The My Little Pony Scrapbook: G1 in the UK and Europe

1987

Pretty 'n' Pearly Baby Sea Ponies

(The UK Edition)


Pretty & Pearly Baby Sea Ponies, UK

The Pretty 'n' Pearly Baby Sea Ponies, as pictured in the 1987 Hasbro catalogue
Thanks to Pranceatron for the use of this image.

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Ponies Sold in 1987 in the UK Movie Star Ponies | Mountain Boy Ponies | Birthday Party with Tutti Frutti | Princess Ponies (Set 1) |Snuzzle's Grooming Parlour | Megan and Sundance (Second Edition)| Twinkle Eye Ponies (UK Set II) | Flutter Ponies (Set II) | Newborn Twins (Set I, Partial) | Pretty & Pearly Baby Sea Ponies (UK Release) | Paradise Estate | Dream Castle | Lullabye Nursery | Baby Buggy | Baby Bonnet School of Dance

Other 1987 Ponies Twinkle Eyed Ponies (North America/Italy) | Pony Friends (Ponies) | Stockings | Pony Friends (Animals) | Soft Sleepy Newborns| Sea Sparkle Baby Sea Ponies | Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe | Crimp & Curl Hair Salon (Perm Shoppe) (UK:1988) | Slumber Party Gift Set | Rainbow Ponies (Europe) | Twice as Fancy (Party) Ponies (UK:1988) | First Tooth Baby Ponies (UK:1988)| Big Brother Ponies (UK:1988) | So Soft Ponies (III) | Purse with Baby Crumpet | Baby Blue Ribbon

Pretty & Pearly Baby Sea Ponies - UK style

You might think that this was ground already covered in 1986, with the North American release of this set. But...you would be wrong. Although the North American version of this set was sold widely across European countries (sometimes on translated cards), the UK decided to do its own thing.

How unusual for us.

Of the six ponies sold in the North American set, only one was translated over without variation to the UK line. Three characters changed pose and two different characters from the first set were re-issued with a pearly sheen. They were also all sold with round puffy stickers - unlike the North American release. The set was sold under a different assortment number from the release in North America as well - the UK set continued using the same assortment number as the first set of Baby Sea Ponies from 1986 (4876). This is interesting, and a bit weird, but does underscore how separately the two versions of the set were being put together and allocated.

Sunshower MOC
Sunshower Mint on Card (UK, 1987)

I had Sunshower and Ripple as a child; their stickers are still stuck fast to my Dream Castle tower, so I can definitely confirm their coming with puffy stickers.

Ripple and Sunshower Stickers
Puffy stickers for Sunshower and Ripple, UK 1987

The only pony that was sold both in the North American and UK sets, without amendments, was BEACHCOMBER. All of the other five ponies differed in some way. The other ponies the UK had as Pearly Baby Sea Ponies were Water Lily, Ripple, Sunshower, Sea Star and Tiny Bubbles. They also came on very ornately designed, underwater cards. An example of the card they were sold on can be found below (clicking on the images will open a large size version)

Water Lily CardWater Lily Card back
WATER LILY's CARD (Pretty & Pearly Baby Sea Ponies, UK release, 1987)

The 'looking up' pose debuted in the North American set the previous year did not feature in our set. Instead, Ripple and Sunshower both face forward, and Water Lily has her head turned slightly to the side.

One other odd thing happened with this set. This is better explained by an image:
Fizzy on Sunshower's card
FIZZY on SUNSHOWER's CARD
Fizzy - and other members of the Twinkle Eye set - were released sealed on Pretty 'n' Pearly Baby Sea Pony cards. What happened and why this occurred...nobody really knows, except that someone, somewhere screwed up.

Ponies in this Set