The History of Venezuelan Ponies

[tuneful87]

I feel terrible asking this, as I was a member of the Arena (thought not really actively collecting) when the Venezuelan ponies were discovered. I started collecting only six years ago, so this was the first time I eye-witnessed G1s being discovered. Sadly, I can't recall how it all went down. I remember seeing that pretty, pink-haired Lickety Split that everyone was drooling over. The next time I checked in, it seemed that not only had she been proven to be a Venezuelan, but a bunch of others had been discovered and sold.

Would anyone like to school me? How were they discovered and distributed exactly? Do we know how many are in distribution?

I was also thinking that it might be interesting to do some sort of "Nirvana census" in the future so that we can get an approximation of how many Nirvanas by country are in circulation. I think breaking it down by individual pony might be a bit too difficult and time-consuming to do, but maybe there is a decent way to go about it. Or perhaps we could just do a census on the rarest of the rare or only ponies in different poses or color combinations than their US counterparts. Thoughts? Obviously the data would be dependent on how many collectors are active and agree to contribute statistics, but still, I think it might be a great project for the Nirvana community to tackle.

[Chi]

All I can recall from their discovery was that a woman had some from her childhood and some ended up on evilbay. I wonder if word got around to others in Venezuela that then decided to sell theirs or if someone who heard of it had worked at the factory and/or had access to a warehouse?
I know there were abandoned warehouse ponies involved down the line.

[CrystalCrown]

I remember the first ebay listing for them was some man who had an auction of 3 squeaky butt type ponies, I think two teal blossoms and a green Pegasus (forgot which one the Pegasus was) with the title "Venezuela my little pony", and at the time nobody on here really knew that Venezuela made mlp. Them more loose ponies, both squeaky butt types and regular types with normal rooted hair started showing up on ebay, and right after that was when all the MIB regular Venezuelan ponies from the warehouses started showing up, then right after that some of the squeaky butt type ponies started showing up in package. So basically they all mostly started popping up on ebay.

[pinkkittywinks]

Oh gosh I am going to have to dig about in my dusty memory!

I know we had a number of them listed in the "unknown" section of the gallery (the red, yellow and white Medely's) also there was a website (PonyLandTours oddities) from waaaaaaay back 2004 or so that had a couple of pictures the Blossoms (Green with pink hair) Delanys also had a Blossom (green and white) I recall seeing pictures of her before we knew she was Venezuelan.

Love pkw xxx

[Chi]

Did some digging and found a post from Shelti in February of 2012.

As mentioned before in other Venezuelan Threads, the two main suppliers of these MIB seem to be toy Collectors.
They have either been lucky enough to get them from OLD toy stock
or in a recent purchase of boxed lots that may have been in storage down there.

I love the idea of a census because I'm a very curious kitty. 

[pinkkittywinks]

That's right Chi there was a old toy warehouse in which all the ponies were found.

Love pkw xxx

[sosoftbuttons]

i remember reading stuff in threads about the 'acid blossom' that delaynes had maaaany years ago that nobody knew what it was where it was from or anything about it, but that was some time before that lickety split showed up.

[pinkkittywinks]

I don't remember Lickerty! I do remember acid Blossom though

Love pkw xxx

[LadyGuinevere]

Acid Blossom had been around for a looooong time. Before I started collecting even! Didn't think she was the Delaneys' though? Looking at my pictures there are two - 'Acid Blossom' with yellow hair and one with white hair. No idea where I saved the white hair pic from, so that could have been theirs. Looks like I saved the yellow hair pic to my pc in 2007, but it had been around long time before that. It was in the days when digital cameras were rare and scanned ponies more common:)

White Lickety was significantly later, I think when a collection was being sold off by the Delaneys, but it wasn't their collection. Tootsie had also been around in the same collection and is now with kkv I think. I remember he being sold originally in 2002 and she was top of my wantlist for years.

Again looking at my pics, looks like a green Lickety surfaced around 2010. I also have a few others kicking around in that folder that are quite possibly Vennies now I look at them

Anyway, that was a very long winded way of saying that some of them had been around for years, but we weren't sure of the country of origin. I don't actually recall exactly how it happened, but suddenly certain ponies started flooding in MIB. There are some we think are probably Venezuelan that haven't been seen in box yet (and possibly never will now. I'm not convinced there isn't one more country of manufacture out there yet!

[buddyboymama]

I seem to recall a toy dealer who joined the Arena to sell MIB Venezuelan ponies, and he had some info about the factory that produced the ponies. Then there were all of the problems with customs opening the boxes and tearing the ponies apart/cutting them/etc. I think an Arena member bought the rest of his stock, then sold them off. And the owner of White Lickety used her as a profile pic for awhile. The Wiki gives Glacia credit for the pic. Sorry, I know that's all really vague, but it might help you find more info. I don't own any myself -- I am just an admirer.

[Chi]

Glacia didn't know Lickety was Venezuelan, but their discovery brought that to light. She was also a pony from Delaneys with an unknown origin and still a OOAK as of today.
There was another user with their plum Posey with yellow flowers who didn't know its origin until the Vene discovery. Also OOAK.. 

I do remember the toy collector, now that you mention it. I wonder if he is still around, I'm sure he could help us get some information.

[buddyboymama]

Found him! He is mainly an action figure collector, so it looks like he just signed up here to sell his ponies. I didn't really see much info, but I just skimmed his posts.

http://mlparena.com/index.php?action=profile;area=showposts;u=13091

[Chi]

Found him! He is mainly an action figure collector, so it looks like he just signed up here to sell his ponies. I didn't really see much info, but I just skimmed his posts.

http://mlparena.com/index.php?action=profile;area=showposts;u=13091

Yes, that's him. He hasn't logged in since last November.
I remember him being a pretty nice guy and offered to replace SoSilver's Venezuelan free of charge when it was destroyed by customs.

It looks like we're on our own when it comes to digging up the history, unless there's any Venezuelan members hiding around who may be able to tell us more. I do vaguely remember Angelponies had a friend there, or perhaps Angel can help us herself with the backstory and anything else. 

If anyone knows anything, feel free to share!

[tuneful87]

Thank you, all you historians. hehe

[shelti]

Angel Ponies has the whole history of the Ware house Veny's and it's probably on the new arena here  in a thread some where.

Here are some of the old arena threads

Thread with box translation
http://www.mlparena.com/archive/Forums/viewtopic/t=283977.html

Veny Squeaky Butt thread
http://www.mlparena.com/archive/Forums/viewtopic/t=270942.html

Along with a list of Veny's that have been up for sale.
Venezualians found to date Since December 2011:

 
UPDATED LIST 11/3/14

Venezualians found to date Since December 2011:

1 applejack- more golden with pink hair (dorindarules ebay Nov 13 2012)
6 applejack yellow with red or dark red variation hair
12 applejack -yellow with pink hair
1 applejack- turquoise/blue with coral hair (barbievzla aug 2013)
16 pink Blossom with pink hair
1 pink blossom with white hair (wizzer128 collection 10/29/14)
1 green Blossom with fading pink hair - Delaneys
1 pink Blossom (blue flowers) red hair (10/10/13 Dorindarules ebay)
1 blue blossom with lighter (bubblegum)pink hair
12 blue Blossom with dark pink Hair
11 blue Blossom with Coral Hair
2 pink blossom with blue hair
31 yellow Blossoms with blue hair
1 yellow Blossom with gold hair
1 yellow  Cherries with red hair
3 white cherries with light pink hair
1 white cherries with dark pink hair
1 white Cherries with blue hair
1 blue cherries with pink hair
1 yellow cherries with blue hair (5/8/13)
17 blue/green Cotton Candy with dark pink hair
1 blue/green cotton candy (pinkish dots) with Red Hair (10/10/13 Dorindarules ebay)
1 orange cotton candy with yellow hair
1 cream/white with orange dots cotton candy with blue hair (4/28/13)
5 firefly pink hair
1 firefly yellow hair
1 Lickety Split Green with red hair (5/14/13)
1 Lickety Split Yellow with red hair (in wizzer218 collection 10/29/14)
1 Medley white with yellow Hair
1 white poesy with golden brown hair (in whizzer218 collection 10/29/14)
1 white poesy with blue hair red symbols (Dorindarules on ebay Oct 2014)
2 dark pink poesy with gold hair
1 orange poesy with yellow hair (barbievzla on ebay 7/18/13)
1 white poesy with pink hair with colored on Symbols
1 white/cream poesy with pink hair (Sternenstaub)
1 yellow poesy pink hair
1 Purple/Brownish (plum) poesy with blue hair
2 pink Posey with Pink hair 
20 green Posey with Pink hair 
1 green poesy with yellow hair (9/5/13 ebay)
5 pink/orange (tangerine) Starshine with green/blue symbol 
10 white Starshine with blue Symbol   
10 white Starshine with red/orange symbol 
1 white tootsie with blue hair
30 yellow tootsie with blue hair
1 tootsie light green cream yellowish body and symbols orange with  light pink hair (ebay 11/23/13 venezuelanmind
1 turquoise tootsie with coral hair (10/10/13 dorindarules)

Ponies listed as NC ponies
1 yellow Starshine with blue symbols
1 White Medley with dark pink hair
1 dark pink medley with white hair
1 Yellow medley with dark pink hair
1 lickity split - blue w/pink hair
1 lickity split - white w/2 tone hair
1 Lickity split - yellow w/pink hair