Pretty Vision was one of three earth ponies
made available in the Brush and Grow Pony set. The set was
originally sold in North America in 1988, but reached the UK
and Europe in around 1989. Here, they were officially sold on
cards. The cards had their own European art on the back, which
was unusual for packages in 1989. The carded releases do
not seem to have come with combs, but did come with everything
else. The wide ribbons were folded underneath the brush
(thanks to LadyG for this information).
Pretty Vision Mint on Card
UK style card (Benelux release) 1989
Image from Spoosh
While the cards advertised ponies made in China, the
majority of Brush & Grow ponies available in the UK
second-hand market are made in Hong Kong. Chinese versions
do exist, but most of them are found on the European
continent, and may indicate a slightly later release here.
Unlike my Chinese Braided Beauty, whose hooves are printed
with a standard 'Made in China', Pretty Vision's are
printed with a "Made in China" stamp in a circle on one
hoof - see below.
Chinese Pretty Vision
(Photos taken at ponycon)
In around 1990-1, the now-defunct store
Woolworths, which often carried My Little Pony toys
through the eighties and nineties, imported boxed versions
of the Brush & Grow Ponies and sold them as 'store
exclusives'.
The American boxes stated that ponies were made in Hong
Kong. These boxed versions were probably surplus stock
purchased by Woolworths from an American supplier as
clearance, and this may explain why Hong Kong Brush &
Grows are so common here. I actually never saw a carded
Brush & Grow in stores where I lived, so it is
possible not all store chains in the UK carried them.
The carded versions are known to have been sold in the UK,
the Benelux (on English cards with import labels), German
speaking countries, Spain and France (translated). It is
likely they were also sold in Italy, but the method is not
known.
