Where are the UK pony guides?

[ButtercreamDream]

I LOVE my pony guides.  Seriously, I spend WAY too much time flipping through the pages, looking at the pictures, planning my next goals.  I've noticed something, though.  I've got Summer Hayes' G1 guide (my most read book ever, and it's in 'well loved' condition now.), her G3 guide, and I just ordered her G2 guide from Amazon.  I started with Debra Birge's 'The World of My Little Pony', her checklist book, and the 'Around the world' book.  Recently, I bought her new Nirvana guide as well, which is just trouble for myself and my bank account.

The thing is, out of all those books, the only one that actually covers the UK releases is 'My Little Pony, Around the World'.  It's still my go-to paperback guide for them, but it was made a long time ago now, and it's largely incomplete in terms photos.

So, with all the guides to various pony generations out there, why is no one covering the UK ponies?

[hathorcat]

There are a couple of good websites out there for UK/Euro/Aus/NZ ponies but I am not aware of any books. It can be a harder group as there are so many different opinions on where you draw the line sometimes also so many of the ponies outside of the US were US releases as well with some minor differences in pony or set.

[Stormness_1]

Yep, I'm hanging out for a UK guide too! Actually 'chomping at the bit' is a bit more appropriate, as I myself still don't know where to draw the line, so many Australian ponies were UK/euro releases too, and there's many conflicting resources! For instance, I just bought a scandinavian Gusty here locally, but she's not US/UK or general Euro - but ended up sold here? or was she imported years ago, before anyone had noticed she was a variant, and passed off as a regular old Gusty, which was how she was labelled when I bought her? But then again, we have the alt. birthflowers, which are also scandinavian. It's all very confusing!! Australia seemed to get a bit of everything, it's totally bizarre.

But knowing what's actually what in terms of UK/Euro would be awesome, even if it did list doubles of US ponies. I'd be interested in that!

[hathorcat]

Yep, I'm hanging out for a UK guide too! Actually 'chomping at the bit' is a bit more appropriate, as I myself still don't know where to draw the line, so many Australian ponies were UK/euro releases too, and there's many conflicting resources! For instance, I just bought a scandinavian Gusty here locally, but she's not US/UK or general Euro - but ended up sold here? or was she imported years ago, before anyone had noticed she was a variant, and passed off as a regular old Gusty, which was how she was labelled when I bought her? But then again, we have the alt. birthflowers, which are also scandinavian. It's all very confusing!! Australia seemed to get a bit of everything, it's totally bizarre.

But knowing what's actually what in terms of UK/Euro would be awesome, even if it did list doubles of US ponies. I'd be interested in that!

Thats pretty common

During G1, Hasbro Australia was a subsidiary of both Hasbro US and Hasbro UK - this meant they could pick and choose what they sold. It actually means that Australia and NZ had the most extensive selection of G1 ponies over the US or Europe.

You got almost all of the G1 ponies which are popularly termed "UK" ponies  

[Lancer]

I'd love a book or website that detailed "G1s in the UK".  MIB photos of ponies as they were packaged in this country and a complete checklist of what accessories they came with, information on the variations in names and sets (for instance, where we only got four out of a set of six), and details about unofficial releases like Princess and Happy Tail variants and other ponies that got sold in unmarked packages towards the end of the line.

I know that would be near impossible to actually write (otherwise I'd have given it a go myself long ago!) but I'd love to see it in a perfect world.

[Epona]

So is Summer Hayes going to write a nirvana guide? (My G1 guide is Very "well Loved" too)
Strawberry Reef is my go-to online sight. It has a UK G1 release page (Not sure if its ok to post? please delete if not) http://www.strawberryreef.com/Index/G1/Country/uk.html.

[Elfpony]

I would also love a guide that details the UK and non-nirvana euro ponies. I have a bad habit of forgetting those ponies when I'm working on my want lists.

I also have all of Summer's guides and Deb's newest nirvana guide. They are all awesome. My wallet hates that nirvana guide though - so many more expensive ponies on my want list!

Elf

[nessa16]

At one point the company that publishes Summer's book said that there was an international one in the works and I thought she mentioned doing a UK one at one point but only she could tell us for sure. Hopefully she will see this and let us know. I would love for her do one. Her guides are awesome!  I call my US G1 guide "the pony Bible" lol.

[ButtercreamDream]

I would also love a guide that details the UK and non-nirvana euro ponies. I have a bad habit of forgetting those ponies when I'm working on my want lists.

I also have all of Summer's guides and Deb's newest nirvana guide. They are all awesome. My wallet hates that nirvana guide though - so many more expensive ponies on my want list!

Elf

That's exactly my problem.  My US collection is stalling as I try to find the last few ponies I'm looking for.  I figure I should go for the UK releases first, before I fall down the Nirvana rabbit hole

Wow, I didn't realize that the UK classification was so complicated.  I also only recently found out that many sets were only partially released in the UK, like the Candy Can set, which is why some of them are harder to find.  Hathorcat, you seem to know a lot about this.  Ever consider giving up your day job, and writing a pony guide =)  just sayin'  =P

[hathorcat]

ROFL. If there was enough interest I would do it in a second...and I have have all the UK accessories to picture along with them

[FarDreamer]

ROFL. If there was enough interest I would do it in a second...and I have have all the UK accessories to picture along with them

I would buy it.    Maybe you and Summer could work together on it.  I'm pretty sure she is working on one, but I don't want to start rumors if I'm wrong.

[Epona]

Hathorcat you really should do an accessory guide.   

[rtattles]

Yep, I'm hanging out for a UK guide too! Actually 'chomping at the bit' is a bit more appropriate, as I myself still don't know where to draw the line, so many Australian ponies were UK/euro releases too, and there's many conflicting resources! For instance, I just bought a scandinavian Gusty here locally, but she's not US/UK or general Euro - but ended up sold here? or was she imported years ago, before anyone had noticed she was a variant, and passed off as a regular old Gusty, which was how she was labelled when I bought her? But then again, we have the alt. birthflowers, which are also scandinavian. It's all very confusing!! Australia seemed to get a bit of everything, it's totally bizarre.

But knowing what's actually what in terms of UK/Euro would be awesome, even if it did list doubles of US ponies. I'd be interested in that!

Thats pretty common

During G1, Hasbro Australia was a subsidiary of both Hasbro US and Hasbro UK - this meant they could pick and choose what they sold. It actually means that Australia and NZ had the most extensive selection of G1 ponies over the US or Europe.

You got almost all of the G1 ponies which are popularly termed "UK" ponies

I would say everything was imported, but Australia had a good mixture. I am not sure if it was just ponies travelling or if Australia had them for retail, but apart from Scandinavian, I have also found Italian ponies secondhand before. At any rate, flea market finds and Salvos have dried up. It's hard to find anything at all these days. Australia even had the Mountain Boys, but hardly  any pop up secondhand at all. It is also interesting to know that Australia also had TAF babies. It was speculated that like the UK, Oz got them as leftover stocks chucked into playsets towards the end of the line. I have also heard that Hasbro Australia performed unofficial mail orders for people who actually called in and asked. I tried that with the G3s, and it worked. lol That was how I got Sun Shimmer, so maybe the rumour was true? I mean the lady on the phone sounded impatient but she was like "just send the points with your mailing address", and I got the pony within 2 weeks. I was very proud of myself. If only I did that 10 years earlier? Well.... if only I was old enough. lol

I also recalled seeing the very occasional African ponies appear on eBay. It must be a migration thing and oddly they tend to come out of Sydney from what I observed. At any rate, Australia did sound a bit like a pony dumping ground for whatever that didn't fit wherever it was supposed to go, but that turned out to be a good thing! It's the same story in Asia.

By the way, the leaf eyed Gusty was sold in Australia, so did white Tootsie and in extension yellow Moondancer, although I haven't witness or heard of anyone who has found a yellow Moondancer, or even known anyone who bought one new. However, white Tootsie seemed rather common at one point of time. I don't think "Aussie" Gusty is too rare either. She does pop up every now and then for pretty decent prices. She's a variant but she's not too different to make her stand out. I inherited mine from a close friend who gave up her collection. It's pretty interesting when you place her between a 'normal' Gusty, a deflocked SS Gusty and a Euro NSS Gusty. They look like a succession of progression for Gusty on a spectrum. I used to have a deflocked Gusty who had the same leaf eyes as Aussie Gusty but her symbols were painted. Then the NSS Gusty retained the painted leaves but had an eye colour change.

[LadyGuinevere]

I'd love a book or website that detailed "G1s in the UK".  MIB photos of ponies as they were packaged in this country and a complete checklist of what accessories they came with, information on the variations in names and sets (for instance, where we only got four out of a set of six), and details about unofficial releases like Princess and Happy Tail variants and other ponies that got sold in unmarked packages towards the end of the line.

I know that would be near impossible to actually write (otherwise I'd have given it a go myself long ago!) but I'd love to see it in a perfect world.

You've pretty much described Taffeta's site! It hasn't been updated for a bit that I know of, but the intention was to document the UK issue

[Elfpony]

Hathorcat you really should do an accessory guide.   

Oh gods, YES! A guide just on accessories would be amazing. I would lose whole weekends to staring at brushes and ribbons. *bliss*

Elf