Sparkle Ponies: Mail Order Release (1988, North America)

The first release of the Sparkle Ponies came in 1988, and was a Mail Order offer available in North America. The Sparkle Ponies were promoted on various fliers, and the mail in offer continued over several years - but was only available in North America. As their name suggests, the Sparkle Ponies were made of translucent plastic, with tiny bits of glitter embedded into it. They also had streaks of tinsel in their hair. All of the ponies had single coloured tinsel except Twinkler, who had three colours of tinsel in her mane and tail.

In 1989ish, a set of store-sold Sparkle Ponies were also made available. These were sold in North America and in Europe and the UK, and are more common than the Mail Order versions.

Each Mail Order pony came in a clear plastic bag with a thin, gold-edged ribbon and a brush or comb accessory. The thin edged ribbons overlap the colours used for some of the second set of Princess Ponies, and so may well match these colours. I have no mail order Sparkle ribbons so cannot compare them.

Napper and Star Hopper are the two most immediately obvious Mail Order ponies to identify at a glance, as they have different hair colour to their store sold counterparts (Star Hopper's is white, not yellow, Napper's is green, not lavender). For this reason they often sell for more money than the others, although it does not necessarily mean they are the rarest.

All six Mail Order versions of the Sparkle Ponies had tiny versions of their symbols on their cheeks - which the store versions did not have. Some were made of a cloudier plastic, and are prone to discolouration. Because the mail order ran over several years, there are also some variations in colouring among mail order ponies, most visibly noticeable on Star Hopper.