Prototype furbob toys? Edit: And Flutter Pony Hideaway??

[Dragonflitter]

WOW! I've been a G1 collector since the 80's (well, kid-lover-of-ponies and now adult collector ) and I had no idea any of that existed! That is so cool! Thanks for sharing the pics!

[Broken Irishwoman]

And just when you think you know everything about G1... Some cool surprise shows up again. Always.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Just amazing!  What a gorgeous set, and what truly breath-taking artwork from a very talented artist!

[scarletjul]

Aw!  I so want furbobs and a flutter pony hideaway!  So cute!  I wish they'd gone into actual production.  I wonder why they didn't.   

[MoondancerMilkyWay]

Something about "how many is too many play sets?"

[Firehooves]

Huh, the flutter pony hideaway resembles those flutter valley little tree houses they had in MLP the movie; which kinda makes sense, if you think about it.

But Okay, I HAVE to use the flutterpony hideaway in my mlp stories now!

[sparkykandy]

It's really cool to see the concept art and prototypes of what could have been.  I am mildly intrigued by the yarn ponies though.  Would they have been made out of actual yarn?  It kind of looks like it based off the description, but I can't tell if they would have been patterns/kits, so people could make their own yarn ponies. 

[otocolobus_manul]

I'm very interested in what looks like a beach themed gift pack, and the 2 sets of ponies with blazes and other spots. I wonder what those would have been like, and why they weren't made?

[BlushingBlue]

It's really cool to see the concept art and prototypes of what could have been.  I am mildly intrigued by the yarn ponies though.  Would they have been made out of actual yarn?  It kind of looks like it based off the description, but I can't tell if they would have been patterns/kits, so people could make their own yarn ponies.

The manes and tails would have been actual yarn, but the bodies would have been just sculpted to look like it.

I'm very interested in what looks like a beach themed gift pack, and the 2 sets of ponies with blazes and other spots. I wonder what those would have been like, and why they weren't made?

The gift pack was picnic themed. There was a picnic table with an umbrella, a blanket, a picnic basket, and various little picnic-y bits and bobs. Like the birthday party and slumber party packs before it, it would've had an assortment of five ponies in the current styles for the year. It looked to me like the concept showed a TAF pony, a big brother pony, peek-a-boo baby twins(?), and a newborn. (Ruth could neither confirm or deny at the time; it had been decades, after all! )

The five ponies with the colorful markings were called something like quilt ponies or patchwork ponies or something to do with sewing. I'm afraid I can't quite remember what. Their concept drawings were in the gallery space, but weren't available for photographs. Their blazes and stockings were all painted in cute little fabric patterns. (The fabric prints reminded me of the Fancy Pants babies'... um, pants.) It was neat to see more "horsey" markings on ponies again!

As to why they didn't make it into production... Ruth said that there was an economic downturn in 1987 that caused Hasbro to cut back on its planned offerings. People didn't have as much money to spend on frivolous things, so Hasbro didn't want to put out a lot of big-ticket items like play sets and party packs. And the patches ponies could've just been an idea that didn't pan out for one reason or another... Maybe they were too expensive to produce or didn't test well. Maybe management just didn't think they were a good fit for the line. (I like to think that they could've been an inspiration for the Fancy Pants babies though. The Fancy Patch Mommies?)

[ponyqueen]

It's really cool to see the concept art and prototypes of what could have been.  I am mildly intrigued by the yarn ponies though.  Would they have been made out of actual yarn?  It kind of looks like it based off the description, but I can't tell if they would have been patterns/kits, so people could make their own yarn ponies.

Maybe they'ed look like lala loopsy?

[Lilja]

This all looks like such a treasure trove! I hope someday all of these photos, concepts and information can be released to the general public, like in a book or something.

The furbobs would have been cool to see released. I love seeing elements of the cartoon incorporated in the toyline. Unless they were originally created with the intention of releasing toys of them, but if they were intended to go with the second set of princess ponies, that would have been two years after their episode originally aired. And by then all of the characters from the TV show would be gone from the shelves. Then again, at that point there might have been plans to continue the tv series, and we would have gotten an episode with the second set princesses along with the furbobs.

[ruthbush]

after reading all these comments about the flutter pony hideaway and the furbobs, I just want to say thanks for appreciating the effort that went into these, even if they werent produced....It was a most fun time for me and its nice to know there are pony fans out there...

[ponyqueen]

after reading all these comments about the flutter pony hideaway and the furbobs, I just want to say thanks for appreciating the effort that went into these, even if they werent produced....It was a most fun time for me and its nice to know there are pony fans out there...

Hi Ruth Bush! Welcome to the Arena!

[ButtercreamDream]

THIS THREAD IS SO AWESOME!  Ahem, I had no idea any of this existed!  I want that playset!!!  The presentation must have been amazing!!

[Leave a Whisper]

after reading all these comments about the flutter pony hideaway and the furbobs, I just want to say thanks for appreciating the effort that went into these, even if they werent produced....It was a most fun time for me and its nice to know there are pony fans out there...

Wow! Hi Ruth Bush! Those designs were great! Welcome to the Arena.