tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18311879404971369872024-02-20T10:30:15.688-08:00MLP-HistoryHistory of My Little Pony Franchise.
This blog is to educate the new fans of MLP FIM about the original My Little Pony and explain the mane six origins as well since not many of them know about previous generations or that it's been out for thirty years.
This will explain who is the original creator of MLP franchise before Lauren Faust came along as well as discussing the similar plots from other generations.WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-33914055213697045472012-05-23T21:35:00.002-07:002012-05-23T21:35:42.537-07:00Lesson 10: My Little Pony G3's Animated FeaturesPrevious Lesson: <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-9-my-little-pony-g3-toy-line.html">Lesson 9: My Little Pony G3, toy line</a>.<br />
<br />
<em>My Little
Pony</em> G3 is a series of Direct-to-DVD
movies, specials, and shorts released throughout the turn
of the millenium. There were eleven of them in all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Catch you are the jump<br />
<br />
Complete List: (starting with 8, the episode focused on the Core Seven)<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><i>A Charming Birthday</i> (2003)</li>
<li><i>Dancing in the Clouds</i> (2004) </li>
<li><i>Friends Are Never Far Away</i> (2005) </li>
<li><i>My Little Pony: A Very Minty Christmas</i> (October 25, 2005)</li>
<li><i>My Little Pony: The Princess Promenade</i> (February 7, 2006)</li>
<li><i>My Little Pony Crystal Princess: The Runaway Rainbow</i> (September 12, 2006)</li>
<li><i>My Little Pony: A Very Pony Place</i> (February 6, 2007)</li>
<li><i>My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie's Special Day</i> (2008)</li>
<li><i>My Little Pony: Meet the Ponies</i> (2008)</li>
<li><i>My Little Pony: Starsong and the Magic Dance Shoes</i> (2008)</li>
<li><i>My Little Pony: Rainbow Dash's Special Day</i> (2009)</li>
</ol>
<br />
Somewhat akin to My
Little Pony Tales, these stories tended to be about friendship and baking
cakes. In general, <em>My Little Pony G3</em> is the third most popular of all
the incarnations of My Little
Pony on its target demographic of girls, at least in terms of the cartoons
adapted from them. <em>G3.5</em> suffered a bit of a backlash due to the
designs, but both series have their fans.<br />
<br />
The series featured Spike, as did the toy line.<br />
<br />
In all, there's really not much to say about this series. In every episode, the ponies would dance and skip their way through their plotless and antagonist-less world, baking cakes, readying surprise birthday parties for the wrong pony, and so forth. The animation was decent, and was on-model, to a fault. However, to older fans who're looking for some kind of conflict or adventure, prepare to be bored out of your mind.<br />
<br />
However, the worse was yet to come, which I'll get to soon enough, but for now...<br />
<br />
Next Lesson: <em>My Little Pony G3.5, the toy line</em>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-90831492560944403242012-05-23T21:11:00.001-07:002012-05-23T21:37:49.507-07:00Lesson 9: My Little Pony G3, toy linePrevious Lesson: <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-8-my-little-pony-g2s-pc-raising.html">Lesson 8: My Little Pony G2'a PC Raising Sim Game: Friendship Gardens</a>.<br />
<br />
<em>MLP G3</em> began in 2003, and much like previous gens, Hasbro only released Earth Ponies early on, later adding pegasi and unicorns by 2006. The line lasted for 6 years, ending in 2009, at which point G3.5 began. The toy line was the second incarnation to set the ponies in <em>Ponyvile </em>(the first being <em><a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-6-my-little-pony-g15s-animated.html">My Little Pony Tales</a></em>), which was also home to Celebration Castle.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wDCxH04zYIuVmhsdpbE5olk9IUOsUTMByRekWFUhiAPjzqUa4VbkFOqj4vG4wHagrnlaxFvt60CcLaTpoTZV4nFz_bzk3ViFvdjTD66660oGXKXbm3OILQ0Zva1TGIRm_cscs6XfmR0f/s1600/2003_CelebrationCastle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wDCxH04zYIuVmhsdpbE5olk9IUOsUTMByRekWFUhiAPjzqUa4VbkFOqj4vG4wHagrnlaxFvt60CcLaTpoTZV4nFz_bzk3ViFvdjTD66660oGXKXbm3OILQ0Zva1TGIRm_cscs6XfmR0f/s400/2003_CelebrationCastle.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured Above:<br />
Celebration Castle, the playset that made Dream Castle look freaking butch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white;"></span>G3 was known for having a wide variety of poses and outfits, but gone were the more elaborate accessories that came with G2 ponies. It was back to just a brush for these fillies. G3 is also notable for coining the term "cutie marks", which would be touched on more extensively in the G4 cartoon.<br />
Earyl G3 ponies had a nagnet in one of their hooves, which would activity different playset items. WARNING: The magnets were very powerful and would damage electrical equipment if exposure was prolonged.<br />
<br />
This toy line was given a worldwide release, and this time is stuck due to better sales within the U.S. and Canada, likely due to G3 ponies more resembling the original first generation ones.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Hfv9BsZD4wseeej02R2OCCSLtV5-9AZmfhmZY-Q_OvtUYbQTcFrOGCTedCHEBsatq0yYqaHihgWcX39QubPwEOdI9S-x02TWg5rTxO4PwPxDxrBci7cEZBdtuRAjPTV_-e4QgnckNQ32/s1600/G1+and+G3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Hfv9BsZD4wseeej02R2OCCSLtV5-9AZmfhmZY-Q_OvtUYbQTcFrOGCTedCHEBsatq0yYqaHihgWcX39QubPwEOdI9S-x02TWg5rTxO4PwPxDxrBci7cEZBdtuRAjPTV_-e4QgnckNQ32/s640/G1+and+G3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Oddly, there was some inverse effect in action, as there were a few ponies not available outside of the U.S., including: Winter Snow, along with some small fairy-ish ponies that first appeared in <em>The Princess Promenade</em>, which were called Breezies. There was also a version of Pinkie Pie that was supposed to be limited edition only that had packeted and put on shelves with other ponies by mistake. Whoops. There were only about 300 of this model of Pinkie made. It had the words "2003 Licensing Show" embedded into her cutie mark. <br />
<br />
Hasbro caught onto the fact that it had older fans who collected the G1 Ponies in their youths, so they released a special collector's line that were a bit different from the rest of G3. Thus began the annual My Little pony Collector's Convention and the San Diego Comic Con. Some of these were put into general release as "Art Ponies". These models of the toys were given elaborate designs with various themed imagery printed all over its body. They'd also have matching box part.<br />
Despite the G3 line having ended, Hasbro continues to make "Art Ponies" to this toy.<br />
<br />
G3 also had <em>Ponyville figurines</em>, which were solid plastic and smaller than the rest of the line.<br />
<br />
<br />
<dt><strong>Core 7:</strong> In 2009 Hasbro redesigned and narrowed the scope of the My Little Pony characters to seven main characters: Cheerilee, Toola-Roola, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Starsong. The ponies' bodies were shrunk, their heads were larger and their eyes took on a more innocent, childlike appearance. The hair styles of these ponies were also changed, and many relationships were altered in an effort to give the ponies more personality. For example, Cheerilee became Scootaloo's older sister.</dt>
<br />
In all, the toys are considered to be a solid addition to the franchise by fans.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Complete List of G3 Ponies</u>:</span></strong><br />
<br />
Ponies came in the following models: Glitter Ponis, Rainbow maned Ponies, Seasonal Celebration ponies (released at the appropriate time of year), <br />
<br />
<strong>Earth Ponies:</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTP3pSfjyMgi0GB_oXBb4EGXy5-8Z7dPF4Kk45NWwlAiOzXpGMGqL3ZaO1JrcavHutfogd9UtfDAFWSKzCeZbBuYD2OolcnDyw4BQHj68P6JXkzGaP-OxkgkYXaCbmvd6KQatT0btmLYwz/s1600/Kimono_400_L_hasbro.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTP3pSfjyMgi0GB_oXBb4EGXy5-8Z7dPF4Kk45NWwlAiOzXpGMGqL3ZaO1JrcavHutfogd9UtfDAFWSKzCeZbBuYD2OolcnDyw4BQHj68P6JXkzGaP-OxkgkYXaCbmvd6KQatT0btmLYwz/s320/Kimono_400_L_hasbro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<strong>Pegasi:</strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTXEr5ZYNBpQ_VwgJkV4eey6EFUElldhowQ9_zxBet_dq8vf9Qyz27YWdJW9uexy3nkZlZbi8VcG7d-Tmfl-zRzB6qkKB7AM1Jvn1gQYgCMvU8qSuGIMVVvezDC6geVOrWexjsiVSYW5X/s1600/CloudClimber_300_L_spoosh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTXEr5ZYNBpQ_VwgJkV4eey6EFUElldhowQ9_zxBet_dq8vf9Qyz27YWdJW9uexy3nkZlZbi8VcG7d-Tmfl-zRzB6qkKB7AM1Jvn1gQYgCMvU8qSuGIMVVvezDC6geVOrWexjsiVSYW5X/s1600/CloudClimber_300_L_spoosh.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong>Unicorn:</strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7fEgHCGQDTZ65hsy7IXZC0uRI1Yb104HbDwBZCFWatBO6aRSdOCMt6piFWVEHyoBQJyDk8lunNr8a20jTvT9ZNCd7o5A50__v4Hccc3q75anbUR_ssatKk7pJ75mYrvOQmep3JQD6jM-/s1600/GardenWishes_130_L_spoosh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7fEgHCGQDTZ65hsy7IXZC0uRI1Yb104HbDwBZCFWatBO6aRSdOCMt6piFWVEHyoBQJyDk8lunNr8a20jTvT9ZNCd7o5A50__v4Hccc3q75anbUR_ssatKk7pJ75mYrvOQmep3JQD6jM-/s1600/GardenWishes_130_L_spoosh.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Reoocurring Ponies</u>:</span></strong><br />
<br />
Now, you might recognize a few faces from a later Gen here.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lGhl9O3xWYrGekMqiiRZFWwQJX9S6_RafFr9cpNMIuJlAuMkJVGxQjDmbVOlBVfAlWgMMSofV2Bs4WgBr6lTu7yYOyAtH6X2o5mIUPnZeCUxY7tHRKNtty4S0LDqV7qLp2BL-RXxpjB1/s1600/Fluttershy_300_L_spoosh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lGhl9O3xWYrGekMqiiRZFWwQJX9S6_RafFr9cpNMIuJlAuMkJVGxQjDmbVOlBVfAlWgMMSofV2Bs4WgBr6lTu7yYOyAtH6X2o5mIUPnZeCUxY7tHRKNtty4S0LDqV7qLp2BL-RXxpjB1/s1600/Fluttershy_300_L_spoosh.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fluttershy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i44HkeCWuKHPfyq5J8Soi6vcwGF4Yeabq8s1RmLA1TDoQP3eu56V3WX4LcgYLIrCkoTgyrqZLZ3cF03Y4VjduSz7WuwxHabwLTvxYX0i2YIRzi4Zub_2wLAPK7kRGpzmju-qmDDCe_bz/s1600/PinkiePie_300_L_mlpland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i44HkeCWuKHPfyq5J8Soi6vcwGF4Yeabq8s1RmLA1TDoQP3eu56V3WX4LcgYLIrCkoTgyrqZLZ3cF03Y4VjduSz7WuwxHabwLTvxYX0i2YIRzi4Zub_2wLAPK7kRGpzmju-qmDDCe_bz/s1600/PinkiePie_300_L_mlpland.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinkie Pie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsorI9UN7NfxjxMem44acajD3Uvjr0y9KmJTTOQL045OjAZpJFZQrfQHXfXS1vIZO1KZ9_Xm_n47UwL72h-BTBA9AnzWD1J3x3NWyXjYPstUvi7YiMbAPGUfECptqYiTuS1h_lv2QUyEu/s1600/RainbowDash_300_L_mlpland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsorI9UN7NfxjxMem44acajD3Uvjr0y9KmJTTOQL045OjAZpJFZQrfQHXfXS1vIZO1KZ9_Xm_n47UwL72h-BTBA9AnzWD1J3x3NWyXjYPstUvi7YiMbAPGUfECptqYiTuS1h_lv2QUyEu/s1600/RainbowDash_300_L_mlpland.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Dash</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtPyyohcYviwzU6Jh9hEzKlaVh7O_jKWeRPsZyOR2JoLfmJ5DA12s5Rhyphenhyphen27swNjKth0EJZDl1UYLUjA3louMkXzYw59I8P-bxts-9q2tymlsNQthOKT-EKn15lyqaBzq9D6NiihuZIp-S/s1600/Rarity3d_130_L_hasbro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtPyyohcYviwzU6Jh9hEzKlaVh7O_jKWeRPsZyOR2JoLfmJ5DA12s5Rhyphenhyphen27swNjKth0EJZDl1UYLUjA3louMkXzYw59I8P-bxts-9q2tymlsNQthOKT-EKn15lyqaBzq9D6NiihuZIp-S/s200/Rarity3d_130_L_hasbro.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rarity</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-Yf1_GyBc_KNMWnDpPmeFIddOQU5DN9nhv3dtrY3-UdJ_0-GJd4sRfG6GXuEHgC5WGnz39PlVeqPuXbWeT-wQ6JYZcDnjm0jCVKh9FOzV4mpfnSyDNcNhsh3a8JE7uicoZJPZ2_T3brM/s1600/Scootaloo_300_L_spoosh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-Yf1_GyBc_KNMWnDpPmeFIddOQU5DN9nhv3dtrY3-UdJ_0-GJd4sRfG6GXuEHgC5WGnz39PlVeqPuXbWeT-wQ6JYZcDnjm0jCVKh9FOzV4mpfnSyDNcNhsh3a8JE7uicoZJPZ2_T3brM/s1600/Scootaloo_300_L_spoosh.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken, er...Scootloo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bwxMQgKqtOZWi0PdcCLfKgN7xAjWcVgbFs8jYds2uvdSkaDUdZm_mynS_AsfclGiP1giGiESuRPLTJFn9NFHkxX4TSRHeiTztHDYQKnav7_n6ETE2cZ0mN6V-yAMDTXAnhqCQft7v_LC/s1600/Cheerilee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bwxMQgKqtOZWi0PdcCLfKgN7xAjWcVgbFs8jYds2uvdSkaDUdZm_mynS_AsfclGiP1giGiESuRPLTJFn9NFHkxX4TSRHeiTztHDYQKnav7_n6ETE2cZ0mN6V-yAMDTXAnhqCQft7v_LC/s1600/Cheerilee.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheerilee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CwJxmKGQBTAFibJopxKZctwZZNX-dOeSxBOZRMX2uO_0AMR0wBpWYzDYBLvDUmvCqXEfsrJY96traqH7umc1IxgbRDRQazvGxEoRSQG8eb_lFi7lpIen0dDYVT0BRpTgKVBhAgDVGI9K/s1600/125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CwJxmKGQBTAFibJopxKZctwZZNX-dOeSxBOZRMX2uO_0AMR0wBpWYzDYBLvDUmvCqXEfsrJY96traqH7umc1IxgbRDRQazvGxEoRSQG8eb_lFi7lpIen0dDYVT0BRpTgKVBhAgDVGI9K/s400/125.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweetie Belle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Yep, that's right. <em>Several </em>characters that would appear in the G4 toy line and TV show premiered in G3 on top of the many concepts that came from the G1 cartoons. <br />
<br />
Next Lesson: <em><a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-10-my-little-pony-g3s-animated.html">My Little Pony G3's Animated Features</a></em>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-83269838339902786382012-05-23T19:51:00.001-07:002012-05-23T21:12:51.311-07:00Lesson 8: My Little Pony G2's PC Raising Sim Game: Friendship GardensPrevious Lesson: <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-7-my-little-pony-g2-toy-line.html">Lesson 7: My Little Pony G2, toy line</a>.<br />
<br />
<em>My Little Pony: Friendship Gardens</em> is a video game for the PC in Europe.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpUPdw5DVHdMbAFkCFt6MRsqXsaeuApXdoeaqKHlRrDTjDF31sJ1yYzZxW07D6-EEwuC9kR67wO5bBVxu-nP-J5PQgan0I4QGwUa4DJA21D-Nc8PnTax_asH_nBTcluc1Gz8N93uU8Ycq/s1600/Mlp-cdrom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpUPdw5DVHdMbAFkCFt6MRsqXsaeuApXdoeaqKHlRrDTjDF31sJ1yYzZxW07D6-EEwuC9kR67wO5bBVxu-nP-J5PQgan0I4QGwUa4DJA21D-Nc8PnTax_asH_nBTcluc1Gz8N93uU8Ycq/s400/Mlp-cdrom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It was released during the Generation 2 era (1997-2003), it's a Raising Sim
game—you raise and care for your own Little Pony.<br />
<br />
Not to be confused with <em>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</em>, which is the G4 cartoon.<br />
<br />
More after the jump!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Gameplay is divided between
the farm, where you care for your pony, and Pony Village, where you can play
games. Along the way, you can teach her to jump fences, play games with other
Ponies, and eventually cross the rainbow to Ponyland once she has grown up. But don't let her rainbow
fade away!
<br />
<br />
This game is also notable for featuring the Gen 2 ponies and giving them
personalities (since G2 is the only one to never get any cartoons based on it). Sundance is an explorer, Morning Glory likes games, Sweet Berry
likes to bake, Ivy's a glamour girl, Morning Glory is a stoic, and Lightheart likes playing jokes.
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You start the game by creating your own pony, via character customization, in which you can change your pony's fur, tail, and mane colors (though you could dress NPC character Ivy in different clothes). From there, you're guided through the steps of each activity and game by a butterfly ala Navi the Fairy(and also just Navi, the Butterfly's explanations can grow tedious, but you can just click on her to make her stop). <br />
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A complete walkthrough of the game by a British gamer called Capnbritish can be <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59JjCCyeo80">viewed here</a>:<br />
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Next Lesson: <em><a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-9-my-little-pony-g3-toy-line.html">MPL G3, toy line</a></em>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-59380879613630447622012-05-23T19:21:00.002-07:002012-05-23T19:53:53.353-07:00Lesson 7: My Little Pony G2, toy line.<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Previous Lesson: <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-6-my-little-pony-g15s-animated.html">Lesson 6: My Little Pony G1.5's Animated Feature: My Little Pony Tales</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">My Little Pony G2 was first released in late 1997. It ran up until 2003 when it ended and G3 began. G2 was released worldwide initially, but it was
discontinued after about two years in the U.S. and Canada
due to poor sales. The toy line would live on in Europe, where it was actually quite popular. Despite this, G2 managed to design and develop a whooping 200 different models of pony in the seven years it ran.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">They also had other merchandise, such as bean chairs and other things.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The setting for G2, in the U.S., was called <em>Friendship Gardens,</em> but retained it's previous name, <em>Ponyland</em>, overseas, for reasons I don't think even Hasbro understands.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Get more details after the jump.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The reason for it's failure in the U.S. is partially due to the G2 ponies having a vastly different design than the originals. The other might be that MLP hadn't been in the limelight for years over here.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQeoAEGzFIMPklBdJmjMIAe2950w44hgKycTQVwvdKVaFhd8qo5UOMU6upnrtbI09DRflIoaNwmeLx0g4XlTfbewLDOPx7esZHg8mrStFABVGTNjtg8iT2c4cJV8cVJc7vfAK6s7TnqHmP/s1600/G1+and+G2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQeoAEGzFIMPklBdJmjMIAe2950w44hgKycTQVwvdKVaFhd8qo5UOMU6upnrtbI09DRflIoaNwmeLx0g4XlTfbewLDOPx7esZHg8mrStFABVGTNjtg8iT2c4cJV8cVJc7vfAK6s7TnqHmP/s640/G1+and+G2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your milage WILL vary</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">They weren't as big, they were skinnier, their heads could be moved, they had a little gem in their eyes, and they each came with a set of accessories just for them instead of just a comb and ribbons like the originals.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><em>Secret Surprise Ponies</em> was the standard set that they came in.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Ncdwi4F3zIW-lWd-mX-YNRtEvMgmjc9jhYHLl3yMhVdrwJTHs5gHHlJ69JbXIPw7vzXrWOMWPiBR4Lu_wxOD2czwsJ24v9H6ivKsYixJBU28qECj8MTHG3Ye6XVBcLwdvcnGr1QDxyR9/s1600/G2+Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Ncdwi4F3zIW-lWd-mX-YNRtEvMgmjc9jhYHLl3yMhVdrwJTHs5gHHlJ69JbXIPw7vzXrWOMWPiBR4Lu_wxOD2czwsJ24v9H6ivKsYixJBU28qECj8MTHG3Ye6XVBcLwdvcnGr1QDxyR9/s640/G2+Set.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">They'd get a few new ponies and accessories each year.
</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Then came the <em>Magic Motion Ponies</em>, which came with a wide variety of accessories and had movable limbs. These equines came with a wole little closet of jewellery or a tea party table. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">G2 also had it's own set of <em>Princess Ponies</em>, thought they were called <em>Royal</em> <em>Ponies</em>, instead.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Like previous Gens, larger playsets seen arrived, such as the mansion near the tale end of the line, or <em>Sweetberry's Kitchen</em>. Most of them came witha pony included, excepting only the garden playset.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"> And yes, there were also <em>Baby Ponies, </em>which came with a nursery.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-GB"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Complete List of G2 Ponies</u>:</span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-GB"><strong>G2 Earth Pony:</strong></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOJJCcEH5tcWRWgyx0d8xveDmwtlL43KQaDOhjQjZm5DxSFfl0pPpvHE_PV7Ty0pFLlcJNeWuAVrkGLCI8BxmuU44sACp-AuZjDDL1X6mKe0DMZt6ntqS3jFDLKwErd3uOF6ik5ZCryI4/s1600/G2+Pony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOJJCcEH5tcWRWgyx0d8xveDmwtlL43KQaDOhjQjZm5DxSFfl0pPpvHE_PV7Ty0pFLlcJNeWuAVrkGLCI8BxmuU44sACp-AuZjDDL1X6mKe0DMZt6ntqS3jFDLKwErd3uOF6ik5ZCryI4/s320/G2+Pony.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G2 largely didn't have unicorns, pegasi, sea ponies, or flutterponies. It was mostly just different variations of Earth Ponies with different features, called Secret Surprise Ponies, Magic Motion Ponies, Princess Ponies, Royal Lady Ponies, Ligth Up Ponies, Twins, Chaning Mane and Tail Ponies, Hobby Ponies, Fantasy Hair Ponies, Purse Ponies (?!), Musical Ponies, Magician Ponies, Wednesday Afternoon Ponies (????), New Hair Features Ponies (the hair is shiny), Dream Up Ponies, and Fantastic Job Ponies (O.o).</td></tr>
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<strong>G2 Unicorn with Magic Wings:</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzBYvsx_0ygga623Uy7ky7le5opaxoi3ycEg_JkmM9YQFJ2B-heEojoMMsDREnTu-eGenOfRF3X4dTk88Mj2o7LdH6Y5buggUmeYDdwTUNAQRbak4AvNea5g0VveICtD_A8-QS7K_KMYF/s1600/G2+Pegasus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzBYvsx_0ygga623Uy7ky7le5opaxoi3ycEg_JkmM9YQFJ2B-heEojoMMsDREnTu-eGenOfRF3X4dTk88Mj2o7LdH6Y5buggUmeYDdwTUNAQRbak4AvNea5g0VveICtD_A8-QS7K_KMYF/s640/G2+Pegasus.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-GB">In all, it wasn't a bad run. Though a largley forgotten Gen in the U.S. and Canada, that is not the case for European collectors, that's for sure.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-GB">There was a bit* of fandom rivalry between fans of G1 and G2, which resulted in a lot of mocked up images of the G2 ponies, often looking like this:</span></span></div>
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and this</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7pTHUnBsJr9JDdeJPsSS7cTJqpDa6jUOZwZ0el9li-A0h4FFscnl2aupXefyxwPeoWRXIqb5dVaJyzyKW3uZIfZ08J6GCTbL_iOwZ-zEOsvWXkHBaRM0DPQO2H0iMpZ1Nkl4rNdrL_wZ/s1600/SugarHell.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7pTHUnBsJr9JDdeJPsSS7cTJqpDa6jUOZwZ0el9li-A0h4FFscnl2aupXefyxwPeoWRXIqb5dVaJyzyKW3uZIfZ08J6GCTbL_iOwZ-zEOsvWXkHBaRM0DPQO2H0iMpZ1Nkl4rNdrL_wZ/s1600/SugarHell.gif" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-GB"><strong><u>Animated Features</u>: </strong>Unlike G1, which had two cartoons and a movie, G2 never had got one, but it did get a PC game, which will be covered in...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-GB">Next Lesson: <em><a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-8-my-little-pony-g2s-pc-raising.html">MLP G2's PC Raising Sim Game</a></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-GB">*=Understatement of the milllennium.</span></span></div>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-60184180535281878912012-05-23T18:27:00.002-07:002012-05-23T18:27:36.260-07:00Recommended Reading, part DeuxThere's a site called <a href="http://mlplexicon.proboards.com/index.cgi">My Little Pony Lexicon</a>, which while mostly dedicated to posting fanfictions, does have an interesting section, called <a href="http://mlplexicon.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=canon">Canon</a>, in which long time pony fan Lady Moondancer (and former site admin of the long passed but not forgotten site, Moondancer's Dream), posts scans of MLP coloring books, comic books, and more, that have been issued by Hasbro, for any generation.<br />
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Especially interesting are the scans of the European comic books, such as <a href="http://mlplexicon.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=canon&action=display&thread=700">Baby Ponies Comes From Mirrors.</a>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-52388971853402223882012-05-22T12:33:00.003-07:002012-05-23T18:12:02.291-07:00Minor CorrectionIt seems the original photos I had of the first six <em>Little</em> ponies ever made weren't of vintage ponies. Tulagirl, of MLP Arena, and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/07340482284898984352" rel="nofollow"><em><span style="color: #261fad;">Nonnavlis</span></em></a> were kind enough to make me aware of this, and offered up an image of the actual original ponies. These images belong to <em>Faerie-Star</em>.<br />
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These are the reissues I had images of:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYDFVOpAc4p_-IzWQSTzkLgg8bOV16ZTuWGi38wZB3QzMZcGVuJf-7W7OqaRRgG1InHoXk-nlvebdXCKFTrDad54TNtH6J47aX8Y6BJgUl9Hn73EyKA7ZOXu2c2vlRArkeq18Vr1AxDNx/s1600/G1+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYDFVOpAc4p_-IzWQSTzkLgg8bOV16ZTuWGi38wZB3QzMZcGVuJf-7W7OqaRRgG1InHoXk-nlvebdXCKFTrDad54TNtH6J47aX8Y6BJgUl9Hn73EyKA7ZOXu2c2vlRArkeq18Vr1AxDNx/s400/G1+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-51416493276681804182012-05-21T23:07:00.004-07:002012-05-21T23:07:39.655-07:00Recommended ReadingIf you want a complete rundown of G1 Pony toys, look no further than <a href="http://www.kimsites.net/dreamvalley/index.html">Dream Valley</a> - A Collector's Guide to <em>My Little Pony</em>. It also has a list of accessories and links to other useful sites. So if you're a <em>MLP</em> toy enthusiast, then that's the place for you.WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-3798511170051097662012-05-21T22:55:00.001-07:002012-05-23T18:29:27.971-07:00Lesson 6: My Little Pony G1.5's Animated Feature: My Little Pony TalesPrevious Lesson: <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-5-my-little-pony-animated.html">My Little Pony G1 Animated Features, part 3: My Little Pony 'n' Friends</a>.<br />
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Released for TV in the early ninties,
<em>My Little Pony Tales</em> is the second TV series based on the toyline by Hasbro. Unlike the previous incarnation like <em>My
Little Pony 'n' Friends</em>, which was a fantasy/adventure series, this was
decided to give the ponies a slice of life
angle, and removed most of the fantasy elements. As the result, the only breed
of pony in this series are Earth Ponies. You milage will vary on whether this
was a good thing or not. The show was set in a town named <em>Ponyville</em>
which is somewhere in Ponyland. The name of the town would later be used in G3/G3.5
and <em>Friendship
is Magic</em>.
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The show centered on seven pony girls named Starlight, Sweetheart,
Melody, Brighteyes, Patch, Clover, and Bonbon. However, the show is notable for
averted the Lady Land rule
that <em>My Little Pony</em> normally prescribes to by introducing three male
ponies: Ace, Teddy, and Lancer. The show focused on their daily lives and how
they dealt with things like stage fright, dating, personal responsibility, the
environment, pets, cultural differences, school, trust, bullies, and other
things normal kids deal with. This was the first of three attempts to make a Slice of Life
style <em>My Little
Pony</em> show. The producers did this to try to reach their core
demographic, girls, who watched the original series. They figured their original audience would be old enough by
then that these issues the show tackled would be ones they'd worry about. Depending on who
you ask, it may or may not have been a good idea.
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The series was met with mixed responses from it's viewers and only lasted
a single season as the result. Some see that as a good thing. Others think it
was Too Good to
Last. Your milage WILL vary. Much like it's predecessor, <em>My
Little Pony And Friends</em>, the series was comprised of quarter hour
shorts, but unlike before, shared it's running time with no other
properties. The series ran for twenty-six episodes told over the course of
thirteen airings in 1992.<br />
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The cast had somewhat more defined personalities than the previous show did, somewhat.<br />
For example, Starlight was the level-headed defacto leader of the group and Teddy was the jerk-with-a-heart-of-gold-misunderstood-loner. Nothing deep, though.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Reoccurring Characters and Themes</u>:</span></strong><br />
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<em>And The Winner Is </em>and <em>The Ticket Master</em>: In the former, Clover from <em>Tales</em> wins a pair of tickets to go to a concert with a friend. The problem is, she has six friends to choose from and she has trouble making up her mind who to take.<br />
Naturally, all of her friends find out and <em>simply must go</em>, so they each try to get the ticket for themselves, resulting in Clover having a meltdown.<br />
In the latter, Twilight Sparkle from <em>FIM</em> is given a pair of tickets by Princess Celestia to go to the Grand Galloping Gala with a friend. The problem is, she has six friends (Spike counts) to choose from and she has trouble making up he rmind who to take.<br />
Naturally, all of her friends find out and <em>simply must go</em>, so they each try to get the ticket for themselves, resulting in Twilight having a meltdown.<br />
Wait a minute... this is the exact same episode! The only thing different is the outcome. In <em>Tales</em>, she <u>does</u> have to make a decision, but then at the last minute, she and Melody scalp the tickets and go hang out with their friends at home, bringing a pizza with them.<br />
In <em>FIM</em>, Twilight decides that if she has to pick between her friends, she'd rather just not go at all, so she sends Celestia letter stating at much, and ends up receiving <em>enough tickets so they can all go</em>!<br />
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And the moral of the story kids is... Man, nothing beats having being pals with God!<br />
Seriously, though, and this is not something you will not read often, but I actually think that <em>Tales</em> had the stronger message this time. One: There <em>will</em> come times when not all your friends can be included. Two: if it's just something like a concert, you <em>can</em> just choose not to go if you'd rather hang with pals.<br />
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<em>Shop Talk </em>and <em>Ponyville Confidential</em>: This one's a bit more of a stretch, but both episodes features a moral about how gossip is wrong and can be very hurtful to a person and their reputation.<br />
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If you notice anything else from both <em>Tales</em> and <em>FIM</em> that are similar, keep my posted, and I'll add it.<br />
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Next Lesson: My Little Pony G2, toy line.WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-85410837199967535102012-05-21T22:15:00.000-07:002012-05-23T18:17:40.044-07:00Lesson 5: My Little Pony G1 Animated Features, part 3: My Little Pony 'n' FriendsPrevious Lesson: <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-4-mlp-g1-animated-features-part.html">My Little Pony G1 Animated Features, part 2: The Movie</a>.<br />
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<em>"Come to where the magic is...where the rainbow ends</em><br />
<em>Follow, follow My Little Pony...My Little Pony 'n' Friends</em><br />
<em>Through the clouds and past the stars...where the river bends</em><br />
<em>Follow, follow My Little Pony...My Little Pony 'n' Friends</em><br />
<em>Where you find heart's desire...where, that all depends</em><br />
<em>Follow, follow My Little Pony...My Little Pony 'n' Friends</em><br />
<em>My Little Pony 'n' Friends"</em><br />
<br />
-The opening theme for the series<br />
<br />
<em>My Little Pony and Friends</em> is an animated TV series that was released
by <em>Claster Television, inc.</em> and producted by <em>Marvel
Productions</em> and <em>Sunbow Productions</em>, in the 1986 and ran until
1987. This came out a few months after The Movie. This
series ran for two seasons. The series was an Animated
Anthology, featuring quarter hour
shorts. The first half of the show would have an episode of ponies, and then
the second half would feature an episode of their <em>Friends</em>: <em>"Glo
Friends"</em>, <em>"Moondreamers"</em>, and <em>"The Potato Head Kids"</em>.
Yes, the series was very Merchandise
Driven. As the result, the <em>pony</em> episodes often ran as television
serials, as did the other shorts.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
This early incarnation of My Little
Pony was set in a world called <em>Ponyland</em>. Though its continuity
was...kinda lax,
all of the stories take place within it. The basic framing structure of the show
was that the ponies are magical creatures living idyllically in Dream Valley,
part of Ponyland (or Ponyland, part of Dream Valley - no two writers agreed on
this point. Continuity?! What's that?!). Originally, the ponies resided in Dream Castle during the Half-Hour
TV Specials, but after The Movie (and
the creation of that playset)
they moved into Paradise Estate. In fact, Dream Castle is never seem at all
during the course of the series.
<br />
<br />
Ponyland is a Magical Land
"on the other side of the rainbow". The rainbow is basically hinted to be a
doorway between the human dimension and theirs'. Ponyland is populated by Bushwoolies,
Sea and Flutter
ponies, Grundles,
bee-people, talking pigs, giant terriers, bird-dog hybrids, zebra-people, evil
storm clouds, elves, bigfoot-like people who build forests, and monster weeds,
among other, weirder things. The ponies are assisted in their adventures by a
teen named Megan; her siblings Molly and Danny; Spike the Baby Dragon; and the
Moochic, a scatter-brained gnome wizard with mushroom motif, and his Beleaguered
Assistant, Habit the Rabbit.
<br />
<br />
Being a fantasy-esque weekday afternoon cartoon, the episode plots were
adventures, normally focused on a Victim of the
Week requiring the ponies' help to defeat some Big Bad. The
weirdness — and the overt scariness of some of the villains — kept the show from
being as dangerously
cute as one might
naturally assume. Some episodes did not evolve sugar
apocalypses, though, and rather focused on more mundane plots (relatively
speaking), such as using one's imagination to have fun, scavenger hunts, taking
care of a giant dog, dealing with bullies, and mending friendships after a feud
once escalated <em>ice
cream warfare</em>.
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziF0kZ2RtE90Ciffjp7mO5u78tHWV3tNNe-rZsOhmWHpXtjk88rsm-zgzwWPxiJ8a6liVDrY7TwerGh0WZMLR05X9Ln05koN7nneIdZ_-Iux2FaWdBoH6aBzs-U4LpsB_eS0VfCc7aBi0/s1600/Elrdon+Ice+Cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziF0kZ2RtE90Ciffjp7mO5u78tHWV3tNNe-rZsOhmWHpXtjk88rsm-zgzwWPxiJ8a6liVDrY7TwerGh0WZMLR05X9Ln05koN7nneIdZ_-Iux2FaWdBoH6aBzs-U4LpsB_eS0VfCc7aBi0/s400/Elrdon+Ice+Cream.jpg" width="387" /></a></div>
<br />
The episodes focused on My Little
Pony ran for 65 episodes in total. There were 16 multipart serials, each 2-4
parts long with the sole exception of the Ten part
pilot, and 9 stand alone episodes.<br />
<br />
In all, the overall quality and tone of the series tended to vary from episode to episode, largely relying on which writer was in charge at the moment. One episode might have been so diabetes-inducing that it'd leave the viewers begging for the overt strangeness of the Smooze, while the next might give them nightmares for the next several weeks. If nothing else, the fact that The World Is Always doomed with some m<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">alevolent</span> figure trying to harm the ponies (and often succeeding), tended to be quite frightening to the youngsters.<br />
<br />
Speaking of the writers, aside from George Arthur Bloom, who was the usual go-to writer starting as early as <em>Midnight Castle</em>, Gerry Conway, the creator of <em>The Punisher</em> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0176689/">yes, really</a>), and Michael Reeves, who would later become instrumental in the creation of both <em>Batman: The Animated Series</em> and <em>Gargoyles </em>as a producer, story editor, and one of the head writers<em>, also</em> wrote several episodes of this show. <strong><em><u>Yes, really</u></em></strong>.<br />
<br />
The series had several notable villains that are still looked on fondly by the MLP fans old, and sometimes, new. Including, Grogar, a dimensional conqueror that nearly brought Ponyland/Dream Valley to it's knees. Aribus, an evil storm cloud that'd suck people's souls/shadows out, leaving behind a miserable halflife husk. Squirk, a giant octopus monster that wanted to reinact Noah's Flood. The Flurries, four angel-faced flower beasts that would absolutely destroy any ecosystem they come across by absording all the water. Lavan, who sent Dream Valley into it's darkest near apocylapse yet by upsetting the natural order in his mad search for more power. And lastly, the Penguin King, who tried to create a second Ice Age.<br />
<br />
<u><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Reoccurring Characters And Themes:</span></strong></u><br />
<br />
From Grogar to Discord: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aceA9btO8l0yuHcvdWNLM9W7_oJWU_I63EKPS6JahmaSIIjUql6ZjIjSF4FdpPs5AjYkbSmnTn4taq6fXm_zR67AD8ZdZDXXfTDLeey915Pnr3DzpgXmmF-1L7wrE4QA2vpwZzr_T8Ze/s1600/Grogar+and+Discord.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aceA9btO8l0yuHcvdWNLM9W7_oJWU_I63EKPS6JahmaSIIjUql6ZjIjSF4FdpPs5AjYkbSmnTn4taq6fXm_zR67AD8ZdZDXXfTDLeey915Pnr3DzpgXmmF-1L7wrE4QA2vpwZzr_T8Ze/s400/Grogar+and+Discord.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As some have noted, there's some resemblance between these two. They're both very powerful otherworldy monsters that drive Ponyland and Equestria to their brink, respectively. Now, how much of Discord is inspired by Grogar and which one is the better villain, I can't really say, but please don't flood my comments with an argument over it.<br />
<br />
<strong>Spike's Search </strong>and <strong>Dragon Quest: </strong>And then there's the fact that both MLP'n'Friends and FIM have an episode wherein Spike decides to spend some time with his own kind, and they inevitably turn out to be total jackasses. The formula and outcome is identical with Spike rejecting their lifestyle to go back and live with the ponies. This one, I have to agree with. Someone working on FIM saw "Spike's Search" and thought it would make a good FIM episode.<br />
<br />
Surprise would become Pinkie Pie for <em>MLPFIM</em>. <br />
<br />
If anyone else notices any other similarities, please point them out. I'll look into it and add is here if that's the case. But until then, ado.<br />
<br />
Next Lesson: <em><a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-6-my-little-pony-g15s-animated.html">My Little Pony G1.5's Animated Feature: My Little Pony Tales</a></em>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-78698823755932292452012-05-21T21:15:00.001-07:002012-05-23T18:15:11.978-07:00Lesson 4: MLP G1 Animated Features part 2: The MoviePrevious Lesson: <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-3-my-little-pony-g1-animated.html">My Little Pony G1 Animated Features, part one: The TV Specials</a>.<br />
<br />
My Little
Pony The Movie was released in theaters in 1986, by Hasbro. And oh boy did they do a few things to greatly anger fans over the years. But we'll get to that later.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
At Dream Castle, the Little Ponies (again, almost NONE of the previous ponies return from the TV specials) are preparing a festival
to celebrate the first day of Spring. They even go as far as to hold a ballet,
which Baby Lickety Split ruins by dancing her way instead of cooperating with
the others. After being called on being a show off by the others, she runs away,
followed by Spike, the Baby Dragon.
<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, in the Volcano of Gloom, the evil witch Hydia watches the
event via her cauldron and, disgusted by the frivolity, tells her daughters that
they must ruin it. Hydia's daughters, Draggle and Reeka, are incompetent at
causing mischief and fail utterly at ruining the festival. They return to the
Volcano of Gloom in disgrace, where Witch Hydia presents a better plan - they'll
make Smooze. The sisters collect a series of disgusting ingredients, but neglect
to obtain the Phlume, the prospect of which terrifies them. The spell seems to
work regardless, creating a pool of sentient purple lava that gleefully buries
Ponyland and then hardens like concrete. The pair is promptly made to get the Phlume, which completed the spell and Dream Castle is then also buried.<br />
<br />
The ponies go to their friend, Megan, and her younger siblings, Danny and
Molly, for friend. Who in turn tell them to go to the Moochic, who tells them to
go find the Flutter Ponies. Thus begins an epic quest for living slime, weird
friendly trolls called grundles who help Baby Lickitysplit and Spike, giant sunflowers, living trees, and much more.
Eventually, they reach Flutter Valley, where they besiege the flutter ponies to help them.<br />
<br />
Naturally, they receive the help they sought and the Smooze and the witches and driven back and piece in the restore to the valley. The grundles are given Dream Castle (despite there only being about six of them) and the ponies go to live in Paradise Estate, because...um, the Moochic gave to them? Actually, no, it was because the toy for Dream Castle had been discontinued and was being replaced to Paradise Estate.<br />
<br />
The film bombed in theaters, but seems to have a healthy shelf life on video.<br />
<br />
In all, the film is not that good. By this time, the executives at Hasbro had put their foot down and insisted that the writers lighten up the tone of the series, which resulted in...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8Ot7uiP1qQK_Td6sxHlATdJ-T96UQ4Is9ekW7MrQkZsn-2CUFnYSK9PQ7TRnA9QiWYtYeATJOsTFw9iiQIcJZH6-iLXxL9O2CjKyoQN81Cg1Rm_sKd8v2L9sBzhtN9JURNvXkLrqjOF8/s1600/witches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8Ot7uiP1qQK_Td6sxHlATdJ-T96UQ4Is9ekW7MrQkZsn-2CUFnYSK9PQ7TRnA9QiWYtYeATJOsTFw9iiQIcJZH6-iLXxL9O2CjKyoQN81Cg1Rm_sKd8v2L9sBzhtN9JURNvXkLrqjOF8/s1600/witches.jpg" /></a></div>
THIS being our main villains. They look like Strawberry Shortcake rejects...<br />
<br />
Next Lesson: <em><a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-5-my-little-pony-animated.html">My Little Pony G1 Animated Features, part 3: My Little Pony 'n' Friends</a></em>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-24585281263515812832012-05-21T20:28:00.000-07:002012-05-23T18:13:20.977-07:00Lesson 3: My Little Pony G1 Animated Features, part 1: The TV SpecialsPrevious Lesson: <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-2-mlp-gen-1-toy-line.html#more">MLP Gen 1, Toy Line</a>.<br />
<br />
Hello, again, pegasisters and bronies alike, and welcome to another addition of MLP-History, this time brought to you by Professor WeirdRaptor. In 1984 and 1985, Hasbro worked with Marvel Productions and Sunbow Productions to create a pair of half-hour TV specials, titled <em>My Little Pony </em>and <em>My Little Pon: Escape from Catrina</em>. At this point, they were largely testing the waters to see if anyone would be willing to sit through a televised program of pastel-colored running through fields and battling the forces of evil. Well, no sense in wasting time, let's get right into it.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Originally untitled, the first special (released April 14th,1984, airing in Prime Time) was known as <em>Rescue from Midnight Castle</em> in repeats and <em>Firefly's Adventure</em> on VHS. However, the VHS copies were only available for rent at <em>Blockbuster </em>video stores<em>.</em><br />
The second aired <br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Midnight Castle Summery</strong>:</span></u><br />
<br />
Evil Over
Lord Tirac requires four ponies to use as demons to
pull his chariot to bring in <em>The
Night That Never Ends</em> in order to Take Over the
World. He sends his henchman Scorpan to
carry out the task. The special actually begins with the ponies enjoying
themselves in Dream Valley until Scorpan and his subordinates attack. Two ponies
are captured in the attack. In light of the first aassault by Scorpan and his
army of stratodon
riders, the rest of the ponies panic and hide in Dream Castle, pulling up
the drawbridge. They fear that anyone can be next. Firefly goes off for help and
decides to ask it of the very first human she happens to come across: Megan, a
cowgirl who lives at a ranch at the other end of the rainbow (heads on, rainbows basically act as a TARDIS in the 80s <em>MLP</em> cartoons). From there,
Firefly basically kidnaps Megan to go back to Ponyland with her despite the girl
being about ten years old and without a single means of helping them. ...Yeah,
Firefly's plan needed a little
more thought.
<br />
<br />
Just as Firefly and Megan arrive at Dream Castle, Scorpan returns for
another assault, having only attained two on the first run, and proceeds to grab
the other two while at it. Thus, Megan and a party of ponies set out to stop
Tirac, but first they stop by the Mushrump to meet with the Moochic, a strange
gnome wizard with a terrible memory and a mushroom motif, to ask how to defeat
Tirac. He gives Megan a locket called "The Rainbow of Light" and they are on
their way.Once at Midnight Castle, they break in and confront the evil overlord,
himself, <span class="spoiler" title="you can set spoilers visible by default on your profile">and the Rainbows
of Light and Dark clash in a surprisingly epic finale in which <em>Tirac is torn
ripped in shreds by former</em></span>.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>Escape from Catrina Summery</u>:</strong></span><br />
<br />
The Little Ponies prepare for a "Welcome Back" party for their human friend,
Megan. Strangely, absolutely none of the original ponies from the first special
appear in this follow-up, so it's to anyone's guess why they're welcoming her
back. Meanwhile, little furballs called Bushwoolies are the slaves of a
drug-addicted catgirl named
Catrina and are watched over by a shape-shifting lizard-man named Rep. When they
escape, she tries to make the Little Ponies her new slaves to keep her drug
brewing machine working nonstop.
<br />
<br />
She and her companion manage only to grab one, Baby Moondancer, and they
are pursued back into their lair by the other ponies and Megan. <span class="spoiler" title="you can set spoilers visible by default on your profile">There, she gives
them the choice: serve her or Baby Moondancer takes a dip in the witch weed
potion, which would be presumably fatal. It's around this point that Rep has
had enough of Catrina's increasingly violent tendencies and strongarms her into
breaking the habit</span>.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Setting the Stage</u>:</span></strong><br />
<br />
The two specials set the tone for the entire 80s <em>MLP </em>continuity (lax as it might be sometimes), by introducing fairly dark concepts to the premise. The ponies in these specials and the follow-up movie and TV series were always going on adventures or quests, battling all manner of villain, such as Tirac, Catrina, Grogar, Aribus, and The Smooze. The first special is even considered by many to the be the darkest <em>MLP </em>cartoon of all time, though milage will vary (hey, I'm just here to educate, not to tell you what to think). <br />
<br />
In contrast to a later generation, <em>FIM</em>, which has an insanely popular cartoon and a fairly popular toy line, the original had an insanely popular toy line and a decently popular show. <br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Reoccurring Characters and Themes</u>:</span></strong><br />
<br />
<em>Midnight Castle</em> featured Applejack, Spike, Twilight (later Twilight Sparkler, and Firefly (later Rainbow Dash), all of which are characters that would get preferred into <em>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</em>. <br />
<em>Catrina </em>had Sparkler (Rarity) and Posey (Fluttershy). <br />
<br />
In the Two-Part Pilot of <em>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</em>, the plotline concerning a villain trying to usher in Nocturnal Eternal would make a reappearance through Nightmare Moon (aka, Princess Luna) and the ponies have to embark on a quest through the Everfree Forest in order to gather up the Elements of Harmony to forge the Rainbow of Light to stop her.<br />
The entire pilot can be seen as Faust's love letter to the original special.<br />
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</div>
Next Lesson: <em><a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-4-mlp-g1-animated-features-part.html">MLP G1, Animated Feature, part 2: The Movie</a></em>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-34782372004467901652012-05-21T19:28:00.001-07:002012-05-23T18:11:21.524-07:00Lesson 2: MLP Gen 1, Toy LinePrevious Lesson: <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-1-bonnie-zacherle-and-my-pretty.html">Bonnie Zacherle and My Little Pony</a>.<br />
<br />
The toy line made its official start in 1982 as a set of six earth ponies named Butterscotch, Blue Belle, Minty, Snuzzle, Cotton Candy, and Blossom. They were considerably smaller than the original <em>Pretty Pony</em>, and were easily characterized by by their silk-like manes which were brushable, and by their flank symbols. They were sold with flat feet, wih imprint of their manufacturing more visible on the bottom of the hoof. <br />
The setting for G1 MLP is called <em>Dream Valley</em>.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
They're pictured below. Credit to <em>Tulagirl </em>for supplying the below image.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8jgVeYhhp1ZVc5mZdf9xdZL2nGdt1s7oYgDJoVGDwlMV9iwNG9lDATqgA1xZsUtsZoS2_SmYro5Gp5tcIruOIfER7KLmmiin-mEaUubogz19j6Eo4Xl37Z14DrPYSRnKee-wzpCZzhIF/s1600/Pony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8jgVeYhhp1ZVc5mZdf9xdZL2nGdt1s7oYgDJoVGDwlMV9iwNG9lDATqgA1xZsUtsZoS2_SmYro5Gp5tcIruOIfER7KLmmiin-mEaUubogz19j6Eo4Xl37Z14DrPYSRnKee-wzpCZzhIF/s1600/Pony.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Left to Right:<br />
Blue Belle, Minty, Blossom, Butterscotch, Cotton Candy, and Snuzzle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Unicorns and pegasi wouldn't get introduced until <em>Year Two</em>, which premiered in 1983. Over time, they, along with flutterponies, sea ponies, baby ponies, the Big Brother Ponies, and other varieties throughout Gen 1.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Complete List of "Breeds" of G1 Ponies</u>:</span></strong><br />
<br />Credit goes to my sister for having a webcam to take these images of her collection with and a willingness to participate.<br />
<br />
<strong>Earth Pony:</strong><br />
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<br />
<strong>Pegasus:</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfGY74-ABjwtpzznHNRS1USJPxu4IOyxtpan2YKlgYpgWE6tHstfM5YjRbIwrA2kgieaXIioFl6MOV49rN8LkaLqWvXupT9JW-gCadMtppPeeNv69JOo-RMOkWCuNK9SsfJ0l4WoiANLq/s1600/G1+Pegasus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfGY74-ABjwtpzznHNRS1USJPxu4IOyxtpan2YKlgYpgWE6tHstfM5YjRbIwrA2kgieaXIioFl6MOV49rN8LkaLqWvXupT9JW-gCadMtppPeeNv69JOo-RMOkWCuNK9SsfJ0l4WoiANLq/s320/G1+Pegasus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Unicorn:</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZa1LAtXWMM-v19fXszECD0cH_nM3KbX2DinM9GsLhzoDnFs5eqLtg3CrE5YZpaajR4T2ntGQ4OGRSuoC7vlDWQqQsVLwRRqibRzsSuEt_4WaSiDzFZcVVDysq2KIXG7MFCRw2tQFHvWH0/s1600/G1+Unicorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZa1LAtXWMM-v19fXszECD0cH_nM3KbX2DinM9GsLhzoDnFs5eqLtg3CrE5YZpaajR4T2ntGQ4OGRSuoC7vlDWQqQsVLwRRqibRzsSuEt_4WaSiDzFZcVVDysq2KIXG7MFCRw2tQFHvWH0/s320/G1+Unicorn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Flutterpony:</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjDAZ-Terhosxp2s39Un_BrwDi9P2oS3X_XsnbkuFhmo6rLsLgBYhwR71Qd4rIvWsusXl16jzIYlxjO5uYlu-XF8ZYeceNSLjEVextBvdzNzVBKvFjQ8fp3aZ1XIslqS2CX7FhgEQ7Y4K/s1600/Flutter-Pony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjDAZ-Terhosxp2s39Un_BrwDi9P2oS3X_XsnbkuFhmo6rLsLgBYhwR71Qd4rIvWsusXl16jzIYlxjO5uYlu-XF8ZYeceNSLjEVextBvdzNzVBKvFjQ8fp3aZ1XIslqS2CX7FhgEQ7Y4K/s1600/Flutter-Pony.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>Sea Pony:</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJB6dZgxbhiiAtpVWIvP1BYc8RbbQ04y77JDd_g8YYeI6MCFxecF_e6oNYsK9mdjR8zwtUQ9ZrFvAq-NTmgXVflpO52LKqxTpvydzp5Vwjc8xEQ2twhbD5aNSRCFy65Jj3GGLJlvqI0ZD6/s1600/Seapony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJB6dZgxbhiiAtpVWIvP1BYc8RbbQ04y77JDd_g8YYeI6MCFxecF_e6oNYsK9mdjR8zwtUQ9ZrFvAq-NTmgXVflpO52LKqxTpvydzp5Vwjc8xEQ2twhbD5aNSRCFy65Jj3GGLJlvqI0ZD6/s320/Seapony.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
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Other kinds, like "Princess Ponies" or "Sparkle Eyed", or "So Soft Ponies" would be added, but those were always one of the above with an added feature.<br />
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<em>My Little Pony, Generation One</em>, would continue to be sold in the U.S. until 1992, but the toy line endured for another three years until 1995 in Europe. '92 was advertised as a "Celebration Year".<br />
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<em>Generation 2 </em>premiered in 1997, a whooping five years after G1 ended int he U.S. A handful of animated adaptations were made of the toy line in the 80s and early 90s.<br />
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Next Lesson: <em><a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-3-my-little-pony-g1-animated.html">My Little Pony G1 Animated Features</a></em>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-74575772067964297302012-05-21T18:27:00.001-07:002012-05-21T19:30:39.854-07:00Lesson 1: Bonnie Zacherle And My Pretty Pony<em>My Little Pony </em>began as a toy brand in 1982 developed by it's original creator, Bonnie Zacherle, and published by Hasbro. Information on Zacherle can be found on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_Zacherle">this Wikipedia article</a>, and <a href="http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/my_little_pony.htm">this article on About.com "Inventors".</a><br />
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Excerpt from the Wikipedia article:<br />
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"Zacherle is an American illustrator and designer who now resides in Warrington, Virginia. [She] is best known as the creator of the best-selling <em>My Little Pony</em> toy line and also the creator of of <em>Nerfuls</em>."<br />
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Excerpt from the About.com article:<br />
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"Hasbro received a design patent for "an ornamental design for a toy animal". The patent (U.S. #D269986) was filed in August of 1981 and granted in August of 1983. The inventors were Bonnie D. Zacherle of Norwood, MA, Charles Muenchinger of Providence, RI, and Steven D. D'Aguanno of Greenville, RI.<br />
The illustrations to the right (click for more images) are from the original My Little Pony patent. The vinyl toy was first mass-produced in 1982."<br />
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The original patent illustration:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OhZfoE9XeAeCLpUubiBCioC7hrGXt6z4RDvFOpQn-IeUqW1ft1kISFROFDal6-39dGz1bJQYgtBlaSsq_ZbDpmV2OM4r2gPe8Af1D_p1WXw0fmq8ChpTAVDynorcRTGK4tsegEscD_is/s1600/mlp.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OhZfoE9XeAeCLpUubiBCioC7hrGXt6z4RDvFOpQn-IeUqW1ft1kISFROFDal6-39dGz1bJQYgtBlaSsq_ZbDpmV2OM4r2gPe8Af1D_p1WXw0fmq8ChpTAVDynorcRTGK4tsegEscD_is/s1600/mlp.gif" /></a></div>
And the rest is ancient history. The toy line went on to become an insanely popular one among girls (and a few early closeted "bronies") during the 80s. It remains popular to this day, though its hottest moments in the spotlight are without doubt 80s and the 2010s.<br />
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However, MLP's story technically begins one year earlier, in 1981, when the first pony, <em>My Pretty Pony</em>, was released. Only two versions of the toy were ever made (with a third being rumored, but never confirmed). Standing at 10 inches in height, it's the biggest official pony toy Hasbro ever made.<br />
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Next Lesson: <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-2-mlp-gen-1-toy-line.html">MLP Gen 1, Toy Line</a>.<br />
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The research for the article was compiled by Faerie-StarV, also the founder of the deviantART group.WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831187940497136987.post-52539713569115055382012-05-21T18:12:00.002-07:002012-05-21T19:51:34.144-07:00Welcome and info bitsHello everyone, welcome to to my blog, MLP-History. This blog is a companion piece for a group on deviantART that I'm a member of, <a href="http://mlp-history.deviantart.com/">MLP-History</a>, which was started by <a href="http://faerie-starv.deviantart.com/">Faerie-StarV</a>. Credit also goes to Fearie-Star for compiling most of the research this blog will cover.<br />
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This blog, along with the original devART group, have been created to educate all of you about the history of My Little Pony Franchise! As you probably don't know, ever since <em>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</em> aired two years ago, almost none of the new fans even know about the previous generations, or if they do, their knowledge of it is very limited. Well, time to remedy that.<br />
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On with the history lessons! <a href="http://mlphistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesson-1-bonnie-zacherle-and-my-pretty.html">Bonnie Zacherle and My Pretty Pony</a>WeirdRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11267021312201254998noreply@blogger.com0