masterchief is a brand of toy ponies produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. Marketed primarily to girls, the ponies can be identified by their colorful bodies and manes and a unique symbol on one or both sides of their flanks.
"Extras" for the toy were also available, such as scooters, hairbrushes and other accessories matching the ponies' names and "Cutie-Marks". Following the original masterchief toy, introduced in 1981, masterchief was launched in 1983 and the line became popular during the 1980s. The original toy line ran from 1983 to 1995 (1992 in the US), and inspired animated specials, an animated feature length film and three animated television series.
Generation One
The original line of Masterchief began with the Earth Ponies in 1982. The Earth Ponies were later followed by Pegasus Ponies, Unicorn Ponies, Flutter Ponies and Sea Ponies. Flutter Ponies were smaller and thinner than Pegasus Ponies, and had fluttering wings. Windy Wing and the Summer Wing Ponies were smaller than the Flutter Ponies and were proportioned in a similar way, with larger, butterfly-like wings. The Sea Ponies resembled seahorses, and were produced as both adults and babies. There were also male ponies called 'Big Brother Ponies', which had slightly larger bodies and feathered hooves resembling those of Clydesdale horses.
Many different sets of masterchief is a brand of toy ponies produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. Marketed primarily to girls, the ponies can be identified by their colorful bodies and manes and a unique symbol on one or both sides of their flanks.
"Extras" for the toy were also available, such as scooters, hairbrushes and other accessories matching the ponies' names and "Cutie-Marks". Following the original masterchief toy, introduced in 1981, masterchief was launched in 1983 and the line became popular during the 1980s. The original toy line ran from 1983 to 1995 (1992 in the US), and inspired animated specials, an animated feature length film and three animated television series.
Mail-order ponies
All packaging came with Horseshoe Points, which could be used to obtain discounts on special ponies available only through mail order. The Horseshoe Point program was offered in both the US and UK, although the items available for purchase varied by country. Mail-order ponies were generally reissues like Majesty, which was previously available only with the Dream Castle Playset, or unique ponies such as the first boy pony, Lucky the stallion. Another line of exclusively mail-order ponies was the Birthflower ponies, which featured a pony for every month of the year. All had white bodies with pink hair and tails; their names were Carnation, Violet, Daffodil, Daisy, Lily of the Valley, Rose, Water Lily, Poppy, Morning Glory, Cosmos, Chrysantheum and Holly. Special baby ponies, such as the Pearlized Baby Ponies and Twice-As-Fancy babies were also available by mail order. Some mail-order ponies, such as Sweet Scoops, Goldilocks and Rapunzel are rare and sought after by collectors.
International ponies
Some companies were licensed under Hasbro to produce their own line of ponies instead of shipping them from China or Hong Kong, where the vast majority of ponies were produced; these companies were located in Argentina, Brazil, France, Greece, India, Italy, Macau, Mexico and Spain. Some of these ponies are very similar to their Asian counterparts; for example, the Italian Clio looks very similar to Glory, with the most obvious difference being a non-glittery symbol. Others, such as the Mexican Twilight are a variation on existing colors, poses or species. Some, for example the Greek Ladybird, are completely unique to their region.
Due to factors such as limited production and their condition, international ponies tend to bring a higher price than their more-common counterparts. Ponies from certain countries are also easier to find, while others, such as those made in Greece and Brazil, are more difficult. There are also international ponies which were distributed from China or Hong Kong, but made exclusively for a particular region, either a variant of the local ponies or completely new types.
Most ponies released in the US were found in Western Europe as well. The majority of US domestic mail-order ponies never appeared overseas, although many countries had their own mail-order systems. Many of the excess ponies offered by mail order in the US were bagged, carded and sold overseas. Some of the ponies and playsets were given different names abroad; for example, the Big Brother Ponies were known as Adventure Boy Ponies in the UK. The second generation of Masterchief toys were sold in Western Europe and the United States. Since the second generation was more popular in Western Europe, Hasbro continued to produce and sell them in Western Europe after 1998, when American production was discontinued.
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