New Aurora Plush Ponies Hit Stores

I first came across these adorable plush clip on Ponies at an airport gift shop on my way home from Florida. With their small scale, they are perfect to take along on the go. They come with an attached clip that allows you to secure them to whatever you wish. I imagine they will find their way attached to many a backpack or purse strap, and if my child was still itty bitty and in a carrier, I have no doubt that they would have been clipped to his car seat. What I like best about these small scale huggables is that Aurora didn't skimp on the details. From Rarity's tiny mane curl to Applejack's hair bows, they really did a nice job making sure to add the extra touches.

 

Back from 2013, are the 10inch plush Ponies and the smaller scale Pony with carry bag. Both are beautiful and it is no wonder why Aurora released them as part of their 2014 line-up. The unique feature of the Aurora plush Ponies compared to the other plush Ponies out there is that Aurora's are girly and pretty. They add a little sparkle and shine with their fabric choices and the result is something a little unexpected and a little fancy.                                                                   

 

My favorite addition to Aurora's MY LITTLE PONY product line for 2014 is the new sitting pony pose. Aurora is the first company to attempt G4 sitting plush ponies and they have executed them beautifully. I just imagine this lovely Twilight Sparkle sitting on top of a little girls duvet waiting for her to return from school and it makes me happy. Again, the quality and detail on these is superb. The only suggestion I'd add is that I'd like to see a few additional characters join in the mix just for variety. Even if it was just 2 or 3 different Pony characters, it would add some fun and novelty when you are out and about when you spot a character outside the Mane 6. 

 

A few of these lovelies will be added to a free giveaway on the MY LITTLE PONY Fair Facebook page later tonight! Click on the Giveaway tab to enter and remember, you can enter once per day until the contest ends so enter often to increase your chances of winning!

 

 

My Little Pony FIM Trading Cards

I'm into collecting ponies, and playsets, and accessories, and merchandise... and now trading cards! I really didn't need to add another subheading to my collection roster, but they are just too cute to resist! Plus, my friend Kar personally worked on them for Enterplay and I'm all about supporting my pony peeps.

Sold in packs of 5, these adorable cards cover all of Equestria including, characters, pets, favorite moments, and locations. Plus, you can collect pony character standee cards, foil cards to build puzzles, and special gold cards. On the back of each character card is a fun fact sheet and fun trivia questions can be found on the back of each favorite moment card.

I've already seen a bunch of card trading threads pop up on the collecting community boards and I have to say that it brings me back to the early days of collecting when trades were common and brings a smile to my face. In fact, I worked out my first card trade earlier today.

Let me know if you are currently collecting, or have plans to collect the FIM MLP card set. Who knows?  Maybe we can work out a trade.

Hasbro's Design a My Little Pony Contest is Live!

Details for Hasbro's Design a My Little Pony Contest were announced a few minutes ago on the My Little Pony Facebook page.

The winner will receive a trip to Comic Con 2012.  You have now until May 16th (or when 15,000 entries have been received) to enter.

Good luck everypony!

My Brony Vocabulary Lesson… I’ve Been Schooled!

(image by j-brony)

I consider myself well versed in My Little Pony. Show me a pony and in most cases I can tell you their name, country of origin, known variations, year of release, and rough current market value. Show me some of the prattle on the Brony message boards and occasionally I get stumped and have to resort to a Google search (which more often than not leads to some questionable material.)

I’ve been a My Little Pony collector for ages and over the years, we collectors have developed our own language when it involves ponies. We use SS when we are talking about So Soft Ponies, TAF to abbreviate Twice As Fancy, TE to describe Twinkle Eyed Ponies and so on (For a complete list of My Little Pony acronyms and definitions check out this helpful post on the old Arena.)

I’ve taken for granted how confusing it must be for someone new to collecting who reads a sales listing like this one:

 “Deflocked SS Truly has rubs to NDS symbol. This is not the Nirvana NSS version of this MLP. “

I think the above statements are very easy to read and understand, but to a collecting newbie I may as well be speaking in another language.

 Now that the shoe is on the other foot and I find myself muddling through the newly established Brony subculture and terminology, I find myself frequently scratching my head as I try to decode their secret Brony language.

So far I’ve learned the following terms:

PMVs- Pony Music Videos made by fans

Fimfic- Friendship is Magic fan fiction

Pony shipping (and I don’t mean the kind that involves bubble wrap and a mailer… I’m quite familiar with that kind)- derived from the word "relationship", is a general term for fans' emotional and/or intellectual involvement with the ongoing development of romance in a work of fiction (This is totally copy and pasted from Wikipedia!)

Clop- I’m just gonna say I would have been better off not knowing about this one… at all…ever.

Is my life somehow richer with this new found knowledge? Probably not, but at least I know what Bronys are chatting about so I can either check it out or avoid it like the plague. Sure, I could stick to my own Pony corner of the web that I’ve happily inhabited for the past decade, but then I’d miss out on the interesting new perspective that Bronys bring to the table.  They are rabid fans and I don’t blame them. My Little Pony is amazingly mind-blowingly awesome. I’ve just had twenty years to let it sink in.

My Little Pony Brides and Grooms Throughout History

Since the My Little Pony world is all a buzz with Princess Cadence and Shinning Armor's upcoming nuptials, I thought it would be fun to view My Little Pony brides and grooms throughout history.

We must (of course) start at the beginning with G1 which had many a bride, but only one groom!

Satin 'n Lace and Tux 'n Tails (also known as Coat 'n Tails) were the original Pony wedding couple. They also appeared on the the top of my wedding cake (seriously!) They were sold through a special wedding mail order pamphlet. I wonder, does that makes Satin 'n Lace a mail order bride?!

According to this pamphlet insert, they were married in "Cinderella's Palace". I think that may trump Princess Cadence and Shining Armor's Wedding Castle.

These ponies appeared in several different pamphlets (Satin 'n Lace in different versions including Lavender, So Soft, and Magenta and Tux 'n Tails under his other alias, Coat 'n Tails). My favorite naming appears in a french pamphlet in which his name is completely disregarded and he is simply called, "Fiance."

 

Don't forget to add in Lucky the Stallion (Satin 'n Lace's cousin who served as a ring barer) and Baby Bridesmaid to round out the wedding party.

In the UK, they got  Wedding Bells Confetti (in a different pose than her regular US release) dressed up in a gown ready to wed.



There were also two markedly thinner pony brides later in the G1 line, Pony Bride and Bridal Beauty. I guess they choose to loose those few extra pounds before their jaunts down the aisle.



And we mustn't forget Novia, the bride sold exclusively in Argentina.

Then we come to the G2 My Little Pony, Wednesday Afternoon Bride and Dainty Dove. Curiously, neither had access to a groom and poor Dainty Dove even came with a wedding chapel.

Not to be outdone by previous generations, G3 had lovely Wysteria in all her wedding finery.

Did I mention I'm excited to see the My Little Pony Wedding this Saturday at 1:00 PM on the HUB network?







You're Invited to the Royal Wedding!

Just a reminder to mark your calendars for the My Little Pony Royal Wedding this Saturday afternoon at one o'clock. I've been enjoying all of the pomp and circumstance leading up to the event on the Hub network and can't wait to see Tori Spelling host. I'm loving the hats in the promo banner based on attendees of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. All kinds of awesome.

It's Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie's hats.

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy rock these.

We mustn't forget stylish Rarity!

I also love that they kept Applejack in her cowboy hat and just added a flower to "dress it up."

We Love Fine Design Contest Rating Time!

If you haven't already rated your favorite fan submitted pony t-shirts on www.welovefine.com head on over and rate away. You must register on the site to be allowed to rate the entries, but they send you a 10% code for registering. You might as well order some pony gear while you are there.

Custom Apparel Webstores Market to Brony Demographic

With so many new adult My Little Pony fans, including those who are part of the "Brony" phenomenon, there has been an increase in demand for T-shirts and apparel that sport pony images. In the past, collectors were lucky to see a handful of licensed clothing items at shops like Hot Topic, but now with custom to print online webstores like We Love Fine and Zazzle the designs and possibilities are endless. Both of these sites offer a plethora of pony designs and can slap them on shirts, bags, art prints and other things you didn't know you needed until you saw it decked out with Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash.

On We Love Fine, artists (professional and amateur) can submit designs for approval into the My Little Pony category. If the design is approved, the artist receives 20% of sales on items using their design for non licensed characters and 10% of the sale using licensed characters (aka MLP). Not a bad return for a graphic artist who has an idea for a My Little Pony shirt that may be popular with the "Brony" crowd. Especially considering that the artist has no overhead costs and doesn't have to deal with the hassle of contacting the property owner (in this case, Hasbro) for licensing rights to sell their design.

While this is great for those clamoring for merchandise displaying their favorite My Little Pony characters intertwined with witty remarks and memes, It leaves some of the non-Brony My Little Pony collectors feeling like the brand it morphing into something more adult themed than they would like. Images of happy ponies frolicking appear side by side with Game of Thrones parodies and robo ponies.

As an adult I can see the humor in these designs, yet something doesn't feel right about taking a My Little Pony character and dressing them up as Uma Thurman in Kill Bill while wielding a sword or placing them in other un-ponylike surroundings like this Hunger Games parody shirt.

I wonder if My Little Pony has become too accessible to customization and influence by Bronies.  Will we continue to see an increase in products and marketing geared to an older male demographic? What happens if the Bronies loose interest and trot into the sunset chasing the next popular fad?

The My Little Pony 2009-2012 Collector's Inventory Cover Revealed!

I'm thrilled to share the cover of my upcoming book, The My Little Pony 2009-2012 Collector's Inventory. I'm very happy with it and love the fact that they used APPLEJACK on the front cover! This book covers the last of the G3 Core 7, G3.5, Newborn Cuties, Ponyville, G4, plus more. I can't wait to share it with everyone. I haven't been given an official release date yet, but I'll be sure to pass that info on as soon as I have it.

Thanks so much to everyone who has purchased copies of the My Little Pony Collector's Inventory series books and all the nice emails I receive from the fans of my work. It is nice to know that they are a treasured resource for so many people.

MY LITTLE PONY Fair 2012 Tickets!

Tickets are now on sale for the 9^th annual MY LITTLE PONY Fair. Join MY LITTLE PONY fans just like you for a weekend of pony fun in Orlando, Florida on July 7^th and 8^th. Tickets can be purchased through our Eventbrite ticketing page. For additional information on this terrific event for MY LITTLE PONY fans of all ages visit us online at www.mylittleponycon.com

MY LITTLE PONY Fair Tickets go on Sale Today!!

Tickets go on sale for the 9^th annual MY LITTLE PONY Fair in just a few short minutes. Join MY LITTLE PONY fans just like you for a weekend of pony fun in Orlando, Florida on July 7^th and 8^th. Tickets can be purchased through our Eventbrite ticketing page. For additional information on this terrific event for MY LITTLE PONY fans of all ages visit us online at www.mylittleponycon.com

WHITE Celestia and other Fan Favorite Ponies to hit TRU!

My Little Pony on Facebook just posted some awesome new pictures of upcoming products. I guess Hasbro has kept tabs on all the collectors and Bronies begging for toys of some of their favorite pony characters. They are supposed to be Toys R Us exclusive.

I guess if Hasbro keeps this trend up of releasing background characters, Bronies can start to reproduce episodes scene by scene using toys like the Star Wars fans have done. Where they get the time to do these things is a mystery. :p

What is a "Brony"?

For those who may be blissfully unaware of this new crop of Pony fans, I came across this video by RocketBoom that does a nice job of explaining exactly what it is to be a Brony.

While it is a little odd that there are tons of new male pony fans clamoring over the awesomeness that is Friendship is Magic, as a lifelong My Little Pony fan I say, bring on the pony love!

New My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Billboard

According to My Little Pony on Facebook this new billboard will be unveiled in Los Angeles tomorrow to promote FIM on the Hub.

I think it is hysterical that all of the ponies are posed yet Pinkie Pie looks completely clueless with a smile plastered on her face. I have to say that Friendship is magic has definitely made me appreciate Pinkie Pie as a character.

"My Little Obsession" Documentary Film trailer is online!

Premiering July 8th as part of the My Little Pony Fair Convention festivities, My Little Obsession is a feature length documentary centered around My Little Pony and the people who collect them. Check out the film trailer. I had the honor to be interviewed for Julie's film and am so excited to see the finished product!



The film's director, Julie (also known as MustBeJewel), wrote the following to describe her film:

"In 1980, the My Little Pony line of toy figures and merchandise was created by a New England woman named Bonnie Zacharie. Little did she know that with her simple idea, she would create a legacy that would last well into the twenty-first century.
The funny thing about My Little Pony collectors is that they cannot easily be picked out of a crowd. They are students, lawyers, nurses, taxidermists, Broadway actors, teachers, and florists. Most of them conduct their lives just like anyone else, with the same mundane day-to-day obligations that everyone has to face. Yet these same people have hundreds or even thousands of these small plastic ponies displayed or stored in their homes, with values that would blow your mind.
We will meet people who have enormous collections, some with whole rooms of their houses devoted to displaying their collections. Some were parents or children in the 80's, and some are children growing up with the newest generation of My Little Pony. And on this eccentric and upbeat journey, we will celebrate a nearly 3-year legacy, and find out just what it means to be a My Little Pony collector."

I'm on Vacation!

So the school year is officially over and instead of teaching second graders, I can now focus on the last few details of this year's My Little Pony Fair and Convention (more info can be found at www.mylittleponycon.com in case you've been living under a pony-free rock for the past few months).

I'll be posting a slew of updates in the coming days including contests, awesome mega deal codes for The My Little Pony Collector Inventory books, details about the premiere of the film, My Little Obsession, and oh so much more.

Reviewing Billy The Unicorn

I was contacted earlier this week by San Francisco book publisher, Immedium, to review Billie The Unicorn by author Brianne Drouhard. The illustrations are wonderful (which is no shock since Brianne has worked as an animator on several cartoon network shows). The unicorns in the story have a slight resemblance to the My Little Pony characters in the new Friendship is Magic animated series. The central character,Billie, even wears a straw hat similar to Applejack. Brianne Drouhard spins a heartfelt tale of adventure, magic and whimsy that leaves you wanting more. Her beautiful illustrations transport you into a world you’ll want to visit again and again.

Billie The Unicorn will be available in hardback April 2011! For additional details about this charming book, visit http://www.immedium.com/products/billieunicorn.html

I also took a look at the author's website and she has a bunch of her drawings and concepts posted. I'm finding myself wondering what this talented author and illustrator will be working on next!