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

My Little Pony Kitchen

Cooking up something special...


Kitchen

Kitchen
1993 Insert, United Kingdom
(No Pony Companion)

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Ponies Sold in 1992 in the UK Rockin' Beat Ponies | Glowing Magic Ponies | Pocket Friends Ponies | Rainbow Baby Ponies | Romance Ponies |Ballerina Baby Ponies | Teeny Weeny Ponies | Secret Surprise Ponies | Sweet Talking Ponies |Pony Bride | Holiday with Good Weather | Picnic Day with Sweet Clover | Cookery Ponies | Kitchen | Schoolhouse | Merry Treat, the Christmas Pony | Baby Ribbons & Hearts (Club Offer)

Other 1992 Ponies Flower Fantasy Ponies | Sippin' Soda Ponies | Sweet Kisses (North America) | Sundazzle Ponies | Colorswirl Ponies | Paradise Babies | Teeny Tiny Twins | Fancy Mermaid Ponies | Bridal Beauty (UK: 1993) | Birthday/Anniversary Pony (UK:1993)

Kitchen also sold in the UK in 1993.



Pony Data
Set Kitchen (1992-3)
Asst. Number 4198
Accessories Pink oven, oven tray, pink sink unit, shelving, yellow breakfast bar/unit, 4 cakes, large pie, rolling pin, spoon, tongs, pastry cutter roller, pastry board, 4 cups, 4 plates, assorted pastry cutters (5), mixing bowl, saucepan and lid, baking tray
Pose No Pony Included
Distribution UK, most of Europe, Australasia
Other Versions -

A Kitchen, for all your culinary needs!

The Kitchen playset is one of two later playsets produced only for the UK and European market (it may also have seen a release in Australasia, but never in North America). It was first released in 1992, and then again in 1993. Although it never came with a pony, it was designed to match with the Cookery Pony set, which was also available in 1992. Cherry Sweet, from this set, is pictured on the box.  The playset was made in Spain.

Kitchen box
Kitchen playset box featuring Cherry Sweet
UK, 1992

The Kitchen was a brand new playset, but it was also a bit nostalgic and familiar, as the base that it used was the same mould as that of the very much older Grooming Parlour. This meant that it could be closed and carried, as seen below.


Kitchen in closed form
My Little Pony Kitchen (closed)


When open, however, the scale of transformation was clear, for the entire interior was fitted out with kitchen accessories.

My Little Pony Kitchen (open, ponies not included)
My Little Pony Kitchen (Open)

The accessories varied from oven, sink, shelving and a moveable unit, to an array of small accessories, including bowls, plates and even pastry cutters. These accessories, being very small, are often lost in loose second hand sets, and so can be difficult to piece together. (Those shown below are from my childhood set).
Accessories from the Kitchen
Small accessories from the My Little Pony Kitchen

Prototypes and Manufacturing Differences

The Kitchen seems to have gone through a few design steps, even up to the point of promotion in 1992, as can be seen on the original insert in 1992. Although many of the basic accessories are the same, the 1992 insert shows an additional blue tray with a yellow cat (who collectors have jokingly nicknamed 'custard' over the years), as well as red cherries on the pies, and different patterns on the floor and windows. This version of the Kitchen was never produced (poor Custard!), and the set that was actually on sale in 1992 is the same as that shown on the 1993 insert (at the top of the page).

Lady Lessons
Kitchen Prototype
UK insert, 1992

Release Quirks

Although the set was never sold with a pony - officially - there are a number of anomalies associated with the Kitchen and its availability, especially here in the UK. A lot of these relate to clearance and end of line stock, perhaps because the Kitchen came so late in the line. It is possible that, although it was not part of the 1994 range, there were still sets being sold in 1994, most likely not in English language boxes. A lot of the packaging anomalies are found in Spanish language boxes (although not all).

In the years towards the end of the pony line, and beyond (into clearance), Kitchen sets were often packaged with one - or more - pony in a clear plastic bag (indicating that they were probably leftover Mail Order release ponies). Quite often, the ponies sold with the Kitchen via this method were ponies that did not have an official UK release, such as those from the Slumber Party set (as can be seen with Nightcap, below), or Mail Order ponies such as Twice as Fancy Babies. Occasionally they were bagged versions of ponies that did have a UK release, such as Spring Song.

Baby Nightcap Mint in Bag
Baby Nightcap Mint in Bag
Acquired with Spanish boxed Kitchen, circa 1995

There were also more official unofficial release quirks associated with the Kitchen set! I received my Kitchen for Christmas, 1992, and I know that it came from Woolworths. How do I know this? It came with a Teeny Weeny pony inside. Woolworths ran an offer during the winter of 1992, in which they added a free pony into the package. Unlike the bagged options found with Kitchens at later dates, these were fully carded off the shelf baby ponies, and the card was folded across the middle to enable it to fit inside. The picture below is the card for my Little Rattles, who was my Christmas kitchen stowaway. You can clearly see how the card is bent across the middle.

Little Rattles' card, showing the fold from packaging with the Kitchen
Little Rattles' creased card
UK, 1992

I am not sure if all of the Kitchens sold like this came with Teeny Weeny ponies (not the most logical pony to leave unattended in a Kitchen, but perhaps the only ones small enough to fit easily inside!).

As you can see, the card still has the original off shelf price tag, indicating that the ponies were probably taken off the shelf and put into the box, rather than being packaged from Hasbro this way.

Some Kitchens, when sold with additional ponies, had labels on the side announcing that there were extra stowaways. And with some others, it was just a nice surprise :)