MLP ' n Friends - two (or three) intro songs?

[LadyMoondancer]

Hey guys,

So I know that MLP 'n Friends originally aired with two segments, one being a MLP segment and other being a different Hasbro property (Moondreamers, Potato Head Kids, or Glo Friends.)

I'm trying to figure out how the theme songs fit into this.

Here's the MLP 'n Friends theme song with the usual MLP jingle ("My Little Pony, My Little Pony, what will today's adventure be"):

>>>LINK<<<


And HERE's a song featuring MLP + a "friend" (in this case Moondreamers, but there were also versions with video clips of Potato Head Kids or Glo Friends) that starts "Come to where the magic is...":

>>>LINK<<<

Then on top of that Potato Head Kids, Moondreamers, and Glo Friends had their own theme songs.  Here's the Potato Head Kids one:

>>>LINK<<<

So, did each 30 minute episode have three theme songs?  Like, the "Come to where the magic is" one to start with, the "My Little Pony, My Little Pony" one before the MLP segment, and the Potato/Moondreamer/Glo specific one in front of the "Friend" segment?  Does anyone know?

[Carrehz]

I have ALWAYS wondered this!! Stalking thread for an answer

Semi-related but I wish the DVDs had the "Come to where the magic is" theme on them! It's so cute but so hard to find a good quality version of it

[Ponyfan]

I have vague memories of watching MLP n Friends.  I remember being disappointed when Potato Head Kids came on and seeing parts of "The End of Flutter Valley" before it aired on Disney channel.  That being said I don't remember anything about which theme song was used when. 

When I looked up Moondreamers on Youtube all of them started with "You're not Dreaming, it's the Moondreamers."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ell42ur0kg0


I just looked up Glo friends and they have the Glo Friends theme in front of them, so I guess all of the Friends segments contained their specific theme song.  I don't know about the MLP episodes though. Do any of the original episodes before they went to Disney Channel still exist (the ones that said "Last time on My Little Pony...")?

 I also found this interesting ad for the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdZ4PTtTuos


Ponyfan

[brightberry]

I remember the "Overall Theme" for whichever friend would also join them.  Then, I believe they would do:

Commercial
My Little Pony theme song
My Little Pony Episode
Commercial
Potato Head or Moon Dreamers or Glow Friend Theme Song
Potato Head or Moon Dreamers or Glow Friend episode

Oh, and if they were doing RAMC or Escape from Catrina, they did those theme songs too.


I remember this because I was recording the My Little Pony songs on a walkman sized recorder and had to time everything perfectly.     

But, it's possible other stations did things differently.  I didn't have the Disney Channel.  I know Transformers got edited in weird ways as time went on. 

[Taffeta]

When I saw the title, the ones that immediately came into my head were the mlp, mlp, what'll today's adventure be? version and the one which in my head is always 'follow follow, mlp, mlp and friends' - which I think is the come to where the magic is version? My memory is potato head kids spliced in but it might have been something else. It's been a really long time xD.

I remember both themes from the VHS here but I don't think on DVD. I'm not sure about a third one, though, since MLP was released in such a funny way in the UK. I am 99% sure we did not have MLP air in the segments you mention, only on VHS - though there are a couple of VHS with mixed eps on and I don't recall whether those themes might have appeared on those.

I'm not sure if I recall having multiple versions of the follow, follow theme with with moondreamers, potatoheads, etc. I only remember one which was interspersed with some other characters. I wish I could recall what was on my childhood vhs now xD.

The only thing I can remember is the commercial roll on a lot of those VHS which spliced together clips of all the shows available in that VHS series. I remember in that there was the 'you're not dreaming, it's the moondreamers' theme, MLP , Jem (the pictures were from Abracadabra's music video but the theme was Jem Girl I think), , and a bunch of others. Transformers. Carebears, too...? It's been a long time.

I just youtubed a bit and I think I found the thing I mean:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an2eJTY3xhQ

MLP at 2.10. THe animation is entirely from Sweet Stuff & the Treasure Hunt (be glad you are who you are, I think?) but the music is instrumental. This version doesn't have moondreamers in, though, so I'm not sure why I know/remember that theme. Maybe there are slightly different reels.

Obv the feature length things, Tales and Catrina had their own stuff, but those don't count in this I assume.

[Carrehz]

Oh, and if they were doing RAMC or Escape from Catrina, they did those theme songs too.

So you could potentially hear three MLP theme songs? :o

I think I remember hearing the Disney Channel airings used the Tales theme song for everything? I definitely remember reading that they showed both Tales and the original cartoon.

Do any of the original episodes before they went to Disney Channel still exist (the ones that said "Last time on My Little Pony...")?

The original recap bumpers do still exist I've seen them online before. I think they were released on an Australian DVD set?
I think the only thing that definitely seems to be lost (apart from a low-quality audio recording) is the "Hurry" song from Glass Princess.

[LadyMoondancer]

I remember the "Overall Theme" for whichever friend would also join them.  Then, I believe they would do:

Commercial
My Little Pony theme song
My Little Pony Episode
Commercial
Potato Head or Moon Dreamers or Glow Friend Theme Song
Potato Head or Moon Dreamers or Glow Friend episode

Oh, and if they were doing RAMC or Escape from Catrina, they did those theme songs too.

Yessss, this is exactly the info I was looking for!  Thank you!

I remember both themes from the VHS here but I don't think on DVD. I'm not sure about a third one, though, since MLP was released in such a funny way in the UK. I am 99% sure we did not have MLP air in the segments you mention, only on VHS - though there are a couple of VHS with mixed eps on and I don't recall whether those themes might have appeared on those.

Interesting! When Golden Films released MLP VHS tapes in the US, they didn't include the Friends segments either.  If it was a multi-part episode they would play every segment in a row, then have one credits scroll for all of them.

Did Tales get a TV release in the UK, or only VHS?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an2eJTY3xhQ

MLP at 2.10. THe animation is entirely from Sweet Stuff & the Treasure Hunt (be glad you are who you are, I think?) but the music is instrumental. This version doesn't have moondreamers in, though, so I'm not sure why I know/remember that theme. Maybe there are slightly different reels.

Wow, great find!!  I recognize the music, I think it's the instrumental from the end credits!

I have vague memories of watching MLP n Friends.  I remember being disappointed when Potato Head Kids came on and seeing parts of "The End of Flutter Valley" before it aired on Disney channel.

Yeah, the Potato Head segments are . . . not great.    WOW, thank for the ad link, I've never seen that before!

I think I remember hearing the Disney Channel airings used the Tales theme song for everything? I definitely remember reading that they showed both Tales and the original cartoon.

That rings a bell!  Back in the day I bought a home-ripped copy of MLP 'n Friends from Kim Shriner and I think one of the episodes had the MLP Tales theme song, and then it just goes into a MLP 'n Friends episode.

[Taffeta]

All the MLP episodes were aired on Sky 1 (I think it was Sky 1, I know Jem was UK Gold though, maybe it was also Gold) in 1995. We didn't have cable then but one of my sister's friends did and they taped them, then lent us the vhs. It went from RaMC to the end of tales, not necessarily in order.  I think they were aired in slots of 2 episodes at a time. If it was a multipart episode, those were mostly kept together. Bear in mind I didn't ever see the actual broadcast, so this is my judging from the vhs we borrowed. That's my impression though, from what I remember.

The only one I don't remember ever seeing was the one that's also not found on UK vhs, but I don't remember what it's called (one of the later ones, I think the one you like to rip to shreds, LM xD)

The tales eps definitely had the tales theme then, I am not 100% on which themes the other eps had though.

Otherwise I don't believe MLP aired in TV in the UK. I have been told that RaMC did air at some point in the very distant past. I think MLP the Movie might have aired at Christmas at some point but if it did, I don't remember it - it's just the kind of thing that would have been aired at Christmas in the eighties/nineties.

MLP Tales definitely did NOT air on TV in the UK until that cable broadcast in 1995, to the best of my knowledge.

I watched a lot of well-known 1980s tv shows as a kid - Transformers, Heman, Shera, Thundercats...but I never saw MLP on TV as a kid :/ I really don't think it aired.

I had a VHS when I was maybe 7 (?) with Ice Cream Wars and Revolt of PE on. I had a second VHS at the age of around 9, which I bought from Woolworths, with Sweet Stuff & the Treasure Hunt and the Wouldbe DragonSlayer on. The reel I linked from YT was on the second one.

There were a lot of MLP VHS releases here though. All the eps bar the one I mentioned above, as far as I know, and some on several different releases. We carboot collected them all through the 1990s. I know one had a commercial on it for the hair salon...so that must've been a late 1980s one.

I asked Mum and she thinks I might have watched Moondreamers as a kid also, because she remembers the theme as well. But it might be in advertising on the first VHS I had, which we both watched a lot. I just can't remember and atm don't have a working vhs player to do any tests.

[Ponyfan]

Disney Channel did use the Tales opening for all of the MLP episodes whether it was Tales or MLP n Friends.  I remember expecting Tales because of the theme song and being disappointed when it was MLP n Friends episodes instead.

I'm not sure but I think the order on Disney was MLP n Friends ending with Rescue at Midnight Castle and Escape from Catrina episodes and then Tales.  I remember watching Midnight Castle and always being disappointed that "A Little Piece of Rainbow" was missing every time.

I don't remember watching Moondreamers or Glo Friends on MLP n Friends.  For some reason Potato Head Kids sticks in my mind and I said something like "It's Potato Head Kids again."

Wasn't there a set of Potato Head Kids Happy Meal toys? Were there fast food promotions for Glo Friends or Moondreamers?



@Taffeta that promo video is really interesting.


I'm glad that the recap bumpers still exist.  I have the feeling that Sunbow/Hasbro didn't take very good care of their animated shows and that's why things like "Hurry" have been lost.


Ponyfan   

[Carrehz]

Wow, great find!!  I recognize the music, I think it's the instrumental from the end credits!

Yup Although to complicate things... there were actually three versions of the credits! As far as I know, anyway.. Shout Factory's release has three different credits variants, anyway. Different animation + two different ending themes.

I've been wondering if the credits varied depending on which segment was paired w/ MLP for that episode...

These are the credits I've seen:

Credits 1 - Rescue at Midnight Castle animation, music is an instrumental of the MLP theme (My Little Pony, My Little Pony, what will today's adventure be, etc)

Credits 2 - first part of the animation is from... an MLP ep, I don't recognize it. Second half of the animation is the Catrina credits animation (!). Music is the And Friends theme (Follow follow My Little Pony, My Little Pony and Friends)
This one includes in the credits "POTATO HEAD KIDS Main Title Created by..."

Credits 3 - First half is RaMC clips, second is random episode clips, music is the Follow Follow theme
One credit is "MY LITTLE PONY and THE GLOFRIENDS Main Title Created By..."

The first version of the credits doesn't mention any other show in the credits... Which makes me wonder if the eps that included a Potato Head Kids segment would use the second credits, a Glofriends ep would use the third credits, etc... and if that's the case, then maybe there's a fourth missing version of the credits that went with Moondreamers eps...?

Possibly relevant, Shout Factory's release at least uses the first version of the credits for all eps except "Woe Is Me" (which uses the second/Potato Head Kids credits), and "Fugitive Flowers" and "The Magic Coins" use the third variant (Glofriends).