Cherries Jubilee in the United Kingdom

Cherries Jubilee was sold in the United Kingdom first as part of the Groom and Style Ponies. This was one of the earliest sets to feature curly hair, and the original release of Cherries Jubilee was sold with curls. In 1986, Cherries Jubilee was re-released in the UK and in Europe, but there were variations between the two new editions. Both had very much darker symbol colouring, but the UK one had straight hair, while the European one had curly hair. At time of writing no evidence has emerged to suggest the straight-hair Cherries Jubilee was sold anywhere other than the United Kingdom, and her release is often overlooked because of focus on her set-mates. Second Edition Cherries Jubilee is harder to find than the original curly haired and lighter symbol version.

Although there are symbol variations in the 1985 release, none have symbols as dark as the release from 1986. The fibre and length of the hair differs between curly haired ponies who have lost their curl and ponies who have always had straight hair, however, and so it is fairly easy to differentiate this version from the others.

Curly Cherries Jubilee (1985) and straight haired Cherries Jubilee (1986)

Further evidence that the curly/straight hair was a deliberate design decision can be found by looking at the backcards in the UK for the two sets. In the 1985 release, Cherries Jubilee is drawn with curly hair, as this was a key feature of this set. In the 1986 card, however, her hair has been amended so that it no longer has the curls. All of the ponies in this release had straight silky hair, and it seems that this was the chief motivation for the change.

Second Edition Cherries Jubilee had the same colour accessories as her predecessor, but the brush was now a dove, not a butterfly. Again, all ponies in this set came with dove brushes, so this was in keeping with the rest of the range. She also had a puffy sticker. In 1986, North American and some European releases switched to flat scented stickers instead of the round, puffy ones, but in the UK, puffy stickers reigned supreme until 1987.

Cherries Jubilee Mint on Card
UK, 1986

Cherries Jubilee's brush and ribbon (UK, 1986)

At the time of writing, a Cherries Jubilee (2nd edition) was on display in the London Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, as representative of the 1980s My Little Pony line.

1986 Cherries Jubilee in the Museum of Childhood.

Cherries Jubilee's Character

Cherries Jubilee is one of the most well-known early characters in the United Kingdom. She was depicted as a capable little pony fond of festivities, especially the cherry blossom parade, for which she was often the carnival queen. She appeared frequently in the comic both as a background character as an active participant, such as in rescuing Firefly from Contrarytown in issue 47.