Windy in the United Kingdom
Windy was sold in the United Kingdom from the end of 1984,
although her set was officially part of 1985, and appeared on the
1985 UK insert. The set had been released in North America in
early 1984, and there are no major variations in pony or accessory
between these releases. The card style was distinctive in the UK,
being vertical rather than horizontal.
Windy, Mint on UK Card
(Image courtesy of Straightdealstoys)
There can be minor variations in batch with ponies from this set,
including slightly different plastic shades on the body, magenta
shades in the hair, and whether or not the glitter on the symbol
is underwritten with a printed marking (rather than just being
glitter).
Windy in Other Places
Windy was also part of several European releases, where she was
often found made in Italy or France, sometimes with alternate
colouring or pose. She was also rereleased in the 1985 set in
North America, and was available through subsequent horseshoe
point mail in offers up to around 1986.
Windy was probably sold through import, on American cards, in
Norway and possibly Sweden. It is also possible but not
confirmed whether she might have been included in the 1986 European Rainbow
Pony set.
"White Windy" - an enduring myth
In the late 1990s, in the chaos of the internet
'discovering' ponies in Europe, a claim was made about the
existence of a 'White' version of Windy, with blue symbols, sold
in the UK. While there is no actual variant with these
characteristics, the batch differences on Windy can be
particularly distinct, creating fuel for the fire of this myth.
As the below image indicates, there are batch differences in
body tone, hair tone, and symbol across this pony's release.
Comparing Windy batch variations.
There has been to date no demonstrated proof that a "White" windy
was ever sold, and with Windy being prone to fading, it will be
hard to ever prove this as a variant. Though it is clearly true
some are paler than others, when compared with actually white
ponies, the difference is clear:
Comparing pale and faded Windy to Glory
Windy's Character
Windy was my very first pony, so I still hold her character
dear to my heart. I don't remember her being prominent in pony
comics, but I do recall that the Fact File denoted her the
fastest of all the earth-bound ponies (trumped only by Whizzer). It
also described her running form as being like a streaking
rainbow, because of the colours in her hair.
