Curious about...G1 Sparkle MOs!

[Taffeta]

I'm pretty sure that the tinsel on some ponies is intentionally bicolour (ie on one side gold on the other silver). I am not with my collection to check at the moment but I am pretty sure my sister's childhood Napper has always had gold/silver tinsel and she had Napper from new. Unfortunately I only have store Napper MOC and I can't make out from my photo what her tinsel is like because of the bubble glare, but I've recorded gold/silver tinsel on her description so I'm guessing she's the same way as Naynie's childhood one. I haven't ever looked at Sunspot's tinsel but I have her loose, MO and MOC so I'll check them when I get home.

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If anyone has better eyes than me and can tell, please take a look xD

I think this may also be true of Princess Amber/Starburst but don't quote me. Again, I have no ponies in front of me to check. Tinsel is one of those weird geeky things I notice (hence my Baby Mischief collection ><). For what it's worth, Starlight Baby tinsel is also bicolour side to side I believe. For those who have the correct tinsel anyway.

I agree that the brown Napper is a discolouration, but I don't think that the more opaque nature of the plastic on the MO ponies is connected to discolouring, it's more the density of the plastic with the glitter mixed in. I'm not talking about discoloured ponies, but correctly coloured ponies whose plastic is just less see-through,  if that makes sense? The two different Star Hoppers I have are also too different in body tone for one to have begun as the other - I think that the darker MO one is probably the later one, and came out closer to the store release one, as her body is also much darker in tone.

But yeah, brown Napper is definitely discolouration

@ Sweet_Stuff - Twinkler is my favourite too I always wanted her as a kid but never found her I had Sky Rocket instead, she is my second favourite, but I always wanted Twinkler so much *sigh*.

I remember being in the store and choosing between Sky Rocket and Napper. Sky Rocket won because her hair was so bright, even though her body was kinda dull to me at the time. If Napper had had green hair, I probably would have chosen her. No idea why Hasbro changed it.

Randomly, too, UK pony comic always draws Star Hopper as a MO. Star Hopper, but not Napper.  So weird...

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[Sweet_Stuff]

I'm pretty sure that the tinsel on some ponies is intentionally bicolour (ie on one side gold on the other silver). I am not with my collection to check at the moment but I am pretty sure my sister's childhood Napper has always had gold/silver tinsel and she had Napper from new. Unfortunately I only have store Napper MOC and I can't make out from my photo what her tinsel is like because of the bubble glare, but I've recorded gold/silver tinsel on her description so I'm guessing she's the same way as Naynie's childhood one. I haven't ever looked at Sunspot's tinsel but I have her loose, MO and MOC so I'll check them when I get home.

Spoiler

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

If anyone has better eyes than me and can tell, please take a look xD

I think this may also be true of Princess Amber/Starburst but don't quote me. Again, I have no ponies in front of me to check. Tinsel is one of those weird geeky things I notice (hence my Baby Mischief collection ><). For what it's worth, Starlight Baby tinsel is also bicolour side to side I believe. For those who have the correct tinsel anyway.

I agree that the brown Napper is a discolouration, but I don't think that the more opaque nature of the plastic on the MO ponies is connected to discolouring, it's more the density of the plastic with the glitter mixed in. I'm not talking about discoloured ponies, but correctly coloured ponies whose plastic is just less see-through,  if that makes sense? The two different Star Hoppers I have are also too different in body tone for one to have begun as the other - I think that the darker MO one is probably the later one, and came out closer to the store release one, as her body is also much darker in tone.

But yeah, brown Napper is definitely discolouration

@ Sweet_Stuff - Twinkler is my favourite too I always wanted her as a kid but never found her I had Sky Rocket instead, she is my second favourite, but I always wanted Twinkler so much *sigh*.

I remember being in the store and choosing between Sky Rocket and Napper. Sky Rocket won because her hair was so bright, even though her body was kinda dull to me at the time. If Napper had had green hair, I probably would have chosen her. No idea why Hasbro changed it.

Randomly, too, UK pony comic always draws Star Hopper as a MO. Star Hopper, but not Napper.  So weird...

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Interesting!!
I had heard Napper was made with silver tinsel and also gold tinsel. My Sunspot clearly has two different tinsel colors, it's not two-toned..

I'm wondering if there is a "pony MO morgue" where all the ponies that didn't go to homes are just laying around somewhere collecting dust.. or maybe they all went to that big toy box in the sky..? How did MO orders work anyway? Were they actually made to order and that's why they are so pricey? 

[lunar_scythe]

boxes of money orders have been found a few times now in warehouses, so I assume the unsold ones just sat there, if they weren't sold in the UK(they got some mail orders in stores)

the ones I know of that showed up by the case full on ebay are TAF baby Dancing Butterflies, the Rice Crispies baby, and from the UK, baby Ribbons and Hearts(the most recent ones)

[Sweet_Stuff]

boxes of money orders have been found a few times now in warehouses, so I assume the unsold ones just sat there, if they weren't sold in the UK(they got some mail orders in stores)

the ones I know of that showed up by the case full on ebay are TAF baby Dancing Butterflies, the Rice Crispies baby, and from the UK, baby Ribbons and Hearts(the most recent ones)

Wow, That is pretty cool!  I had no clue!

[BlushingBlue]

There is even a variance among the "normal" release. I have a sunspot with silver tinsel and another with gold, it does not appear that the color came off either.

My Sunspot has silver in her mane and gold in her tail.. Someone told me the gold and her hair and easily fade, but I'm wondering if it was a factory error of sorts? Her hair is pink still.. I mean not super pink but light pinkish.. Was she supposed to have dark pink hair?

My MO Sunspot is this way also. Silver tinsel in her mane and gold tinsel in her tail, both fading pink colored. My store-version Sunspot has all-over gold tinsel with a fading pink mane and a non-fading pink tail. (I checked them both again to make sure they didn't have bi-color tinsel, as that would be super cool, but alas!)

[Skeen]

I think they just discolor easily.  The "darker" Sparkle ponies are generally hard as a rock, so I think something happens to the plastic over time. It does seem more prevalent on the mail orders, but the storebought ponies can discolor to the same shade or, more rarely, you'll find a non-discolored mail order.

I think so too.  Some of my MO's have gone rock hard (and some fairly opaque) and are coated with a white powdery substance.  I wipe it off periodically but it comes back.  My store versions are clear and softer. 

[Taffeta]

I heard a horror story about some MO ponies being junked because they weren't ordered, BUT I think this unlikely on a large scale since Hasbro dumped several of them on their favourite dumping ground - the UK A lot of MO ponies have shown up here in odd packaging with grey card labels that only have a rainbow on, no name or anything. Same with the ponies from the Slumber party set. Unfortunately my area only got Slumber Party ones, but in around 1995-6 I remember them showing up at the local market. My Pink Dreams came from there, with wings, although I didn't know who she was then or whether she was an actual real pony (though she looked like she was).

The TAF babies, Birthflowers, Tux & Tails all turned up here through this method. I am not sure about others. We had Lucky and Embers through normal process, and Ribbons and Hearts was a whole other matter as she was distributed through any outlet that would take her at the end of line.

Considering all the weird and wonderful stuff dumped here at the end of the line, Hasbro must've really though the UK loved ponies!

[Sweet_Stuff]

There is even a variance among the "normal" release. I have a sunspot with silver tinsel and another with gold, it does not appear that the color came off either.

My Sunspot has silver in her mane and gold in her tail.. Someone told me the gold and her hair and easily fade, but I'm wondering if it was a factory error of sorts? Her hair is pink still.. I mean not super pink but light pinkish.. Was she supposed to have dark pink hair?

My MO Sunspot is this way also. Silver tinsel in her mane and gold tinsel in her tail, both fading pink colored. My store-version Sunspot has all-over gold tinsel with a fading pink mane and a non-fading pink tail. (I checked them both again to make sure they didn't have bi-color tinsel, as that would be super cool, but alas!)

Really?! Interesting.. Maybe Sunspot was supposed to have bi-colored / two-toned tinsel, but something happened in production...(I'm not saying gold tinsel can't fade to silver but, I'm just thinking...) My Sunspot is clearly a store version.. Anyway, either that or we have special Sunspots!

I always wondered why Twinkler has three color tinsels...

Speaking of tinsel, I've also come across two store version Star Dancers with different colored tinsel. The first one I got had dark pink - almost magenta colored? tinsel.. I got an upgrade in a swap and this current one has much lighter tinsel. Both their manes/tails were /are that beautiful blue color... things that make you go, hmm.! 

I heard a horror story about some MO ponies being junked because they weren't ordered, BUT I think this unlikely on a large scale since Hasbro dumped several of them on their favourite dumping ground - the UK A lot of MO ponies have shown up here in odd packaging with grey card labels that only have a rainbow on, no name or anything. Same with the ponies from the Slumber party set. Unfortunately my area only got Slumber Party ones, but in around 1995-6 I remember them showing up at the local market. My Pink Dreams came from there, with wings, although I didn't know who she was then or whether she was an actual real pony (though she looked like she was).

The TAF babies, Birthflowers, Tux & Tails all turned up here through this method. I am not sure about others. We had Lucky and Embers through normal process, and Ribbons and Hearts was a whole other matter as she was distributed through any outlet that would take her at the end of line.

Considering all the weird and wonderful stuff dumped here at the end of the line, Hasbro must've really though the UK loved ponies!

Woah! They needed to send some boxes over here to Texas!!  The reason why I was asking was...
Apparently there is also a Kenner Morgue where a bunch of prototype Care Bear stuff was held.. Mail Order (?) / Catalog Order vintage Strawberry Shortcake dolls were not boxed in pretty colorful boxes but dull cardboard boxes.. I bought my Apricot and Hopsalot brand new in their lovely, err.. cardboard box..  Not sure where the seller got her lot from..but she had quite a few of the catalog order dolls apparently. Who knows how long they had been waiting to see the light of day!