Year 2 Hasbro catalog scans

[LadyMoondancer]

I never had Glory as a kid and assumed, based on the backcard, that she was in Moondancer's pose.  I was stunned when I found her in a thrift shop and she was in a different pose!

I would assume there were "switched pose" prototypes of the unicorns at the time.  It does make me wonder why they switched them around since they still had two of each pose . . . Maybe it had something to do with symbol size?

[Taffeta]

It's a different country and time period, but it makes me think of the Best Friends Babies LadyG and I both have in alternate poses to the massmarket versions. One theory is that they existed because Hasbro had them made in different poses then chose the one they wanted to market. Maybe the same could be true for the early unicorns and pegasi as well.

[ValeofSpring]

Hmm, interesting! Could Hasbro have switched things up partway through the run after seeing how well Moondancer was selling?  It would make sense that they wanted Twilight to be well represented, because she is "the pink one" of the unicorns, but she's also the one I come across the least.

Moondancer and Glory were also sold in Year 3, which would also explain why there are more of them, but at the same time I also see a lot more Sunbeams than Twilights.

I don't think the script writers knew which ponies were shortpacked.  I think Hasbro was like "So, these are the ponies for the year" and they were able to choose whichever ones they wanted to use.

First--I've always been interested in to what degree Hasbro modified what they shipped based on what was selling. Obviously they were keeping track of it, but since the ponies came in variety boxes I don't know how well Hasbro could or would respond to certain ponies selling better than others. Would a store have communicated to Hasbro that Moondancer was selling out while Twilight languished on the shelf? I wonder . . .

Second--Yes, I think it's beyond question that in the US Twilight is the least common of the four. Sunbeam clearly sold very well b/c she comes up all the time in lots with her little worn-sun behind.

Last--I have no evidence but yes, I'm guessing you're right. I think in Year 2 the Hasbro people also told the script writers "We are designing Rainbow Ponies, not fully worked out yet, let's just include a generic rainbow-haired pony, no one will ever think about it" and voila that strange rainbow-haired creature with Twinkles on her back was born.

[LadyMoondancer]

I think in Year 2 the Hasbro people also told the script writers "We are designing Rainbow Ponies, not fully worked out yet, let's just include a generic rainbow-haired pony, no one will ever think about it" and voila that strange rainbow-haired creature with Twinkles on her back was born.

Ha ha, I wouldn't be surprised! 

Here's another thought:  In Year 2 Hasbro was really branched out from Year 1, which was just eight ponies all in the same pose (Collector ponies plus Peachy and Lemon Drop).  It had more advertising, it had an animated special, it had more molds--it must have been more expensive and a bit risky.   I mean, just because you make an animated special and toys doesn't mean something will be popular.  Lots of 80s toys had cartoons and still flopped.

Anyway, my point is . . . we know Hasbro was already thinking about baby ponies in Year 2, because they were offering three mail order versions of Ember.  (The version with the star wasn't sold until Year 3 I believe.)   Could they already have been planning Baby Moondancer and Baby Glory at that point?   And perhaps they did not want to sell them just yet because they wanted to see if their risks with Year 2 would pay off?

That would be a good reason to want to get Moondancer and Glory in the hands of as many children as possible.

But then again . . . why not just design a Baby Twilight?  Unless Hasbro thought three pink ponies in the set was too much (Baby Firefly and Baby Cotton Candy being the other two).

[Sunset]

As someone said, I think there's just something about white unicorns.  It's their traditional color after all.  Glory and Moondancer where the two who made it into my childhood herd.  Maybe it also has something to do with the hair?  The two white unicorns had such vibrant hair that really set off their white bodies in the way the other two's white hair didn't do for light pink or baby blue bodies.

[LadyMoondancer]

Yeah, as pretty as Twilight is, Moondancer and Glory are the most stunning unicorns from that set for me.  Two of the most beautiful MLPs ever, even.  You're right, there's just something about white unicorns.

[Ponyfan]

I've also wondered how Hasbro decided who got babies. Did they pick the ponies that sold the most or they thought was more popular? 


Ponyfan

[ValeofSpring]

I think somehow Hasbro knew which ponies were most popular/sold the best. I think the ponies that Hasbro carried over to the following year (for instance, Blossom and Cotton Candy from Year 1 to Year 2) were due to sales. So they must have tracked it. In the switch from Year 3 to 4 US, it's interesting that Hasbro chose Cherries Jubilee to continue into Year 4 considering that the more obvious choice was Sparkler (to match the pairs that moved forward: Posey/Lickety-Split (earth) and Heart Throb/Surprise (pegasi). But I'm guessing CJ sold better so they put her in alongside Gusty.

So YES, I think *at least for Year 3 US* (the first round of babies), it was based on early Year 2 sales, except for the inclusion of Baby Surprise of course. I think the Hasbro designers decided that Baby Medley just didn't work aesthetically with the others.

To circle this back to prototypes--if only Hasbro had photographed a Baby Medley they then pulled . . .

[Lilja]

I've also wondered how Hasbro decided who got babies. Did they pick the ponies that sold the most or they thought was more popular? 

It was most likely a combination of different factors that determined how the baby sets were put together. Hasbro knew which ponies had sold well previously, hence a large portion of every baby set is made up of adults from the previous year. But Hasbro also wanted to advertise the new adults of the current year, which why they also get at least one baby for each set. Then they need to choose ponies in colors that add variety and look good together as a group. Also some symbols may have worked better on a smaller area than others. Maybe the designers also had their own favorites which could influence the choices.

Of course, I can't say what the logic was in the UK or Euro lines, where some babies were sold even though their parents weren't.

In the switch from Year 3 to 4 US, it's interesting that Hasbro chose Cherries Jubilee to continue into Year 4 considering that the more obvious choice was Sparkler (to match the pairs that moved forward: Posey/Lickety-Split (earth) and Heart Throb/Surprise (pegasi). But I'm guessing CJ sold better so they put her in alongside Gusty.

This is an interesting thought! I would have loved to see a so soft Sparkler! I'm not sure if this was because CJ sold better though (of course it could have been in part). It could also have been because they thought CJ was a better fit for the set. It adds some more pose and color variety to the group. Plus there was already a blue unicorn in the set (Ribbon), and it seemed like Hasbro wanted to tone down the presence of unicorns in year 4, in favor of more pegasi (which there were less of in years 2-3).

The Powder/Sky Flier pose might have been unpopular because of the looking up heads, since none of those made it into so soft form (maybe also because of the unicorn thing). You feel kind of bad for Tootsie too, being the only earth pony who didn't get to return as a so soft. 

But yeah! The Moondancer/Glory duo was popular for sure! They got a rerelease, babies, plushies and a ton of other merchandise. It also feels like they kind of got sea pony versions in White Cap and Sea Mist.

[Skeen]

I think in Year 2 the Hasbro people also told the script writers "We are designing Rainbow Ponies, not fully worked out yet, let's just include a generic rainbow-haired pony, no one will ever think about it" and voila that strange rainbow-haired creature with Twinkles on her back was born.

A while ago on another board (maybe the TP, if someone wants to check?) someone had a product catalog of the porcelain ponies Extra Special made, and the First Born porcelain matched the mystery rainbow pony.  The porcelain's hair colors and symbol were eventually altered before release so that she looks the way First Born looks today.  In the prototype image, the porcelain's symbol went over just the rump instead of the entirety of the back like it does in the final version. 

[Ponyfan]

I've also heard that the mystery rainbow pony is supposed to be First Born.  I wonder if there was going to be animated special for the rainbow ponies because some copies of the My Little Pony VHS had animated Rainbow Ponies shown as an additional trailer but some of the footage ended up in the rainbow pony commercial.

Ponyfan

[Taffeta]

Of course, I can't say what the logic was in the UK or Euro lines, where some babies were sold even though their parents weren't.

There is no logic. Simple
Though I still genuinely believe we were going to get Ribbon. I don't know quite why we didn't, but she's mentioned specifically by name and species on the back of Megan and Sundance's 1986 box, and she appears all over the club material for 1987. That's significant because the material is decorated with Movie Star ponies, all of whom were sold here - except Ribbon. The one that is missing on the club material is Gusty, and I think they did a late switch. Maybe they did it because Gusty is more movie prominent. But Ribbon was in our comics and factfile, and Baby Ribbon was therefore a logical choice. We SHOULD have had Baby Shady instead, as we had Shady, and there's really no logic to 2 baby unicorns if we weren't getting any in the original set (which we didn't). I think Ribbon MUST have been on the cards here. But Gusty's movie role kicked her off the page and Gusty got the green light.

...Then again, we had Baby Gusty too, so meh, who knows? I return to my original statement. No logic exists here. Lofty was also used in our comics, fact file, etc - but I can't find the same paper trail as with Ribbon. I do wonder if it was originally to be a larger set, because North Star and Lofty are pose pals, and Ribbon and Buttons are pose pals (hence why Ribbon not Gusty makes sense). And as for Wind Whistler? Well, we should have had Paradise with the Estate, so there's her pose pal.

(I genuinely believe Paradise didn't happen here because we didn't get our own PE release here, we had US ones instead. Never yet seen one here with a box that was different from the US, and since the US already had Paradise, we didn't get her. Yay Hasbro).

Of course, this doesn't explain why Magic Star changed poses completely, or why she and Shady are not pose pals. It would've made sense, given the above, for Magic Star to be made in Shady's pose to match, since Shady is largely unchanged.

I always heard that the rainbow pony was First Born, too. I've never looked to check, but that has been a theory circulating for a very long time.

[Lilja]

There is no logic. Simple

Haha, yeah. There probably was a logic behind the decisions initially, but miscommunication and changed plans led to what we actually got. It's fun to try and deduce what the initial plans might have been. I kind of like that there are no shared poses in the movie star set, and that everyone is unique (only within their own set of course, but still). The rearing pose was probably seen as unconventional and the extra cost of manufacturing stands for them might have led to Magic Star's pose change.

The unicorn/pegasus set that was distributed by Hasbro UK in Europe but not actually sold in the UK included Heart Throb and Gusty. If Ribbon was going to be in the movie star set instead of Gusty, and the unicorn/pegasus set was also meant for UK release, then all Play and Care babies would have had their mothers released in the UK. So probably thanks to Hasbro UK's muddling, we got a double release of Gusty in continental Europe, but no Ribbon! 

As an aside I had that pamphlet that showed Paradise with the PE as a child, so I always believed she came with it until I got on the internet in the late '90s. And was quite confused, because I first got introduced to the US line, and it didn't line up with my own memories.

A while ago on another board (maybe the TP, if someone wants to check?) someone had a product catalog of the porcelain ponies Extra Special made, and the First Born porcelain matched the mystery rainbow pony.  The porcelain's hair colors and symbol were eventually altered before release so that she looks the way First Born looks today.  In the prototype image, the porcelain's symbol went over just the rump instead of the entirety of the back like it does in the final version. 

I hope someone can find this picture.

[Carrehz]

A while ago on another board (maybe the TP, if someone wants to check?) someone had a product catalog of the porcelain ponies Extra Special made, and the First Born porcelain matched the mystery rainbow pony.  The porcelain's hair colors and symbol were eventually altered before release so that she looks the way First Born looks today.  In the prototype image, the porcelain's symbol went over just the rump instead of the entirety of the back like it does in the final version. 

I hope someone can find this picture.

I think that was Wildshadow's photo?

[LadyMoondancer]

First Born does bear a striking resemblance to the Mystery Rainbow Pony.  I think it's a coincidence, though.  It's a pretty generic design.

Also RaMC was in Year 2, while the porcelains were released in Year 3 as far as I know.  (They are mostly Year 3 ponies, or Year 2 ponies who were carried over to Year 3 like Glory and Moondancer.)  I find it unlikely that Hasbro would send the porcelain company information on a pony they maybe thought about in Year 2, but scrapped.

I think it's more likely, like ValeofSpring said, that Hasbro told the RaMC crew "there are going to be rainbow ponies" but didn't give them designs, so the crew cobbled together a placeholder rainbow pony.