Baby Lucky - Ponyland's Happy-Go-Lucky Boy Pony
While Majesty is the most important character in the UK comic
canon, another favourite was her ward and special charge, Baby
Lucky. The first boy pony to enter Ponyland - adult or baby - he
was available via Mail Order in the middle 1980s, but he continued
to play a role in the comic years after he was on sale.
Baby Lucky's first comic appearance was in issue #27, in a story
which was actually about Majesty's dragon friend, Spike. Spike was
looking for someone to share his birthday, and bring good luck. At
the end of the story, Baby Lucky jumped out of the lucky dip, and
became Spike's instant best friend. How or where Baby Lucky came
from is never fully acknowledged by Majesty, but Baby Heart Throb
claims that she saw Majesty 'conjure' him, suggesting that she
brought him to life. I have always seen Majesty as Baby Lucky's
guardian, but we might also call her his mother.
Baby Lucky appears from the Lucky Dip
Baby Lucky was in possession of an unusual magic gift which was
known as his 'Happy-Go-Lucky' magic. Rather than lucky magic,
however, it was often a bit chaotic. Sometimes his magic was
triggered by his touching a lucky amulet, or his horseshoe symbol.
Often it was triggered just by the words 'Happy-go-lucky, I
wish..." which usually came involuntarily and without any actual
intention to do anything. Spike in particular learned to dread
these words, since Baby Lucky rarely had the magic words to undo
whatever he had done.
Baby Lucky accidentally turns a small piece of moonstone into
a huge barrier
My Little Pony Annual, 1988
Sometimes, however, his magic did have a lucky angle to it. One
example of this was when he accidentally wished Hopscotch's
hopscotch horseshoe into a magic magnet, which helped him to
retrieve stolen gold on behalf of some Daffodown Dillies. In
this story, Baby Lucky's mischief also came out, as he used the
magnet not just to retrieve the gold but also to snare the
trolls who had stolen it, using it to catch them by their metal
buttons.
Baby Lucky's Horseshoe Magic
Perhaps the most extreme example of Baby Lucky's magic was when
he accidentally brought to life Baby Tiddly Winks's drawings of
the newborn twins, Nibbles, Dibbles, Sniffles and Snookums.
There is an irony to this, considering his own apparent
'creation' - as if he were spreading his magic life force into
the pictures.
Newborn Twins come to life!
My Little Pony Comic, UK
Other less dramatic, but equally chaotic
examples of Baby Lucky's magic included turning a toy
merry-go-round into a real one, transporting himself and twins
Tickles and Giggles on an adventure.
Baby Lucky is not careful what he wishes for
Baby Lucky and Spike sometimes squabbled
and fell out, but they remained best of friends throughout
the comic run. When something happened to one of them, the
other would worry or be cross. And even if they fought, or
competed, they would always make it up. They went through
plenty of scrapes together, and shared the birthday of
13th June. The number 13 also had magical and mystical
properties for Baby Lucky, leading Gypsy to denote it his
'lucky number'. Like the number 13, Lucky's magic was
sometimes a positive and sometimes a negative. It was on
this lucky 13th day that he brought the twins to life.
Lucky Number 13
Baby Lucky also had a knack for discovering or meeting new pony
friends. It was his adventure up the Misty Mountain that led to
the introduction of the Mountain Boy Ponies, and he helped drag
Baby Cuddles and her buggy out of a mysterious lake. He and Spike
were also actively involved in bringing Baby Half Note to
Ponyland, even inviting her to share their 13th June birthday.
Baby Lucky scales Misty Mountain and meets some new friends.
Baby Lucky was a constant character through years of pony
comics, and other pony releases. Even though he was no longer
available to order after around 1987, he was still appearing in
the comic in the early 1990s - as can be seen on the cover of
issue #179, from 1992.
Baby Lucky and Spike with fellow boy babies Paws and Drummer,
on the cover of comic #179
Although other boy ponies were introduced later in the
line here in the UK, they never really overhauled Baby Lucky's
special status. He lived not at Lullabye Nursery, but at Dream
Castle with Majesty and Spike. In spite of this, he was popular
and played with the other baby ponies regularly. He was good
natured, and did not hold grudges, although he did get into
mischief rather more than he should. Of all the baby pony
characters in the comic, he - and his happy-go-lucky -were
definitely the most memorable.
