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

 Princess Brush & Grow Ponies

Hair, but longer and sparklier


Princess Brush & Grows

Princess Brush & Grow Ponies
UK Box image, 1989

Search the Scrapbook
search engine by freefind advanced
Ponies Sold in 1989 in the UK First Tooth Baby Ponies | Big Brother Ponies II |Kiss Curl's Grooming Parlour | Windy Wing Ponies| Happytails Ponies (Import) | Crimp & Curl Hair Salon | Baby Buggy | Sundae Best Ponies | Brush & Grow Ponies | Princess Brush & Grow Ponies | Perfume Puff Palace (UK: 1989) |Sparkle Ponies (Store) | Perfume Puff Ponies | Scrub-a-Dub Tub | Sweet Dreams Crib | Club Newborn 1989 | Loving Families (individual and gift set) | Loving Family Accessories| MUMMY CHARMS

Other 1989 Ponies Princess Ponies (Germany/Austria) |Sparkle Ponies (Mail Order) | Newborn Twins II (Partial, Germany/France) | Twice as Fancy Megan & Sundance | Goldilocks | Sweet Scoops | Chuck. E. Cheese Baby | Valentine Twins | Satin & Lace (Lavender) | Coat/Tux 'n' Tails | Twice as Fancy Baby Ponies | Birthday Baby Ponies | Merry-Go-Round Ponies (UK: 1990 | Candy Cane Ponies (UK: 1990) | Sunshine Ponies (UK: 1990) | Dance & Prance Ponies (UK: 1990) | Fancy Pants Babies (UK: 1990 - partial) | Playtime Baby Brother Ponies (UK: 1990 - partial) | Newborn Babies (UK: 1990) | Sweetheart Sister Ponies (UK: 1990 - partial) | Baby Ponies with Pretty Pals | Pearly Baby Ponies | Pretty Mane Ponies | Baby Sister Ponies | Dream Castle (Lavender)


Princess Brush & Grow Ponies

The Princess Brush & Grow Ponies were released in the UK around the same time as the original Brush & Grow Ponies, albeit they may have had a slightly staggered release. Both sets appear on the 1989 insert, however, and the Princess set appeared in the My Little Pony comic as well.

These ponies had the same mechanism as the first release - their tails could be wound in by turning their heads, and then pulled out to make them long again. Although their manes are less thickly rooted than the regular set, they were princesses, so they also had added tinsel in their manes, and gems on their foreheads. Though there were no unicorns in the set, Star Gleamer was originally promoted in an adjusted Fizzy pose (sadly she was not sold in this pose when it came to actual release!).

Prototype Star Gleamer
Prototype Star Gleamer
Princess Brush & Grow TV Commercial


his version of Star Gleamer was used in a photo-advert in a German catalogue, and was probably also used in the UK Hasbro catalogue, as this set was released in Europe at the same time as the US, leaving less time for corrections. It was definitely used to promote the ponies in the 1989 My Little Pony club pamphlet.

Princess Brush & Grows, club
My Little Pony Club advertising Princess Brush & Grows
Featuring prototype Star Gleamer (here "Stargleamer")
UK, 1989

There were four characters in the Princess Brush & Grow Set, and they all had the same names in the UK as they did in North America. In spite of that - and despite the general conforming to American art and packaging styles in 1989 overall, the Princess Brush & Grow Ponies had their own box style, box art and even additional pony make-up. This seems to have applied in the rest of Europe as well - at least where these were sold - as surviving Mint in Package releases from the Netherlands appear to be in UK boxes with import labels, and those in France and Germany are translated.
Star Gleamer MIB
Princess Star Gleamer
Mint in UK style Box, Benelux Import version

Moreover, a French TV commercial (external YT link, active at time of writing) - which was almost certainly used in the UK in English - has footage spliced into the American commercial film showing the application of the makeup to an updated, correctly posed Princess Star Gleamer.

Princess Brush and Grow Make Up
Applying Make Up to Princess Brush & Grows
French Commercial, circa 1989
(Probably also correct in the UK)

(Apparently horse hooves were equivalent to elephant feet in Hasbro's mind. I admit, as a kid, I applied it more liberally as if horse hooves were, you know, hooves...)

The American boxed version of this set does not automatically include nail varnish or lipstick, as can be seen in the example below.
Princess Skylark
Princess Skylark Mint in Box, without make up
USA box, 1989
Image from Shivhae

Some ponies were sold with make up, however, as this was one set included in part of a wider American offer with free pony make up in the packages. This make-up included eyeshadow, lipstick or nail polish in various colours. This offer also enabled children in the USA to send off for a make up 'tote' purse in which to store the make up. This offer could be found in specially marked packs from Sparkle Ponies, Perfume Puff Ponies and Princess Brush & Grow Ponies.

Make Up Offer
The Make Up Offer
North America, 1989
By contrast, no make up was sold with the first two sets mentioned in the UK release, and instead, Princess Brush & Grow Ponies here came with lipstick and nail polish as standard, in a bottle which was a different shape to that in the North American release). This is also mentioned on the club promotion for 1989, pictured above.

Princess Brush & Grow Make Up
Make Up Included
UK Box, 1989
This will probably only make sense to kids who grew up in the UK in the 1980s/early 1990s, but the "colour make up stick" euphemism reminds me of "sticky back plastic"...


The bottle and lipstick always featured Star Gleamer, irrespective of which pony was being sold. The difference in this release may relate to different rules about toys and make up composition between North America and Europe, but this is just speculation.

Princess Brush & Grow Make Up
Princess Brush & Grow Make Up
Princess Star Gleamer's Box
UK and Europe, 1989

While they were consistently referred to by the title "Princess" in front of their names in the comic, the boxes only mentioned the names, without the title. Perhaps they were actually princesses, or maybe they just liked to dress up and play pretend...

Ponies in this Set (Various locations worldwide, 1989)