Special Sets
MEGAN and SUNDANCE
Close image of UK sets here
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 MEGAN AND SUNDANCE (1986-7, United Kingdom) |
MEGAN: Blond haired, blue eyed doll with Hasbro + year stamped on her back and a vapid expression.
SUNDANCE: white earth pony with pink mane and tail, pink hearts in a circle symbol
Megan, the blond girl who yells at enemies and calls ponies her friends after meeting them for ten seconds was finally given plastic form in this year. The issues are confusing, and I've included all on one page which, hopefully, won't further confuse the issue!
The above pictured Megan and Sundance sets are the sets as sold in the United Kingdom. It's worth noting that ALL releases of Sundance in the UK appear to have no country of manufacture on their hooves. BOTH pictured Sundances are No Country ponies, even though one looks the part more than the other. I can also not guarantee that the ponies are with their specifically correct sets because I bought all of them loose and second hand.
HONG KONG SUNDANCE (NORTH AMERICAN ORIGINAL RELEASE)
The original issue included no outfit or bridle of any kind for Sundance and an outfit that was unique to this set for Megan. It was white and pink with striped trousers beneath a wrap skirt. It also had light pink shoes, and mint in package sets show Megan with a dark pink/magenta hair ribbon to match the sash of her skirt. This issue is more common to find second hand in the UK, even though it's exclusivity makes it in demand abroad.
MEGAN in complete UK Exclusive wear, 1986, with ribbon and shoes
(Thanks to SaveThePonies for these images)
Although the outfit was different, the sticker for Megan and Sundance in the UK had the same image on it as the one in North America - only it was datestamped whereas the American one was not. (Thank you to Ponyland for this information)
Megan and Sundance: UK release sticker with date stamp at the bottom.
(Thanks to SaveThePonies for this image)
The second set featured the outfit "Country Jamboree" from the North American fashion release. Megan was often shown wearing this on the cartoon. No known example of this set has survived MIB (although if you have one, please send me an image!) so it is unclear whether the whole outfit or just parts of the outfit came in this release. Images in the comic, the Argos catalogue and the back of the box itself seem to offer conflicting information about whether Sundance had a cape and/or shoes, but Megan definitely had the whole doll outfit. Circumstantial evidence from Hasbro and the Argos catalogue suggests the other accessories for this set were the same as the first year - a white flower brush, white comb, ribbon and sticker - though this cannot be confirmed without a MIB set.
You can view these sets in more detail by clicking here.
EXAMPLES OF MOC MEGAN & SUNDANCE WEAR - CANADIAN CARD
None of the separate fashions were ever sold in the UK, and, so far as I can gather from advertising material, Sundance never had the shoes to the set in the UK issue. Megan did, but I don't have those loose :S They should be pink, the same as in the Mint in Package Country Jamboree image (centre).
MEGAN and SUNDANCE: 1985, North America
The North American release included a different outfit for Megan and Sundance had a bridle (not pictured. Will do a new photo when I find it :S). The dress she wore in this set is the same dress she was animated wearing in the end song of Escape From Catrina. All US released original Sundances are made in Hong Kong.
SO SOFT MEGAN and SUNDANCE (1986, North America)
Not that we'd had enough of Megan or anything, but since she was such a pivotal character in the television series, she had a re-release with a nicely flocked So Soft version of Sundance in 1986. This issue did not spread to the UK. Megan was basically the same doll, but she had yet another new dress - white with small purple flowers and dark pink ribbon trim. Sundance also had a bridle, but guess what - can't find that either :S
MEGAN and TWICE AS FANCY SUNDANCE (1989-90, North America)
Finally, just to completely stretch our Megan tolerance levels, there was a final issue in North America of these two characters. Both had undergone significant changes. Megan has a far rounder face and seems a bigger doll - or maybe it's just her head. She has masses of hair, some of which changes from blond to pink in the sunlight. Sundance is in a different pose, with a twice as fancy style symbol across her hips and paler pink hair. Like Megan, a section of her hair changes colour in the sun. There is sometimes confusion as to whether this was the last Megan and Sundance or whether there was a "Sunshine" edition, since this colour change hair is a characteristic of the Sunshine Ponies. However, hasbro promotional material has confirmed that this is the final edition and that they were correctly called Twice as Fancy Megan and Sundance. They were not sold in the UK. Logically, due to the nature of her hair, Sundance is often found with faded out locks.
Thanks to LM for the confirmation of the last set's identity.
