Her Little Ponies
November 30, 2013 8:01 AM Subscribe
"Childhood ponies getting final brush out before going into storage indefinitely. I feel like a mortician. " - Freindship Is Magic creator Lauren Faust tweets her G1 My Little Pony collection.
Glory and Sparkler - Inspiration for Rarity.
Posey - Inspiration for Fluttershy.
Firefly - Inspiration for Rainbow Dash.
Twilight - Inspiration for Twilight
Secret ponies.
A Pegasus - inspiration for Pinkie Pie.
The majestic Princess Celestia.
Glory and Sparkler - Inspiration for Rarity.
Posey - Inspiration for Fluttershy.
Firefly - Inspiration for Rainbow Dash.
Twilight - Inspiration for Twilight
Secret ponies.
A Pegasus - inspiration for Pinkie Pie.
The majestic Princess Celestia.
Years from now Lauren Faust will create a super dark My Little Pony show and in the season one finale you get to know that the evil ponies started out as good ponies that were lured into darkness and had nothing to eat but each other...
posted by Foci for Analysis at 8:09 AM on November 30, 2013 [8 favorites]
posted by Foci for Analysis at 8:09 AM on November 30, 2013 [8 favorites]
This is Baby Ember who IIRC was a special mail-order only pony. You could specify what color body/mane you wanted (I recall the choices being lavender/pink/baby blue), but my choice was apparently sold out so they just sent me a random one. I think she might have been the first "baby" pony but it's been a long time.
Not familiar enough with the new show to know whom she inspired though.
I wish I still had my old ponies :(
posted by trunk muffins at 8:23 AM on November 30, 2013 [4 favorites]
Not familiar enough with the new show to know whom she inspired though.
I wish I still had my old ponies :(
posted by trunk muffins at 8:23 AM on November 30, 2013 [4 favorites]
Also I swear there was a G1 unicorn who was purple with a red-orange weathervane symbol but in all my desperate Googling to confirm this memory I've come up short. My best guess is that I'm conflating Powder with another pony. This is probably a sign of my early onset dementia.
posted by trunk muffins at 8:26 AM on November 30, 2013
posted by trunk muffins at 8:26 AM on November 30, 2013
I received a My Little Pony as a reward every time I got a shot at the doctor's office - as long as I didn't cry.
Twisted bribes are magic!
posted by pecanpies at 8:27 AM on November 30, 2013 [4 favorites]
Twisted bribes are magic!
posted by pecanpies at 8:27 AM on November 30, 2013 [4 favorites]
Not familiar enough with the new show to know whom she inspired though.
My guess would be one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, based on the Blank Flank.
I just watch it with the kids, honest.
posted by Artw at 8:32 AM on November 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
My guess would be one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, based on the Blank Flank.
I just watch it with the kids, honest.
posted by Artw at 8:32 AM on November 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
Apparently Baby Ember inspired Applebloom, trunk.
posted by Drinky Die at 8:33 AM on November 30, 2013
posted by Drinky Die at 8:33 AM on November 30, 2013
Surprise and Gusty were my favorite ponies as a girl. I still have my G1 collection, too. Last holiday season, my husband bought me the Nightmare Moon Favorites set for the current gen, and my desk is covered with blindbag ponies.
posted by strixus at 8:34 AM on November 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by strixus at 8:34 AM on November 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
They all look so... chubby. Cowlike, almost, compared to the current characters.
All of my ponies were thrown away in the early 90s because they were full of mold from being used as bath toys. I remember popping the head off of one of them and it was all black and fuzzy inside. Traumatic.
posted by vytae at 8:43 AM on November 30, 2013 [5 favorites]
All of my ponies were thrown away in the early 90s because they were full of mold from being used as bath toys. I remember popping the head off of one of them and it was all black and fuzzy inside. Traumatic.
posted by vytae at 8:43 AM on November 30, 2013 [5 favorites]
trunk muffins - it doesn't match your description exactly, but I immediately thought of North Star. Or possibly Pinwheel?
posted by Metroid Baby at 9:08 AM on November 30, 2013
posted by Metroid Baby at 9:08 AM on November 30, 2013
I vividly remember Ember from the TV special. She was one of the ponies who got kidnapped by the bad guy, who wanted to turn them into dragons for his chariot or something? And Spike the baby dragon was in that special, and when the ponies rescued their friends, Spike didn't turn back into a pony because he'd always been a baby dragon. My little-kid brain got confused by this, and came to the conclusion that Ember had been permanently turned into Spike, and that was why you couldn't get her in stores and she didn't appear in the TV show and so on.
posted by Metroid Baby at 9:18 AM on November 30, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Metroid Baby at 9:18 AM on November 30, 2013 [4 favorites]
All of my ponies were thrown away in the early 90s because they were full of mold from being used as bath toys. I remember popping the head off of one of them and it was all black and fuzzy inside. Traumatic.
I just popped the heads off all my ponies to make sure, but their insides are normal.
You know: blood, muscle, bones, nerves, that sort of thing.
Somehow still pretty traumatic.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:29 AM on November 30, 2013 [14 favorites]
I just popped the heads off all my ponies to make sure, but their insides are normal.
You know: blood, muscle, bones, nerves, that sort of thing.
Somehow still pretty traumatic.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:29 AM on November 30, 2013 [14 favorites]
Shocking revelation: I just realized that I may have been a brony as a kid (proto-brony?). I don't recall ever seeing the old TV show, but it occurs to me that either my brother or I may have had one of the boy ponies back in the late '80s/early '90s (I think there was a cowboy and a firefighter...they had hats).
This explains so much.
posted by asnider at 9:49 AM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
This explains so much.
posted by asnider at 9:49 AM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
I vividly remember Ember from the TV special. She was one of the ponies who got kidnapped by the bad guy, who wanted to turn them into dragons for his chariot or something?
The bad guy is Tirek, and he apparently featured in only that one episode. Yeah, his plot was to turn the ponies into flying dragon-things to pull his chariot, from which he could use his ominous "Rainbow of Darkness" to engulf the world in evil. A lot of the original Pony show was surprisingly metal. While it certainly had its lame bits (the phrase "SHOO BE DOO" has become somewhat infamous), the villains could be surprisingly effective. And, hey, it did contain Tony Randall, who had a mortgage to pay just like anyone.
(I know these things because I watched that episode several times in order to write a MSTing script for it, for a now-abandoned fan community project. Still trying to figure out what to do with the script. In it, I dubbed Tirek "John Boehner," for reasons that might become more obvious when you see it.)
posted by JHarris at 10:20 AM on November 30, 2013 [4 favorites]
The bad guy is Tirek, and he apparently featured in only that one episode. Yeah, his plot was to turn the ponies into flying dragon-things to pull his chariot, from which he could use his ominous "Rainbow of Darkness" to engulf the world in evil. A lot of the original Pony show was surprisingly metal. While it certainly had its lame bits (the phrase "SHOO BE DOO" has become somewhat infamous), the villains could be surprisingly effective. And, hey, it did contain Tony Randall, who had a mortgage to pay just like anyone.
(I know these things because I watched that episode several times in order to write a MSTing script for it, for a now-abandoned fan community project. Still trying to figure out what to do with the script. In it, I dubbed Tirek "John Boehner," for reasons that might become more obvious when you see it.)
posted by JHarris at 10:20 AM on November 30, 2013 [4 favorites]
(I think there was a cowboy and a firefighter...they had hats)
Tex
Chief
posted by CheeseLouise at 10:56 AM on November 30, 2013
Tex
Chief
posted by CheeseLouise at 10:56 AM on November 30, 2013
Personally, my favorite "pony" is Sylvia, "best friend, trusty steed and devoted defender" (and often cynical counterpoint) of the title character in "Wander Over Yonder", the new show from Lauren Faust (second in command to her husband Craig 'Powerpuff' McCracken) almost incredulously on the Disney Channel. Also notable is Sylvia's voice is the Web's Beloved April 'Regretsy' Winchell, for whom this is the Big Break after 20+ years of secondary voice work. But the entire show is a beautifully animated, thrillingly hilarious headtrip (again, why I'm gobsmacked it's on Disney Channel) that makes Adventure Time look un-adventurous by comparison. (IMO, YMMV) I breathlessly await the action figure.
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:48 AM on November 30, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:48 AM on November 30, 2013 [6 favorites]
what if theres an alternate timeline where "ghormengast" was made into a movie and instead of bronies we have groanies
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:58 AM on November 30, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:58 AM on November 30, 2013 [5 favorites]
I THOUGHT SURPRISE INSPIRED PINKIE PIE.
Honestly, I was mad about that because I loved the white and neon yellow of Surprise, and Pinkie Pie meant I'd never get a Forth Gen Surprise (and there were no Second and Third gen ones that I could find) and she's one of my favorites. The biggest problem with Gen Three was how obsessed they were with adding pink to everything; I actually preferred the shape to my beloved Gen Ones.
posted by Deoridhe at 12:18 PM on November 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
Honestly, I was mad about that because I loved the white and neon yellow of Surprise, and Pinkie Pie meant I'd never get a Forth Gen Surprise (and there were no Second and Third gen ones that I could find) and she's one of my favorites. The biggest problem with Gen Three was how obsessed they were with adding pink to everything; I actually preferred the shape to my beloved Gen Ones.
posted by Deoridhe at 12:18 PM on November 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
Since I'm hopelessly narcissistic, here are my most readily available ponies (the ones in the same room as I am).
Windy is First Gen, and the first pony I ever got. Bowtie is third gen, and you can see my standards of cleanliness (and lack of playing) increased.
I liked the long hair some Third Gen Ponies came out with because it was fun to style. You make the curls with improvised curlers made out of straws, and the braids are just about pinning the ponies and taking your time. If you braid their hair went, it stays that way without ties after it's dried.
posted by Deoridhe at 12:34 PM on November 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
Windy is First Gen, and the first pony I ever got. Bowtie is third gen, and you can see my standards of cleanliness (and lack of playing) increased.
I liked the long hair some Third Gen Ponies came out with because it was fun to style. You make the curls with improvised curlers made out of straws, and the braids are just about pinning the ponies and taking your time. If you braid their hair went, it stays that way without ties after it's dried.
posted by Deoridhe at 12:34 PM on November 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
Deoridhe, the reason Surprise became Pinkie Pie is because Hasbro no longer had the rights to the original character, and because the concept was going to have to be remixed anyway, they went ahead and made the liveliest one an earth pony, probably for character interest parity. (Six characters, so two of each type. Unicorns are magic, pegasi can fly, but earth ponies are not as overtly interesting. So, let's offset that by making one of them the craziest of them all, with the cartoony visual gags, fourth wall-breaking jokes and strange abilities.)
BTW, the new episode that aired today is a winner. "Hey guys, did you know that I can play the organ? Because I didn't!"
posted by JHarris at 12:51 PM on November 30, 2013
BTW, the new episode that aired today is a winner. "Hey guys, did you know that I can play the organ? Because I didn't!"
posted by JHarris at 12:51 PM on November 30, 2013
They managed to sneak Surprise into the MLP:FIM microseries comic by IDW, along with Gusty, Firefly, and Glory. It was in a flashback of Princess Celestia's, and--if you're inclined toward insane fan theories--puts her at just about the right age to be Pinkie's Granny Pie.
posted by darksasami at 1:07 PM on November 30, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by darksasami at 1:07 PM on November 30, 2013 [5 favorites]
Awwww, thanks JHarris. I didn't know they had such licensing issues. Makes sense with making her an Earth pony, though.
Yay insane fan theories - this will now be part of my Headcanon.
posted by Deoridhe at 1:08 PM on November 30, 2013
Yay insane fan theories - this will now be part of my Headcanon.
posted by Deoridhe at 1:08 PM on November 30, 2013
I have come very close on numerous late night eBay sessions, to purchasing my childhood my little pony collection again. I even found a website that listed every My Little Pony made and figured out which ones I had. Several of them could have been mine for surprisingly cheap. There is something about the old MLP look that floods me with childhood nostalgia, way more than any other toy from my childhood.
Incidentally, I'm an aquarist, and have been keeping fish since I was a young child. I started keeping and breeding seahorses about 10 years ago. I only realized in the past year, that unconsciously, I've managed to find the one fish that closely represents my favorite childhood toys.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 1:17 PM on November 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
Incidentally, I'm an aquarist, and have been keeping fish since I was a young child. I started keeping and breeding seahorses about 10 years ago. I only realized in the past year, that unconsciously, I've managed to find the one fish that closely represents my favorite childhood toys.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 1:17 PM on November 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
(I know these things because I watched that episode several times in order to write a MSTing script for it)
I know these things because I watched that movie over and over again as a kid.
The biggest problem with Gen Three was how obsessed they were with adding pink to everything
YES. Although that was actually the one saving grace for me, in a way, because I made a rule that I wouldn't buy pink ponies (and mostly not purple ones, either). So instead of spending every penny I had on the G3s, I only spent half that. It was disappointing to see G3 become so gendered, though—part of the joy of the G1 ponies was that they didn't hew so closely to girly stereotypes.
And yeah, I could totally tell Firefly was the inspiration for Rainbow Dash, and I was so glad she chose to make her nonpink. Though unfortunately, she balanced that out with the Surprise to Pinkie Pie transformation.
posted by limeonaire at 1:52 PM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
I know these things because I watched that movie over and over again as a kid.
The biggest problem with Gen Three was how obsessed they were with adding pink to everything
YES. Although that was actually the one saving grace for me, in a way, because I made a rule that I wouldn't buy pink ponies (and mostly not purple ones, either). So instead of spending every penny I had on the G3s, I only spent half that. It was disappointing to see G3 become so gendered, though—part of the joy of the G1 ponies was that they didn't hew so closely to girly stereotypes.
And yeah, I could totally tell Firefly was the inspiration for Rainbow Dash, and I was so glad she chose to make her nonpink. Though unfortunately, she balanced that out with the Surprise to Pinkie Pie transformation.
posted by limeonaire at 1:52 PM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Although on second thought, it is kind of fitting that she made the manic, annoying one bright pink, since I always thought bright pink ponies were annoying.
posted by limeonaire at 2:01 PM on November 30, 2013
posted by limeonaire at 2:01 PM on November 30, 2013
Aw, I had the original six ponies! Blossom was my favorite, I still have her. I also had Minty, Butterscotch, Cotton Candy...and, uh, the other two. One of my friends saw them while visiting my folks house during college break and said that "they'd be worth something if they weren't in such bad condition." They weren't in bad condition, they were LOVED.
I haven't seen any of the new Friendship is Magic stuff because all of my ponies had specific personalities, and I don't want to see anyone else's (WRONG) interpretation of them.
posted by Elly Vortex at 2:58 PM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
I haven't seen any of the new Friendship is Magic stuff because all of my ponies had specific personalities, and I don't want to see anyone else's (WRONG) interpretation of them.
posted by Elly Vortex at 2:58 PM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
... And no one's commented on the Twitter pic of Applejack, everyone's favourite background pony.
posted by cyberscythe at 3:14 PM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by cyberscythe at 3:14 PM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Did not realize Lauren Faust was such a hardcore oldschool Ponies fan! Makes sense with the affection she writes them with, though.
posted by tavella at 3:35 PM on November 30, 2013
posted by tavella at 3:35 PM on November 30, 2013
OK, pony fans, here's a question. I went down the vortex of looking at ponies online for a while, and I found the most bizarre thing: a new version of G3 pony Toola-Roola, on sale locally at Target. "What is this I don't even" never applied so well—does anyone know what the hell this even is? I mean, I guess they didn't just break the molds after they stopped selling G3s, but...I thought they stopped making them! Anyone know anything about this gal?
As noted above, I can't buy it, because it's a pink pony, but I'm almost inclined to do so just because it's such a bizarre thing. Is this a test run for more G3-shaped ponies? Because that would be awesome.
posted by limeonaire at 3:50 PM on November 30, 2013
As noted above, I can't buy it, because it's a pink pony, but I'm almost inclined to do so just because it's such a bizarre thing. Is this a test run for more G3-shaped ponies? Because that would be awesome.
posted by limeonaire at 3:50 PM on November 30, 2013
Hm. OK, I searched a little, and it appears this is one of the "Core Friend" or "Dress-Up Ponies" from 2009. No idea why you can still buy one new from Target in late 2013, but...
posted by limeonaire at 3:57 PM on November 30, 2013
posted by limeonaire at 3:57 PM on November 30, 2013
I also had Minty, Butterscotch, Cotton Candy...and, uh, the other two.
Blue Belle and Snuzzle. Wish I knew where they are now. I still remember their vaguely sweet, rubbery aroma when hugged.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:03 PM on November 30, 2013
Blue Belle and Snuzzle. Wish I knew where they are now. I still remember their vaguely sweet, rubbery aroma when hugged.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:03 PM on November 30, 2013
I can't remember which ones I had but I definitely had several of the ones in the group shot. What I remember most is the movie discussed above where they get kidnapped and chained up and this audio cassette story about some of the ponies being lured to "New York City!" With promises of "Pink lemonade!" Only to have their rainbow hair cut off and made into wigs.
posted by bleep at 7:38 PM on November 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by bleep at 7:38 PM on November 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
I loved that rubbery smell.
posted by bleep at 7:38 PM on November 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by bleep at 7:38 PM on November 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
I only had two or three I think = my parents wouldn't let me get that many of whatever the popular toys were - I had one Barbie, one Cabbage Patch kid (after serious begging). But apparently I watched the My Little Pony movie (1980 whatever version) like 42 times in a row, one day when my uncle ( who has one son who is much older than me) was watching me, and when my parents got back he was like "THAT SONG. OMG I CAN'T."
posted by sweetkid at 8:27 PM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sweetkid at 8:27 PM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
I loved that rubbery smell.
Mmm, phthalates!
posted by Sys Rq at 10:44 PM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Mmm, phthalates!
posted by Sys Rq at 10:44 PM on November 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
oneswellfoop: “[T]he entire show is a beautifully animated, thrillingly hilarious headtrip (again, why I'm gobsmacked it's on Disney Channel) that makes Adventure Time look un-adventurous by comparison.”Thanks for the heads up. I installed the WatchDisney app on the Roku and this first episode I'm watching where Wander makes friends with the alien facehugger has made me laugh out loud. Seriously y'all, hilarious and marvelously animated. Highly recommended.
posted by ob1quixote at 11:39 PM on November 30, 2013
I remember about 20 years ago or so, when they stopped selling the original My Little Ponies (at least in my city). Buying a present for my little cousin's birthday, my parents asked what we should get her. "Well a MLP is a great default choice, I can't see her not liking one of those" I said, having been a great fan of them in my younger days (and definitely not a fan of Barbies). Walked up and down the toy aisles looking for them, and there were none to be found! Only a cheap knockoff, sorta-kinda-similar but not anything I'd spend my (10 yr old) money on. I was incredulous. "How can they stop selling MLPs? They're a classic toy - durable and so cute." A little part of me died inside.
posted by lizbunny at 7:49 AM on December 1, 2013
posted by lizbunny at 7:49 AM on December 1, 2013
No idea why you can still buy one new from Target in late 2013, but...
Ever heard of "Raiders of the lost Walmart?" You could buy a 256MB thumb drive for $50! Or a 1 megapixel camera for $500! It's just really old stock that never sold.
posted by IndigoRain at 8:29 PM on December 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Ever heard of "Raiders of the lost Walmart?" You could buy a 256MB thumb drive for $50! Or a 1 megapixel camera for $500! It's just really old stock that never sold.
posted by IndigoRain at 8:29 PM on December 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
>> "They all look so... chubby. Cowlike, almost, compared to the current characters."
That was one of the things that kept me from watching the current series! I thought Faust's ponys looked anorexic and too feminized/supermodely. I'm glad I got over that though. (Although I still think Cadance is too skinny)
>> "I haven't seen any of the new Friendship is Magic stuff because all of my ponies had specific personalities, and I don't want to see anyone else's (WRONG) interpretation of them."
I think you're safe to watch the new series. As someone said up the thread, Hasbro no longer owns the rights to much of the original mlps. I think, with the exception of Applejack, they're all new characters.
posted by royalsong at 6:36 AM on December 2, 2013
That was one of the things that kept me from watching the current series! I thought Faust's ponys looked anorexic and too feminized/supermodely. I'm glad I got over that though. (Although I still think Cadance is too skinny)
>> "I haven't seen any of the new Friendship is Magic stuff because all of my ponies had specific personalities, and I don't want to see anyone else's (WRONG) interpretation of them."
I think you're safe to watch the new series. As someone said up the thread, Hasbro no longer owns the rights to much of the original mlps. I think, with the exception of Applejack, they're all new characters.
posted by royalsong at 6:36 AM on December 2, 2013
Tex
Chief
I think we must have had both of these. My brother and I probably each had one. Or maybe my two younger brothers each had one. I can't remember, but I know that these were both in my house as a kid.
posted by asnider at 9:30 PM on December 2, 2013
Chief
I think we must have had both of these. My brother and I probably each had one. Or maybe my two younger brothers each had one. I can't remember, but I know that these were both in my house as a kid.
posted by asnider at 9:30 PM on December 2, 2013
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posted by Artw at 8:02 AM on November 30, 2013 [2 favorites]