In 2008 My Little Pony toys celebrated 25 wonderful years of whimsicality and celebrity status. Created by Hasbro, My Little Pony toys have brought magic and fun to little girls worldwide for many years, and they are still popular today, providing enjoyment for both children and adults.
These rainbow coloured little ponies have a long and interesting story to tell but their indelable characterisitics remain, they are as wonderful and whimsical as Hasbro intended when they were created.
Almost all little girls would love to own a pony and if they can’t have the real thing My Little Pony toys are the closest things they have to their dreams coming true. Particularly for little girls born in the 1970’s as My Little Pony toys became part of their lives in the 1980’s and inspired the whole generation. Those same little girls around the time of the first ponies are now adults who still love their Little Pony toys, which have become very collectable.
My Little Pony toys continued to be massively popular after the first generation of children grew up and stopped playing with them but their shapes and colours changed and other companies made toys to compete with them. When they were first launched in 1983, before any competition hit the market, My Little Pony toys did so well that they even outsold Barbie at one point.
The inception of My Little Pony toys followed the closely related My Pretty Pony toys, their American predecessor, that had been introduced to the marketplace in 1981. My Pretty Pony was made by Romper Room, a division of Hasbro at the time. My Pretty Pony was considerably larger in size than My Little Pony toys and her colour was brown rather than the range of pastel colours that My Little Pony toys became known for.
The first generation of My Little Pony toys ran from 1983 to 1995 (1992 in the US) and there were initially only six little ponies. These original six ponies were all Earth ponies, that is they had no wings or horns, unlike later little ponies. They had soft, silky manes and tails that you could brush, and each one had their own symbols on their behinds. Each little pony came with a ribbon and a comb for grooming them.
One of the first My Little Ponies released also came with the Grooming Parlour (Pretty Parlour in the US), launched in 1983. The Grooming Parlour was a blue rectangular case that opened out into a parlour, where you could groom a little pony. It came with a comb, ribbons, hats, a bridle, a saddle and nametags to display under a pony placed on the centre stage. It also had a tabby cat included with a pink basket that it could sit in, strapped to the pony’s back.
My Little Pony toys changed thier appearance slightly over time but they retained their pastel colours and individual symbols on their sides. Following the Earth ponies originally, Unicorns and Pegasus ponies became available, and baby ponies were made as three models, earth, Unicorns and Pegasus. The early babies were similar to their “mothers” but smaller and in slightly softened colours. Later on babies were made with more distinctive personalities of their own.
In 1997 (1999 in the US and globally in 2003) the My Little Pony brand was re-launched by Hasbro, and enjoyed a huge revival in popularity (although for many they had never really gone away as My Little Pony toys were lasting icons representing childhood dreams). The second generation of ponies were made in totally different poses. They were different to the original first generation ponies, smaller and slimmer with long legs, turning heads and jeweled eyes. They were mostly Earth ponies, but some unicorns, and no Pegasus ponies and only two baby ponies.
The Generation 2 My Little Pony toys ceased to be manufactured in 2003 and the new generation, the current one, was released. The third generation of ponies includes the re-release of some of the original generation ponies, but standing in different poses and with shiny bodies instead of matte, and matte symbols on their flanks.
From 2003 to 2005 only Earth ponies were released, then in 2005 Pegasus ponies were released and in 2006 Unicorn ponies. In 2008 Hasbro reduced its My Little Pony toys down to just seven ponies and from now no new ponies will be created, although some older generation models may be released.
Whatever happens in the future of My Little Pony toys, they will always retain their charm and appeal to millions of little girls and adults worldwide and they are sure to have a long, magical life ahead. Their magical, playful nature and iconic status will withstand the test of time and remain for future generations of little girls to enjoy.
