Rollerskates Ponies

The three Rollerskates Ponies were a new gimmick for 1993, and had an older pose modified in order to accommodate a rollerskating mechanism. Each pony had moulded on rollerskates, two of which had fixed wheels and two of which had turning wheels. The front boot had a motor and rubber edged front wheels to enable the pony to be pulled back and then released to 'skate' across a room. This was especially effective on a smooth floor, although could be made to work on a carpet as well.

Instructions on the Rollerskates Pony box on how to activate pony.

These three ponies were sold in the UK and in Europe, probably also in Australasia. They were not sold in North America. One of the ponies, Melody, was based on the Seven Character pony, who was also on sale the same year. The other two were new characters. All three were earth ponies. They were sold with headsets with a portable CD player attached and red clear glasses.

It is not uncommon to find ponies second hand with missing wheels - normally the static wheels, which can break off if the pony is activated under too much pressure. But it is also not uncommon to find ponies with active and working motors. Unfortunately, the vast majority of rollerskates ponies no longer skate, even if the motor works, because of hardening of the rubber front wheels. There are exceptions but it seems likely that all rollerskate ponies will eventually not skate because of natural aging.

Some collectors have tried various methods to 'restore' the skating function. This can work, but represents permanently changing the pony, so if you are buying a pony that still works, it's worth checking to find out whether this is due to restoration or whether the pony is original.

Mint in Box Hip Hop
UK, 1993

Although originally part of the 1993 line, Rollerskates ponies remained available in 1994 and were still being found in small toy stores and clearance outlets into the middle 1990s. They are not uncommon Mint in Box (I even found one at a carboot sale once, although I no longer have it), although their limited distribution sometimes makes them more desireable.

Some English boxes also have a printing error on the back where the names are switched around. Not all boxes are like this, suggesting more than one production batch. Like most ponies this year, this set had a collective story and sticker labels on the front designating the pony's name.

They were the subject of a poster comic available around 1994, which is the only context in which Hip Hop and Jazzie appear in comic format.

Rollerskates Ponies Comic Poster
UK, 1994

 
The original prototype for Jazzie seems to have been blue, as she appears in Hasbro's catalogue for 1993 this way, but at some point this was changed ahead of production.