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

1985

So Soft Ponies: Set I.5

Adding more fuzz to the fire!


A lot of So Soft Ponies from set 1.5

Six new characters to fuzzle
North America, 1986

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Ponies Sold in 1986 in the UK Twinkle Eyes (Set One) | Play & Care Set Babies (Set Two) | 1986 Pony Asst | Grooming Parlour |Baby Sea Ponies (Set One) | Wedding Bells Confetti | Show Stable | Lullabye Nursery | Baby Lemon Drop | Megan & Sundance | Dream Castle | Baby Lucky | Snuzzle (Concave - Argos)| Flutter Ponies

Other 1986 Ponies Twinkle Eyed Ponies (Set Two - UK:1987)* | So Soft Ponies (Set Two) | Pearly Baby Sea Ponies (UK:1987) | So Soft Megan & Sundance | Beddy Bye Eye Babies | Molly & Baby Sundance | Fable Ponies | Rainbow Ponies (Set Two - Europe, not UK) | Earth Ponies (Europe) | Birthflower Ponies (Scandinavia/Aus)| Birthday Party Gift Set | Hollywood | Satin & Lace | White Tootsie | Stockings | Baby Blue Ribbon | Baby Bonnet School of Dance (UK:1987)| Baby Sleepy Pie and Purse

The So Soft Revolution Continues...


The So Soft Ponies were first introduced in 1985-6, and it's clear that Hasbro thought from the start that they were onto something good. Not only had they already turfed sixteen ponies out onto the market with this trademark fuzzy veneer, they also then added another six characters for luck, all by the close of 1986. Some of the original set characters continued to be sold throughout the period, whilst other, older characters were retired to make way for the new stars. The backcards were updated to reflect the new ponies - though this mostly amounted to a template recolouring, meaning some of them were shown as the wrong species.

The revolving nature of the So Soft collection is summed up best by Hasbro's use of assortment numbers - the original assortment was catalogued as 4762. This additional release was labelled 4762.01, and the final third set, 4762.02. Subtle but effective.

While some ponies are sold on both old and new styles of card, I have resisted the urge to crash anyone's browser by trying to include the whole sets of sixteen on every pony's page. The amended set is thus only shown on the pages of the six ponies here - because they were the new adds.

The So Soft Ponies were never sold officially in the United Kingdom, although some independent store chains - particularly in the South - appear to have imported some, and so a few examples do appear from time to time on the second-hand market.

Fifi Mint on Card
Fifi Mint on Card
So Soft Ponies, North America, 1986

It is unclear whether any of this flocked set made it overseas to Europe. While Italy would have the third set (released in 1987), it is not known whether they had any earlier releases. This set were also sold via export in Australia and New Zealand, although it is unclear whether prior or subsequent So Soft Pony sets were released in these territories.

As the name of the set suggests, these characters were all flocked with soft velvety fur, from head to toe. The flocking covered their symbols, making some of them harder to see, and certain characters, like Posey, had her symbol made darker in order to make it more visible through the fur. So Soft Ponies in pristine condition are beautiful, but it is not uncommon to find them with flocking rubs around the ears, hooves, or horn/wing edges, nor is it unusual for the flocking to have become dirty over time. Some collectors choose to 'deflock', or remove flocking from badly damaged So Soft ponies. None of the new characters added to this set were sold as a regular version anywhere in the mainstream line, although a Brazilian version of Twist does exist. This makes them popular targets for deflocking (although collectors generally accept that only badly worn So Soft ponies with filthy or badly rubbed flocking are deflocked, as the flocked versions are sought after in their own right)
 


Ponies in this Set: