The Second Release of Unicorn and Pegasus Ponies

While versions of these ponies were sold on the continent in various guises, the six ponies sold in the US release set were all made in Hong Kong. Some would also be sold in certain European countries in 1986, on a different styled card. (But not in the UK).

As with the first set, this second release met the established 'conventions' around unicorn ponies in particular. The early unicorns had a stripe of a different colour in their mane, and both unicorns and pegasus ponies also had glittery symbols, in contrast to their earth pony counterparts. The symbols were simple, in one or two colours. The themes of this set were a little more broad than in the first set. 1985 was also the first year for curly hair across various pony sets. Medley and Firefly were updated with curls (and the card art amended to match), whilst new characters Sparkler, Heart Throb and Surprise also had curls. The other new characters, along with Glory and Moondancer, had straight hair.

Three new poses were introduced, and the re-released characters maintained their original poses, giving some variety to the set. The image above shows the ponies in their correct poses, except for Moondancer, who is mis-drawn in Glory's pose.

Their backcard in the US release also featured the six Earth Ponies for that year, although the front of the cards were different.

US Packaging for 1984  Pegasus and Unicorn Ponies vs 1985 Pegasus and Unicorn Ponies

1984
United States

The card fronts for the 1984 and 1985 Unicorn and Pegasus sets are similar but not the same. Mint on Card examples of Glory, Moondancer, Medley and Firefly survive from both years.
To tell at a glance which year your pony comes from, you can check these small clues:
Twilight and Sunbeam on the Year 2 Card have been recoloured on the Year 3 card as Gusty and Powder.
Medley and Firefly have been given slightly more curly hair on the Year 3 Card.

1985
United States