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This Set: UK Issue MIB
Baby ponies! After Baby Ember, it was only a matter of
time before Hasbro took the baby pony idea a step further on. However,
the means and mode of issuing Baby Ponies around the world was decidedly
unusual. Here in the UK, three baby ponies were issued: Baby Blossom, Baby
Cotton Candy and the exclusive Baby Applejack (orange with yellow mane
and tail, apples symbol), under the mantle of 'Play
and Care Set Baby Ponies'. In the same year,
Baby Bow Tie (blue with pink mane and tail, pink bows symbol) and her Stroller
were released, again exclusively by Hasbro in Britain. As you can see from
the picture of her Mint in Box, Baby Bow Tie was not properly sold with
any adult pony. (I don't know who it was who kindly donated me this picture,
but I'm eternally grateful and will assign credit if you can get in touch!)
However, there is some confusion here. A recent magazine article
claimed that the Baby pony stroller came with Snuzzle,
which seems a ridiculous idea, from start to finish. However, I have done
some digging about, and I have found the source of the article's confusion.
A catalogue store in the UK called Argos had an offer in 1985 whereby
you could get Snuzzle and the baby pony Stroller together for the price
of £8.95. Considering that the average adult pony price in 1985
was £2.85 (Bow Tie, Posey, Lickety Split and Starshine are all listed
at this price) and the price for a pony with minor playset (i.e the Gymkhana)
was £4.95, this seems logical. My wondering is whether Snuzzle
was an unpopular pony in sales because of her colour scheme, and this was
Argos's way of selling her. The two were not sold together anywhere outside
this store chain, however. On the European continent, the baby ponies were odder still. Versions of the six sold in America were issued on cards with just bottles in Germany and Austria at least, and these versions had painted symbols instead of metallic ones. There were also four baby ponies sold exclusively in these parts, but more on them later :) Also, apparently, the carded baby ponies were sold in Belgium and France but surprisingly these babies were the same glittery symbolled ones as were being sold in the United States. (Thanks to Lady Guinevere for this information!) Thanks also to the Delaneys for the picture of Baby Cotton Candy MIB, and Sugarberry for Baby Applejack MIB. Many thanks to Garej for the use of the Argos catalogue photographs of the Baby Pony Stroller and Baby Pony Play and Care Set (below)! |
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