Retro ponies, Heart throb

[balletpot]

Hi!

Main question: looking for photos of the retro Heart throb that aren't official. Also, is it not Hasbro that make the retro ponies anymore?

I haven't been here in a long time and haven't bought a pony in a long time - original or retro. Did get Starshine when those retros came out and now I got interested again when I saw they had released Sparkler (hard to find a good original one). While looking up Sparkler I saw some other retros I wanted. But I feel there's something off with Heart throb, besides the mane not being curly. Does anyone have it and can compare it to the original?

[Mermaid]

I dont have a picture of heart throb to contribute, but her colors are definitely off. She’s more creamy pink than the original. Almost tan, it’s like they based her off a faded 30 year old heart throb! 😂 Which is strange because the box artwork on the back has her pretty vibrant pink! The first run of sparkler also is off as she has the red in her mane at the bottom and not in the g1 style stripe and has a red section in her tail as well. However I did see a new one posted that has those errors corrected!

These retro ponies are made by basic fun a toy company that purchased the license for them from hasbro. They have released the following:
The original 6 collectors pose ponies
The 4 earth ponies (Bow tie, seashell, bubbles and Apple jack)
The first unicorn and Pegasus set
The first rainbow set (scented and unscented)
The second rainbow release set
The pretty parlor with peachy
An exclusive majesty for comic con
The second unicorn and Pegasus set (minus powder and skyflier)
And the second set of 4 earth ponies (posey, tootsie, cherries jubilee and lickity split)

The original retro release from the 2000’s (rainbow ponies and collector ponies) were made by hasbro. These new ones are not, only licensed!

Hope this helps!

[balletpot]

Oh interesting. I actually ordered both.🙈  I asked in a Swedish MLP Facebook group and someone posted a photo of a new and old Heart Throb. Can definitely see the difference. Didn't think about the tail of Sparkler, just that the mane wasn't curly. I'll might have to search for the originals anyway then. (Of course it's more fun with an original pony but I don't feel like searching for it.😄)

[Taffeta]

Just my two cents but I didn't see Sparkler's difference as an error needing correcting, but a difference for the retro release and I actually like her more that way as a retro. I feel like if they changed it because people complained then it will be a big shame :/

I say this coming from a country where Sparkler was originally promoted but not sold in the 80s, and thus getting the original one requires importing from overseas.

I guess it's a matter of preference.

I have yet to see HT in person, I ordered one but she's still on the quarantine table waiting clearance to come out

[lovesbabysquirmy]

well at least you can tell the difference

[LadyMoondancer]

Yeah, I felt like Sparkler was a stylistic choice, not an error.  I really like the two-toned tail version.  But I might try to find the other version too, as a fun variant. 

I don't have the retro Heart Throb yet, but her colors do look different from the original.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

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Here's my comparison. It really looks like they modeled the retro after a yellowed version, she looks like chewed gum.
I think she's a pretty pony, so I'd love to see them correct it in the future!
On Sparkler: I really do prefer her with the two-toned tail. I could see why they'd avoid it for Gusty but it looks SO GOOD on Sparkler.

[LadyAmalthea]

I was sad to see the changes they made to Sparkler, but I guess that is because she is kind of a grail of mine. She was my first-ever pony I received as a birthday gift as a child, but I lost her somehow. I've been trying to replace her for my collection as an adult, but it's like she's cursed for me or something! Every time I try to buy one, something bad happens and either the sale falls through or some major flaw wasn't disclosed in the listing and she shows up damaged. Then I got excited to hear that Basic Fun was making a Sparkler, and thought that might be my ticket to getting her in good condition. But her hair was a let-down. I'm not opposed to them taking artistic liberties with almost any other pony (in fact, I'd totally welcome them putting, say, a bright purple stripe in Skyflier's hair if they had made Skyflier), but why did it have to be *that* pony?

I haven't seen Heartthrob in person yet (I haven't been to a Target since before the Coronavirus), but I've seen several others post on here that something was off about her, so I'm guessing it's not just you thinking that!

I have the basic fun Starshine and Snuzzle, and I think their colors are off from the originals, but they are still cute, and I'm glad these ponies are being made so that a new generation of kids gets to experience them!

[Taffeta]

Let's not forget Moondancer has the mixed colour in the tail but Glory doesn't.

It might be nice to have both available for people who want them, but I hope they haven't changed Sparkler as a fix.

All of the y2 and y3 peg and uni ponies were grails of mine from the eighties when we didn't get them, but I do have the original ones which maybe changes my perspective. Although for me the biggest miss on the retros is no curly hair...

[LadyAmalthea]

I didn't realize Moondancer had a two-colored tail as well. I wonder why they did that...I could see it going the other way, eliminating a color in order to save money/labor, but it's strange they did it the way they did. It doesn't bother me on Moondancer as much, probably because I have her original version in good condition, so I'd just consider the BF one as a cool new variant rather than a replacement. I have to go look her up now to see her with the bi-color tail!

I also didn't realize that none of them had curly hair either.

[Ponyfan]

Here's a pic of the Sparkler with the two colored hair.  I've never seen Heart Throb in person so  don't have a pic of her yet. 

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Also a pic of Moondancer although it's very hard to see the purple in her tail.


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Ponyfan

[Leave a Whisper]

Here's a pic of the Sparkler with the two colored hair.  I've never seen Heart Throb in person so  don't have a pic of her yet. 

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Also a pic of Moondancer although it's very hard to see the purple in her tail.


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Ponyfan

Man they are pretty!

[WingsOfMasquerade]

Does anyone else suspect that one of the Sparklers is going to end up rare and costly?
Because I kind of do.
Thinking about getting a good pile of the half-manes going (if I can find them in stores) to save around for if she does become rarer down the line.
Like how the unscented rainbows are now in demand once people started finding the occasional scented one with discoloring issues.
But rather than 'going bad' potentially like those, the Sparkler I would think would be more in demand as a variant. (As she will probably always have that mix of colors to try to recreate her original Wisteria purple hair) It'll probably depend on which one they end up making more of, the half mane or the proper stripe.

I own 1 half mane, but then never found her again.
I love Sparkler/have a mini-army of her already anyway, so I want to def. have both.
Are they hair mixing for her purple & Moondancer's wine-red because for whatever reason they didn't get the original color back?
Which is weird, esp for Sparkler because everybody knows Dollyhair and other mlp rehair vendors have loads of the stuff which is an original exact-match. I am personally not a fan of the mixes in the attempt to re-create...I'd rather it just be the correct color and that's it.

I super hope they fix Heartthrob's body color though.
Her real color is so pretty, she's just pink overload which is just fine when it's not everypony doing that same thing. Their more mauve on her just doesn't look right. However...as is usual for me I'll get both anyway if they do fulfill on their fix.

[Taffeta]

I'm not great at price valuing overall but I'd say that the hair damage is probably enough to impact on her value. Also (and it may just be you haven't given her a spa bath yet) but it looks like she has some dirt/damage around her nose/wear to her body, so that will impact as well.

I'd personally estimate around $35-40 max but get other people's impressions as well.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

What happened to dark Bowtie? Is she in hot demand? I'm sure quite a few went to Nachtlicht customs.