Mail Order vs Store Release Differences? (Collectors Ponies/Original Six)

[tailrustedtealeaf]

Heya guys. I googled around but didn't find quite the answer I'm looking for and hoping maybe someone could enlighten me.
Does anyone know the differences between the mail order releases of the collectors pose ponies and store releases? I got that there are color differences and symbol differences but I'd love to see comparison photos if anyone has any to share. I came across a Blossom in the wild yesterday and was going to resell her but she looks much paler than my current Blossom. I'll get pics once she's done her h2o2 soak (she had some staining from ponywear, prayers that it comes off!).
I think I got the mail order cotton candy (the vibrant one) with the store release one. Here's a grainy photo:
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She seems the most obvious, but what of the others?

[Taffeta]

I think it's next to impossible to be 100% certain because these had so many releases overall. Also it's complicated by the fact some of the ones here seem to have an uncertain provenance and so may have been store sold mail order ponies (heh). I also think that the more vibrant CC is probably the MO pony but I'm not 100% that's a final conclusion.

I received a lot from the US a couple of years back which had all of them except Blossom in and from comparing them they all looked to have features in common which made me think they were the MO ponies. But the thing is whenever this discussion comes up it gets bogged down in batch differences and ultimately it's never entirely conclusive.

[Ponyfan]

I think it's next to impossible to be 100% certain because these had so many releases overall. Also it's complicated by the fact some of the ones here seem to have an uncertain provenance and so may have been store sold mail order ponies (heh). I also think that the more vibrant CC is probably the MO pony but I'm not 100% that's a final conclusion.

I received a lot from the US a couple of years back which had all of them except Blossom in and from comparing them they all looked to have features in common which made me think they were the MO ponies. But the thing is whenever this discussion comes up it gets bogged down in batch differences and ultimately it's never entirely conclusive.

My first pony was Cotton Candy. I was surprised when I started seeing pictures of Cotton Candy online and found out that she is supposed to be a much lighter pink than my childhood one. I've wondered many times if she was a MO pony that was carded and sold in store by mistake but I've never been able to find out for sure.


Ponyfan

[Taffeta]

*points up* And therein lies the problem with the Collector Ponies xD.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

Agh, that's what I was afraid of.  At least the flat foot ponies make it easy sort of...

[Taffeta]

Agh, that's what I was afraid of.  At least the flat foot ponies make it easy sort of...

I think with your Blossom, at the very least you can see her as another batch from the one you had originally.
It would be cool to see photos. I also have some different colour shades of Blossom.
I found the thread that I posted asking about these a while back. It may be of no help to you but...

http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,387396.msg1657026.html#msg1657026

Turns out I did get all 6 in the lot, but felt that Blossom didn't fit the pattern of the rest.

If it is helpful I can try and dig out that Blossom and my own CF one and do some pics as well. Mum was in hospital when I received these originally and then when she came home I was helping out a lot so I didn't have a chance to do anything, but I can now.

[Mermaid]

I think the lighter ones are the first batch, then came the MO more vibrant ones, and then they used the more vibrant blossom and cotton candy in stores when they re-released them to match the more vibrant colors of bow tie and company.

[HollowZero]

I would compare them to any moc and mib photos around. Try to gauge whether they look like one or the other

[Taffeta]

I think the lighter ones are the first batch, then came the MO more vibrant ones, and then they used the more vibrant blossom and cotton candy in stores when they re-released them to match the more vibrant colors of bow tie and company.

I think the 1984 store release predates the MO (I think that was 1986) so it seems to be the other way around.

[Ponyfan]

Here's a pic of my childhood Cotton Candy with Baby CC.  I don't have a comparison pic to my other Cotton Candy ponies or a good solo shot of her.

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Ponyfan

[Mermaid]

I think the lighter ones are the first batch, then came the MO more vibrant ones, and then they used the more vibrant blossom and cotton candy in stores when they re-released them to match the more vibrant colors of bow tie and company.

Ahhh that makes sense! But I do believe they made them brighter to match the other ponies!

I think the 1984 store release predates the MO (I think that was 1986) so it seems to be the other way around.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

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Here's my Blossoms. The symbols are the same (that was my first indication that I had different Cotton Candys) but the color hues are different. The Blossom on the back is greyer and bluer, and the new Blossom is pinkish. That of course may be batch differences (the Bowtie this Blossom came with was very bright as well!) but it seemed odd to me.

[Taffeta]

Just on instinct, the Blossom closer to me, from how her hair is rooted and so on, looks like the ones I got in that lot. That's no guarantee, but if one of them were to be MO, I would reckon on her.

[LadyMoondancer]

My childhood (storebought) Cotton Candy is the same hue as Ponyfan's and the pony on the left in tailrustedtealeaf's pic.  I don't know if this color was limited to storebought CCs, but it was at least common for them.

Also remember that Cotton Candy was released in stores two years in a row . . . first with the Collector Pony set, after they switched from flat-foots to concave feet.  Then in Year 2 Cotton Candy and Blossom were released again, with Bubbles, Seashell, etc.  My childhood CC was from Year 2.

I believe the mail order set was released in multiple years as well, so they could have variations too.

Edit:  I checked the wiki and lo & behold, they do have pics of some mint in bag MOs.

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So the bad news here is that the MO Cotton Candy pictured has colors that are pretty much identical to the common storebought CC like the one I had as a kid.  (Which I know is storebought because I remember picking her out and still have her backcard.)

My current hypothesis:

Year 1 concave Cotton Candy - paler body
Year 2 concave CC, storebought - darker body
Pictured MO CC - darker body, indistinguishable from Year 2 CC
Other MO releases - ???

[tailrustedtealeaf]

I wish the loose photo of the storebought Blossom was against a white background to better compare. I did see a noticeable difference between the Mintys (MO had more yellow in her).
I'll hold on to the Blossom and see what happens. I had no clue they were released in multiple years, how messy.