1987:

Mountain Boy Ponies

Beloved of all the pony community, these were, perhaps, the UK line's crowning achievement. There are a lot of ponies in the UK which are really cute or pretty or downright gimmicky. But none have created such a stir in the online community as these six gentlemen.

Released around the same time as the Adventure Boy/Big Brother Pony first set (reliable UK sources say before, and indeed they appear on an earlier insert dated 1987 than the Brother Ponies), these six ponies did not come with hats or bandanas. Much as any traditional pony of this time, they had brushes/combs, ribbons and a round puffy sticker. They used the same 'clydesdale' or Shire Horse style poses that the Brother ponies used - with two characters in each pose.


MOUNTAIN BOY PONIES: 1987 first UK Insert.
(It's worth noting that this insert has Lightning and Tornado named the wrong way around - but it's the only insert the set is on, so what can you do?)

There are often very confused sellers online who think that all ponies with these hooves are Big Brother ponies, or all are Mountain Boys, or all are both. There is only one surefire way to tell AT A GLANCE if your pony is a Mountain Boy Pony - these six ponies are the ONLY adult boys to have white freckles on each cheek. They also had symbols based on elements and weather, rather than sports and hobbies that the Big Brother Ponies had.


MOUNTAIN BOY PONIES: Hasbro UK Booklet 1987
(Thanks to Pranceatron for this image)

The six new boy ponies were introduced in the UK through a pony comic story (as most were at the time), called "There's Magic In Misty Mountain". It was a two part story, spanning over 2 comics. They were discovered by Baby Lucky, who till then was the only official boy pony in Ponyland. The entirety of this story can be found in the comic section of the MLP Media part of the site.

The Mountain Boy Ponies were only sold in the UK and - in very very small quantities - in Australasia/Singapore. They were also only out for one year, making the demand far outweigh the supply!