South African Playsets?

[pinkkittywinks]

Could it be similar to the Australian market where they appeared to import from both UK and US?

That would be my guess too - but maybe not necessarily the same ranges.

Yes, I think they just randomly threw ponies our way from where ever. We have a lot of Italian manufactured ponies here. Too many to have been brought over by happy holidaying pony purchasers IMO, so they must have been sold here too. But why? Who can say...

I have noticed that there are a fair number of Italian ponies that crop up in SA, far more than would account for "holiday" ponies.

Long shot question: you don't have any backcards or leaflets from your childhood do you?

Love pkw xxx

[Taffeta]

I may be wrong about this, but I think that it's true some Italian ponies were sold in parts of Scandinavia? I have vague recollections of an Italian Seashell (?) on a Danish card? And we also know that Truly and Cupcake's set was sold there...AND sold in South Africa...

It could though simply be that different store chains in SA had different import arrangements depending on their connections. Like Woolworths supplemented our line here with confusingly US packaged ponies like Candy Canes, Brush & Grows and the like, maybe there's some element of that over there too...?

[pinkkittywinks]

ooooh I like your thinking

Yes, there is an Italy Seashell on a Danish card

We still don't quite understand the roll of Prima Toys other than that the SA card we have seen has the logo on and that they are a big toy distributor in South Africa. It would fit that there may well have been other imports that worked in a similar way to Woolworths in the UK.

Love pkw xxx

[NightGliderSA]

That is a good point Taffeta, and probably gets us somewhere near the truth. A lovely Scandanavian Truly has just been sold locally, complete with her stand. And I know of someone who found both her and Cupcake in a thrift store.

@ pkw, I only have one backcard from my childhood ponies sadly, which was for Tickle. I can send you the image of that if you like? I have also asked some other collectors I know to see if they have.

[pinkkittywinks]

It is actually exciting to hear you have a Tickle backcard and I would LOVE to see a picture of it I am certain Taffeta will be excited to hear this as well. It may well be a BIG help in understanding some of the release that you got.

Do you remember which ponies you had as a child at all?

Love pkw xxx

[Taffeta]

You beat me to it but yes...was it horizantal or vertical o.o

[pinkkittywinks]

You beat me to it but yes...was it horizantal or vertical o.o

Exactly!!!

http://www.etherella.com/scrapbook2/1985_rainbowponies.htm

(link for those who may be wondering what Taffeta and I mean)

Love pkw xxx

[NightGliderSA]

Yes, I know about Taffeta's quest 

Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.

With regards to my childhood ponies, I still have Bowtie, Powder and Surf Dancer (sea pony). And to the best of my memory I used to have: Bubbles, Seashell, Tickle, Moonstone, Sky Dancer (Rainbow Pony), Lemon Drop, Peachy, Windy (SA Windy), Starshine, Sunlight, Baby Surprise, Baby Cotton Candy and Baby Blossom. My best friend had Cotton Candy and Wavedancer (seapony) and another friend had Hopscotch, whom I coveted but so much. Other people had Twinkle Eye ponies, Glow 'n Show and flutter ponies. I remember wanting them SO badly. We also had Chief, Wigwam and Tex for sure. Another friend of mine had, and still has, Sky Dancer (winger) and Italian Parasol among others that I have already mentioned.

And, finally, another collector has told me that she has a few of her childhood backcards in storage. She is ill right now, but has promised to take photos and send to me when she is better.

[Taffeta]

Even so, that does tell us some interesting things. What we can't know from that is whether that store was importing US stuff or whether that was your standard release over there but it does tell us something (even if it doesn't resolve the mystery of the horizantal card).

Also Hopscotch is in the set with Truly and Cupcake I *think* so that would explain her presence

Most of the ones you list were sold in the US and the UK except for those odd couple of examples. Baby Surprise and baby Cotton Candy we know were sold together on card over there at one point so maybe you got them that way but it's also possible you got them in the normal standard set (do you remember if they came with accessories?) as you had Baby Blossom as well.

Surf Dancer wasn't sold in the US, though, so she must have either come from the UK or from Europe if Italian. Which makes it possible your friend's was Wavebreaker, not Wavedancer, but as they are identical except for the shell colour, it would be difficult to know for sure unless you remember whether she had a yellow or a purple shell.

[pinkkittywinks]

Thank you so much for your reply and the picture of Tickle's backcard

Do you remember if Baby Surprise and Cotton Candy came together? There is a picture of them carded here (you may have to scroll down) They were sold carded in SA

https://mylittleponystickergallery.weebly.com/international-stickers.html

Taffeta, Hopscotch was sold with the Pony Friends set, here is an image of the backcard

http://mlparena.com/archive/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=384152

The horizontal card does really mix things up doesn't it? aaaaaand I knew the name Surf Dancer would make your ears prick up it made mine prick up too.

What a crazy mix this is!

Love pkw xxx

[NightGliderSA]

I believe she is the Italian Surf Dancer because of her eyes. I really cannot remember the colours of either shells; so yes my friend could have had Wavebreaker. The names are very similar

Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.

The baby ponies were separate and came in boxed sets. I still have one play pen and a set of rings I think. There were also baby sea ponies, but I was never given any sadly. I think that my first ponies came on vertical cards: they are really familiar.

[pinkkittywinks]

She is indeed Italian, she should have an I carved under her tail curl. The lack of forelock and the way both rows of mane run together also show she is Italian as well as the blue eyes.

Ah, it was worth asking about the babies since we have seen them carded, but how nice you got both with the accessories I felt a little sad they didn't have any accessories on the card.

Love pkw xxx

[NightGliderSA]

So, I have come into touch with another collector whom I did not know before and who actually lives in my area. And she tells me that she has been collecting since she was 14 and kept her ponies MIB... So I think that this will help enormously. We are going to arrange to get together, but she needs to get them out of storage so it will probably take a few weeks. I will post once I can 

[pinkkittywinks]

Love pkw xxx

[Taffeta]

Love pkw xxx

PKW is booking her airline ticket now and planning a ninja raid