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Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: 01mlplover on December 29, 2017, 10:55:34 PM

Title: Flutter pony variations
Post by: 01mlplover on December 29, 2017, 10:55:34 PM
Can anyone tell me more about the 2 versions of flutter ponies? I never knew there was such a thing til I seen a comment about it awhile back. Flutter ponies have always been one of my favorites and I just discovered I got some new variations in a lot I bought. Is there a reason there are 2 versions? One seems slimmer in the face than the other and the legs are positioned slightly different...
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Princess Fizzy on December 30, 2017, 12:50:52 AM
I know that some of the flutter ponies from Spain look slightly different, that may be what you have. My little wiki lists honeysuckle, forget-me-not & peach blossom as having spanish variants. There are also some UK variants with different hair colors & missing wing holder pieces.

Also, at least some of the European countries had different accessories than the USA for some of the flutter ponies. Some countries got puffy stickers with at least the first set of flutters while the US got the flat stickers. The second set of flutters came with colored metallic ribbons in the US, but in some other countries the second set came with gold trimmed ribbons similar to the princess ponys.

I'm sure that there are others on this site that can give you much more informed info, but for starters I would look at the bottom of your flutters feet as a lot of the Spanish variants either say 'SPAIN' or have no country marks on the bottom of there feet.

Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Taffeta on December 30, 2017, 01:38:04 AM
I suspect the OP is talking about the large head and small head variations, although there are also variations of some ponies that have both first year and second year wing fixings (and some other minor features to match). This seems to predominately affect the three in the walking pose (Honeysuckle etc).

I don't have any of the large headed flutters. They seem to show up mostly in the US.

Thinking about it, there are quite a lot of flutter variations!
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Crowning_Glory13 on December 30, 2017, 05:58:37 AM
Ok I am crazy for flutter ponies. I search for fat head Lily as I had her as a kid. I think we need pictures of what you have:)
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: LadyMoondancer on December 30, 2017, 08:18:30 AM
It's a real mystery why there are two versions of flutters (large head and small head).  The most dramatic difference is on the Honeysuckle pose!

Both versions are both stamped "made in China".  My own childhood flutters were all small head (Honeysuckle, Forget-Me-Not, and Peach Blossom) and I am in the US, but I know other people in the US who had the big head versions.

The Year 4 US flutters also had two versions of packaging (the image on the front was changed), but that doesn't seem to be connected to the molds--because I've seen both large-head and small-heads MIB in the same box type.

(The box variation is:  some boxes had Honeysuckle and Morning Glory standing demurely on the front, others had them dive-bombing, lol.)

Anyway, my guess is that two different factories were producing the flutters and using slightly different molds.  Maybe two factories in China.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Taffeta on December 30, 2017, 08:33:12 AM


(The box variation is:  some boxes had Honeysuckle and Morning Glory standing demurely on the front, others had them dive-bombing, lol.)

Most of my flutter boxes are UK so I had never noticed that. That's weirdly awesome. I have a US Morning GLory in her box hidden on my shelf. I wonder which version she has...

I also wonder why that happened o.O.

(UK boxes have Lily and Rosedust on the front for that set, and only change with the second set, where I think Lily is turned into Wing Song on the front)
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Matcha on December 30, 2017, 09:34:32 AM
Does anyone have comparison pics of the fat head vs small head flutters? I'd be interested to see which ones of my flutters are fat headed! OO:
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Ponyfan on December 30, 2017, 09:40:16 AM
I'm in the US and my childhood Honeysucke is a large head.


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I didn't even know there was another mold for her until I got back in to ponies and posted her picture. 


Ponyfan

Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: LadyMoondancer on December 30, 2017, 09:48:16 AM
I've got some pictures here:

http://heckyeahponyscans.tumblr.com/post/167639979667

Also the eyes are a way to tell:

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If your flutter pony looks like a dopey Madonna from a classical painting, she's a big-head.  If she looks like she is pretending not to see someone she despises, she's a small-head.  :P

(Interestingly I just looked on eBay and saw the big head / small head variation with Tropical Breeze, from the 2nd set.)
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Leave a Whisper on December 30, 2017, 10:19:31 AM
I've got some pictures here:

http://heckyeahponyscans.tumblr.com/post/167639979667

Also the eyes are a way to tell:

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If your flutter pony looks like a dopey Madonna from a classical painting, she's a big-head.  If she looks like she is pretending not to see someone she despises, she's a small-head.  :P

(Interestingly I just looked on eBay and saw the big head / small head variation with Tropical Breeze, from the 2nd set.)

:haha: Those descriptions are hilarious!
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: 01mlplover on December 30, 2017, 11:09:49 AM
It's a real mystery why there are two versions of flutters (large head and small head).  The most dramatic difference is on the Honeysuckle pose!

Both versions are both stamped "made in China".  My own childhood flutters were all small head (Honeysuckle, Forget-Me-Not, and Peach Blossom) and I am in the US, but I know other people in the US who had the big head versions.

The Year 4 US flutters also had two versions of packaging (the image on the front was changed), but that doesn't seem to be connected to the molds--because I've seen both large-head and small-heads MIB in the same box type.

(The box variation is:  some boxes had Honeysuckle and Morning Glory standing demurely on the front, others had them dive-bombing, lol.)

Anyway, my guess is that two different factories were producing the flutters and using slightly different molds.  Maybe two factories in China.

This is very helpful. The two ponies I have are forget me not and rose dust. Now I’m very interested in collecting both versions for all my flutter ponies. If I get the ambition I’ll take some pics and post them here.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Carrehz on December 30, 2017, 03:28:29 PM
If your flutter pony looks like a dopey Madonna from a classical painting, she's a big-head.  If she looks like she is pretending not to see someone she despises, she's a small-head.  :P

:lmao:
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Baby Sugarberry on December 30, 2017, 07:29:01 PM
IIRC all the first-wave flutters have big and small head versions of themselves.  It's only really notable when you have one of each side-by-side, they really are completely different moulds.  Their existence puzzles me to this day; from the little we know about vinyl toy manufacturing, moulds are *expensive as all heck* to produce.  So are the original sculpts the moulds are made from.  They were done by hand back in the day.  Someone spent a considerable amount of time, effort and money to retool both flutter poses.  If it was just the 'walking' pose I could maybe see it was a stability issue they tried to address, the same way the flatfoot mould was redone with a higher head so they don't tip over as easily, but that doesn't explain why the 'standing' flutter would have also been altered.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: LadyMoondancer on December 30, 2017, 08:39:46 PM
Okay, here's something interesting . . .

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^ This pic is from My Little Wiki.  Hong Kong High Flyer on the left, China on the right.  Compare their eyes to the flutter eye picture earlier in the thread . . .

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Perhaps one flutter pony mold actually was used in Hong Kong, despite the "Made in China" footstamp?
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Noasar on December 31, 2017, 06:16:27 AM
I never realised there were variants either! I have the small head versions but thinking back I had a fat head version as a child, I remember being really confused about why the head was so weird looking!
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Crowning_Glory13 on December 31, 2017, 07:28:24 AM
I had no idea that Lily had a fat, until I got a Lily flutter from an awesome friend. I remember looking at the pony like she was all wrong because she was oddly colored. The fat head Lily is a bit more lavender purple verses a red purple.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Baby Sugarberry on December 31, 2017, 07:46:06 PM
Perhaps one flutter pony mold actually was used in Hong Kong, despite the "Made in China" footstamp?
Still would mean the dies would have to be recast from new originals, which is one helluva lot of work and a major financial investment - why would they go to the trouble instead of copying the existing master, which is a much faster process?  And if they'd gone to that trouble, why not fix the country of origin, a much smaller fix? There've been other retoolings but they all make more sense...

Flatfoots -> Collector Pose: The original flatfoot design was poorly balanced and tippy despite having extra large washers to attempt to compensate for their front-heavy pose.  The Collector Pose fixed that.
Various -> 2nd Set Princesses (1st set as well? I honestly haven't checked), adjustments needed to mount the medallions.
Various -> Sundae Best, Modifications for 3D symbols
Various -> Dance n' Prance / Happy Tails, alterations for internal mechanisms
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Marlin on January 01, 2018, 12:46:24 AM
This thread is quite timely for me!

I was going through some ponies just today whom I've recently acquired, and realised that for the first time I have some of the 'fat heads' in my hands! That walking pose is incredibly obvious - I noticed straight away when I held up Peach Blossom that something was off!  I've noticed the symbols seem quite different too.

The other thing I noticed, was the regrind - I have two cloud puffs and wing songs to compare, and one pony each in the pair has completely regrinded over - I'll have to take some pics. In particular one cloud puff is completely purple, and the other hot pink! I need to study them a bit more, but I wonder if batch/mold variation has something to do with it?
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Taffeta on January 01, 2018, 07:55:21 AM
Perhaps one flutter pony mold actually was used in Hong Kong, despite the "Made in China" footstamp?
Still would mean the dies would have to be recast from new originals, which is one helluva lot of work and a major financial investment - why would they go to the trouble instead of copying the existing master, which is a much faster process?  And if they'd gone to that trouble, why not fix the country of origin, a much smaller fix? There've been other retoolings but they all make more sense...


See, the mistake you made there is assuming anything Hasbro did made sense in the eighties ;) we have tons of examples of subtle variations being sold in different locations for no apparent reason. I suspect it might be more like there being multiple factories in China making these ponies at the same time and for some reason that meant they had slightly different moulds, but it's difficult to know. THe flutters are definitely not the only set where there are minor differences in size/stature, they're just the most blatant.

If we want to get onto illogical, why do we have a situation whereby the Cherry Treats sold in the US has a forelock and the one sold in Europe doesn't? I mean, yes, mostly the European one is made in China and the one in the US, Hong Kong, but since there exist Chinese Cherry Treats in the US with forelocks, that logic really doesn't pan out.

Hasbro didn't make sense in the eighties ;) fat head flutters are just an ongoing symptom of that fact for me.

But it's also what keeps g1 interesting for me as well ;)
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: LadyMoondancer on January 01, 2018, 08:21:38 AM
Oooo, I'd LOVE to see comparisons of the Cloud Puffs and Wingsongs!
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Marlin on January 01, 2018, 12:29:14 PM
Oooo, I'd LOVE to see comparisons of the Cloud Puffs and Wingsongs!

As you wish ;)

Ok - now please excuse their general dishevelledness... I haven't cleaned these girls up yet so they are as they came to me!


Here's the two Peach Blossoms - you can see how stunted one looks!


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 (https://flic.kr/p/2336oih)

And... onto the Cloud Puffs... one completely regrinded over - and they are the two different molds. I found the easiest way to see that is the length of the chin; one is noticeably shorter than the other. Note on regrind girl, her flutter mechanism is still mostly the original purple.

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 (https://flic.kr/p/2336oih)

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 (https://flic.kr/p/Dr7eG8)

And here's Wing Song. The hot pink-ness of the regrind one isn't showing up so well here. But again these are two different molds.

I would like to ask the flutter experts while I am here.... the ribbons... which one is correct for her?? Both these girls came with the ribbons shown on each pony. The one on the right is my collection girl, the one on the left is a recent arrival. I was thinking of selling all my doubles but the regrind difference is so blatant I kinda want to keep them!

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 (https://flic.kr/p/21KbWA6)


And here's everybody....

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 (https://flic.kr/p/J95Ej2)
 (https://flic.kr/p/2336odh)
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: 01mlplover on January 01, 2018, 12:56:48 PM
Wow the difference in cloud puffs is crazy.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Crowning_Glory13 on January 01, 2018, 12:59:36 PM
Ok that regrind is very cool:) I would keep both as well. I hope to find all the fat heads:) I am obsessed with flutter ponies:) I saw I had double forget me not, wind song, but they are not the fat heads:(
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Baby Sugarberry on January 01, 2018, 04:12:24 PM
See, the mistake you made there is assuming anything Hasbro did made sense in the eighties ;)

Decisions that negatively affect their profits are the one place where I trust Hasbro to be logical at all times.  ;)
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Matcha on January 01, 2018, 09:03:12 PM
Regarding the regrind - I have a fat head Forget-Me-Not that has full body regrind as well :)
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Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Marlin on January 01, 2018, 09:05:25 PM
Oh, wow! I didn't know she was prone to it!
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: RoseNoire on January 02, 2018, 05:02:08 AM
Wow, full body regrind is really impressive.  :blink: Well, they've got their own charming look now. But I prefer purple Forget-me-Not.
I've checked my 3 flutters, they are all small heads with no regrind (yet?). Do you think those big head versions have been distributed to Europe as well ?
Big head  Flutters looks like they've been stung by bees. :lol: When dogs are stung by bees on their face, they look like them. =D
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: flutterscotch on March 08, 2018, 03:21:27 PM
You know...it might be that pale purple color.  I have a Galaxy with what appears to be full body regrind as well.

And also now I know why I sometimes hate Peach Blossom and Lily and sometimes love them. It's the big head mold! I feel like it's judging me when you look at it head on.

EDIT:  OMG I just looked at my Honeysuckle, which I just got and she seems to have one of each eye and she looks completely ridiculous.

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Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: elish2 on March 08, 2018, 04:34:15 PM
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Just talked about this on FB. Didn't know about it until recently either.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Crowning_Glory13 on March 08, 2018, 04:46:38 PM
So jelouse when I saw that on facebook:) such an awesome discovery;)
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: tailrustedtealeaf on March 08, 2018, 07:12:42 PM
They look even more lumpy to me head on. Don't look at me that way! I do like Elish's photo, the small head molds look so much nicer. 
If she has one of each eye, then they were made in the same factory?
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: KottonKandy on March 08, 2018, 08:39:02 PM
You know...it might be that pale purple color.  I have a Galaxy with what appears to be full body regrind as well.

And also now I know why I sometimes hate Peach Blossom and Lily and sometimes love them. It's the big head mold! I feel like it's judging me when you look at it head on.

EDIT:  OMG I just looked at my Honeysuckle, which I just got and she seems to have one of each eye and she looks completely ridiculous.

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Hahahahaha that is amazing! Maybe she's distantly related to that FIM Muffin pony.


I only have one fat head. Peach Blossom. But she's very discolored and I just kinda keep her in my collection as an example of the variant mold. I like the term "stunted" like Marlin said. It's a very apt description of their poses and proportions.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: flutterscotch on March 08, 2018, 09:37:53 PM
They look even more lumpy to me head on. Don't look at me that way!

Like they are JUDGING YOUR SINS.  This is why I didn't like my childhood flutter.  It looked weird to me!

If she has one of each eye, then they were made in the same factory?

Maybe they just had multiple machines going on? I mean we are talking about China in the mid-80s here, being on-model was not their strong point to begin with back then.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: KottonKandy on March 09, 2018, 07:29:17 AM
Got off my lazy duff and took some comparison pics.
Spoiler
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One last one comparing their symbols because even those are different. Fat head has some fat petals on her symbols too haha!
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Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Wildshadow on March 09, 2018, 07:44:19 AM
AND THE WING DIFFERENCES! I went mad looking thru which flutters to NOT hoard...and ended up keeping more than I should...I realized the wings after looking at my Wind Drifter and Tropical Breeze hoards... and I sadly don't have any pictures to share D=
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Crowning_Glory13 on March 09, 2018, 08:18:08 AM
I am starting to army flutters, no idea why????:) KottonKandy that off color peach blossom looks neat:) I would keep her too:) I have like no money, but this thread makes me want to buy ponies:) Flutters to be precise
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Galactica on March 09, 2018, 08:39:27 AM
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Just talked about this on FB. Didn't know about it until recently either.

So weird!  I wonder how they ended up with different molds? Maybe the big one was molded from the first, and as a result looks bigger?  So weird.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: KottonKandy on March 09, 2018, 09:22:17 AM
I am starting to army flutters, no idea why????:) KottonKandy that off color peach blossom looks neat:) I would keep her too:) I have like no money, but this thread makes me want to buy ponies:) Flutters to be precise
Right? It’s a strange greenish color. I feel like “nicotine blue” is a good name for it lol. I actually have no clue how she got that way. She came to me in that condition years ago and I’ve just always held onto her since she’s the only one I’ve gotten in that fathead mold.
And yes! Start an army! (Or would swarm be a more apt term in their case?) I would if I had the funds and space. They’ve always been my fave ponies. I have all the flutters but I still want Dabble and Scribbles since they were made in that same mold despite not being true flutters.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Crowning_Glory13 on March 09, 2018, 09:32:37 AM
Hehe I like swarm:) how is dabble and scribbles not true flutter ponies????? :)
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: KottonKandy on March 09, 2018, 09:56:07 AM
I like just calling them Land Flutters lol. They haven’t earned their wings yet, I guess!
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Crowning_Glory13 on March 09, 2018, 09:57:22 AM
They don't have wings???? Looking this up. I never noticed
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Wildshadow on March 09, 2018, 10:11:57 AM
Ha! I like Swarm as well! I found I did have some pics of my 'swarm' but nothing to show detailed variations. One of the Lilly's I kept has a wide stance and some Tropical Breeze's have issues.

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Well I do have this detail thing, but it was because I loved the way it looks like they were hand etching out the words on each feet of the ponies XD (oh and these are OLD pictures...)

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Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: LadyMoondancer on March 09, 2018, 10:14:29 AM
Wow, great flutter collection! 

Yeah, Scribbles and Dabble don't have wings . . . Maybe they are adolescents and wings suddenly burst from a flutter's back once they grow up?  :P
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: KottonKandy on March 09, 2018, 11:28:02 AM
Ha! I like Swarm as well! I found I did have some pics of my 'swarm' but nothing to show detailed variations. One of the Lilly's I kept has a wide stance and some Tropical Breeze's have issues.

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Well I do have this detail thing, but it was because I loved the way it looks like they were hand etching out the words on each feet of the ponies XD (oh and these are OLD pictures...)

Spoiler
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Holy moly, way off topic, but I LOVE those wings on Tropical Breeze!
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: tailrustedtealeaf on March 09, 2018, 11:36:29 AM
Wow, great flutter collection! 

Yeah, Scribbles and Dabble don't have wings . . . Maybe they are adolescents and wings suddenly burst from a flutter's back once they grow up?  :P
I like to think of them as Ponyland's supermodels, but Flutter Valley's outcasts. Maybe they lost them somehow to the smooze? Now there's a comic I'd like to see.
Title: Re: Flutter pony variations
Post by: Crowning_Glory13 on March 09, 2018, 12:21:09 PM
They do have lightning bolts, maybe they lost them in a storm
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