YEAR 4
While year 4 didn’t boast as many lines as year 3 had developed, its main contribution was a butt-load of So-Soft ponies that Europe would release as non so-softs and adult collectors would later meticulously deflock. So-softs didn’t last well, their flocking tended to pit and slough off at some point around hard edges. But try to take it off on purpose and it clung like superglue! Year 4 also introduced the very popular Twinkle-Eyed ponies and the not-so-popular Beddy Bye Eye baby ponies who had somewhat disturbing “sleepy eyes” which closed when the baby was laid down on its side. This was also the year of the Flutter Pony, while pretty neat in that their wings really did flutter by pressing a button on their backs, did terribly over the years because those wings broke fairly easily. But fear not- customizers around the world have fashioned reproduction and sometimes way better replacement wings for collectors.
**Ponies have multiple images which sometimes include backcards and accessories. Make sure to click through the galleries!
FLUTTER PONIES
Flutter ponies were the first ponies to depart from the more rounded style of body. They were thinner and longer legged (presumably to help them stay airborne on those delicate wings!) than most previous ponies and this “small adult” style would carry over into later lines including the Summer/Windy Wing ponies. International versions of the Flutter Ponies stayed faithful to wings and colour schemes. Like the Twice as Fancy ponies, Flutter Ponies had an extended symbol/cutie mark on the rear and a matching small mark on the cheek or forelock.
PRETTY ‘N PEARLY BABY SEA PONIES
While these baby ponies were exclusive to North America, some had alternate poses released in Europe and others were re-released from year 3 with a pearly-finish.
BEDDY BYE EYE BABY PONIES (BBE BABIES)
While the effect of “sleepy eyes” that allow a pony mum or dad to put their baby to sleep has been used for decades to great effect in dolls, a pony’s eyes are on the side of its head and the thick extra molding around the eyes on BBE babies gave them a “bug-eyed” look that collectors tend to shy away from. There is evidence that a unicorn Baby Truly protoype was planned for the BBE baby line but was not produced. Otherwise, the BBE babies have some pretty nice accessories.BBE Baby Tiddly Winks:
Every morning at one minute before sunrise, the clouds magically separate to greet the ponies arriving at the Lullabye Nursery. Inside this enchanting house, delightful surprises await them. Tiddley-Winks, the Baby Pony, lives in the Lullabye Nursery and prepares an afternoon tea party for all the ponies. After tea and crumpets, they play their favorite games. One day while riding the lullabye swing high into the air, Tiddley-Winks wished she could swing high enough to touch the rainbow. “Hop on me, Tiddley-Winks, and I’ll carry you to the rainbow,” called a big, white, fluffy cloud as it floated down to the swing. Tiddley-Winks jumped on the cloud and rode it like a magic carpet all around ponyland. “Look! There’s the rainbow,” she said with a spark of excitement. As she spoke, the rainbow dipped down and tied a pretty lace bib around her neck. That night, when the ponies gathered to tell bedtime stories in the nursery, Tiddley-Winks told everyone of her adventure with the rainbow. (*from backcard) BBE Baby Tiddly Winks had a non BBE version released in Europe but in the US her non BBE version came with year 3’s Lullaby Nursery playset.BBE Baby Lickety Split:
“I think I’ll make some ice cream pies,” Mama said to Baby-Lickety Split. “May I help!” exclaimed Baby Lickety_Split. “Put the pies in the shade to cool until I’ve made enough for everyone,” Mama Lickety-Split urged. While Baby Lickety-Split watched over the pies, something way up near the rainbow caught her eye. It was Skyflier’s kite! She gazed dreamily as the kite floated through the clouds. Suddenly, she felt mounds of melted vanilla, strawberry and chocolate chip ice cream flowing past her feet, right into the Waterfall! “The ice cream pies melted when I turned away,” she called to her mother with tears in her eyes. “Seems like everyone is enjoying the just the same,” Mama laughed as the ponies licked the ice cream from the Waterfall! Baby Lickety-Split was so happy the dessert wasn’t totally ruined that she leaped into the air and landed right on an island of chocolate chips. It was the best ice cream float she had ever tasted. (*from backcard) A non BBE version of Baby Lickety Split was also released in Europe and also in the US during year 5 a non BBE First Tooth version was released.BBE Baby Shady :
Baby Shady woke with excitement. “Is it snowing yet?” she wondered hopefully. Even though it was warm and sunny outside, she’d fallen asleep dreaming of magical snow ponies ice skating on a frozen pond. “Today’s the Pony Swimming Contest. Did you remember to wear your bathing suit and sunglasses?” Mama Shady asked. Baby Shady wanted to ice skate and throw snowballs instead of splashing under the bright sunshine. When they arrived at the waterfall, Baby Gusty invited them into the water. As Baby Shady waded into the water, her tiny nose caught a ray of sun that made her blink her eyes three times. Suddenly, it began to snow! Bright, fluffy flakes covered Pony Land and the waterfall iced over smoothly. “I made it snow,” Baby Shady cried mischievously. “let’s have a skating contest,” suggested Mama Shady. All the ponies changed into Snow Angel outfits and skated the rest of the day. (from backcard) There is evidence that a prototype of non BBE Baby Shady was planned but unproduced.BBE Baby Heart Throb:
“Wake up Baby Heart Throb,” mama Heart Throb called. “We have to get an early start if we want to deliver all the valentines before anyone sees us.” “Is it Valentine’s Day already?” Baby Heart Throb asked sleepily. They had worked hard all week to make heart-shaped bows for all the ponies. Off they went, flying through the early morning breeze, dropping the gifts as they flew. Suddenly, Baby Heart Throb realized she forgot to bring the special bow she had made for her friend Mr. Sun. She loved the bright, warm sunshine he beamed while she played. With a twist and a flap, she flew back as fast as her baby pegasus wings would carry her. “Thank you, baby Heart Throb,” Mr. Sun said as she tied the bow around him. “And I have a Valentine’s surprise for you, too! Mr. Sun quickly changed his round shape into a heart and smiled heart-shaped rays just for that day. (*from backcard) BBE Baby Heart Throb was issued as a non BBE baby in Europe, but she also had a UK-only version which had no wings on her cutie mark/symbol.BBE Baby Lofty:
A strong wind whisked through the air as Baby Lofty set up her hot air balloon for an afternoon sail. “Be careful,” Mama Lofty urged, “the wind is very frisky today.” Baby Lofty jumped into the riding basket, pulled the string and up, up, up she went! All the clouds waved as she floated past them. “This is so much fun,” she laughed as the wind rocked the balloon back and forth. Suddenly, there was a strange hissing noise coming from the top of the balloon. It got louder and louder until – POP! All the air had seeped out of the balloon. “Hop on,” called a passing cloud. Baby Lofty jumped on the cloud, pulling the deflated balloon behind her. We’ll stop here,” the cloud said, pointing to the Lullabye Nursery. They spent the rest of the day repairing the broken balloon, then the wind guided Baby Lofty safely home. (*from backcard) BBE Baby Lofty came in a non BBE form in Brazil but she also was issued as a plush from Hasbro in year 5.BBE Baby Ribbon:
“Baby Rib-bon,” Mama Ribbon called,”you’d better come inside before it rains.” A nasty, dark cloud hovered above as Mama spoke. But Baby Ribbon was having too much fun playing with her colorful ribbons by the Waterfall to hear her mother’s warning. All of a sudden, there was a loud BANG! Thunder crackled all around her! “I’ll be caught in the storm and won’t be able to get home,” Baby Ribbon cried, tears falling from her beddy-bye eyes. Quickly, a yellow satin ribbon flew into the sky and whispered into the cloud’s ear. Like magic, the thunder stopped and the cloud turned fluffy white! Then the cloud guided Baby Ribbon as she skipped her way home. Just before she went inside, baby Ribbon looked up to thank the cloud. to her surprise, the cloud had changed into a beautiful heart shape, smiling happily as she went safely indoors. (*from backcard) BBE Baby Ribbon’s non BBE versions were released in Europe but like BBE Baby Gusty she also had a non BBE Argentinian counterpart in which she changed colour schemes, pony type (to an earth pony) and put on the fancy pants!BBE Baby Gusty:
Beautiful leaves were faling from trees and this gave baby Gusty an idea! “I’ll sweep up all the leaves into a mountain as a surprise for Mama,” she thought with excitement! With quick pokes of her unicorn, Baby Gusty gathered the leaves into a pile that reached all the way up to the rainbow! “Whew!” Baby Gusty murmured wearily. “I think I’ll stop for a while and play!” She took two giant gallops and leaped high into the sky, landing righ in the center of the neat pile! Orange, yellow and red leaves dashed out in every direction. Then they slowly floated back down until all Pony Land was blanketed in magnificent fall colors. “I’ll never gather the leaves again in time for Mama to see,” Baby Gusty thought, remembering her surprise. Just then, she saw Mama peeking out from behind a tree with a twinkle in her eye. Taking two giant gallops, she leaped high into the sky, and landed right in the middle of what was left on the pile! For the rest of the day, Mama and Baby Gusty romped with glee in the mountain of leaves! (*from backcard) In Europe there were several non BBE versions of Baby Gusty, but the loosest version of her is from Argentina where her colour scheme is completely different, she is an earth pony and a fancy pants baby to boot!TWINKLE-EYED PONIES (TE PONIES)
Twinkle Eyed ponies had “jewell-like” eyes that can sometimes “cloud” or become very scratched from playwear. But on the whole, collectors tend to be fond of the entire line of Twinkle Eyed ponies.
Speedy: Speedy loves to dash about on her magical roller skates which let her skate up in the sky as well as on the ground. And if the Baby Ponies have been good, Speedy gives them a ride as a treat.
The ponies decided to spend a rainy afternoon exploring the attic of the Paradise Estate. As they dug through the boxes, Speedy discovered a pair of blue roller skates with a note attached that HANDLE WITH CARE. “What could be so special about an old pair of Skates?” she wondered. As soon as the rain stopped, Speedy and the other ponies raced outdoors to try out the skates. Carefully, she stepped into the skates when, suddenly, she was speeding along the ground, faster than a rocket! She zoomed up a hill and into the air, whooshing through a surprised cloud, before floating down to where Bouncy stood, laughing with delight. “What a ride,” Speedy exclaimed. Then she asked with a big smile, “Who’s next?” (*from backcard)
Speedy also had a version in Germany.
Whizzer: Whizzer flies at the speed of lightning- dashing across the sky to play lepfrog with the clouds. She is the fastest pony of all and challenges the wind to a race around the moon.
Today was the day of the big race! Whizzer’s eyes twinkled as she joined the others behind the starting line. “Ready, set… GO!” Magic Star called, waving her wand to start the race. The ponies were off in a flash, soaring into the bright blue sky. Whizzer flew as fast as her pegasus wings would carry her. Soon, she was far ahead of the others. She whisked around Mr. Sun, performed a spectacular double loop around the rainbow’s arch then pranced towards the red ribbon finish line. The audience cheered as Whizzer ripped through the ribbon, the others still far behind. Buttons presented Whizzer with the winning prize – a beanie made from moonbeams, flashing comet tails, and a glittering stardust propeller. Then Buttons tied blue satin ribbons in the manes of all the ponies who ran the race. The day ended with a celebration feast of Fizzy’s ice cream sodas, Cupcake’s tiny cakes and Gingerbread’s cookies. (*from backcard)
Whizzer had several international versions, including non twinkle-eyed variants in Argentina. There is also a planned prototype of Whizzer in Masquerade’s pose that was unproduced.
Fizzy: Fizzy is a pony who prefers to watch the other ponies running about while she lazily sips a fizzy milk shake- a scoop of ice cream and some milk, shaken up with lots of sparkle and fizz!
Fizzy is a silly little pony who is always stumbling or bumping into things. One hot afternoon on her way to the Waterfall for a swim, Fizzy tripped over a tree stump and landed on a bed of moss. The moss was so soft and comfortable that she decided to take a nap. While she slept, she dreamt of the Waterfall over-flowing with streams of root beer and cream soda. She imagined mounds of chocolate and vanilla ice cream floating at the bottom. Suddenly, Gingerbread shook Fizzy awake! “Look, the Waterfall turned into a soda fountain!” Gingerbread exclaimed. Fizzy’s eyes sparkled at the sight! Lickety-Split added the ice cream while Cherries Jubilee topped it off with a juicy cherry. “My dream came true!” Fizzy chanted, dancing over to the Waterfall for a taste. The ponies joined her for a treat that tasted like a dream! (*from backcard)
Fizzy consistently tends to be high on collectors’ lists out of all the year 4 TE ponies. There are a few U.S. variants of her including one with a darker body colour, one with reversed symbols and one with green eyes. Fizzy also had Spanish versions released.
Sweet Stuff: (in the UK she is called Sweetie) Sweetie loves sharing out her special treats with all the Baby Ponies at the Lullaby Nursery. Each sweet had a mouth-watrering coating of moondust which she collects as night turns into day.
While the ponies slept, Sweet Stuff gathered colors from the rainbow for her gumdrops. She mixed the bright colors, sprinkled a sweet coating of moondust honey on the gumdrops and put them into little baskets for the baby ponies at the Lullabye Nursery. “Would you like a ride?” Lofty offered, floating by in her hot air balloon. At the nursery, the baby ponies watched in amazement as Lofty’s balloon floated above. Sweet Stuff had a wonderful idea! With a blink of her eyes, she changed some of the gumdrops into bright balloons. The two friends tied the balloons to gumdrop baskets and tossed them into the air. The baby ponies chased the balloons as they fell to the ground and cheered when they discovered the delicious surprise they carried.
Sweet Stuff was in both My Little Pony ‘n Friends cartoon and My Little Pony the Movie. She had multiple international versions, including non twinkle-eyed releases in Argentina.
Gingerbread: Gingerbread cooks the most delicious cakes ever invented. It is easy to tell when she has just taken her newest creations out of the oven, because all her pony friends drop in for a tasty tea party.
It was a crisp autumn day and Gingerbread decided to bake special cookies as a surprise for the ponies. She sifted and stirred until the batter was smooth. Then she shaped the cookies into little gingerbread men. “What shall I use for their eyes?” she wondered, searching the cupboard for a decoration. In the far corner, she spotted a jar of sugary stardust North Star had given her. “This will do just fine,” she giggled, curious to see the results. She mixed the powder, carefully dropped it onto the cookies and popped them in the oven to bake. The ponies arrived just as Gingerbread was taking the cookies out of the oven. To everyone’s surprise, the stardust she used for the eyes made them sparkle and shine just like the ponies’ eyes! All the ponies agreed that these were the best gingerbread men cookies they had ever tasted!
Gingerbread had several international versions, including non twinkle-eyed unicorn versions in Argentina of differing colour schemes.
Galaxy: Galaxy flies the night sky after the sun has gone to bed. High in the sky she swings on the moonbeams as dreamland covers the world beloow- her eyes shining brightly as the stars around her.
Galaxy gazed out the window at the shimmery stars before crawling into bed. “It must be fun to twinkle in the sky,” she thought dreamily, then fell sound asleep. A little star heard her thought and twinkled at her window. “Come out and play,” it whispered in a tinkling voice. Still asleep, Galaxy followed the little star up to the sky where all the stars had gathered for a midnight party with the Big Dipper. To her surprise, the Little Dipper sprinkled stardust on Galaxy, and her eyes twinkled as brightly as the stars around her! At exactly one minute before midnight, the little star led Galaxy back to her bed. “It must have been a dream!” Galaxy yawned when she awoke in the morning. When she peeked at herself in the mirror, her eyes still twinkled brightly, and she realized that her midnight adventure had been real! (*from backcard)
Galazxy had several Spanish versions released.
Sweet Pop: Winter had cast its icy shadow throughout Pony Land with snowydays and cold nights. Sweet Pop longed for the warmth of summer and the taste of ice pops, her favorite summer treat. One afternoon while skating on the pond, she noticed the Sea Ponies licking icicles at the edge of the Waterfall. Excitedly, she borrowed some secret flavorings from Cupcake and asked the rainbow for a jar of bright colors. Just before dusk, Sweet Pop poured the ingredients into the Waterfall then flew up to the brightest star to make a special wish. Bouncy woke Sweet Pop early the next morning. “Come see what’s at the Waterfall,” she urged her friend. Hanging from the Waterfall were hundreds of colorful ice pops! All the ponies were thrilled at having a taste of summer in the middle of the winter. (*from backcard)
Masquerade: Masquerade loves dressing up and going to parties. Sometimes she’ll pretend to be a movie star, or a dancer or sometimes she’ll go in disguise so that the other ponies hardly even recognise her.
“Let me help you make gumdrops today!” Masquerade suggested to Sweet Stuff. Sweet Stuff accepted her offer and instructed Masquerade to gather some colors from the rainbow to make the gumdrops extra special. As the rainbow sprinkled a gentle shower of pretty colors, a tiny pink raindrop splattered all over Masquerade’s sunglasses! She blinked her eyes and suddenly became striped with rainbow colors from her mane to her tail! Masquerade hurried back to show Sweet Stuff, changing from color to color every time she blinked her twinkle eyes. Sweet Stuff laughed with delight when she saw what the magic sunglasses had done. For the rest of the afternoon, the two friends playfully changed their colors with Masquerade’s sunglasses while nibbling delicious gumdrops. (*from backcard)
Masqerade had a few international releases and one non twinkle-eye version in Argentina. There is evidence of a planned prototype Masquerade in Wind Whistler’s pose that was unproduced.
Sky Rocket: Skyrocket is a pony who likes to collect pretrty things. One of her favourite things to collect is shiny pebbles and she is often found by the waterfall, hunting for extra special ones.
“What a dreary day, Sky Rocket thought as she gathered pretty pebbles by the Waterfall. Nasty, grey clouds lurked quietly overhead. “I wish I could brighten up the sky,” she sighed. Suddenly, she noticed and unusual object on the ground. It was the shiniest pebble she had ever seen, beaming with beautiful colors, just like her eyes! Sky Rocket tossed the pebble into the Waterfall. Brilliant shades of red, blue, yellow and green jumped out of the water and into the air, filling the sky with dazzling explosions of color. Like magic, the grey clouds disappeared and Mr. Sun lit the sky, shining as bright as could be. (*from backcard)
SO-SOFT PONIES (SS PONIES)
Some So-Soft ponies had very bright skin tone under their flocking which makes many collectors obtain an extra pony solely to deflock if there were no non so-soft (NSS) versions released. Twist, Ribbon and Skippity Doo are good examples of this as there were no other US ponies released with those same body colours.
Paradise: Paradise is always searching for new places to visit. She found a strawberry patch and a cool, rippling stream hidden behind the Waterfall on her last journey. On warm, starry nights, Paradise likes to rest on a fluffy cloud and dream of all the new places she’ll discover tomorrow.
Paradise was taking a walk through the forest in search of hidden places when she noticed a crumbled piece of paper under a tree. “What are all these lines and arrows?” she wondered as she unfolded the paper. She raced back to show North Star. “It’s a map – let’s follow it!” North Star exclaimed. North Star grabbed her compass and led the way. The two friends traveled over hills,through a valleyand up, up, up to the sky. “Look – a mansion,” Paradise said dreamily as they arrived at their destination. They flew down for a closer look. It was the most breathtaking place Paradise had ever seen. “It even has a pool and a diving board,” she said gleefully. North Star had an idea. “Let’s call it the PARADISE ESTATE!” Paradise was thrilled and couldn’t wait to show the others her latest discovery. (*from backcard)
Though Paradise is thought of as the “official” pony of the Paradise Estate playset of year 4, she did not actually come with it. She had several international versions, most of which were close to her original colour scheme and all of which were non so-soft versions.
Paradise’s cutie mark/symbol is 2 green palm trees and an orange crescent moon.
Skippity Doo: The day of the big Pony Picnic had finally arrived! All the ponies were having fun swimming in the lake and playing games. “You’re next,” Lofty called to Skippity Doo, who was waiting for her turn to run through the spinning jump rope. As she did, her hoof bounced off a pebble, sending Skippity Doo high in the air! “Whee!” she laughed as she landed on a cloud. She reached beneath the cloud’s silver lining and pulled out a heaping handful of shiny sunbeams. She tossed the sunbeams down to the picnic area while the others watched from below. Before they reached the ground, the sunbeams magically changed into colorful parasols for all the ponies. This was Skippity Doo’s finest jump indeed! (*from backcard)
Skippity Doo is one of the harder to find So-Softs. She is also one of 3 ponies to be issued in the standing or rearing position. These ponies came with a small, clear plastic stand to keep them upright. She had no non so-soft releases. Skippity Doo’s symbol/cutie mark is a pink skipping rope.Truly: “It’s time for a bath, baby ponies!” Mama Gusty called. But the babies were having too much fun rolling in the grass and jumping in the mud to stop. Truly heard Mama Gusty’s call and knew exactly what to do. She filled the Waterfall with bubble bath until heart-shaped bubbles floated over to where the babies were playing. Each bubble gently dipped down around a baby pony and carried her over to the Waterfall. When all the ponies were in the pond, the bubbles flew high up to the sky. One bubble flew so high, it tickled Mr. Sun’s nose! The babies splashed with delight. “This is so much fun,” they shouted. Truly winked at Mama Gusty as she galloped off, popping soap bubbles along the way. (*from backcard)
Truly is one of 3 ponies to be issued in the standing or rearing position. These ponies came with a small, clear plastic stand to keep them upright.
Truly’s symbol/cutie mark is a blue dove with a flower in its beak (heart on the end of the stem) and 3 small dark pink hearts. Her non so-soft release was in Scandinavia.
Magic Star: Magic Star is as elegant as a princess and wears her flowing mane like a crown. She is the most magical pony in all ponyland. With a quick wave of her magic wand she can grant any wish. Magic Star also has a very special power that tells her when another pony needs help. No matter she is, Magic Star will be there in a flash to lend a hand.
Baby Blossom watched as Lofty flew up, up, to the sky. “I wish I could fly,” she sighed. Magic Star waved her wand outside Baby Blossom’s window. Baby Blossom magically sprouted pegasus wings and happily flew out the window. “Hello, Mr. Moon!” she laughed as she flew past him. Even the baby stars peeked out from behind their mothers to wave. Then, Magic Star tapped the ground and the Milky Way poured Baby Blossom a big glass of chocolate milk! When morning came, Magic Star made a slide of glittering stardust that led right into Baby Blossom’s crib. As she climbed in, the wings disappeared. She fell sound asleep, dreaming of her adventure in the sky. “Sweet dreams, Baby Blossom,” Magic Star whispered as she whisked off in search of another pony with a special wish. (*from backcard)
Magic Star is one of 3 ponies to be issued in the standing or rearing position. These ponies came with a small, clear plastic stand to keep them upright. Her symbol/cutie mark is a magic wand with a pink ribbon.
Hippity Hop: “Let’s go outside and make snow angels!” Hippity Hop said happily. As the ponies ran and jumped in the snow, Hippity Hop saw a sad bunny sitting nearby. “What’s wrong?” Hippity asked the bunny. “The snow is covering all the clover in the field and its my favorite afternoon snack!” the bunny cried. Hippity Hop knew how to help the bunny. She flew up to Mr. Sun and whispered in his ear. Smiling, he shined his warmest rays and melted only the snow in the field. Hippity Hop blinked her eyes, and clover sprang up, in every bright color of the rainbow. The excited bunny hopped into the field to nibble the sweet clover. “Now you have clover to eat and snow to play in,” Hippity Hop said as she joined Skippity Doo for a friendly snowball fight. (*from backcard)
Hippity Hop had no non so-soft versions.Hippity Hop’s symbol/cutie mark is 3 white rabbits. I deflocked mine, badly, but really love her bright pink colour underneath.
*pony descriptions taken from the 1987 My Little Pony Fact File (UK). Backcard descriptions taken from US packaging.
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