The My Little Pony Scrapbook: Half Note (Rockin' Beat)

Half Note

Rockin' Beat/Rockin' Beat Pony, 1991-2

Neon orange earth pony with dark pink mane and tail (neon yellow streak in mane), green and pink asterisks, circles and triangles symbol

Pony Data
Set	Rockin' Beat Pony (1991, North America) Rocking Beat Pony (1992, UK and Europe)
Asst. Number	4011 (UK and Europe) 16060 (North America)
Accessories	UK & Europe: lime green guitar brush and ribbon - North American release had no ribbon
Pose	Posey
Distribution	North America UK and Europe Other areas unconfirmed
Other Versions	Minor variations exist for this pony, usually in the texture of the yellow streak of hair/minor shade differences. Pony shown was bought new in the UK.

Half Note

Half Note was one of the earth ponies in the Rockin' Beat/Rocking Beat release. She was sold with a guitar brush with a gold strap and a ribbon. She was available in North America in 1991 and the UK and Europe in 1992.

Half Note Mint on Card
UK, 1992
Image donated by ebay seller

The Rockin' Beat set is the only full set I had from new as a child, and I still have all their original backcards. They retailed for £5.99 in Woolworths in 1992.

There is a variation on Half Note, although it is such a subtle one that it is easier to put down to batch release rather than an outright variation. It relates to the weird hair issues going on in the pony releases around 1992, where sometimes ponies had intentionally curly sections in one batch and then straight hair in other releases. In Half Note this affects the neon yellow streak.

There is a texture difference between straight and curly hair which helps to determine which is which, although the curly streak versions often have frizz or issues in the streak. The straight hair version is more common in the North American release but it is not necessarily a geographical variation. It is more about the timing of production.

There are also very slight colouring differences between them.

Half Note - Straight hair streak

Half Note's Character

Half Note's original UK characterisation was a rather retiring pony, who did not have confidence in her own ability. She was only able to finish half a tune before her music faded out. In typical Ponyland fashion, however, everyone else rallied to her cause and the song got completed through sharing. Her name Half Note might seem cruel or ironic in these circumstances, but it was a name she chose, and mostly because of the crowd's support.

What her name might have been originally, who knows. She is one of several ponies whose backcard stories indicate their names were chosen or changed at adulthood.

Half Note's Backcard Story
UK, 1992

Half Note was the pony mascot on the card for the UK and European release in 1992. The ringlets she is shown with in this image is based on prototype imagery which showed her with curls, although she was never sold this way. The only curly came in the form of her streak in some releases (see above) and it was definitely not in ringlets!

The comic characterisation after the introduction of My Little Pony tales removed most of her unique characteristics, and she didn't really stand out.

Half Note

Rockin' Beat/Rockin' Beat Pony, 1991-2

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Half Note

Half Note's Character