As you can see from the above list of names, Princess Amber had slightly different identities in different countries. But the standout name from the selection - the one that really doesn't fit - is 'Starburst' the name used in North America. In spite of that, this is the name most commonly used on the internet for this pony. I suppose if we want to be fair, the pony is yellow and does have a star symbol, so there is a bit of logic there. But as a kid from the UK, all I can think of are Starburst sweets (Opal Fruits if you grew up in my generation) and...that's just odd!

Like with Amethyst, Germany went for a different gemstone in this case, calling her Topas (Topaz) - which actually I think works better than Amber given their respective colours.

As most countries went with the theme of gemstones, this will be the last time I will refer to her by her American name :) Majority rules.

Princess Amber, Flash and Eager

The main difference between Amber's releases in North America and the UK, as mentioned on the main Princess page, is the attendant. In the North American release, she came with Eager, a friendly purple fellow who could conveniently hold her wand while she plotted world domination. I have corrected the names of this bushwoolie and that with Sapphire based on the backcard text of both ponies in North America.

Princess Amber's Accessories and Packaging.

Aside the attendant, accessory differences stand out most clearly with Amber's hat, which was aqua with pink ribbons in the UK, and yellow with pink ribbons in North America. Though these colour schemes feature on other pony hats in the set in the respective countries, they are not always a direct match because the patterning can be different.

As mentioned on the main Princess page, accessories can be inconsistent, and this may be in part because this set continued over two years. The accessories listed at the top of the page are based on proven Mint in Box ponies, but Lady Guinevere's survey of Princess Ponies indicates some variation in what each pony came with. If trying to match up your childhood ponies to the accessories you have, please do check it out and see whether yours is an exception rather than the rule.

As far as I know, Amber was sold with a puffy sticker through till 1988, although puffy stickers were withdrawn at the end of 1987. Although not common on the second hand market, they are easier to come by than those belonging to Mountain Boys or Movie Stars, suggesting they could have overrun this time limit. The stickers omitted the title of Princess, and just used the gemstone name.

Princess Amber was sold in box in the UK, in North America, probably in the Netherlands, Nordic Countries, and in Italy. She was sold on card in Germany and France. Each packaging style met the conventions of the original year of release.

The Princess Pony's UK box featured the curled y on the rainbow logo, even though the release extended into 1987 - the packaging was not updated. The box design featured Dream Castle in the clouds, and a grassy meadow with a path. Pearl and Amethyst were pictured in the clouds, while the four earth ponies were shown on the grass. The example shown below is from Princess Pearl.

An additional variation on Princess Amber was sold in German speaking countries sometime around 1988 or 1989. She was most likely sold on card, and had pink hair instead of lavender.