Minor Variations and which ones to keep ...... Are they driving you mad?

[daffodil101]

Ima just leave this here.  The struggle is real.


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[LadyMoondancer]

Oh heck yes.  It took me so long to decide whether to keep purple-eyed NBBE Baby Half Note or teal-eyed NBBE Baby Half Note!

[Taffeta]

It is so real that even though I already have six different Baby Mischiefs, I am still looking for any other variations of her I don't already have. Which means that at ponycon, people, watch out for your Starlight babies.

Fortunately the disease has not yet spread to the other ponies from the set. Just Mischief, but it began by accident and it crept up on me.

I have both Baby Half Notes because one was from a childhood friend's collection and the other my childhood collection, so that was less difficult a decision to make. In that case, I can claim nostalgia and justify it with ease .

[Snapdragon]

There's... multiple BBE Baby Half Notes?!!? Oh lord!

[Taffeta]

There's... multiple BBE Baby Half Notes?!!? Oh lord!

LM is talking about the regular Baby Half Note, which the US had on Mail order and the UK had with the playset.

I refuse to use the ugly nbbe term because she's not nbbe, she's the regular version .

[Snapdragon]

Ohhh, I see! So... I still gotta hunt down two. But at least they won't be two BBEs!

[banditpony]

the pictures don't work for me. :O

[Taffeta]

Ohhh, I see! So... I still gotta hunt down two. But at least they won't be two BBEs!

 Nope, they are two little cuties And it is more than just their eyes that are different - their hair and their symbols are as well. Comparison pic in the spoiler tag:

Spoiler

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I don't know that there's any difference between the MO versions in the US and these versions which both came with the playset in the UK so I'm sure you'll be able to find them I feel like the UK was used as a dumping ground for left over mail order babies, so probably they're the same and both versions can be found all over the world.

[LadyMoondancer]

I think the two I had were both from the UK.  They were both off UK ebay. I don't know what the US MO one looks like.  (I mean, I know she is NBBE, but I don't know about eye color or if she has freckles.  Does Baby Tiddley Wink from that set have freckles?)

I'm not so sure about the dumping ground theory.  The UK and Europe tended to get sets of ponies a bit after their debut in the US, right--perhaps by the time they were produced, the factories were no longer set up to produce BBEs, which must be quite the different process compared to a regular pony.  Or, maybe Hasbro UK just thought they looked ugly, lol.

[daffodil101]

Oh!  They are so cute.  I'd have to keep both.  I'm terrible.

[Taffeta]

I'm not so sure about the dumping ground theory.  The UK and Europe tended to get sets of ponies a bit after their debut in the US, right--perhaps by the time they were produced, the factories were no longer set up to produce BBEs, which must be quite the different process compared to a regular pony.  Or, maybe Hasbro UK just thought they looked ugly, lol.

There's extensive proof that after the end of MLP, mail order ponies from the US appeared on UK stores in basically packed bags with grey tags featuring the MLP rainbow. This covered Tux, the TAF babies and the birthflowers especially. The UK also had the Dance School with BBE Baby Half Note, perhaps at the same time as the one without. The regular version was sold in playsets with the box featuring the BBE baby, which I think is the same as the US box (though it is the only one of my childhood sets for which the box didn't survive )

The exact dates of both releases is unclear at the moment, but I know we had the regular eyed one in at least 87, when I got mine, and the BBE one was being offered as a MO release in 89. I also know people here who had the BBE one new in around 86, so it seems as though Hasbro UK used whatever was available. It might be that all 87 releases were regular eyed and the rest BBE, but we might never totally know for sure. There are the usual colour variations for the accessories in the set releases, but we had some differences - the puffy sticker and in the UK, white ballet shoes which I think we established in a previous discussion that the US didn't get.

We were a dumping ground for end of line stock from Europe too in the 90s (a lot from Germany and France) which we also still are for certain current toy lines (right now Canadian ponies from Target) so I think dumping ground is probably the correct word...

[Foxtale]

Wait there is a blue and teal? Oh man i cant wait to go through my collection.

I'll probably keep one of each.... or at least use it as an excuse to not sell more

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

I don't know if I would ever search out for minor variations, but if I were to get a minor variation of a pony I already have I would probably keep her. The collector in me would only want to get rid of exact variations.

[ashlyne]

Ohhhhh yesssss.

Trying to figure out if they're a legit release variation, or variation from different factory materials, or a false variation (differences due to environment factors like fading).

When in doubt, I hold onto them, but the shelves are getting really crowded!  Rainbow ponies are the worst.

[maycrestmom]

oh my goodness yes... and that is just sometimes between hong kong vs china  - like I know there is a china sugarberry but have been looking for years without success

to US versus german brother ponies with the non pat on the hoof

to US versus euro releases like with baby starburst

yeah... at some point ya just gotta make a choice

like with MIB versus loose

otherwise IMO it can be very maddening from a wanting a "complete" collection mindset