Megan and Sundance, the Revenge
For a long time, there was speculation that there was no actual
second release of Megan and Sundance in the United Kingdom.
Although they appears on the insert for 1987, and in Hasbro's
promotional booklet, no examples Mint in Box have ever been
found. Given that Hasbro UK advertised Paradise on the insert
and in their promotional booklet, but never sold her in the same
year, it was thought that maybe this was another set that fell
by the wayside.
Megan and Sundance in the 1987 UK insert
On the other side of this argument was the frequency with which
Country Jamboree outfit parts were being found with Megan and
Sundance in lots in the UK. Country Jamboree was one of a range
of Megan and Sundance outfits available in North America and
some European countries, but not sold in the UK. This particular
outfit was key, because it was used often in the animation - and
1987 was a year in which Hasbro UK tried to fill in the gaps in
time for My Little Pony the Movie.
Country Jamboree
Mint on Canadian Card, 1987
However, it was not until quite late on that a
surviving backcard for this set surfaced. At present it is the
only known example to survive, but it does prove that the set
did get an actual release. I'd like to thank Goddessofpeep for
the use of the below backcard image.
Megan and Sundance's box
UK, 1987
So, having confirmed that the set was definitely released, and
having explained all those stray bits of Country Jamboree
floating around in the ether of UK second hand markets, the next
big problem is working out exactly what came with the set and
what did not. The box art shows Megan and Sundance wearing the
whole Country Jamboree outfit, including shoes for Sundance.
However, it is unclear whether the UK set actually did include
the whole assortment.
Hasbro's Promotional Booklet
UK, 1987
Image from Pranceatron
Hasbro's booklet for 1987 shows this set, but Sundance is not
wearing any shoes. The set is shown to come with a basic white
comb and white flower brush. We can speculate that the flower
brush is likely given that Megan and Sundance's previous issue
also had one - but we can't be certain. The round puffy sticker
probably bore the artwork from the previous year, and not this
set.
Probable sticker included in the 1987 set pack (unconfirmed)
Image from SaveThePonies We can only speculate on what the final assortment actually
looked like. Surviving evidence of sets sold in the UK at a
different time or in a different format from other countries is
often sparse to non-existent, and we can only put together the
rough pieces that we have and guess at the rest. For this
purpose, we have two small clues. One is the comic advertisment:
Megan and Sundance Advert
UK Comic, 1987
The comic advert shows Megan and Sundance
dressed in Country Jamboree, but, like in the catalogue,
Sundance has no shoes. This is also the case in the Argos
catalogue, although here Sundance is also missing her cape.
This may be so that the pony's symbol is visible. Argos were
known for unpacking ponies and taking 'live' photos as opposed
to using just stock images, however. It is therefore
interesting that the set here shows the white flower brush and
basic comb, and the earlier version of the sticker.
Megan and Sundance
Argos Catalogue, UK 1987
None of these are conclusive proof as to what accessories Megan
and Sundance came with. We can probably believe Argos's text
when it lists the set with jumpsuit, brush, comb, ribbon and
sticker - but there are still other questions that only a MIB
item can answer. As yet, none have been found.
What we can say with certainty, however, is that Sundance
continued to be sold with no country of manufacture on her
hooves. She also often had slightly paler hair, although there
is quite a wide disparity between hair shades and rooting styles
among the 'no country' versions, with some having curly and some
straight hair.
"No Country" Sundance - UK and Europe, 1986-7
So where was Sundance made?
The traditional view on this has been that Sundance sold in
Europe must have been made in Spain. This theory came about
because of a number of ponies known to be made in Spain that
have no country stamped on their hooves. But whether this is
true or not is not certain. The packaging for Megan and Sundance
does not mention the pony being made in Spain - Spanish pony
cards often do mention this. In fact, there is some evidence
that this Sundance may have been made in China. As time passed
on, there are examples of other playset and special release
ponies, such as Majesty, appearing with China,
rather than Hong Kong, on hooves. Another piece of
circumstantial evidence is the apparent existence of a weird end
of line hybrid involving Sundance's body and Princess Pearl's
head. I know, it sounds odd - but put-together princess ponies
were a thing at the end of the UK line. There are a couple of
these in existence, suggesting authenticity - and these were
always made from pony bits made in China.
We don't know for certain where Sundance was made. But it's not
for sure she was made in Spain.
Hong Kong Sundance was never sold in the UK, or in Europe.
