My Little Pony Ponywear

From somewhere around 1983-4, the idea of dressing up My Little Pony came into vogue. The finale sequence to the second animated special, Escape from Catrina basically doubled as the year's ponywear advertisement in the USA, as it featured pony characters dressed in many of the year's outfits. Ponywear was a thing here in the UK too - and was vociferously advertised in the UK's pony comic - although the releases were not entirely the same as those sold overseas. This section of the site will focus fairly firmly on the ponywear of the UK (and in some cases, Europe), although some reference will also be made to the releases in North America as well where possible. It is really a brief overview, although some ponywear backcards can also be found in the Backcard Vault.

For a full and detailed resource on pony accessories and ponywear across the globe, Chrissytree's Accessory site is a really good place to go.

Ponywear in the UK

Ponywear began in the UK in around 1984, with some very basic outfits that comprised mostly of a cape and a hat/crown. Over the subsequent years pony outfits became more ornate, and in 1987 - the final year for ponywear - the release mirrored much of what was available in North America, albeit with some line items (like Megan and Sundance Wear) missing. These last releases were imported into the UK on North American cards - Hasbro apparently not minding that the ponies modelling them on the cards were not all available in the United Kingdom!

Although packages did suggest that ponywear could not be worn by pegasus ponies, or sitting ponies, Hasbro's own advertising often disproved the former. As a child, I saw no reason why my Masquerade should not wear the same things as my other ponies, and so she did. But this example was clearly set by Hasbro doing it first, as seen in the image at the top of the page which shows Honeycomb in her jogging suit. Yes, wings made ponies wider, and some fashions were a tighter squeeze - but nothing beyond a determined kid's resolve. And it's not as though Honeycomb's usage was a one-off -many other pegasus ponies were used to model ponywear in the UK throughout 1986 and 1987. Wings, it turns out, are not such an impediment to fashion after all.

Ponywear was definitely most active in the UK in 1986, and was vociferously advertised in the pony comic, through images like the one above. There was also at least one tongue-in-cheek UK TV commercial from 1985, the audio from which can be found below:

The early ponywear in the UK were classified as 'collections' - although how these actually worked out into sets is a bit confusing. Only some of the backcards actually gave the collection number, and pony inserts didn't always mention this, either. Some outfits were released in more than one collection as well.

It should be noted that some popular sets from North America, including the Mother and Baby Sets, did not get a UK release - but did get sold in parts of Europe. The same can also be said for the second release of Baby Pony Wear - only the first set reached the UK, but some of Europe had the second set as well. It cannot be assumed that ponywear between European countries (including the UK) was uniform, as it was not.

Ponywear sold in the UK

1984: The Earliest Ponywear in the UK

The first three ponywear outfits were sold in the UK in 1984, and we can comfortably call these "Collection One", although they were never officially given that name. They were pictured on the 1984 insert, although those pictured were not always true to what was sold in stores. A version of the Party Time outfit with white ruff and crown does exist, and its inclusion here may suggest it is the original release. It is also common to find this outfit with a red crown and ruff. Variations exist for the Bedtime outfit too, which can have a white lace hem or a blue one.
These outfits would go on to be sold again in 1985. They are nominally "UK" outfits, although the 'Rainy Day' outfit had a more complicated "Mother and Baby" wear set in North America. The adult outfit in the UK was made of a much thicker plasticky material, though, making it legitimately 'different'. They may also have been sold in parts of Europe.

1985 Ponywear and muddled early "Collections" (1 & 2, and bits of 3)

Although I've dated these '1985' because they appear on the 1985 insert, as has already been stated, the top three outfits were already available as of 1984. Party Time is featured here with the red ruff, which may indicate this was a 1985 alteration. The crown is shown as silver, but was actually in the same colour as the ruff.

The 1985 insert lumped all the ponywear available that year into one panel, but the backcards separated them out into 'mini-sets', with two or three outfits being featured on the back of the card. The back of the "Birthday Girl" outfit package from 1985, for example, features only "Tennis Fun" and "Flashprance", while "Royal Pony and "Rollerskating" can be found on the same card back as "Sweet Dreams."  If you look at the insert, these sets are actually arranged in these "rows" as well, indicating they belong together. It should be noted some of these sets had different names in the UK from the US release, but were principally the same set in terms of content.

Some of these were also designated as part of the later "Collections." My MOC Tennis Fun, for example, is listed as "Collection 3" in the top left hand corner. The problem is that my MOC Birthday Girl - which features the same three outfits and the same artwork on the back of the card...has no collection number in the top corner. This is most easily explained by the fact that these three outfits were reissued in 1986. On the 1986 insert they appear as part of "Collection 3".

This suggests that Birthday Girl, Flashprance and Tennis Fun, without the branding on their card, are probably from the 1985 release, while those marked "Collection 3" are from the 1986 re-release.

There is no official "Collection 1" or "Collection 2", as 1985 did not brand the cards this way. But, based on a process of elimination, and the knowledge of which sets came first, it's possible to list the first three outfits as "Collection 1", and Sweet Dreams, Royal Pony and Rollerskating as "Collection 2".

1986: Collection 3

As already mentioned, half of this collection were already available in 1985, and the same cards were used for 1986 - only with the new "Collection 3" branding in the top left corner. New additions to this set of ponywear were the outfits "Fun Run", "Sweet Dreams" (another reissue from 1985, now included in a different assortment, and featured on a different backcard) and "Ice Dance." The two new additions - Fun Run and Ice Dance - were basically the adult outfits from the "Mother and Baby Wear" sets "Pony Workout" and "Snow Angels" available in North America. The Mother and Baby wear was not sold in the UK - perhaps because it was deemed we didn't have enough Mother and Baby Pairs to make it logical at that point.
These are the outfits being promoted in the comic advertisement at the top of the page.

1986: Collection 4

Collection 4 was also released in 1986, and also included some outfits that had a baby version in North America - although with amended names. Ballerina (from Prima Ballerina), Beach Party (From Sun & Fun) and Sunday Stroll were all pared down versions of the adult outfits from the North American range. (Sunday Stroll, for example, was lacking its bonnet). The final addition to this collection, Carnival Time, was an outfit only released as part of this set. It had a feather headdress, which very easily got damaged - and no shoes. In many ways it seemed more remeniscent of the very simple earliest ponywear, and is often associated with them for that reason.

1986: Collection 5 - "Glamour and Glitter" Ponywear

1986 was a busy year in the UK for ponywear! The final adult collection for this year - labelled "Ponywear with Jewellery" in North America, and promoted by Hasbro UK in the pony comic advertisement as "Glamour and Glitter" Ponywear - was Collection 5. These outfits, as the American name suggests, included ponies dressed up in their finery, with necklaces, handbags, earrings and other fancies to make themselves look beautiful. The UK line is notably missing two outfits included in the "Ponywear with Jewellery" range - "Pageant Queen"  - probably on account of the Miss Pony USA sash - and "Something Old, Something New". This last was a wedding outfit, and was sold with Wedding Bells Confetti instead.
Some of the other outfits also changed their names in the UK. Sweetness and Lace was "Champagne & Lace" (and famously featured a bottle of champagne on the package!). Lights, Camera, Action became "Movie Star", From the Designer Collection became "Scarlet Sensation", and Hearts and Candy was rebranded "My Valentine." Each outfit had a uniquely designed card to show off the outfit in question.

1986: Baby Pony Wear with Pocket Pals

The first and only range of outfits for baby ponies also came out in the UK in 1986. While a second release happened in other places in 1987, we only had this one release. These comprised four different sets of baby outfits sold in pairs. Each baby outfit had a pocket and a tiny plushie to go with it as the 'pal'. These are very easily damaged or lost. Again, many of the names of this set were changed from the release Stateside. The 1986 insert used Baby Ponies from 1985 and 1986 to promote this release - presumably because of a lack of Baby Pony candidates in 1986 alone. The comic advertisement used the new Play and Care characters from 1986 to promote this release.

1987: Costume Wear

Costume Wear, 1987
(Image from Hasbro Catalogue, courtesy of Pranceatron)
Left to right from top:
Pony-Naut, Galaxy Glamour, Rockin' The Night Away
In the Centre Ring, Academy Award, Abracadabra
This was one of the more extravagant releases of ponywear in the UK, and also, one of the last. As the name suggests, the idea was that the ponies could dress up in something unexpected and fantastical. The range included a spacesuit and a rockstar outfit, among others. Unlike previous years, this release did not have a UK style card, and was simply sold on imported US style cards. These are among some of the hardest to find ponywear outfits in the UK, especially with the small pieces. They are, however, relatively common MOC on a global scale. Unlike in 1986, where Pageant Queen was likely pulled because of the "USA" motif on the sash, the Pony Naut spacesuit got through Hasbro UK's picky vision with its US flag intact. The ponies used to advertise this set, even on the UK insert, were So Soft Ponies from 1987, none of whom were sold in the UK. In the Hasbro catalogue, they were modelled by the Movie Star ponies.
"In the Centre Ring" and "Galaxy Glamour" had their spellings amended to meet British specifications.

1987: Play & Wear

Play & Wear - Modelled by the Movie Star Ponies
From L-R Top to bottom:
Get into the Groove
Hit the Slopes
Pony Holiday
Pretty as a Picture
Milk & Cookies
Skateboard Sensation
(Image courtesy of Pranceatron, and taken from the 1987 Hasbro Catalogue)

This set was sold in the UK on basically the same card as in the US, but there were a couple of name alterations. The skateboarding outfit (here modelled by Gusty) was renamed "Skateboard Sensation" (rather than Sidewalk Surfer). A few Mint on Card examples with the UK name do survive. I have also seen "Pony Holiday" on card with the UK spelling of 'favourite'. These outfits were available in 1987. They were among some of the most detailed, each coming with a play accessory that characterised the wider outfit. The Movie Star ponies were also used to advertise outfits from this set in the UK Pony Comic. Each set came with specific accessories to fit the theme of the outfit, including a skateboard, skiis and some night time snacks. The stereo from "Get into the Groove" was made in the same mould as the stereo belonging to the Jem doll release "Danse", showing that Hasbro were not afraid to slide product from one line into another to save on costs. (Danse's stereo, however, was in orange).

Anomalies: Megan and Sundance and Wedding Bells Confetti

Megan and Sundance in the UK, 1986 and 1987
(Images from the 1986 and 1987 inserts)

Although the Megan and Sundance fashions were not properly sold in the UK, we had two distinct outfits for this twoset. The first outfit in 1986 was unique to the UK, and was not sold as part of the later Megan and Sundance fashions either. But the 1987 release saw Megan and Sundance wearing the outfit Megan most commonly wore in the animated specials, Country Jamboree. Although it was never given this name in the UK, it is easily recogniseable when compared with the North American release of the outfit Mint on Card.

"Country Jamboree" Megan and Sundance wear, 1987
(Canadian packaging)

No other Megan and Sundance outfits were sold in the UK, but most of these were sold in the Netherlands and probably other parts of Europe. More packaging from Megan and Sundance and their outfits can be found in the Backcard Vault.

The other anomaly in the Ponywear range was Confetti, who was released in 1986 as a bride pony, wearing an outfit very similar to a version of the ponywear outfit "Something Old, Something New." This outfit was only sold with Confetti in the UK, not as a separate entity, and only under this name of "Wedding Bells." This release was also available in France.

"Wedding Bells" Confetti, as sold in Argos's catalogue, 1986 (UK)

Miscellaneous - Pony Packs and Jewellery

The UK also had the four accessory sets known as the "Pony Packs" - again on US cards, in 1987 and 1988. The insert used Twinkle Eye and So Soft Ponies to promote them (only one of which, Tic Tac Toe, was sold here).

Pony Packs on insert featuring Angel, Twilight, Quackers and Tic Tac Toe (UK, 1988)

 Hasbro's own catalogue again used the Movie Star Ponies in this role.

Pony Packs - Hasbro catalogue, 1987.

From 1984-1986, there were additionally what are known as Jewellery Sets (although they were actually heart shaped cases with hairclips inside).

Jewellery Set, as pictured on the 1984 insert. Example shown features Cotton Candy.
Other versions were blue, in both matte and pearl finish, and could also feature Posey and Baby Blossom.

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Continental Europe: An Overview

Ponywear was also available in some parts of Europe, but how these were packaged and which sets were released differed between countries. France tended to use the same packaging style as the United Kingdom, with a lot of overlap in the released ponywear items. Countries in the Benelux mostly had North American packaging, in English with local labels. Many of the sets not available in the UK were sold here, such as Megan and Pony Wear and the mother and baby outfits. Italy also had a wide range encompassing many fashions from the North American line. Italy's pony releases were in many ways unique, with their own distinct style of packaging for all ponies available up to the late 1980s. Ponywear was absolutely no exception to this rule. Ponywear also seems to have been released on different timelines and at different schedules depending on the country in question.

"Prima Ballerina" Mother & Babywear set, as sold on Italian card.
More examples of Italian packaging can be found in the Backcard Vault.


Ponywear in Italy (1987 insert)
A wide range of ponywear was still available in Italy even as late as 1987. 


An advert from the Benelux (I think Belgium) featuring some of the ponywear range.
(Click image for full size)


Ponywear (Pony-Kleidung, or Pony Clothing) advertised in the German booklet for 1987,
The image features the Twice as Fancy/Party Ponies (most commonly available through 1988) wearing ponywear available in the UK during 1986.

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