| My Little Pony | |
| Origin: | Toys |
| Years: | 2003–2009 |
| Musicals: | |
| Toys: | My Little Pony |
American toy company Hasbro launched the third incarnation of My Little Pony toyline and media franchise in 2003. The revamped line of dolls was targeted to a younger audience than the previous lines.[1] This particular era is often unofficially referred to as "Generation Three" or "G3" by collectors. Until the generation's end in 2009, there have been at least two minor revamps. A series of direct-to-video animated films (mostly produced by SD Entertainment) accompanied the line-up.
| My Little Pony | |
| Country: | United States |
| Company: | Hasbro |
| From: | 2003 |
| To: | 2009 |
"Generation Three" is set in the fictional town of Ponyville, which is centered on Celebration Castle. Only Earth Ponies were released from 2003 to 2005, but in 2005 and 2006 Pegasus Ponies and Unicorn Ponies were respectively introduced.
Until late 2005, packaging came with Pony Points that were later used for exclusive mail orders. Unlike the "G1" line, the Pony Points had to be mailed in to order; a customer could not pay a flat fee and add points to it to lower the price. Some of the ponies available with the Pony Points program were Dazzle Surprise, Sunshimmer and Love Wishes. Other merchandise included posters or a play mat to put buildings on. The points program ended on 31 January 2006.
While the line was simultaneously released in the U.S. and Europe, there are a few ponies unavailable in the U.S., such as Winter Snow and some small, fairy-like ponies called Breezies who first appeared in the animated feature The Princess Promenade. One of the most uncommon ponies in this third line was released by mistake in 2004. A Pinkie Pie with the words "2003 Licensing Show" embedded into her symbol was used to promote the My Little Pony toy line at the 2003 Spring Licensing Show, and were intended to be released only at that show in a limited edition of 300. Due to a packaging error, a few were packaged as regular ponies and sold in stores. Other limited-edition ponies have been the Pony Project promotional ponies and Rosey Posey, who was given to attendees at a charity dinner held by Hasbro.
Between 2003 and 2009, the ponies appeared in a series of direct-to-video shorts and feature-length films. Most of them were produced by SD Entertainment. These are set in yet another milieu, and feature the "G3" ponies:
Once Upon a My Little Pony Time was produced by Kunoichi, animated in Adobe Flash. It included two 10-minute episodes. It features the "Core 7" characters as Newborn Cuties, but Starsong and Toola-Roola are not seen in either videos.
See main article: My Little Pony Live: The World's Biggest Tea Party. is a 90-minute musical produced by Hasbro and VEE Corporation,[3] first announced on June 19, 2006, and stars Pinkie Pie, Minty, Sweetberry, Sew-and-so, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Thistle Whistle, Zipzee, Tra La La, Tiddlywink and Wysteria. The show opened later in October 2006 and was released on DVD on September 16, 2008.
| Italic Title: | no |
| My Little Pony Crystal Princess: The Runaway Rainbow | |
| Collapsible: | yes |
| Developer: | Webfoot Technologies |
| Publisher: | THQ |
| Platforms: | Game Boy Advance |
| Genre: | Adventure/Puzzle |
| Modes: | Single-player |
My Little Pony Crystal Princess: The Runaway Rainbow is an adventure/puzzle video game developed by Webfoot Technologies and published by THQ under license from Hasbro. It was released for Game Boy Advance on September 13, 2006, in North America. The game recreates events from the film of the same title, featuring mini-games and puzzles.
| Italic Title: | no |
| My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie's Party | |
| Collapsible: | yes |
| Developer: | Webfoot Technologies |
| Publisher: | THQ |
| Platforms: | Nintendo DS |
| Genre: | Adventure/Puzzle |
| Modes: | Single-player |
My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie's Party is an adventure/puzzle video game developed by Webfoot Technologies and published by THQ under license from Hasbro. The game was released for Nintendo DS on September 22, 2008. Similar to "Crystal Princess: The Runaway Rainbow", the game also features puzzles and mini-games utilizing the Nintendo DS's capabilities.[4]
The tie-in merchandise has been released for the third generation. The characters can be found on bedding and home decor, clothing, dishware, stationery and school supplies. Plush ponies have been given away as theme-park prizes and used in crane machines. There is a 3feet plush-pony line which was first available for sale in Australia; the characters include Rainbow Dash, Minty, Sweetberry, and the special Kimono, which was used as a prize by Red Rooster restaurants and Target. McDonald's has also featured ponies in its Happy Meal promotions, as have other fast food chains. Eight characters were used in the first U.S. McDonald's promotion, while other countries' chain restaurants had four.