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

Adult Sea Ponies

North America, 1984


Adult Sea Ponies USA

The First Set of Adult Sea Ponies, North America

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Ponies Sold in 1984 in the UK Rainbow Ponies (Set One) | Earth Ponies | Show Stable | Adult Sea Ponies (UK) | Butterscotch's Gymkhana | Baby Ember (Mail Order) | Bluebelle (Concave) | The Grooming Parlour

Other 1984 Ponies Unicorn and Pegasus Ponies (Set One) | Adult Sea Ponies (N.America) | Dream Castle (UK:1985) | The Waterfall (UK:1985) | Dream Castle (UK:1985) | Baby Buggy (UK:1987) | Lullabye Nursery (UK:1986)


The First Sea Ponies

According to Hasbro's promotional catalogue in the USA, Sea Ponies came in 1984. These three characters were sold in North America, and, unlike their land-bound companions, did not have legs. They could not stand up on their own, and so came with sea shell stands in order to help them display. These shells had suckers on the back, as they were designed to be stuck on bathroom tiles and could even double as soap dishes. Yes, Hasbro were serious. The ponies were meant to swim.

Swimming Ponies

The tail of the adult sea ponies were weighted with metal weights, in order to help the pony swim upright when put in the water. They were also equipped with a little hole by the mane line to help buoyancy. You might have guessed that this was not a great combination, as ponies ended up taking on water, and internal rust or mould on surviving examples is not uncommon. The tail was designed to fit into a slot in the shell tray when the pony was not in use.

Tail
Adult Sea Pony Tail



The UK: US Overlap

These three adult sea ponies were the first release, but the UK would follow a year or two later with an overlapping release featuring one common character. In the early UK pony books, too, there are examples where the names of the US ponies appear, despite the UK release being pictured. This has led to some speculation about the overlap character (Wavedancer in the US, Wavebreaker in the UK) and whether she is the same pony, or different. Fundamentally, the pony herself is the same, but her name, packaging and accessories differed enough that some collectors prefer to treat them as different individuals.

Shoopbedoop

I can't finish a page on the US Sea Ponies without mentioning their on-screen debut, in the first special, Rescue at Midnight Castle. Their catchy refrain when saving Megan and Applejack from drowning has burned itself eternally into the brains of many a G1 My Little Pony kid. You only have to say shoobdoop to conjure up images like this...

Call Upon The Sea Ponies
Seawinkle, Sealight and Wavedancer
Screenshot from Rescue at Midnight Castle


Adult Sea Ponies in Europe

While much of Europe had versions based around the later UK release, made in Italy, Italy itself may have had the North American versions in their own packaging. This insert from 1987 certainly suggests as much. Italy was somewhat on its own trajectory in the early 1980s, and cannot be taken as indicative of wider European patterns. It is unclear how widespread the first three American ponies were outside of North America.

Italian Insert, 1987
Italian Insert, 1987
Featuring the North American Sea Ponies

Adult Sea Ponies: 1984, North America