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

Snuzzle

Concave Foot Edition (1983-the end of existence!)

Grey earth pony with pink mane and tail, pink hearts symbol.

grey earth pony
Pony Data
Set Collector Ponies (Concave) 1983
Various Other Releases
Asst. Number ?
Accessories blue basic comb and pink ribbon
Also basic blue comb and blue ribbon in end of line clearance release.
Pose 'Collector'
Distribution Worldwide
Other Versions Concave Foot (Various releases)
Snuzzle's Grooming Parlour

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Ponies Sold in 1983 in the UK The Collector Ponies (Flat Footed).
Possibly mingled in with The Collector Ponies (Concave Footed), but this is a bit more grainy and evidence is sketchy as to how this really worked. The Grooming Parlour (With Peachy) also came out in the UK in around 1983.

Other 1983 Ponies Unicorn and Pegasus Ponies (Set One) | Adult Sea Ponies (N.America) | Rainbow Ponies (Set 1)(UK:1984) | Earth Ponies (UK:1984) | Dream Castle (UK:1985) | The Show Stable (UK:1984)

Snuzzle available in 1985, 1986 and 1987 in various UK releases.

Snuzzle in the United Kingdom

Snuzzle's release pattern in the United Kingdom is more than a little odd. Aside from the (probably imported) Flat Foot release, she seems to have been deployed as an odd-job gap-filler, appearing in random releases where she may not have been expected.

It is believed that the full set of Concave Foot ponies were sold in the UK on card, although no firm evidence for this exists. Any examples of this would be on American card, as the first official Earth Pony set on UK cards came in 1984. My assumption is that this version of Snuzzle probably predates that point here in the UK, but it is hard to be sure.

In 1985, probably 1986, and definitely 1987, however, she was doing some quite different things.

Baby Bow Tie's Stroller (Argos, 1985-6)

Baby Bow Tie's Stroller, Argos
Baby Bow Tie's Stroller featuring Snuzzle (Argos)
After a probable lull in 1984, Snuzzle popped up again in Argos's catalogue in 1985. Here she was offered as part of Baby Bow Tie's stroller release. This is a bizarre combination, not least because by 1985, two versions of adult Bow Tie had already been sold here. The most likely explanation for this release is that Hasbro had a surplus of Mail Order Snuzzles that they wanted to get rid of somehow. Argos already had some odd releases relating to Bluebelle in 1984 and 1985. It is probable that this was an extension of the same thing. Whether this Snuzzle was on card or (more likely) in bag is unknown as no surviving Mint in Package examples have been discovered. As far as I know, this release combination was exclusive to Argos.

Snuzzle's Grooming Parlour (1987)

Snuzzle's Grooming Parlour
Snuzzle's Grooming Parlour (UK, 1987)
Image from SHLUGH
Hasbro were not finished there. In 1987, a version of the Grooming Parlour was released in the UK with Snuzzle instead of Peachy. This featured all the same accessories, but new nametags and a new box.

Snuzzle is the only Collector Pony to still be on sale in the UK in 1987. It suggests that Hasbro had more leftover Snuzzles than they did other Collector Ponies, and so found ingenious ways to distribute them to unsuspecting UK children.

But that wasn't the end of Snuzzle's story. Nope. Not by a long shot. Because at the very end of the My Little Pony line, when certain end of line US release ponies (mostly Mail Orders and ponies from the Slumber Party) were being packed off to market stalls in weird clear bags with grey cardboard labels...Snuzzle was also among this number. It seems that Hasbro were drowning in Snuzzles right up to the end of production.

A range of snuzzles from different releases
An array of Snuzzles from various releases, image courtesy of Leikin

The ponies on the left are known to have been released in North America, either via catalogue or mail order. The ponies on the right appeared here in the UK. The bottom right hand pony is Snuzzle from the Grooming Parlour, with her sticker and ribbon. The one above is the end of line stock with her cardboard grey label. The colour match between the two on the right and the mail order on the bottom left does suggest some of these extra Snuzzles were leftover from the mail order release, or in production around the same time.

Maybe the moral of this story is, grey is not the best colour for a pony. :/



Snuzzle's Character

Snuzzle was an obscure pony in the UK, and she never appeared in the comic. She did appear in the fact file, where her story mentioned her liking to nuzzle people. 

Collector Ponies (Concave Foot Edition)