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[[File:MLP opening.png|270px|thumb|''My Little Pony, My Little Pony, what will today's adventure be?'']]
'''''My Little Pony''''' wasis thea first animated series in the long[[1986]]-lived ''[[My Little Pony1987]]'' franchiseAmerican thattelevision lastedseries fromproduced by [[1986Sunbow Entertainment]] toand [[1987Marvel Productions]], with aanimation totalby [[Toei Animation]]. ofSold 65into episodessyndication, making it was the secondfirst longesttelevision runningshow Mybased Littleoff Pony television series, second tothe ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (TV series)|My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic]]'', whichtoyline wasand overbranched threeout timesfrom the lengthanimated ofspecial, original"[[Rescue series.at Midnight Castle]]".
 
The series lasted for two seasons, though two later episodes were re-edited versions of films, the aforementioned "Rescue at Midnight Castle" and "[[Escape From Katrina]]". Ostensibly, the show followed the adventures of the [[Ponies of Paradise Valley]] and the [[Williams family]], though the show was also somewhat of an anthology, following a large ensemble cast in unconnected adventures.
Indeed, the original cartoon has had a long and impactful legacy, but best not to forget that it was also ''really'' weird. Plotlines were far more fantastical then even ''Friendship is Magic'', and rarely had any real continuity. Episodes tended to introduce strange new species, places, and magical objects on the fly with little to any rhyme or reason, giving the show a very 'off the wall' vibe that kept things fresh and always interesting.
 
Sometimes the later show ''[[My Little Pony Tales]]'' is listed as the shows' "season 3" on websites such as IMDb, this is not the case and the two series' have little in common aside from being apart of the same franchise.
 
==Synopsis==
===Format===
As mentioned above, this show was odd. It can best be described as a highly episodic show, though most individual episodes were apart of a much longer television story, the longest of these, "[[The End of Flutter Valley]]" lasted for 10 episodes, while most episodes tended to last between 3-4, but varied considerably. As the shows theme song implies, the show was highly adventurous, with most episodes taking place in entirely different places, with a surprisingly varied plot structure with imaginative and creative stories.
Although the show did not follow any sort of overarching storyline, continuity was still considered and rigidly followed. Each episode was 11 minutes in length, though were often serialized to form stories longer than found in other cartoons of the time. Every episode featured a song, usually performed by the regular cast of the show and sometimes by the story's villain. Likewise, nearly every episode featured an unique villain for the ponies to face off against, but some episodes featured no such thing, letting a dire circumstance serve as the antagonistic force instead.
 
Many storylines featured the ponies or Williams' venturing off to strange new lands and countries, only rarely were these populated by other ponies and were instead inhabited by a number of strange fantastical creatures, such as [[mouse people]], [[pluma|bird people]]s, [[gizmonk|monkey people]], etc.
 
A number of episodes often dealt with themes and motifs of romance, tyranny, magic and love/friendship. Often times, the story's villain would be defeated with one of the these concepts. For example, [[King Charlatan]] decided to not freeze the world when he realized he loved his son too much to see him suffer and {{MLP|Tirac}} was just straight up [[Death|murdered]] with the magic of rainbow magic.
 
Episodes would sometimes touch on darker and more 'complex' themes. "[[Bright Lights]]" and "[[The Prince and the Ponies]]" for example both touched on child psychology, the former being about how easy it is to manipulate children who don't know better and the latter being about the development of morality and compassion.
 
===''My Little Pony 'n Friends''===
 
==Production==
''My Little Pony'' in its earliest incarnation began production as early as [[1983]] with the animated production, ''[[My Little Pony: Rescue at Midnight Castle]]'' serving as the shows ''de facto'' pilot. The earliest known work for the television series proper was the first draft of "[[The Ghost of Paradise Estate]]", which was completed on {{D|Mar|11|1986}}. The shows' production was supervised by one [[Ray Leo]] and was initially marketed by [[GBI Public Relations]], who promoted the series as "kid/family friendly action adventure". The show was not tied to any broadcaster, and was instead distributed into production by [[Claster Television]].
'''My Little Pony'' was animated by two companies, [[AKOM]] and [[Toei Animation]], {{RW|South Korea|South Korean}} and {{RW|Japan|Japanese}} companies respectively. The shows production itself was also handled by two different parties, [[Sunbow Productions]] and [[Marvel Productions]]. The series was apart of a programming block called ''[[My Little Pony 'n Friends]]'', which aired additional cartoons as the titular "friends" of ''My Little Pony'', including ''[[The Glo-Friends]]'', ''[[Moon Dreamers]]'', and ''[[The Mister Potato Head Show]]''. The main series began airing three months after ''My Little Pony: The Movie'' and two years after "Rescue at Midnight Castle", with the first episode airing on {{D|Sep|15|1986}}.
 
Being among the only of the 'Sunbow Universe' shows to feature celebrity actors, [[Tony Randall]] and [[Sandy Duncan]] were promoted heavily in the shows earliest advertising.<ref>''[[My Little Pony: Rescue at Midnight Castle press pack]]''</ref> Implied by the ''[[My Little Pony 'n Friends presskit]]'', {{MLP|Danny Williams}} appeared to played a much bigger part in early drafts and shared the role as male lead alongside {{MLP|Spike}}, whom he was good friends with.
 
Like many shows of the era, ''My Little Pony'' was intended to be educational, and thus the consultants [[Robert L. Selman]] and [[Anne P. Selman]] were hired to make sure the shows messages were of high quality.
 
===Music===
''[[My Little Pony Main Title]]'', the shows official theme song, was composed by [[Ford Kinder]] and [[Anne Byrant]] and lyrics by [[Barry Harman]], with [[Michael Joens]] credited as its "creator". In [[2023]], several remixes of the theme song were created by [[Mona Rue]] on the album ''[[My Little Pony Theme Song - The Remixes]]''. Many of the shows' compositions were composed by [[Robert J. Walsh]], Ford Klinder, [[Bunny Andrews]] and [[William Ashford]], while many of the episode-specific songs were created by the team [[Tommy Goodman]], [[Roy Eaton]] and [[Rich Meitin]].
 
Music distribution and licensing were handled by the companies [[Wildstar Music]] and [[Starwild Music]], the latter being acquired by [[BMI]] who thus holds rights for many of the songs featured on ''My Little Pony''.
 
==Episodes==
===Season 1 (1986)===
{| class="roundy" style="margin:auto"
|-
|
{| border=1 width="100%" class="sortable" style="background: #2B1D42; border:2px solid #DFCDDD; border-collapse:collapse;"
|- style="background: #140d1f;"
! Story
! Total
! Episode
! Writer
! Release
|-
! 1
! 1-10
| "[[The End of Flutter Valley]]"
| [[George Arthur Bloom]]
| [[15 September|September 15]]-[[26 September|26]] {{Tooltip|(note)|Skipping September 20 and 21}}
|-
! 2
! 11-14
| "[[The Ghost of Paradise Estate]]"
| George Arthur Bloom
| <small>[[29 September|September 29]]-[[2 October|October 2]]</small>
|-
! 3
! 15
| "[[The Great Rainbow Caper]]"
| [[Diane Duane]]
| [[3 October|October 3]]
|-
! 4
! 16-19
| "[[The Glass Princess]]"
| [[Tracy Mann Hill]] & [[Michael Charles Hill]]
| [[6 October|October 6]]-[[9 October|9]]
|-
! 5
! 20
| "[[Pony Puppy]]"
| <small>[[Carla Joseph Conway]] & [[Gerry Conway]]</small>
| [[10 October|October 10]]
|-
! 6
! 21-24
| "[[Bright Lights]]"
| [[Barbara Petty]]
| [[13 October|October 13]]-[[16 October|16]]
|-
! 7
! 25
| "[[Sweet Stuff and the Treasure Hunt]]"
| [[Cherie Dee Wilkerson]]
| [[17 October|October 17]]
|-
! 8
! 26-29
| "[[The Return of Tambelon]]
| [[Michael Reaves]]
| [[20 October|October 20]]-[[23 October|23]]
|-
! 9
! 30
| "[[Little Piece of Magic]]"
| [[Beth Bornstein]]
| [[24 October|October 24]]
|-
! 10
! 31-34
| "[[The Magic Coins]]"
| Michael Reaves
| [[27 October|October 27]]-[[30 October|30]]
|-
! 11
! 35
| "[[Mish Mash Melee]]"
| [[Bruce Faulk]]
| [[31 October|October 31]] {{CN|[[Halloween]]}}
|-
! 12
! 36-37
| "[[Woe Is Me]]"
| [[Gordon Kent]]
| [[3 November|November 3]]-[[4 November|4]]
|-
! 13
! 38-39
| "[[Fugitive Flowers]]"
| [[Martin Pasko]] & [[Rebecca Parr]]
| [[5 November|November 5]]-[[6 November|6]]
|-
! 14
! 40
| "[[Would Be Dragonslayer]]"
| Carla Joseph Conway & Gerry Conway
| [[7 November|November 7]]
|-
! 15
! 41-42
| "[[Baby, It's Cold Outside]]"
| Gordon Kent
| [[10 November|November 10]]-[[11 November|11]]
|-
! 16
! 43-44
| "[[Crunch the Rockdog]]"
| [[Linda Woolverton]]
| [[12 November|November 12]]-[[13 November|13]]
|-
! 17
! 45-46
| "[[The Revolt of Paradise Estate]]"
| [[David Wise]]
| [[14 November|November 14]] and [[17 November|17]]
|-
! 18
! 47-48
| "[[Through the Door]]"
| David Wise
| [[18 November|November 18]]-[[19 November|19]]
|-
! 19
! 49-50
| "[[Rescue at Midnight Castle]]"
| George Arthur Bloom
| [[20 November|November 20]]-[[21 November|21]]
|}
|}
 
===Season 2 (1987)===
{| class="roundy" style="margin:auto"
|-
|
{| border=1 width="100%" class="sortable" style="background: #2B1D42; border:2px solid #DFCDDD; border-collapse:collapse;"
|- style="background: #140d1f;"
! Story
! Total
! Episode
! Writer
! Release
|-
! 20
! 51-54
| "[[The Quest of the Princess Ponies]]"
| Michael Reeves
| [[7 September|September 7]]-[[10 September|10]]
|-
! 21
! 55
| "[[Spike's Search]]"
| Michael Charles Hill
| [[11 September|September 11]]
|-
! 22
! 56-57
| "[[The Golden Horseshoes]]"
| Carla Joseph Conway & Gerry Conway
| [[14 September|September 14]]-[[15 September|15]]
|-
! 23
! 58-59
| "[[Flight to Cloud Castle]]"
| Michael Reeves
| [[16 September|September 16]]-[[17 September|17]]
|-
! 24
! 60
| "[[The Ice Cream Wars]]"
| David Wise
| [[18 September|September 18]]
|-
! 25
! 61-62
| "[[Somnambula (episode)|Somnambula]]"
| David Wise
| [[21 September|September 21]]-[[22 September|22]]
|-
! 26
! 63
| "[[The Prince and the Ponies]]"
| David Wise
| [[23 September|September 23]]
|-
! 27
! 64-65
| ''[[My Little Pony: Escape from Katrina]]''
| George Arthur Bloom
| [[24 September|September 24]]-[[25 September|25]]
|}
|}
 
==Characters and plots==
''My Little Pony'' employed a large rotating cast of characters, though the most recurring of these was probably {{MLP|Megan Williams}} and Spike. Different episodes featured different groups of characters, and each episode featured unique one-off characters as well, whether they be friends or foes. Sometimes, episodes did not feature adversaries for the ponies to best, but instead had them perform daring deeds or overcoming natural disasters. This made ''My Little Pony'' somewhat unique among other cartoons of the era which prided themselves on iconic 'rouges galleries' of bad guys.
 
Several characters featured in the show would serve as the basis for future characters. {{MLP|Twilight}} would inspired {{FIM|Twilight Sparkle}}, {{MLP|Firefly}} to {{FIM|Rainbow Dash}} and both [[Applejack]] and [[Spike]] would go on to become franchise staples.
 
==Cast==
===Performers===
{{See also|My Little Pony cast lists in foreign dubs|My Little Pony unidentified performers}}
* [[Bettina Bush]] as [[Megan Williams (My Little Pony)|Megan]]
Line 23 ⟶ 240:
* [[Katie Leigh]] as [[Fizzy]], [[Heart Throb]], [[Lickety-Split]], [[Ribbon]], [[Baby Shady]], [[Baby Gusty]], [[Baby Tiddley-Winks]], [[Water Lily]]
* [[Sherry Lynn]] as [[Galaxy]], [[Gingerbread]], [[Cherries Jubilee]], [[Baby Half-Note]], [[Baby Ribbon]], [[Baby Sundance]]
* [[Scott Menville]] as [[{{MLP|Danny]] Williams}}
* [[Rob Paulson]] as [[Tex]]
* [[Sarah Partridge]] as {{MLP|Wind Whistler}}
* [[Russi Taylor]] as [[Cupcake]], [[Rosedust]], [[Morning Glory]]
* [[B. J. Ward]] as [[Surprise]], [[North Star]], [[Peach Blossom]], [[Forget-Me-Not]]
* [[Jill Wayne]] as [[Baby Lofty]], [[Shady]]
 
Additional voices by [[Michael Bell]], [[Joey Camen]], [[Melanie Gaffin]], [[Tress MacNeille]], and [[Frank Welker]]
 
==Broadcast history==
===Characters===
''My Little Pony'' was sold as syndication, and so it wasn't locked to a single network. Season 1 ran from September to November 1986 in almost continuous broadcast, seemingly only not airing on weekends.{{confirm}} Season 2 only ran in September of the following year and reused material from the ''My Little Pony'' film series. Known networks it aired on was the [[Disney Channel]] and [[CBS]], the former was used as the sources of DVD and VHS releases of the show.{{confirm}}
''My Little Pony'' employed a large rotating cast of ensemble characters, though the most recurring of these was probably {{MLP|Megan Williams}}. Other recuring characters included Megan's siblings, {{MLP|Danny Williams}} and {{MLP|Molly Williams}}, and various ponies such as {{MLP|Wind Whister}}, [[Lofty]], {{MLP|Twilight}}, and many more. Most episodes tended to include unique characters who only appeared in their respective stories, these usually took the forms of villains like [[King Charlatan]], {{MLP|Grogar}}, and [[Somnambula (My Little Pony)|Somnambula]] (it should be noted that {{MLP|Tirac}} and [[Catrina]] ''technically'' didn't appear in the show, but in specials), but original heroic characters also appeared quite often, such as [[Scheherazade]], [[Alonzo]], and [[Garth]].
 
In the [[2020s]], the show has moved to various streaming platforms, including [[VUDU]], [[Amazon Instant Video]], [[Tubi]] and [[Roku]].<ref>[https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-little-pony-n-friends/cast/1030037221/ TV Guide streaming guide]</ref>
 
===International airings and dubs===
{| class="roundy" style="margin:auto"
|-
|
{| border=1 width="100%" class="sortable" style="background: #2B1D42; border:2px solid #DFCDDD; border-collapse:collapse;"
|- style="background: #140d1f;"
! Network
! Region
! Timespan
! Dub
! Studio
! Ref
|-
| [[MTV Europe]]
| [[My Little Pony in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]]
| [[1987]]
| English
| N/A
| <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20221022135014/http://tvp.netcollect.ru/prog.php?id=275949 Netcollect.ru]</ref>
|-
| [[London Weekend Television]]
| United Kingdom
| [[1988]]-[[1990]]
| English
| N/A
| <ref name = "TVRDb">[https://tvrdb.com/members/listings/ TV and Radio Database] [https://imgur.com/a/hxwL0IN Results] {{CN|locked to members only}}</ref>
|-
| [[Sky Group|Sky Movies]]
| United Kingdom
| {{D|Dec|25|1990}}
| English
| N/A
| <ref name = "TVRDb"/>
|-
| [[The Movie Channel]]
| United Kingdom
| {{D|Nov|4|1992}}
| English
| N/A
| <ref name = "TVRDb"/>
|-
| [[The Children's Channel]]
| United Kingdom
| {{D|Dec|25|1994}}
| English
| N/A
| <ref name = "TVRDb"/>
|-
| Sky One
| United Kingdom
| [[September]] [[1997]]
| English
| N/A
|<ref name = "TVRDb"/>
|-
| [[Nova TV]] & [[TV 7]]
| [[My Little Pony in Bulgaria|Bulgaria]]
| ?
| Bulgarian
| ?
|
|-
| [[HRT 2]]
| [[My Little Pony in Croatia|Croatia]]
| ?
| Croatian
| ?
|
|}
|}
 
==Merchandising==
As 80s television shows were often promoting pre-existing merchandise, surprisingly little products were developed for the show itself. Throughout mid-to-late 1980s, [[Western Publishing]] would produce a number of ''My Little Pony'' VHS tapes under their [[Little Golden Video]] line. By the [[2000]]s, home media rights were attained by [[Rhino Entertainment]], who produced a number of VHS releases.
 
==Reception and legacy==
The show received mostly negative reviews during its first broadcast run.{{confirm}}
 
In more modern times, the show has received somewhat more positive. Joyce Slaton at {{W|Common Sense Media}} praised the show for its values of teamwork and empathy, but criticized the show for its product placement, poor educational value and bland characters.
 
Many of the shows 'darker' villains such as {{MLP|Tirac}}, {{MLP|Grogar}} and {{MLP|Somnambula}} have received cult-followings.{{confirm}}
 
Many of the shows' characters would be repurposed for later generations, most notable Applejack becoming one of the main characters in ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic]]''. A number of its other characters would also serve as inspirations, such as {{MLP|Firefly}} for {{FIM|Rainow Dash}} and [[Twilight (unicorn)|Twilight]] for {{FIM|Twilight Sparkle}}. A girl who resembled Megan appeared in the later half of ''[[Equestria Girls]]'' media in background shots, and the entire Williams' family was once mentioned to be staff members at [[Canterlot High School]].<ref>"[[The Fall of Sunset Shimmer]]"</ref>
 
The web series ''[[My Little Pony: The Retro Show]]'' had a segment known as "[[Behind the Magic]]" that 'retconned' the entire show as being an in-universe production, with the characters being played by 'real' actors. In one such segment, it was apparently revealed that the actress that 'played' Megan (not to be confused with [[Bettina Bush]], her actual actress) was apparently a rude, controlling and mean-spirited jerk who had an affair with Spike and was later killed on set after her head was eaten by a crocodile. This series was not well received.
 
The series' continuity was briefly revived for the comic book ''[[My Little Pony: Generations]]'', which served as a crossover between Generation 1 and 4.
 
==Notes==
* Although many sources claim [[AKOM]] animated the show, this is not mentioned in the shows' credits, nor on AKOM's website in any known archived version. AKOM ''did'' animate the film and ''My Little Pony Tales''.
 
==External links==
* {{W|My_Little_Pony_(TV_series)|On Wikipedia}}
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:My Little Pony]]
{{Footer}}
[[Category:Television shows (real world)]]
[[Category:AnimatedMy seriesLittle Pony 'n Friends]]
[[Category:Television shows]]
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