Tags: Hasbro Toys, My Little Pony
My Little Pony Crystal Rainbow Castle
High up in the mountains stands the beautiful CRYSTAL RAINBOW CASTLE, the starting point for all the rainbows in the land. Every room is filled with fun, magic and beautiful colors. And if you climb to the very top of the castle, you can watch as all the rainbows shoot forth and soar across the horizon, lighting up the entire sky!
Pretty pink-and-purple castle playset is full of surprises! Wave the “magic” wand over the castle doors, then watch the front doors open as the castle “magically” grows to three stories high! Once inside, you’ll find plenty of nooks and crannies to help your ponies (sold separately) feel right at home! Place a pony on the dance floor and slide the lever back and forth to make her “dance!” Ponies can retreat to the second floor bedroom, or take in the view on the third floor terrace! Plus, when you open up the towers, you’ll find a lovely dressing room and dining room for your ponies to explore!
Enchanted pony castle comes with lots of fun accessories and “magically” grows from 1 story to 3 stories! Ponies (sold separately) can “dance” on the “magic” dance floor! Requires 2 “AA” batteries (not included). Castle comes with table with umbrella, vanity, punch bowl, ladle, 2 glasses, 3 canisters with removable lids, 3 perfume bottles, 2 dishes of ice cream, 2 spoons, china cabinet and “magic” wand.
Sweet Steps is the sweetest pony ever–a special baby pony who needs you to love and care for her. And now she’s taking her very first steps with the help of her walker! Place SWEET STEPS in the walker, clap your hands or shake the rattle, and she’ll “walk” back and forth! She also says 9 fun phrases, like “I’m a big girl!” “Over here mommy!” and “Here I go!” You can even “feed” her with her sippy cup and groom her with her brush. Once WALKING SWEET STEPS pony is done walking, she can be removed from her baby-walker for bed and cuddle time.
My Little Pony Walking Sweet Steps Pony
The newest pony in the So Soft plush line
Walking Sweet Steps pony talks and moves her feet backwards and forwards in her baby-walker
Girls can shake her rattle or clap their hands and watch as Walking Sweet Steps pony moves her legs in her baby-walker and says one of nine sounds and phrases
Comes with a baby-walker, rattle and sippy cup for additional nurturing baby-doll play.
Age: 3 Years,4 Years,5 Years,6 Years,7 Years,8 Years
Shop by Gender: Girl
Character: My Little Pony
Shipping Weight (in pounds): 5.2
Assembled in Country of Origin: USA and/or Imported
Origin of Components: USA and/or Imported
My Little Pony, one of the toy industry’s top-selling mini-doll series, is taking a big step forward this holiday season with the largest lineup of licensed merchandise in the history of the 23-year franchise. HPG, the licensing arm of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) is working with nearly 200 companies worldwide to bring licensed goods to market in categories such as home DVDs, book publishing, video games, home décor and apparel.
“It is going to be a very pink Christmas for MY LITTLE PONY consumers with an incredible line of licensed merchandise that offers something for every gift buyer’s budget,†said Bryony Bouyer, senior vice president of the Americas for HPG. “Hasbro’s MY LITTLE PONY brand continues to be an incredibly popular franchise among young girls and the licensing deals that we’ve inked to further extend the beloved brand will be highly impactful at retail during the holidays.â€
Paramount Home Entertainment has released a MY LITTLE PONY DVD gift set just in time for the holidays that includes MY LITTLE PONY: THE PRINCESS PROMENADE, MY LITTLE PONY: THE RUNAWAY RAINBOW and MY LITTLE PONY: A VERY MINTY CHRISTMAS. Each of these animated adventures was a blockbuster on its own last season and collectively sold more than one million units. Rounding out the ultimate home theater experience are MY LITTLE PONY fruit snacks from General Mills because every great movie needs good snacks.
For girls seeking a more interactive experience with Pinkie Pie and friends, THQ recently released MY LITTLE PONY: THE RUNAWAY RAINBOW for the PC Windows and GameBoy Advance platforms. In addition, young fans can sit down and have fun with Bendon Publishing’s MY LITTLE PONY: A VERY MINTY CHRISTMAS coloring books and a variety of MY LITTLE PONY activity sets from Giddy-Up! that allow girls to doodle, sticker and stamp.
A range of MY LITTLE PONY home accessories will help make bath and bed time special with products such as bubble bath, shampoo and bath soap from Cosrich Group, Inc. and a full room décor line ranging from furniture by Delta Enterprise Group to bedding by Franco Manufacturing and wallpaper from Brewster Wallpaper.
Adding to the overall excitement surrounding MY LITTLE PONY during the holiday season, HPG and production partner VEE Corporation are hosting a live stage show, MY LITTLE PONY LIVE! “THE WORLD’S BIGGEST TEA PARTYâ€, hitting more than 80 cities nationwide. The highly interactive 90-minute musical production features singing, dancing and playing along with all the ponies.
Rounding out the ultimate MY LITTLE PONY holiday lineup is the brand’s toy line with Hasbro’s CRYSTAL RAINBOW CASTLE, a pink-and-purple play set where every room is filled with fun and magic for little girls and their ponies. The enchanted castle expands from one story to three stories and features all kinds of fascinating rooms, nooks and crannies, and even a dance floor for exciting new discovery and exploration.
ABOUT MY LITTLE PONY
Little girls around the world have enjoyed MY LITTLE PONY for more than 20 years. First introduced in 1983, MY LITTLE PONY became the No. 1 mini-doll brand in the world. Hasbro re-introduced the popular brand in 2003 and since then more than 40 million ponies have made their way into little girls’ hands and hearts.
About HPG
HPG, the licensing arm of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), translates one of the industry’s richest portfolios of brands into a world of fun and excitement for children and adults globally. Through a host of publishing, digital media, lifestyle and entertainment platforms, HPG is able to surround consumers of all ages worldwide with consumer products that expand Hasbro’s core brands, such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, MY LITTLE PONY, MONOPOLY, G.I. JOE, TONKA and PLAYSKOOL.
ABOUT HASBRO
Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is a worldwide leader in children’s and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.
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. In 1985 the first My Little Pony Cassette and 7″ Vinyl picture disk (currently out of print) was recorded at AIR studios in Country Durham by vocalist Tony Markey. This went on to become very popular with My Little Pony fans in the UK. 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 brightly-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 toys 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 and 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
My Little Pony Pre-My Little Pony: My Pretty Pony
My Pretty Ponies were produced in 1981 by Romper Room, which would become Hasbro the following year. They were around a foot in height with hard plastic bodies and brushable fabric manes and tails. Their eyes could be made to close and their ears to wiggle, and they came with brushes, ribbons, saddles and hats. The first My Pretty Pony was brown with yellow hair, resembling a real horse, while the second was peach with pink hair and a pattern of hearts on its rear, more resembling a typical My Little Pony.
My Little Pony Generation one: Dream Valley
The My Little Pony line started in 1982 with six Earth ponies: Minty, Snuzzle, Butterscotch, Bluebelle, Cotton Candy, and Blossom. As with the majority of ponies to follow, each was around 4.5 inches tall with a soft plastic body, a brushable mane and tail made of synthetic hair and some kind of identifying symbol on the rear. The original ponies were all from the same mould and had a single colour in their body, mane and symbol - later ponies would introduce far more variety.
Earth Ponies, as the toys which most resembled real horses came to be known, were soon accompanied by additional species. Pegasus Ponies had molded wings, while Unicorns had horns which purportedly gave them magic powers. Sea Ponies resembled real-life seahorses, apart from the colourful mane they shared with the original Little Ponies. Finally came the Flutter Ponies, who were smaller and thinner than Pegasus Ponies and had translucent wings more like those of an insect. Baby Ponies were also available in many forms; they resembled their mothers, but were smaller and typically had softened colors and simplified identifying symbols.
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 fleece), Twinkled-Eyed Ponies (with a small jewel 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 line ran for ten years, ending in the US in 1992. Oddly, this year was touted 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. There were also more unusual items, such as pomanders and toy sewing machines.
My Little Pony Animated series
Two animated television series were aired during this generation. The first, My Little Pony, was set in Dream Valley, a land inhabited by witches, goblins, and other magical creatures with whom the Little Ponies and their human friend Megan would often do battle. 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. A later program, My Little Pony Tales, 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.
In 2004, the first season of the 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 episodes have been cut. 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 Glass Coins” and “The Glass Princess” available as 8 episodes.
My Little Pony Mail-order Ponies
All packaging (typically a plastic bubble attached to a backcard) came with Pony Points, which could be used to obtain discounts on special ponies available 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 are hard to find, and a select few are considered quite valuable: one, Rapunzel, regularly sells for above US$400 and has sold for over US$800.
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.
My Little Pony Related lines
Petite Ponies
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. None of these smaller ponies had official names and many had the same symbols. They were sold from 1989 to 1991.
Dream Beauties
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.
My Little Kitty/Puppy/Bunny
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.
My Little Pony 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, 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.
My Little Pony 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. For their first few years they have been almost exclusively earth ponies, but now a few Pegasus ponies and even a unicorn 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, 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 “Year of 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. 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; these were phased out quite early. 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 things you could get from the Pony Points Program were: Sunshimmer, a yellow pony with neon pink and orange hair, and one of the first jewel cutie marks. There were only two exclusive ponies, except for a 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.
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 have not been very many non-US ponies, the first one a green pony with white hair named Winter Snow. 2 Breezies (small fairy-like ponies) have been found in certain stores attached as a bonus with the ponies that came with hot air balloons. Similarly 3 extra breezies (different to the ones with the ponies) are sold in little leaf like train cars, which attach to a pony carriage.
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 ponies and Rosey Posey, who was given to children in hospitals 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.
My Little Pony 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 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. Eight characters were used in the US promotion, while other countries had only four.
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.[1]
My Little Pony 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 got mostly negative reviews and had a mediocre box office performance. (This was one of many unsuccessful releases from its distributor, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, who went out of business several years afterward.) Despite all of this, it gained a cult following.
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, 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, another direct-to-DVD movie was released. Titled My Little Pony: The Runaway Rainbow, it featured the new G3 unicorn, Rarity, as well as Spike and the Breezies.
Set for release on February 6, 2007 is My Little Pony: Very Pony Place. Not much info on this DVD yet, but the box art describes it as 3 All-New Pony Tales, so it is presumably G3.
My Little Pony 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.
My Little Pony 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.
My Little Pony 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, many customs sell for $50-100), and each year a number of custom swaps and contests take place at pony meets and over the internet.









