The My Little Pony Scrapbook: Adventure Boy Ponies

Boy Ponies and the United Kingdom

In most parts of the G1 pony-selling world, this set were the first foray into adult boy ponies, but not here in the UK. In 1987, we had had the Mountain Boys instead of this so called 'Big Brother' release, and it was not until 1988 that they joined the UK line as well.

Because the Adventure Boy Ponies (under the name Big Brother Ponies) were sold in North America in 1987, some sources stateside determined that the Mountain Boys must have been later additions, but this is definitely not the case. Mountain Boys have stickers, and the old style font on their card. They also appear in the 1987 Hasbro promotional booklet, whereas the Adventure Boy ponies do not. The only conclusion is that Adventure Boy Ponies were the second and not the first adult boy set released in the UK.

We can't really be certain why Hasbro decided to create their own set of boy ponies for the UK first, as it would have required considerable effort and potential risk. But the most likely reason is that Hasbro UK were unsure about the reception for the Big Brother pony set. The name "Big Brother" suggested that their activities were things relateable to little girls with older brothers, but while sports like American Football and baseball have cultural resonance in North America, they were virtually anonymous here in the 1980s. Hasbro might have seen a cultural gap and decided to fill it with weather boys instead.

If true, then there must have been a possibility that these ponies would never get to the UK at all. We can hypothesise (but not know for sure) that their inclusion in the line in 1988 (and the second set in 1989) indicated the sales of the Mountain Boys exceeded expectations and reassured Hasbro that the UK market was receptive to adult boy ponies, regardless of theme. A shift in the name of the set - from familial "Big Brother" to imagination-stirring 'Adventure Boy' also shifted the cultural emphasis, instead creating the sense that these were boy ponies who did unusual and exotic things.

'Adventure Boy Pony'
UK card, 1988

Whatever the mindset Hasbro had in 1987 and 1988, it seems to have worked. More adult boy ponies were sold in the UK across the line than in most other countries, including North America. The Adventure Boy set would also go on to become more common on the UK second hand market than the Mountain Boys - suggesting their sales here were massively successful.

They were introduced into the pony comic stories in around 1988, where they were welcomed to Ponyland by Princess Ruby, and they would go on to have several further adventures in the stories across that year and 1989.

Princess Ruby welcomes the Adventure Boy ponies to Ponyland.
UK Favourite Stories/Comic

The Adventure Boy/Big Brother I release

Unlike the Mountain Boy ponies of 1987, who had been sold with a standard brush/comb, ribbon and sticker, the Adventure Boys had a wider range of accessories, some of which were unique to each pony character. Whilst they still had frog brushes or grasshopper combs, each boy would have a hat themed to their activity or adventure, and a patterned neck scarf (or bandana, as it is commonly termed online). These accessories were the same across all the Hong Kong releases of these ponies (although variant versions made and sold in Spain had some different accessories). They do not seem to have been sold with ribbons, despite their card backs including the customary tail braiding instructions!

First Base Mint on Card
UK, 1988
Image from Babydoll

The Adventure Boys were sold in the UK on blue bordered cards which featured First Base on the front, and the card was decorated with small icons representing some of the themes of the set. The rainbow used the new style font for 1988. All six ponies featured on the back, alongside the story of whichever pony was being sold.

Adventure Boy Pony card - back
UK, 1988

Adventure Boy Pony name changes

The name of the set was not the only thing that was changed by Hasbro UK when they brought this release to the United Kingdom. Four of the six ponies had new names, with only Quarterback and Tex remaining unchanged. The remaining four ponies were named as follows:

Steamer (North America) = Tracks (UK)
4Speed (North America) = Trucker (UK)
Slugger (North America) = First Base (UK)
Salty (North America) = Tug (UK)

The second set of Big Brother Ponies were also released in the UK in 1989, but this time they were sold under their original set name, not as Adventure Boy ponies. Despite this reversion, however, individual characters re-released in that set (Tug and Tracks) maintained their UK names.

The set was released in other places, but did not appear on the 1988 insert for France, and may have had an even more delayed release in some parts of Europe. More information is needed to confirm this.

1988

Adventure Boy Ponies

(Big Brother Ponies: Set I)

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Boy Ponies and the United Kingdom

The Adventure Boy/Big Brother I release

Adventure Boy Pony name changes

Ponies in this Set: North America (1987), UK, (1988) Other European Countries (?)