Princess Pearl had slightly different identities in different countries. But the standout name from the selection - the one that really doesn't fit - is 'Tiffany', the name used in North America. In spite of that, this is the name most commonly used on the internet for this pony. Some suggest it relates to Tiffany's and jewellery. But the American names don't have a pattern, and there could be any number of reasons behind it.

Princess Pearl, Fiery and Friendly

The main difference between Pearl's releases in North America and the UK, as mentioned on the main Princess page, is the attendant. In the North American release, she came with Friendly, a small blue furball blob with a purple eyes and crown. He has one arm outstretched, and can be posed with Pearl's wand. I'll admit it, he's cute. Not as cute as Fiery, but cute.

Princess Pearl's Accessories and Packaging.

It can be quite hard to match princess ponies to accessories, not least because of significant differences across different geographical areas. Aside the attendant, this is most notable with Pearl with her hat, which was blue with pink ribbons in the UK, and purple with yellow ribbons in North America. Though these colour schemes feature on other pony hats in the set in the respective countries, they are not always a direct match because the patterning can be different. Pearl's North American hat is a darker purple than Aquamarine's pinkish purple hat, although it has the same patterning. Her UK hat is the same colour as Sapphire's North American hat, but has teardrops and hearts instead of stars and moons.

As mentioned on the main Princess page, accessories can also be inconsistent even here in the UK, and this may be in part because this set continued over two years. The accessories listed at the top of the page are based on proven Mint in Box ponies, but Lady Guinevere's survey of Princess Ponies indicates some variation in what each pony came with. If trying to match up your childhood ponies to the accessories you have, please do check it out and see whether yours is an exception rather than the rule.

As far as I know, Pearl was sold with a puffy sticker through till 1988, although puffy stickers were withdrawn at the end of 1987. Although not common on the second hand market, they are easier to come by than those belonging to Mountain Boys or Movie Stars, suggesting they could have overrun this time limit. The stickers omitted the title of Princess, and just used the gemstone name.

 
Princess Pearl was sold in box in the UK, in North America, probably in the Netherlands, Nordic Countries, and in Italy. She was sold on card in Germany and France. Each packaging style met the conventions of the original year of release.

Princess Pearl's UK box featured the curled y on the rainbow logo, even though the release extended into 1987 - the packaging was not updated. The box design featured Dream Castle in the clouds, and a grassy meadow with a path. Pearl and Amethyst were pictured in the clouds, while the four earth ponies were shown on the grass. You can click on the below image to get a large version, to see names and Princess Pearl's backcard story.

An additional variation on Princess Pearl was sold in German speaking countries sometime around 1988 or 1989. She was most likely sold on card, and had yellow hair, instead of white.

Princess Pearl's wishing pearl tears
UK Pony Comic