5 Fun Facts about the Magical World of My Little Pony

My little Pony debuted in toy stores during the year 1983 and has been one of Hasbro’s most popular and valued toy lines. Even today, you will find that the popularity of the toys has not waned. They had their own TV show, which quickly went on to become a cult success, and a movie that came out in 2017. Originally aimed at pre-schoolers, today My Little Pony plush toys count even grown women and quite surprisingly, men, among its fans. The adult female fandom is called Pegasisters while their male counterparts are known as Bronies. Here are some more such interesting facts about the toys:

1. The characters were inspired by a real-life pony.

Bonnie Zacherle, the creator of the iconic toy line, said that it was a pony that she had met as a child that was the inspiration for My Little Pony. Knicker was a Korean pack pony that Bonnie developed a fondness for when she was living in Japan. When she moved back to the States, she couldn’t bring the animal with her, but his memories stuck.

2. It was supposed to be a gender neutral toy.

My Little Pony, which was supposed to be a toy aimed at pre-school children was supposed to be something that both boys and girls could play with. Unlike the bright colorful My Little Pony plush toys we see today, the original toys were modeled like horse breeds like the Appaloosa. The decision to splash the toys in colors like pink and violet was a marketing strategy that was taken up later.

3. The My Little Pony debut was not exactly a success.

Can you imagine if My Little Pony hadn’t been released? There would have been no Applejack or Pinkie Pie! When the first toy was exhibited at the Toy Fair, the reception was lukewarm. There were not enough sales, which had led to the company almost dropping the line. However, Hasbro’s then Director of Marketing was sure that the public would love it. When it was finally rolled out to the public, it became an instant hit, especially among young girls.

4. There are many generations of ponies.

There were many lines of the ponies, which were referred to as generations. The first generation, which consisted of only six ponies, ran for almost nine years. Hasbro later started adding more characters, colors and types of ponies. There were scented ponies and ones that came with secret compartments. There were also diaper wearing Drink ‘n Wet ponies that wet themselves!

5. Collector’s items can fetch a lot of money.

In addition to the regular line of toys, Hasbro had also come out with special editions that were mail-order ponies. These are rare pieces that can fetch upto $1000 if found in mint condition. There was also an entire line produced in Venezuela in the 80s that was unheard of until 2012.

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