Happy Good Friday, everyone! I hope you're all having a wonderful day with your families. This time of year is very special to our family (and all other followers of Christ) as we remember the sacrifice our Lord made for us, and rejoice in the fact that He didn't stay in the tomb. :)
Today is also Oldest Gal's actual birthday. She's officially a ten-year-old! And I'm starting to feel ancient. ;} Happy Birthday to my big girl! I'm so proud of you. :)
Today's post has nothing to do with either of those topics, though, as you probably guessed from the title. ;)
I'll admit it. Overall, I'm not really a fan of most of the "Rainbow Power" ponies that have been released. Most of them either feel like rainbow overkill or take me back to the 80s punk band look, which was never my favorite. ;)
However, I have to say that I really like the Rainbow Power "brushables" (the basic ponies with brushable manes and tails). They have fun glittery manes without overdoing the rainbow theme. I first heard about them through Strawberryreef.com (I know I've mentioned this site before, but I always like to recommend it for any MLP fans out there-it's a great resource). :)
I found the first wave, which includes Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy, at my local Target a couple of months ago:
(You can click on the picture to see it closer.)
Pinkie Pie
The back of the package.
Pinkie Pie's package art.
Each of the Rainbow Power ponies have this "Rainbow Power" logo on their packages.
A close-up of Pinkie's glittery mane.
Pinkie Pie comes with an orange comb.
Rainbow Dash
Back of the package
Rainbow's package art
Rainbow's mane. I think this is one of my favorites of the new releases, just because the color scheme works so well. :)
Rainbow comes with a yellow cloud barrette.
Rarity
Back of the package
Package art
I really love Rarity's mane coloring, too. When I first heard about these, I was just planning on getting Fluttershy, but Rainbow Dash and Rarity were so cute I decided I needed them, too. And then it seemed silly not to get Pinkie Pie. ;)
Rarity comes with a blue comb.
Fluttershy
Back of the package
Fluttershy's package art
Fluttershy's sparkly mane
Fluttershy comes with a blue barrette.
It appears to be a sort of pony medal thingy with wings on the side. That's my guess, anyway. ;)
One of my readers noticed that my Fluttershy from the Costco pack had a different eye decal than the original Fluttershy (thanks AJ!). :) I noticed that Rainbow Power Fluttershy also had the new eye decal. I'm a little bummed that they're using this new decal. I prefer the old one and think it looks more like Fluttershy. What do you guys think?
Just a week ago, I finally found the Wave 2 Rainbow Power ponies, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle, at my local Target. I've been keeping my eye out for them ever since I found the first four, so I was super excited to finally find them. :)
Applejack
Back of the package
Applejack's package art
Applejack's sparkly mane
Applejack comes with a red heart and rainbow barrette.
Twilight Sparkle
Back of the package
I really love Twilight Sparkle's package art. :)
Twilight Sparkle's mane.
Twilight comes with a purple comb.
I think I was probably the most excited about Twilight Sparkle from this line. I love the fact that she is her regular size but has her wings. While I like the other, taller version of Twilight as an alicorn, this version is more accurate to the show.
Another view of Twilight's wings.
I love having all of the Mane Six in this line. At this point, I'm not planning on deboxing them. My MLP shelf is pretty full, so they'll fit better in their packages hanging from the wall. :)
Interestingly enough, the only places I've seen these is at Target. I haven't seen them anywhere else, including the nearest Toys R Us. If any of you have found them elsewhere, I'd be interested in knowing where. I'm assuming they will become available in other places within the next few months.
Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash
Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Rarity
A few months ago, I was in Shopko and noticed some MLP brushables in very different packaging. I got pretty excited when I saw them, not only because they were only $3.99 instead of the $4.99-$5.99 that they normally are, but because they had a Lyra Heartstrings. :) It's always fun finding some of the extra ponies from the show aside from the Mane Six.
Here's Lyra in her new packaging.
The other side of the packaging.
Here's a closer look at the cardboard package art, front and back:
Here's Lyra out of her packaging.
Her cutie mark is on the opposite side of the previously released Lyras.
She had a smudge on her front hoof...
...but it came off quite easily with a Lysol wipe.
I didn't see any more of these ponies anywhere else until a few weeks ago when I made a quick stop in Kmart. They were also priced at $3.99 each. Along with the mane ponies, they had Cheerilee and Lily Blossom, so I picked up those two. :)
I had an original Lily Blossom about a year ago, before I was really actively collecting G4 ponies (other than Fluttershy and Twilight, my two favorites). She was in the 49 cent table at Goodwill. She ended up selling on eBay for $14.99, so it was a nice way to earn money for my other collections at the time. I always thought I might pick up another one if I ever found her. She's really a cutie.
Lily Blossom's cutie mark.
A view from the back.
The only complaint I have with her is that her mane and tail are different shades, and it's pretty obvious. :{
I really love Cheerilee's color palette. :) As far as I can tell, this Cheerilee is unique in pose and cutie mark to the previous releases. I especially appreciate that her cutie mark is show accurate.
I still secretly hope that she and Big McIntosh will end up together in the show...just not under the influence of a love poison. ;)
She appears to have Pinkie Pie's eye decal.
Lily Blossom and Cheerilee. :)
It will be interesting to see if this becomes the new packaging for all of the ponies, or if it's just more of an experimental thing. While the packaging isn't as "pretty" as the earlier releases, if it knocks off a dollar or two, I'm all for it! The pony is the important part. ;)
What do you think of the new ponies? Will you be adding any of these to your collections?
More reviews coming next week! :)
12 comments:
I've seen the baggie ponies at Walmart near the "easter" goodie aisle, along with small plush of the ponies (including Lyra, I think?). I think they're just for Easter, but I guess time will tell.
I've heard that Rainbow Power is going to tie into the S4 finale! :) I didn't really like it at first, but it's growing on me a lot now haha... I think Twilight looks the best with Rainbow Power.
I loved seeing your pictures. It's so awesome that Twilight has her wings in this line! :D I didn't think they'd ever do that. I'm going to have to get Rainbow Power Twilight if I see her at the store. Does she cost the same as the other ones? (around $5?)
Oh, and the synopsis and episode title for the finale come out! Have you seen? Or do you usually like to avoid spoilers?
Hi Presto! Yes, it will be interesting to see if they're just here for Easter or not. The two places I found them just had them in with the regular toys, so I didn't even connect that they might be a seasonal item. Good point.
Hi Momo! :) I'm not surprised that the whole rainbow power thing will play into the finale, since each of the ponies keeps having a rainbow flash in their eyes when they learn a lesson. ;)
Yes, Twilight was the same price as the others (another great thing about this line). :)
Oh, I'm totally into spoilers (it drives my aunt completely bonkers; she's the spoiler-free type). ;) I've been waiting for the synopsis! Off to the MLP FIM Wiki I go! ;) Thanks for the head's up!
*heads up :}
So funny, I literally just bought 2 of the bagged ponies 2 hours ago. I got Lily Blossom and Rarity. I read somewhere that their eyes are not as detailed as the carded ponies. Anyway, they were cute so I grabbed a couple. I agree with Presto, I think they might just be around for Easter. I've also been visiting every McDonald's in town to track down all the MLP Happy Meal toys. I am such a dork. Happy Easter!
I love their sparkly manes! They're so cute! I have a couple old MLPs, and a few older ones that were my mom's. They really are a lot of fun!
Have a great (belated) Good Friday and a wonderful Easter! And happy birthday Oldest Gal!
I recently watched a few MLP:FIM episodes on YouTube. They were better than expected, although it was hard to find non-commentary ones. I bet Rainbow Dash is liking this line... ;) (Except for all the glitter.) Pinkie Pie almost reminds me of Vanellope Von Schweetz.
Hi, sailingintheark. How funny that you just bought some of them yourself! ;)
I'll have to compare eyes now. ;) I wouldn't be surprised if they took some shortcuts, considering the drop in price.
Lol, I'm right there with you! We've been stalking McDonald's, too. Between my three daughters and I, we have everyone but Pinkie Pie. :}
Hi Nina! I love their sparkles, too. ;) I've been finding G1 ponies at Goodwill lately and have really enjoyed adding them to my collection of my own childhood ponies. :)
I hope you have a wonderful Easter, too. I'll pass your message along to Oldest Gal. :)
misspiggy=awesome, I'm a complete MLP geek. I really love the show! :} It's so well written, especially for a kid's show. It's also a huge improvement from the overly-sweet G3 MLP storylines. ;) There are some episodes I don't care for, but overall I really enjoy MLP FIM.
Lol, I agree, I think Rainbow Dash would be excited about the Rainbow theme, but not a big fan of the sparkles. ;)
Hello,
Wondering about some tips to start collecting My Little Pony? I'm kind of guessing thrift stores, to start. :). I mainly like the G3 ones.....I have a few of those (Crystal Lace; Port-o-Bella and Lickety-Split in a picnic set.). No offense to anyone who does,but I really don't care for the G4 ones. Except Cherilee.......and Fluttershy! All your fault, beast'sbelle! ;). Just kidding. Really, though, just looking for some tips and also wondering whats the maximum you'd recommend paying for a pony. Thank you so much! :)
Hi Jan, thanks for stopping by!
Hee hee, I'm so excited that my evil influence is spreading. ;) Fluttershy IS the best. ;)
I would definitely recommend starting with thrift stores and yard sales for starters. I've had a lot of success finding G1s and G3s at my local Goodwill, usually for anywhere from 49 cents to $1.99 each.
EBay is another place to find ponies, but they can be pretty pricey. I personally wouldn't spend over $10 on a pony, and it would have to be one that was either super hard to find or one that I really wanted in mint condition. I much prefer spending between $2 to $5 tops for a regularly-sized pony (thrift stores have spoiled me). ;)
To find out more about the value of ponies and to discover what's out there, I would recommend you check out my post of MLP and Lalaloopsy links I did back during "Lala-Pony-Palooza Month" in October of last year. There are some great sites that I use regularly to identify ponies and learn more about them. You can see it here: http://nevergrowupdollguide.blogspot.com/2013/10/lala-pony-palooza-month-my-favorite.html
Oh, and no offense taken on your preference for the older ponies. I personally had no interest in the G4s until I got sucked into the show. ;)
Happy Collecting!!
@beastbelle:
Happy belated birthday to your eldest daughter!
While she looks great with the sparkly mane, "Rainbow Power" Rainbow Dash seems a bit thematically redundant to me, as that's already her motif to begin with. That'd be like making an "Apple Power" Applejack figure, lol. Speaking of Applejack, it always saddens me when Hasbro does a figure of her but doesn't include her trademark cowgirl hat--I think most people would rather have said hat than another comb/brush or hair accessory. It also would have been great if Hasbro had given the ponies the same paint apps pictured on the backer cards' illustrations (i.e., rainbow colors on the pegasi's wings and the extra cutey-mark symbols on their lower legs and under their eyes--although I suppose one could argue that'd make them too "busy").
I agree that Fluttershy's old eye tampo work looked better, as it's closer to the animation model and conveys her shy/timid nature.
I haven't seen those bagged ponies where I live (but then, I haven't been to our local stores in a while either), just carded and boxed ponies. At least Hasbro is passing on the money they save by using simpler packaging on to the consumer, which I applaud. I was delighted to see that you actually have a Shopko where you live; no one else online ever mentions that store chain, so, I've always assumed that there weren't very many outside of my geographic area. These bagged MLP toys aside, is your Shopko expensive? I've got two Shopkos in my area, in two different cities, and they always seem to charge an extra $1-2, or more, for their toys than Wal-Mart, Target, etc. do.
You really made out well with Lily Blossom, as you turned a nice profit or your original secondhand one and then got a brand new replacement for a very reasonable price.
@sailingintheark:
McDonald's has a new MLP: FiM promotion? I didn't know that. While I like their food, I seldom eat there; however, I frequently pick up the toys from the local thrift stores. I haven't completed any sets yet, but I have several ponies from their previous MLP assortments (G2, G3, and G4 ones). As an aside, I wish McDonald's would do a wave of Monster High (or even Ever After High) dolls, similar to the Liv ones that they did back in 2011. I also liked the two Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz doll assortments that Mickey D's did back in '07 and '08.
@Jan
I agree that thrift stores are the best place to pick up MLP toys on the cheap. It pays to shop around, even with those types of establishments, as the prices can vary wildly from store-to-store. I usually pay around 25-50 cents apiece for them, depending on their size (and G3 is usually what they have the most of), but some stores will charge a dollar, or more. Perhaps best of all, the St. Vincent de Paul Society thrift store I frequent the most often sometimes sell twenty-five cents “blind” grab bags of ponies (and other toys)—they’re usually just McDonald’s ones, but sometimes you get lucky.
Lol, Mark, I agree. :) "Rainbow Power" Rainbow Dash is a bit redundant. ;)
I absolutely agree with you about Applejack. She looks so much cuter with her hat. It would also be nice if they'd make it a show accurate color (instead of mint green or pink, the two colors I've seen in toy form). I'd definitely pass up a comb or other accessory for a hat. ;)
I've heard others say they also wished that the Rainbow Power ponies looked more like their artwork. I'm not really a fan of all of the extra cutie marks and things, but I wouldn't mind a bit more rainbow in the manes and tails.
My Shopko does tend to be at least $1 or $2 more on everything, but they will also sometimes have good sales. They also sometimes have older stock than the other stores in town, so if I'm looking for something that's harder to find, I'll check there first.
Shopko is pretty far out of my way, so I don't get there very often. I enjoy browsing there when I do, though. :)
I agree. I never thought I'd find another Lily Blossom, and I wasn't willing to pay eBay prices for her. ;) I'm thrilled I was able to find her. :)
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