The name "Playtime" seems to have been
inspired by the common British way of describing school break
in primary school (the UK equivalent of elementary school). It
was a time when kids donned their coats and shoes and went out
to play in the playground. In my primary school in the
eighties and early nineties, we also had an equipment shed, in
which we stored the outdoor sports equipment. Other things,
like skipping ropes, stilts and so on were also kept in here,
and we were able to borrow them for morning or lunchtime
breaks. In 1991, then, "Playtime" and skipping rope seemed a
natural pairing.
Playtime also shares a close resemblance with North American
So Soft Pony,
Skippety-Doo, who was on sale
there in 1986. Skippety-Doo had no UK release, but she also
has similar colours and a skipping rope symbol. Whether the
resemblance is coincidence or not is unknown.
Playtime was not sold with a skipping rope, but there was one
provided with the Schoolhouse. It has a leg grip for an adult
pony, and we can only imagine that Hasbro intended it for her
use.
Playtime with the Schoolhouse skipping rope
