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Monday, July 25, 2016

Idle chatter about My Little Pony

RagingMoon1987 here, and I apologize for the lack of activity lately.  It's been a couple of months since I last updated the blog, and a year and a half since I last talked about My Little Pony, but some recent minor events have prompted me to get active again.  Last month I went on a massive Etsy binge, buying everything within a certain price range.  Most of it is stuff for ball-jointed dolls, but I also found some things for my beat-up old Cabbage Patch Kid.  I also discovered that Etsy is a haven for reasonably priced vintage My Little Pony figures, mostly in the G1 style that I loved as a child.  Long story short, I bought three of them...and strangely enough, none of them are ponies that I owned as a child.  Indeed, all three ponies are older than I am.  So without further ado, let's meet my magical little equine friends!

PONY 1:  Medley
YEAR RELEASED:  1983
DATE OF ACQUISITION:  July 20th, 2016
Medley is four years older than I am, which would mean that she's lived to the ripe old age of 32.  Jeez, Secretariat didn't live to be that old!  Anywho, I got Medley because she's a character that I never owned, in a color that I don't remember owning, in a pose that I never owned.  It's odd that I don't remember ever owning a green pony during my childhood, but my mother and sister do.  My sister was constantly getting into my things, so she'd have good reason to remember.  I just don't understand why I wouldn't remember owning a pony in my favorite color.

When I added Medley to my small collection I noticed that she bears a striking resemblance to one of my combable G4 ponies, Lyra Heartstrings.
They're not exactly alike, but the similarities are uncanny.  Both ponies are mint-colored, and both have a musical theme.  The two are so much alike that they could be sisters...and since I can do what I like with my things, I've chosen to call them sisters!

As an added little bonus, Medley and Lyra also match my Shopkins Shoppie, Peppa Mint.
Such a shame that Peppa is for the most part a static figure, because she'd make a great rider for Medley.  I may review Peppa in a future post.

PONY 2:  Magic Star
YEAR RELEASED:  1985/1986
DATE OF ACQUISITION: July 22nd, 2016
Magic Star is a G1 So Soft pony, part of a line that was originally available before I was born.  The Softies are covered in flocking that makes them soft to the touch and dilutes their colors.  With her fuzz on, Magic Star is a pale yellow with a green and pink cutie mark.  When deflocked she is a bright lemon yellow.  I originally wanted Skippity Doo since she's green, but Skip wasn't available on Etsy so I settled for Magic Star.  Magic Star is in the same pose as Skip, which again is a pose I never owned when I was a child.  Indeed, I had no idea that Hasbro made ponies in a full rearing pose.  The Truly pose often required the use of a stand, but my Magic Star doesn't have hers.  No worries, though.  I usually brace her against Medley.  The Truly pose appears to be a tricky one to get here in the states, by the way.  According to My Little Wiki there were only six ponies in this pose, with half of them being foreign releases.  The three available in the U.S. were all Softies.

Flocking was the main selling point for So Soft ponies, and Magic Star doesn't disappoint.
She has a few minuscule rubs on her left back, but otherwise her flocking is very close to perfect.  I love how the flocking softens her yellow vinyl, too.  Without it she'd be DayGlo yellow, but with it on she takes a soft lemon yellow glow.  Magic Star genuinely feels soft, too.  I was expecting the flocking to be stiff like it is on those cheap bunny coin banks that you sometimes find around Easter.  Nope.  Magic Star's flocking feels like extra thick peach fuzz.  As soft and enticing as it is I try not to rub her too much, lest I rub off more flocking!  The fuzz, combined with a silky mane and tail make for a very pleasing purchase.

PONY 3:  Masquerade
YEAR RELEASED:  1985/1986
DATE OF ACQUISITION:  July 25th, 2016
Masquerade is a G1 Twinkle Eyed pony, part of yet another line that I never knew.  I originally wanted Mimic, another Twinkle Eyed pony, but you should see the prices some people want for a rare character like Mimic.  So I chose Masquerade, who coincidentally happens to be yellow and green like Magic Star is. The similarities aren't as obvious since Magic Star's flocking diffuses her color a lot, but these two could definitely be in the same family.  Cousins, maybe?  I think I'll make them cousins.
Masquerade is a Pegasus like Medley, but I can't remember if I ever had a pony posed like Masquerade or not.  If I did she must not have stood out much because I don't remember her.

Eyes are crucial to Twinkle Eyed ponies, so let's take a look at Masquerade's.
In true Twinkle Eyed fashion, Masquerade boasts a lovely pair of green plastic gemstone eyes.  These are the kind of eyes that would've driven my sister nuts.  I find them a little creepy myself, in fact!  These are special eyes, though; none of my other ponies have eyes like this.  And unless I can find Mimic, none of them ever will!

So those are my new girls so far!  I promised both my mother and myself that I would not create a new collection that equals the size of my burgeoning childhood herd...but I'll have to admit, that's going to be a tough promise to keep!  Mimic and Skippity Doo are still on my wish list, as are Raincurl, Princess Royal Pink, Lovebeam, and Dandelion.  I've also developed a fondness for So Soft Lofty, who is a buttery shade of yellow underneath her fuzz, and a couple of Beddy Bye-Eyed Babies.  But for now, Masquerade, Medley, and Magic Star will do nicely.  Here they all are together, Equestria Girls included, much to Equestria Twilight's delight!
Yep, I got Derpy in there too!  Remember when I said I wanted a Derpy?  I was fortunate enough to get Funko Derpy and not Funko Pop! Derpy.  I like Funko Pop! figures, but when it came to Derpy I wanted the figure that showed her disconjugate eyes a bit better.  I've also got a random Apple Bloom, whom I picked up in a Funko Blind Bag.  I didn't count the tiny blind bag ponies, since I'm using those as ball-jointed doll props.  If I were to add those into the mix my collection would probably be up to twenty.

I'll be tackling another trendy eighties toy in my next post, so stay tuned!

Hugs, kisses, and cookies,
RagingMoon1987