Ripple in the United Kingdom
Ripple was one of the new characters introduced to the Pretty
& Pearly range. She was sold in the forward facing pose,
and the artwork on the back of the card (while not always
pose-specific) also presents her in that guise. (Its a cute
picture, so I'm including it!). Ripple was sold with a frog float,
which was a new float design for the year, in green with pink
spots. The pony pictured above is my childhood pony, shown is her
original float (which appears the same in colour as those released
in North America, although the text print underneath can sometimes
vary).
Pretty 'n' Pearly Ripple
UK backcard, 1987
The pony pictured at the top of the page is my
childhood pony, shown is her original float (which appears the
same in colour as those released in North America, although the
text print underneath can sometimes vary).
Ripple in Other Places
Ripple was originally sold in the North American release in
1986, where she featured a brand new pose, "looking up". In the
UK, however, she was sold in the more familiar facing forward
pose (a pose which was phased out in North America after 1985-6
for unknown reasons). The North American version of Ripple seems
to have been the default version in most places outside of the
UK where this set was sold. Cards were sometimes translated into
local languages but featured American artwork as well.
Ripple's Character
Ripple's factfile entry suggests that she was something of a
daredevil, liking to dash at the waves before they hit the shore
in order to play with the foam. Her backcard story also features
her doing this, as well as going exploring. She found a hidden
cave, but got lost and had to call for help. Magic Star
came to the rescue with her magic wand, and Ripple gathered
seashells to make a necklace as a thank you to her rescuer. This
story was the same as that in the North American release - Magic
Star was on sale in both places at the same time as the pearly set
was released.
