My Little Pony Tales

My Little Pony Tales
Genre Slice of life
Based on My Little Pony toyline by Bonnie Zacherle
Written by
  • George Arthur Bloom
  • Kayte Kuch
  • Sheryl Scarborough
  • Donna Harman
  • Richard Merwin
  • Doug Booth
  • Buzz Dixon
  • Noel Wolfman
  • Marv Wolfman
  • Roger Slifer
Directed by
  • Seung-Jin Oh
  • Kyung-Chook Sah
  • Young-Wook Yeo
  • Nak-Jong Kim
  • Young-Soo Lee
  • Heung-Sun Oh
Creative director(s) Jay Bacal
Voices of
Theme music composer Barry Harman, Tommy Goodman
Opening theme My Little Pony Tales
Composer(s) Barry Harman, Tommy Goodman
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 26
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Carole Weitzman
  • Joe Bacal
  • Tom Griffin
  • C.J. Kettler
Producer(s) Terry Lennon, Roger Slifer
Running time 15 minutes (with commercials)
Production company(s) Sunbow Productions
Graz Entertainment
AKOM
Release
Original network Syndication
The Disney Channel
Original release August 2 (1992-08-02) – December 25, 1992 (1992-12-25)
Chronology
Related shows My Little Pony (TV series)
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

My Little Pony Tales is an American animated television series produced by Sunbow Productions and Graz Entertainment, animation produced by AKOM, and based on the My Little Pony toys by Hasbro.[1] It ran weekly on The Disney Channel from August 2, 1992[2] to December 25, 1992 for 26 episodes.[3] The series also aired in syndication starting in 1993.[4] It has been released on DVD in Australia, Europe and United States.

Plot

The series follows seven young female ponies who live in the Ponyland, a society of anthropomorphic ponies. The girl ponies are: Starlight, Sweetheart, Melody, Bright Eyes, Patch, Clover and Bon Bon. This is a contrast from the previous series which involved ponies and humans. They live like humans as they attend school, frequent the local ice cream shop, enter talent contests, and even roller skate. Some of the girl ponies begin to show romantic interest in the male ponies, Teddy, Ace and Lancer; they even go on dates with them. Each episode features an original song.

Characters

Each of the ponies has a distinct flank symbol.

Main

The seven preteen female ponies are sometimes referred to as the 7 Pony Friends.

Starlight
Voiced by: Willow Johnson
Starlight, a pink pony with golden-yellow hair, is the sensible and responsible leader of the group. She regards school teacher Miss Hackney highly and aspires to become a teacher herself. Her mother owns the Rainbow Beauty Salon and an ice cream shop where Starlight works. Starlight has a one-sided crush on Ace. Her flank symbol is a yellow star that is surrounded by four blue stars.
Sweetheart
Voiced by: Maggie Blue O'Hara
Sweetheart, a white pony with pink hair, dislikes letting anyone down, however, she occasionally finds herself in the middle of fights between her friends. She tends to see the good nature of the pony, including ones that seem bad like Teddy, whom she likes. The rest of her friends don't like Teddy and that is what starts all their fights. Especially when it was her birthday party and the party nearly didn't go on because her friends didn't want Teddy to come. She is the oldest of four ponies; two of her siblings are named Sugar and Peaches. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up. Her flank symbol is a big red heart that is surrounded by three little orange hearts.
Melody
Voiced by: Kelly Sheridan
Melody, a pink pony with sea-blue hair, is the lead singer in the band The Rockin' Beats. She has a somewhat shallow personality and likes to gossip. She occasionally acts spoiled and puts her own interests ahead of those of her friends. She sometimes offers beauty advice to the others, and aspires to become a famous rock star. Her mother is a nurse. She has younger twin sisters named Jing-A-Ting and Ting-A-Ling. Her flank symbol is a yellow microphone that is surrounded by several music notes.
Bright Eyes
Voiced by: Laura Harris
Bright Eyes, a dark cyan pony with orange hair, loves to learn things. She tends to think things out logically whenever there is a problem. She wants to be an environmentalist when she grows up. She is infatuated with Lancer. Her father works for the newspaper. Her flank symbol is a notebook and pen.
Patch
Voiced by: Venus Terzo (Episodes 1-16), Brigitta Dau (Episodes 17-26)
Patch, a peach pony with dark pink hair, who is a member of the soccer team. She acts like an adventurous tomboy and is constantly looking for something to do. She enjoys practical jokes. She wants to join the circus when she grows up. She is also only the few ponies who can see magical phenomena such as Squire's ghost and the Glow 'n' Show Ponies. Her flank symbol is a patch of pink cloth.
Clover
Voiced by: Lalainia Lindbjerg
Clover Bloom, a lavender purple pony with rose-pink hair, tends to be accident prone. She frequently bursts into tears because of her ineptitude, but things generally work out for her in the end because of either luck or because her friends help out. She is very superstitious and gullible. She wants to become a ballerina like her big sister when she grows up. Her flank symbol is a clover leaf.
Bon Bon
Voiced by: Chiara Zanni
Bon Bon, a yellow pony with burgundy hair, enjoys food and cooking. She hates getting dirty. She wants to become a fashion model when she grows up. She keeps a diary. She comes from a large family, with older sister Misty, and four younger siblings Amber, Twink, Rusty, and an unnamed baby brother.[note 1] Her flank symbol is a piece of blue candy.

Supporting

Teddy
Voiced by: Tony Sampson
Teddy is a blue male pony with an orange mohawk and sunglasses over it. He is an impulsive show off who tends to irritate others. He sometimes carries a satchel over his neck. Despite his bold personality, it is later revealed that he sleeps with a teddy bear, though he keeps it a secret from nearly everyone. He becomes a love interest for Sweetheart. His flank symbol is a comb.
Ace
Voiced by: Brad Swaile
Ace, a gold male pony with light blond hair, is an athletic and confident jock at the school. Many of the female ponies admire him and consider him a dream date. He is Teddy's best friend, and teams up with him in influencing Lancer. He enjoys soccer and many other activities. He has a crush on Melody, but this is largely unrequited. The other ponies sometimes describe Ace with the phrase "Ace likes Ace best." His flank symbol is a soccer ball.
Lancer
Voiced by: Shane Meier
Lancer, a dark blue male pony with crimson red hair, is quiet and gentle. He is shy and fond of books. His parents are wealthy and are often away on trips. He has feelings for Bright Eyes, and often sides with the girl ponies in order to impress her. He is talented at roller skating. He wants to be an explorer when he grows up. His flank symbol is a Fleur-de-lis.
Miss Hackney
Voiced by: Kate Robbins
Miss Hackney is a periwinkle pony with lavender hair. She teaches the girl and boy ponies at the school. She shows a high degree of patience, especially with Patch, who has behavior issues. She is strict, but fair. Starlight considers her a role model. It is hinted that she may have feelings for Mr. Kiddoo, who pilots a hot air balloon. Her flank symbol is a small chalkboard.
Spinner
Voiced by: Unknown
Spinner is a brown pony with darker brown hair. He is Bon Bon's skating partner in the episode "Roll Around the Clocks".
Dandy
Voiced by: Unknown
Dandy is a cerulean pony with yellow hair. He is Clover's skating partner in the episode "Roll Around the Clocks".
Buddy
Voiced by: Unknown
Buddy is a white pony with turquoise hair. He is Patch's skating partner in the episode "Roll Around the Clocks".
Others

Broadcast

My Little Pony Tales began airing on The Disney Channel on Sunday mornings starting on August 2, 1992, and on weekday mornings starting on September 1, 1992.[2] Reruns of the show continued on The Disney Channel until 1996.[5][6] The show was also aired in syndication from 1993 to 1995.[4][7] In the half-hour block, the first part featured an episode from the old 1980s series My Little Pony 'n Friends and the second part was an episode made for the new My Little Pony Tales series.[8] When My Little Pony Tales and its songs were submitted to the US Copyright Office in 1993, the production codes were numbered from 200-01 to 200-13.[9]

Episodes

Nº Title Original air date[3]
1"Slumber Party"July 3, 1992

The girl ponies spend a night at Sweetheart's home. Patch shares a bedtime story about a medieval Paradise Lake warrior named Squire, who tried to tame the dragon Basil but failed. They hear a noise in the attic, but when they investigate, all they find is Sweetheart's cat, Springfield. Later, as Patch goes to sleep, she sees Squire's ghost, who requests her help.

Song featured: "Things Are Not Always What They Seem", sung by Patch.
2"Too Sick to Notice"July 10, 1992

Bon Bon's youngest baby brother is sick; she feels ignored as her family cares for him. Bon Bon pretends to be sick to garner attention, but in the process, it puts her family in disarray. She confesses that she wasn't really sick, but then the flu spreads to her entire family.

Song featured:: "A Little Attention", sung by Bon Bon.
3"The Battle of the Bands"July 17, 1992

Melody and her band The Rockin' Beats prepare for "The Battle of the Bands" competition. Melody is asked to look after her younger twin sisters Jing-a-Ling and Ting-a-Ling. Unable to find another babysitter, she takes them with her to the competition. She does her best to keep the twins out of trouble but the twins appear on stage. The Rockin' Beats wins the competition.

Song featured: "Sweet Music", first sung by The Rockin' Beats, then sung by Jing-A-Ling and Ting-A-Ling.
4"And the Winner Is..."July 24, 1992

After having a dream that she won the Ponyland lottery, Clover wakes up and discovers she is the winner of two concert ball tickets. She must choose someone to take, however, in an attempt to please everyone, she invites each of her friends separately. They discover this gaffe, and chase after Clover. Mr. Bloom selects a random name, and picks Melody. Clover remorses about going while the others watch them on TV; she and Melody sell the tickets, and buy pizza so they can join their friends at home.

Song featured: "The Choice", sung by Clover.
5"Stand by Me"July 31, 1992

Melody brings her new cassette player to school, but accidentally leaves it behind at the school yard. After the cassette player goes missing, Melody and her friends strongly suspect Teddy stole it. The following day, a mock trial is held in the school classroom, with Teddy as the defendant and Bright Eyes as the prosecutor. Despite Teddy's wishes, Sweetheart becomes his defense attorney, which makes Melody believe that Sweetheart has betrayed their gang. During the trial, the witnesses and the class cannot provide evidence that Teddy took the cassette player. Sweetheart eventually summons the school's custodian, who reveals that he picked up the cassette player and brought it to the Lost & Found. Sweetheart gets her cassette player back and Melody's attitude changes.

Song featured: "You Don't Know the Boy", sung by Sweetheart.
6"The Tea Party"August 7, 1992

The girl ponies are holding a tea party at an abandoned house. Starlight coaxes her friends to invite the boys. After they leave, a family of new ponies arrives and collects the items. When Starlight and friends return, they find their club items missing, and set traps. The family gets caught in them, but the girl ponies realize they are not thieves but the Barrington family, who have recently moved in. The girl ponies make up for their mistake by helping the Barringtons furnish the house. Later, Mr. Barrington presents a club house to the girl ponies. Starlight invites Logan Barrington for cookies at the next tea party.

Song featured: "Boys! Boys! Boys!", sung by the 7 Pony Friends.
7"The Masquerade"August 14, 1992

As a reward for passing exams, Miss Hackney arranges a costume party for the class, where they dress up as their career aspiration. Bon Bon wants to dress up as a model but thinks she'll be a laughing stock. At the party, when she is about to enter, she hears laughing and runs away to the countryside. The ponies were actually laughing at Patch's clown act. Teddy, the only pony to catch sight of her, notifies the others and the ponies go after her. They find her and convince her to come back to the party. Bon Bon almost falls off a ledge, but they rescue her and return to the party.

Song featured: "The Best Dream", sung by Bon Bon.
8"Out of Luck"August 21, 1992

While searching a junkyard for pieces for his artwork, Clover's father finds a white teapot. Clover keeps the teapot, but soon begins to experience bad luck. Suspecting the teapot is the cause, Clover tries to get rid of it, but it somehow returns to her and gets her in further trouble. She eventually returns it to her father, who adds it to his art sculpture.

Song featured: "When Fortune Smiled on Me", sung by Clover.
9"The Play's the Thing"August 28, 1992

The class participates in a fairy tale themed play. Melody is selected for a leading princess role. She starts to boss her family and friends. Upset by her attitude, the girl ponies spoil Melody's rehearsal in front of Teddy and Ace. After Starlight snaps at Melody about her current nature, Melody sees how selfish she was, and makes up. Afterwards, the performance runs smoothly.

Song featured: "The Magic of Theater", sung by Starlight.
10"Shop Talk"September 4, 1992

Melody and Starlight share gossip with their friends, except for Sweetheart, who does not like telling on others. Patch imagines that Teddy has a secret; she tells her friends that Teddy has a teddy bear. Ace overhears this and tells Lancer at football practice. They both poke fun at Teddy until he gives them a punch up and heads home. Teddy is mad at Sweetheart, who worsens his mood. Sweetheart hatches a plan to clear this up. Bright Eyes and Melody bring Ace and Lancer to babysit some baby ponies. When feeding time comes, the girl ponies have Ace and Lancer eat and dress like babies. Sweetheart takes a picture of them, which would ruin their reputation. Ace and Lancer agree to drop the teddy bear story in exchange for the picture. Teddy is relieved that his secret is safe.

Song featured: "A Juicy Story", sung by the 7 Pony Friends.
11"The Impractical Joker"September 11, 1992

Melody, Bright Eyes and Starlight are invited to a date by a rock star Chain Link, but it turns out it was a prank phone call from Patch. For her next joke, Patch has Bon Bon do a cooking documentary, but her cake burns. Patch also sabotages Bright Eyes's class project by turning it into a freak show. The girl ponies try to get revenge on Patch but their amateur prank does not work on her. Patch then sees a flying saucer and finds aliens where it lands. When the aliens declare that they want to remove her brain, Patch panics and backs away until she falls into a tub of water. The girl ponies and Teddy emerge and reveal the practical joke.

Song featured: "Practical Jokes", sung by Patch.
12"The Great Lemonade Stand Wars"September 18, 1992

While teasing Bon Bon about her diary, the girl ponies accidentally break their only tea set. Lacking funds for a new one, they open a lemonade stand. The boys are envious of their business so they plan to open one of their own. Ace worms the recipe out of Bon Bon, and the rivalry between the boys and girls escalates, until Lancer makes amends to the girls.

Song featured: "Think Again", sung by the girl and boy ponies.
13"Blue Ribbon Blues"September 25, 1992

In order to show Sweetheart his good nature, Teddy invites her to his cousin's farm. Teddy has trouble with the hens and a pig named Yorkie, the latter of which tears his teddy bear. Teddy gets mad and chases Yorkie out to the country. His cousin Corny finds Yorkie, but falls into a river. Teddy, who has never swum in running water before, musters his courage and rescues Corny. At a country fair, Yorkie wins a first prize ribbon and Teddy wins a stuffed pig. He swaps the pig with Daisy for his teddy bear and feels happy.

Song featured: "It's Harvest Time", sung by the farming family.
14"Roll Around the Clocks"October 2, 1992

For the upcoming roller derby, Lance and Bright Eyes want to be partners, but are too shy to ask each other. Their friends try to help; Ace and Teddy encourage Lancer to act like a bad boy, while the girl ponies suggest that Bright Eyes act like an air-headed glamor girl. Lance and Bright Eyes end up accidentally insulting each other, and walk off. On the day of the roller derby, the two explain what happened and make up. They then enter the derby together and win first place.

Song featured: "Play It Cool".
15"Princess Problems"October 9, 1992

Patch visits her friends at the orphanage she once stayed. The King and Queen are expected to arrive in search of their long lost daughter, whose description seems to match Patch, after she notices a birth mark on her hoof. The girls dress Patch up as a princess, but Patch feels very gloomy about leaving her adoptive parents and friends. The King and Queen do not find their daughter, but Patch discovers that the birthmark on her hoof is actually a fleck of paint. When they are about to leave, Patch realizes that Rosy is the missing daughter, so she brings Rosy to them.

Song featured: "A Princess Must Look Beautiful".
16"An Apple for Starlight"October 16, 1992

Miss Hackney gets a headache and leaves the teaching to Starlight, who has to explain about the prehistoric cave ponies of Pinto Cave and how a pulley works. The class does not pay attention. Starlight takes them on field trip to Pinto Cave. They enter a cavern where the cave ponies once stored their tools. To get out of the cave, Ace attaches a pulley to the cave ceiling and hoists the ponies up. They return to school where Miss Hackney expresses her gratitude by giving Starlight an apple.

Song featured: "Lessons", sung by Starlight, Bright Eyes and Sweetheart.
17"Up, Up and Away"October 23, 1992

A UFO is sighted in the mountains. The police will not allow anyone to get close. Mr. Kiddoo plans to show the class his hot air balloon. Patch and a reluctant Bon Bon sneak on board the balloon and it is launched. They are attacked by birds and almost fall into shark infested waters. The UFO turns into the Glow n' Show ponies, which are flying ponies that glow. Its leader, Dazzleglow, a pony with a pair of wings and a horn,[note 2] rescues them and brings them to safety.

Song featured: "The Adventure", sung by Patch.
18"Sister of the Bride"October 30, 1992

Clover's sister, Meadowlark, is going to marry the handsome pony Cheval. Clover and her friends help prepare for the wedding, but Clover does some blunders in the process. The girls notice that Cheval is flattering another female pony, but it turns out to be Cheval's sister. Clover manages to find flowers in her family's garden. Bon Bon fixes the wedding cake, and the rings are found in time for the ceremony.

Song featured: "Today's My Wedding Day", sung by Meadowlark.
19"Birds of a Feather"November 6, 1992

Bright Eyes reads about an endangered green-winged song bird. Bright Eyes, Ace, Bon Bon and Patch explore the forest to find out why the bird is endangered. After braving the forest, they become lost and hungry. They eventually spot the green-winged song bird, and learn that the birds have become endangered because their habitat is being logged. Bon Bon uses the directions she wrote in her diary to return safely to town. Bright Eyes shares her findings, and the mayor declares her Pony of the Month.

Song featured: "In the Forest", sung by Bright Eyes.
20"Send in the Clown"November 13, 1992

Clover's sister, Meadowlark, visits. Clover feels overshadowed by Meadowlark and her talent at ballet. When the Harlequin in the upcoming recital is injured, Clover takes her place, but is overcome with nervousness, that she pretends to have amnesia. Sensing her sister's stage fright, Meadowlark confesses to Clover that she felt the same way at her first performance. On the night of the recital, Clover performs her part brilliantly and receives applause from the crowd and her family.

Song featured: "She's So Much Better Than Me", sung by Clover.
21"Happy Birthday Sweetheart"November 20, 1992

The girls practice their swimming routine at Lancer's mansion. But their routine is ruined at the event after Teddy pulls a prank on them. The girls demand that Sweetheart un-invite Teddy from her upcoming birthday party or else they won't attend. Sweetheart tries to call the party off. Lancer tricks both Teddy and the girls into boarding his father's yacht, and refuses to let them off until they sign a peace treaty for the sake of Sweetheart. Lancer then brings Sweetheart to his home, where everyone surprises her with the party.

Song featured: "An Unforgettable Party", sung by Sweetheart's friends.
22"Gribet"November 27, 1992

After the girls picnic is spoiled by rain, Sweetheart finds a frog with an injured leg. She names him Spot and takes him to the vet, who tells her that he will be well in three days. She takes Spot to her activities but he causes trouble at Bon Bon's house and Starlight's ice cream parlor. Sweetheart brings him to school, but he causes more chaos. Miss Hackney tells Sweetheart to set Spot free, and the girls tearfully release him into the wild.

Song featured: "Off You Go", sung by Sweetheart.
23"Bon Bon's Diary"December 4, 1992

After forgetting to study for her math test, Bon Bon decides to cheat. She gets away with it, but is disappointed from her lack of skill. Teddy discovers Bon Bon's diary has an entry about the cheating. He tells Bon Bon he will show off the entry unless she joins him at the ball concert. After Sweetheart has a small talk with Teddy, he hands the diary to Miss Hackney and Bon Bon confesses that she cheated in her test. Miss Hackney returns the diary and has Bon Bon retake the test. Bon Bon passes, but Teddy flunks his test. Bon Bon offers to study with him so they can pass the next test before going to the ball concert.

Song featured: "Secrets", sung by the 7 Pony Friends.
24"Just for Kicks"December 11, 1992

Starlight has a crush on Ace, but he does not feel the same about her and ignores her. Starlight joins the soccer team to win his heart. When Ace humiliates her in front of the team, Starlight wants to quit, but Patch convinces her to stay and train for the upcoming soccer match. The day of the match, Starlight scores the winning goal, which makes Ace jealous instead of impressed. But Ace eventually comes around, praises Starlight for the goal and accepts her as a member of the team.

Song featured: "Perfect Pair", sung by Starlight
25"Ponies in Paradise"December 18, 1992

Bright Eyes attends an exchange trip to a tropical island. Her friends are worried about sea monsters, cannibals and natives that might use her as a sacrifice for a volcano. Bright Eyes dismisses those ideas. Once at the island, she stays with the Sunbright family. Bright Eyes becomes worried when the Sunbrights take her on a hike to the volcano. She nearly falls into the crater but is rescued by the Sunbrights. She cheers up and enjoys the rest of the activities.

Song featured: "We May Be Different...", sung by Bright Eyes and Moki.
26"Who's Responsible"December 25, 1992

Bright Eyes tells her friends about the current garbage pollution problem. They split into teams to track down the responsible dumpers, but in the process, they unwittingly add to the litter. Pony River gets clogged and floods. After the grownups unclog the river, the girls see the trash they previously tossed and help the grownups with the clean up.

Song featured: "A Lot Less Litter", sung by the 7 Pony Friends.

Merchandise

In 1992, Hasbro released toys of the 7 Pony Friends to the European market to complement its first generation My Little Pony toy line. They did not produce models for the three male ponies or the teacher from the series, Miss Hackney. Although My Little Pony originated in the United States, the toys were not marketed there. The family ponies, the Barringtons (known as the Berrytowns in toy form), the Sunbrights, and the Meadowsweets were also made into toys, but were only marketed in select European countries. Several pieces of merchandise were also marketed in Europe with the Seven Characters on, such as comic books, an alarm clock, a backpack, an umbrella, and a money box.

Media

MRA Entertainment licensed the series for the Australia (Region 4) area. It released four DVDs in 2005 to cover the entire series. [10]

In the United Kingdom (Region 2), Metrodome Distribution Ltd. released a single volume that contained ten episodes from the series:

  • Bon Bon's Diary
  • Just for Kicks
  • Slumber Party
  • Too Sick to Notice
  • The Battle of the Bands
  • And the Winner Is...
  • Stand by Me
  • The Tea Party
  • The Masquerade
  • Out of Luck

Shout Factory licensed the series for the United States (Region 1) area. It was released My Little Pony Tales – The Complete TV Series on DVD on April 28, 2015. The two-disc set contains all 26 episodes of the series.

Notes

  1. ↑ In the UK 1994 My Little Pony annual, Bon Bon is also said to have a sixth unnamed older sibling.
  2. ↑ Although the term "alicorn" refers to a horse with a pair of wings and a horn, the use of the term in such context is incorrect, and it was never used in any of official merchandise of this show.

References

  1. ↑ Todd Ciolek. "The 11 Most Insulting Cartoon Reboots". The Robot's Voice. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 The Disney Channel Magazine, Vol. 10, no. 4, August/September 1992: p. 51.
  3. 1 2 Mein Kleine Pony auf fernsehserien.de (German)
  4. 1 2 "My Little Pony Tales @ The Cartoon Scrapbook". cartoonscrapbook.com. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  5. ↑ The Disney Channel Magazine, Vol. 14, no. 3, June/July 1996: p. 26.
  6. ↑ The Disney Channel Magazine, Vol. 14, no. 4, August/September 1996: p. 28.
  7. ↑ Byrne, Suzy (2012-03-26). "I'm Having an '80s Flashback about My Little Pony! Find Out How It's Connected To Kate Middleton: Obsessed". glamour.com. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  8. ↑ "Gusty365's MLP Series Resource". Mlpseriesresource.com. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
  9. ↑ "Titles in document V3382P380". US Copyright Office. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
  10. ↑ MRA Entertainment citations provided by National Library of Australia:


External links

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