometimes appear on the MLP n' Friends DVD releases. A PC game involved taking care of a pony and playing games along the way.

Generation Three: Ponyville

The third and current incarnation of the My Little Pony line began in 2003, and is generally referred to Generation 3 (G3). Hasbro released only Earth ponies from 2003-2005. They released Pegasus ponies in 2005, and Unicorn ponies in 2006. The ponies live in Ponyville in the shadow of the Celebration Castle. Ponyville is the fictional home of the third generation (G3 My Little Pony toyline a product of Hasbro. Many of the original ponies have since been re-released in different poses or outfits.

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. Current G3s do not have a hoof magnet.

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 ponies available with the Pony Points Program were Dazzle Surprise, Sunshimmer, and Love Wishes. You could also get some posters or a Ponyville play mat for you to put your buildings on, among other things. The points program ended on January 31, 2006.

While the line was simultaneously released in the U. S. and Europe, there are a few Ponies unavailable in the U. S. , such as Winter Snow and some breezies (small, fairy-like ponies who first appeared in "The Princess Promenade").

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 in a limited edition of 300. Due to a packaging error a few were packaged as regular ponies and sold in stores 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.

Merchandise

A large amount 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 ft. 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). Minty is a Pony in Hasbro 's line of My Little Pony toys She has had many variations through the years and has been in two of the three Pony lines (referred to as 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.

My Little Pony merchandise aimed at adults have also appeared, including T-shirts depicting G1 ponies with such slogans as "Livin' in the 80's" or "I Love Rainbows".

Hasbro sold the digital gaming rights various properties (including Pony, Magic: The Gathering, Tonka, Playskool, and Transformers) to Infogrames for USD$100 million in 2000, buying back the rights for USD$65 million in June 2005. This article is somewhat over-complete Please do not add significant new content without first discussing it on the talk page Tonka is an American Toy company most known for its signature toy Trucks and Construction equipment. Playskool is a Toy brand owned by Hasbro. The toys are intended for children and babies who are up to five years old Infogrames Entertainment SA ( IESA) ( is an international Holding company headquartered in Villeurbanne, Lyon, France. [2]

The Ponies in Animation

Movie Poster for My Little Pony: The Runaway Rainbow.
Movie Poster for My Little Pony: The Runaway Rainbow.

The first My Little Pony cartoon to ever air was the prime time special Rescue at Midnight Castle, in 1984. It was followed by a similar special, Escape from Catrina, in which Tammy Grimes voiced the titular character. Tammy Lee Grimes (born January 30, 1934) is an American award-winning Actress and Singer. In 1986, the Ponies appeared in their first (and so far only) full-length feature film, My Little Pony: The Movie. Events April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries My Little Pony The Movie is an animated feature film based on the popular My Little Pony toy line Directed by Michael Joens, it starred the voices of Rhea Perlman, Madeline Kahn, Tony Randall, and Danny DeVito, among others. Rhea Perlman (born March 31, 1948) is an American four-time Emmy Award -winning actress, known for her role as Carla Tortelli Madeline Kahn ( September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, known primarily for her comedic roles Tony Randall ( February 26, 1920 &ndash May 17, 2004) was an American comic and Actor. Daniel Michael DeVito Jr (born November 17 1944 is an American Actor, director and producer, who first gained prominence for his portrayal It had a mediocre box office performance, grossing almost $6 million in the United States. [1], and received mostly negative reviews.

It was followed however by the more popular My Little Pony TV series. My Little Pony was an American Animated television series based on the My Little Pony toys released by Hasbro. 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, and used the theme song also featured in TV advertisements for the brand.

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.

A later program, My Little Pony Tales, was set in a completely different continuity. A 26-episode series inspired by the wildly popular toys of the same name 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 star the G3 ponies. 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. Star Catcher is a Pegasus Pony in Hasbro 's line of G3 My Little Pony toys

3)"Friends Are Never Far Away" (DVD-2005)- It was packaged with a new Pegasus named Hidden Treasure.

4)My Little Pony: A Very Minty Christmas (DVD-2006)- The first video sold by itself, it included "Dancing in the Clouds" as a bonus episode.

4)My Little Pony: The Princess Promenade (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 the two prime-time television specials and 50 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. 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

My Little Pony Live.
My Little Pony Live.

On 19 June 2006, Hasbro and VEE Corporation announced a live touring production of My Little Pony. VEE Corporation is a family entertainment production company founded by Vincent E [3]

My Little Pony Live is a 90 minute musical starring the main favorites of Ponyville: Pinkie Pie, Sew-n-So, Rarity the Unicorn, Rainbow Dash, Minty, Thistle Whistle the pegasus, Wysteria, and Sweetberry. Rainbow Dash is a G3 My Little Pony She is one of the most well-known of the ponies and has appeared in My Little Pony Live. Wisteria is a Genus of about ten species of woody climbing Vines native to the eastern United States and the East Asian states of China The story is about Pinkie Pie wanting to gather everyone together for the World's Biggest Tea Party. Many of the songs are based on previously-used songs from various My Little Pony DVDs. However, there are new songs, such as "Try a New Color on For Size" and "Disco Dash". One popular song used in the show is "Shake Your Cutie", based on "Shake Your Booty. "

The "World's Biggest Tea Party" show closed at the end of April, 2008.

Fakies and bootlegs

Several companies have made fakes and bootlegs. "Fakies," as most knock-offs are referred to, usually have a unique mold. There are some fakies that were molded from actual (legally bought) Hasbro molds and are still considered "fake" because Hasbro did not produce them. These will not have the Hasbro stamp on the hoof of the pony. Some companies selling fakies have MLP line art on their boxes, put actual ponies on the box, sell fakies with accessories similar to that of real MLP, use the symbols of actual ponies, use MLP-style boxes, and steal the logo and name of the ponies. 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, which has happened with increasing frequency.

Fakies and bootlegs in turn have developed smaller cults. Some fakies are customized or collected. The fakies made from real MLP molds are generally collected and customized more than other fakies. Some sellers on eBay in turn disguise convincing and even not-so-convincing knock-offs as actual ponies and try to trick amateur buyers. eBay Inc is an American Internet company that manages eBaycom an Online auction and shopping Website in which people and businesses buy and Other times, new sellers sometimes mistake fakes for the actual thing and list them as such by accident.

Like the ponies that inspired them, fakies have been sold worldwide. There are now several fakie I. D. websites that help you identify your fakie, but most are incomplete due to the sheer number of imitations.

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. [4] 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 but it is typically not a profitable enterprise. eBay Inc is an American Internet company that manages eBaycom an Online auction and shopping Website in which people and businesses buy and 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, several of which are still active today.

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. Perhaps most prominently, the ponies have had several "cameo" appearances in cartoons.

References

  1. ^ Official Hasbro My Little Pony site
  2. ^ "HASBRO REACQUIRES DIGITAL GAMING RIGHTS FROM INFOGRAMES FOR $65 MILLION", Hasbro press release, 9 June 2005. Boy Meets World was an American Television sitcom that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, who grows up from a
  3. ^ My Little Pony Live (March 12, 2007).
  4. ^ Custom Pony .com - Doll Hair - OOAK Customs Restoration & Tutorials
  5. ^ Here Come the Ponies. Wizard. com (April 1, 2006).
  6. ^ Something*Positive. r*k*milholland (June 3, 2008).
  7. ^ Slashdot's Ponies (April 1, 2006).

Further reading

See also

External links

Fan links

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