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

ID by POSE

HOW TO RECOGNISE POSES IN G1 MY LITTLE PONY
*SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION!*


Unicorn and Pegasus Poses

Unicorn and Pegasus Pony Backcard featuring ponies mostly "in pose"
North America, circa 1984

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Generation One Pony Poses


Generation One consists of a very diverse range of ponies. These include adults, babies, water based ponies, ponies with insect style wings, and so on. But not every single pony has their own unique pose. Many poses, especially adult and baby earth pony poses, were reused heavily throughout the twelve or so years My Little Pony was in production.

You can browse through these pose styles and find ponies by pose by browsing the pony links in the search tab. But if you are completely new to G1 Pony ID, the MOST important thing to remember is that the year on the hoof is not necessarily the year the pony came out.

Most of the emails I get asking for ID help are because a person cannot find a pony in a particular year, based on the year on the hoof. But these dates only signify the first year a pose was ever used.

So for example, the Tootsie Pose was first used for Tootsie and Cherries Jubilee, in 1984 in North America.

Tootsie Pose
Tootsie
Tootsie Pose, dated 1984

This set was released in the UK in 1985, but all Tootsies and Cherries Jubilees have 1984 on their hooves. Moreover, this same pose was still being used in 1993, for Bright Eyes, and 1994, for Highlights. But their hooves are also dated 1984 - because this is the date Hasbro produced, copyrighted and first started using the mould. Bright Eyes and Highlights are ponies from the 1990s. But you will often find sellers trying to sell them as eighties ponies, or failing to identify them BECAUSE they think they came from 1984.

Highlights
Highlights, produced 1994
Hoof dated 1984

This is not an isolated example. Hasbro produced many new poses up until 1987, and then increasingly relied on older poses for the rest of the line. There are exceptions, however - some new poses did emerge, for new styles of set in later years. But, again, these ponies are also dated to the first year that pose was used, and all subsequent ponies in that pose are dated the first year, not their release year.

Some original poses are modified because of special features. Tootsie's pose, for example, has three potential modifications - Sundae Best (raised symbol), Princess (remoulded to fit princess symbol) and Merry Go Round (raised moulded cape). These moulds are all dated to the year that they were first modified - which will always relate to the American release year, not the UK one (if relevant).

Tassels
Tootsie Pose, modified for moulded Merry Go Round Cape
Mould dated 1989
Released in the UK in 1990-1
One clue that can hint that a pony was made later in the line is being made in China, although this is not exhaustive. Some early sets were commonly made in China - for example, the Flutter Ponies. Some later ponies, particularly Mail Orders, also had Hong Kong releases, and there are Hong Kong productions as late as at least 1991 in Europe as well. But broadly speaking, most early mainstream ponies are made in Hong Kong and most later ones in China.

Pose and production year are not massive signifiers of a pony's rarity or value, however. My Little Pony is peculiar in that it is impossible to guess at which ones are rare or sought after just by looking at them. Some very plain ponies are more sought after than some very elaborate ones. Some older ponies are very common - some newer ones, very rare. In short, knowing how poses work is only a small part of figuring out how to sell My Little Pony, or what value or rarity your own collection might have. Still, it is a good first step to at least finding out their names.


POSES