My Little Pony

***My Little Pony*** is a comedy franchise with toyline created by Bonnie Zacherle in 1981. Comprising movies, comics, video games, toys, and television series.

In 1982, Hasbro purchases the franchise from Bonnie Zacherle and rebranded as *My Little Pony*. Since 1982 Hasbro have five generations, Generation One, Generation Two, Generation Three, Generation Four, and Generation Five.

## History

### *My Pretty Pony*

 Main article: My Pretty Pony
*My Pretty Pony* is a pony figurine introduced by Hasbro in 1981 that was created by illustrator Bonnie Zacherle and sculptor Charles Muenchinger. *My Pretty Pony* is a ten-inch-tall hard plastic figurine that can wiggle its ears, swish its tail, and wink one eye. The original *My Pretty Pony* was followed by *My Pretty Pony* and Beautiful Baby, which came with an additional smaller "baby" pony figure. This was followed by pink and yellow versions of the original that have the now-hallmark symbol on the ponies' backsides, which preceded the *My Little Pony* figurines.

### Generation One

 Main article: My Little Pony Generation One
After the relative lack of success of the *My Pretty Pony* toy line, Hasbro introduced six smaller and colorful versions of the toy in 1982, sold under the title *My Little Pony*. The toy line led to many more merchandise under the *My Little Pony* brand, which later became unofficially known as the "Generation One" or "G1" of My Little Pony among collectors. This incarnation ended in 1992 in the United States, but was marketed internationally until 1995. Animations from mid-1980s (*My Little Pony: Rescue at Midnight Castle*, *My Little Pony: Escape from Catrina*, *My Little Pony: The Movie* and *My Little Pony* segment within *My Little Pony 'n Friends* anthology series) and *My Little Pony Tales* from 1992 accompanied the line-up.

### Generation Two

 Main article: My Little Pony Generation Two
The 1997 incarnation was marketed by Hasbro as "Friendship Garden" and designated "Generation 2" by collectors. They were manufactured in redesigned poses with jewel eyes and turning heads and are smaller, slimmer, and longer-legged than their 1982 counterparts. The line was not successful in the U.S. and was discontinued in 1999, although it continued overseas for several years. Since the second generation was more popular in Western Europe, Hasbro continued to produce and sell them in Western Europe after 1998. Most were Earth Ponies, but a few unicorns were made internationally. Although no Pegasus Ponies were made, some adults had clip-on wings. In the early 2000s, several unicorns with clip-on wings (called the Magic Unicorns) were made. Two baby ponies were introduced, and none of the baby ponies were sold in the United States.

In Europe, the main location was renamed Ponyland instead of Friendship Gardens, and were discontinued with the inception of the "G3" toyline in 2003. Many ponies released in the last years of the line are considered rare. A number of playsets were introduced, including a mansion and a castle. Some of the licensed merchandise released in Europe included beanbag plushes, magazines, clothing, perfume, wrapping paper and coloring books. A CD-ROM game for PC, Friendship Gardens, was also released, which involved taking care of a pony and playing games along the way.

Some "Generation Two" ponies were sold as detachable key chains, including Morning Glory, Sundance, Light Heart and Ivy. Each pony comes with a comb attached to her neck by a string. The back of the package says, "My Little Pony Logo and Pony Names are Trademarks of Hasbro Inc. Copyright 1998." They were produced under license by Fun-4-All Corporation and made in China.

#### *My Little Pony: Friendship Gardens*

*My Little Pony: Friendship Gardens* is a virtual pet game developed by Artech Studios and published by Hasbro Interactive.

### Generation Three

 Main article: My Little Pony Generation Three
The third incarnation of *My Little Pony*, which is often unofficially referred to as "Generation Three" or "G3" by collectors, began in 2003. The revamped line of dolls was targeted to a younger audience than the previous lines. Before the generation's end in 2009, there were at least two minor revamps. A series of direct-to-video animated films (mostly produced by SD Entertainment) accompanied the line-up.

### Generation Four

 Main article: My Little Pony Generation Four
The next incarnation of *My Little Pony*, unofficially known as the "Generation Four", was launched in 2010. It is set in a fictional location named Equestria, and the main characters include Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy. Television series *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*, theatrical film *My Little Pony: The Movie*, as well as other related media accompany the current line-up. This era generated a fandom among grown-ups with the success of the television series.

*My Little Pony: Equestria Girls*, the anthropomorphic spin-off, was launched in 2013.

*My Little Pony: Pony Life*, a spin-off comedy series, launched in 2020 featuring a new, chibi animation style.

### Generation Five

 Main article: My Little Pony Generation Five
Hasbro announced the start of the current "Generation Five" toyline in February 2021, with a 3D CG-animated film (produced by Entertainment One and animated by Boulder Media) and follow-up television series. Unlike previous generation changes which have generally featured a completely new set of characters, Generation Five will build upon the world and stories established in Generation Four from *Friendship Is Magic*, but will include a time jump as to introduce new characters and themes. According to Hasbro's Emily Thompson, vice president of global brand management for Entertainment One, the new line is aimed at Generation Alpha, which "has a higher emotional intelligence, and they expect a lot more from their entertainment"; to that end, the themes of the show will be aimed around diversity and inclusion but will still include nods and Easter eggs to the prior generation.

The film and series takes place sometime after the end of Friendship Is Magic, where "friendship and harmony have been replaced by paranoia and mistrust" and the various pony species have segregated into their own tribes. The main characters of Generation Five includes Sunny Starscout (a female earth pony), Izzy Moonbow (a female unicorn) and Hitch Trailblazer, (a male earth pony), alongside Pegasus siblings Pipp Petals and Zipp Storm.

The film was originally slated for theatrical release by Paramount Pictures, but the release was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was sold to Netflix, with the film's release date being set on September 24, 2021. Netflix also greenlit its follow-up CG-animated series, which will also debut on the streaming service. During Hasbro's Investor Event in February 2021, Entertainment One president of family brands, Olivier Dumont, announced that a 44-minute special was also in the works for Netflix.

The film will be followed by a special and streaming television series titled My Little Pony: Make Your Mark in May and September 2022 respectively, and a Christmas-themed special, titled My Little Pony: Winter Wishday in November. A YouTube exclusive series titled My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale is set for an April 2022 premiere.

## Comics

The comics of *My Little Pony*, introduced in 2012 with the comic series, *Friendship Is Magic*. Around the *My Little Pony* has many comic series includes *Friendship Is Magic*, *Micro-Series*, *Friends Forever*, *FIENDship Is Magic*, *Legends of Magic*, *Ponyville Mysteries*, *Nightmare Knights*, *Spirit of the Forest*, *Feats of Friendship*, *My Little Pony: Transformers* and *My Little Pony Transformers: The Magic of Cybertron*.

## Television series

### Generation One

 File:My Little Pony 'n Friends
Generation One of My Little Pony with the first television series titled *My Little Pony 'n Friends*, first aired in 1986 with an anthology television series with characters explores the Ponyland. Another Generation One series titled *My Little Pony Tales* first aired in 1992 features the location of the same location from *My Little Pony 'n Friends*.

### Generation Four

Another television series for *My Little Pony* called *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* and the debut of Generation Four, first aired in 2010. The Magic of Friendship and the Mane 6 explores the magical land of Equestria. Micro series for *Equestria Girls* is *Equestria Girls: Better Together* first aired in 2017 and last aired in 2020. Generation 4.5 television series called *My Little Pony: Pony Life* explores with new chibi-style ponies.

### Generation Five

Generation Five series first announced in August 2021 by Thunderbird Entertainment, streaming on Netflix and later titled *My Little Pony: Make Your Mark*. The 2D YouTube animated series titled *My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale*.

## Movies

 File:My Little Pony The Movie 1986 film.jpg
The first movie of *My Little Pony* is called *My Little Pony The Movie* released in 1986, Aside from *My Little Pony: A New Generation* couldn't hit theaters and debuts on Netflix.

## Notes and references

1. ↑ Hasbro: My Little Pony History (2012). hasbro.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022.
2. ↑ Alkemade, Patrick: My Pretty Pony – 1981. yum-yum-ponyworld.weebly.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022.
3. ↑ My Little Pony CD-ROM (2015-08-22). archive.org. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022.
4. ↑ Hasbro Revamps My Little Pony to Draw Younger Girls (2003-07-10). marketingweek.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022.
5. ↑ *My Little Pony: Pony Life* premiered early worldwide on Treehouse TV in Canada on June 21, 2020.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ng, Philiana: 'My Little Pony' Latest Movie Heads to Netflix, Greenlights New Series (2021-02-24). Entertainment Tonight. Archived from [https://www.etonline.com/my-little-pony-latest-movie-heads-to-netflix-greenlights-new-series-exclusive-161157 the original on March 5, 2022.
7. ↑ Foster, Elizabeth: My Little Pony rides high with new CP (2021-01-2). Kidscreen. Archived from [https://kidscreen.com/2021/01/29/my-little-pony-rides-high-with-new-cp/ the original on March 5, 2022.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Polo, Susano: My Little Pony's next generation is a CGI Netflix movie and cartoon series (2021-02-25). Polygon. Archived from [https://www.polygon.com/tv/2021/2/25/22301177/my-little-pony-netflix-g5-movie-tv-show-sunny-starscout-izzy-unicorn the original on March 5, 2022.
9. ↑ Introducing... (2021-02-26). facebook.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022.
10. ↑ Ahead of National Siblings tomorrow, say hello to our royal Pegasi sisters, Pipp Petals & Zipp Storm! See them and their pony co-stars in the new My Little Pony Movie coming to Netflix this Fall! (2021-04-09). facebook.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022.
11. ↑ Verhoeven, Beatrice: Vanessa Hudgens, James Marsden, Kimiko Glenn Cast in 'My Little Pony: A New Generation' (2021-06-30). *TheWrap*. Archived from [https://thewrap.com/vanessa-hudgens-kimiko-glenn-james-marsden-my-little-pony-a-new-generation/ the original on March 5, 2022.
12. ↑ Hasbro Inc Investor Event 2021. investor.hasbro.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 'My Little Pony' Gets a Double Helping of New Series & Specials in 2022. animationmagazine.net. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022.
14. ↑ Entertainment - Corporate Presentation

## External links

 *My Little Pony* on Wikipedia