My Little Pony
My Little Pony (MLP is a toyline and media franchise developed by American toy company Hasbro. The first toys were developed by Bonnie Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger, and Steve D'Aguanno, and were produced in 1981. The ponies feature colorful bodies and manes, with a unique symbol on one or both sides of their flanks; recent incarnations refer to such symbols as "cutie marks". My Little Pony has been revamped several times with new and more modern looks to continue its appeal to the market, with each new look called a "generation" by the show's collectors and fans. The franchise is mainly targeted at young girls and their parents, although in the 2010s, it gained a cult following among adult men.
Following the original [|My Pretty Pony] introduced in 1981, the first My Little Pony toy line launched 1982 and ran until 1992 in the United States and 1995 globally. The success of the toys led to several animated adaptations, including two TV specials, a feature-length film, and two television series. Despite selling 150 million pony toys throughout the decade, Hasbro discontinued the toy line due to increased competition.
My Little Pony was revived in 1997, but the new toys proved unpopular and were discontinued in 1999. The brand saw a more popular revival in 2003, with toys more closely resembling the original toy line; approximately 100 million toys were sold globally by 2010. Hasbro launched the fourth incarnation of the franchise in 2010, centered around the animated series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The brand grossed over million in retail sales in 2013, and over billion annually in retail sales in 2014 and 2015. A fifth incarnation launched in 2021 with the animated film My Little Pony: A New Generation, but was discontinued in 2024 due to low product sales and mixed-to-negative reviews. A live-action adaptation of the franchise by Amazon MGM Studios and Hasbro Entertainment was announced in July 2025.
History
''My Pretty Pony'' (1981)
My Pretty Pony is a pony figurine introduced by Hasbro in 1981 that was created by illustrator Bonnie Zacherle and sculptor Charles Muenchinger. My Pretty Pony is a ten-inch-tall hard plastic figurine that can wiggle its ears, swish its tail, and wink one eye. The original My Pretty Pony was followed by My Pretty Pony and Beautiful Baby, which came with an additional smaller "baby" pony figure. This was followed by pink and yellow versions of the original that have the now-hallmark symbol on the ponies' backsides, which preceded the My Little Pony figurines.1982–1992
After the relative lack of success of the My Pretty Pony toy line, Hasbro introduced six smaller and colorful versions of the toy in 1982, sold under the title My Little Pony. The toy line led to many more merchandise under the My Little Pony brand, which later became unofficially known as the "Generation One" or "G1" of My Little Pony among collectors. This incarnation ended in 1992 in the United States, but was marketed internationally until 1995. Animations from mid-1980s and My Little Pony Tales from 1992 accompanied the line-up.1997–1999
The 1997 incarnation was marketed by Hasbro as "Friendship Garden" and designated "Generation 2" by collectors. They were manufactured in redesigned poses with jewel eyes and turning heads and are smaller, slimmer, and longer-legged than their 1982 counterparts. The line was not successful in the U.S. and was discontinued in 1999, although it continued overseas for several years. Since the second generation was more popular in Western Europe, Hasbro continued to produce and sell them in Western Europe after 1998. Most were Earth Ponies, but a few unicorns were made internationally. Although no Pegasus Ponies were made, some adults had clip-on wings. In the early 2000s, several unicorns with clip-on wings were made. Two baby ponies were introduced, and none of the baby ponies were sold in the United States.In Europe, the main location was renamed Ponyland instead of Friendship Gardens, and were discontinued with the inception of the "G3" toyline in 2003. Many ponies released in the last years of the line are considered rare. A number of playsets were introduced, including a mansion and a castle. Some of the licensed merchandise released in Europe included beanbag plushies, magazines, clothing, perfume, wrapping paper and coloring books. A CD-ROM game for PC, Friendship Gardens, was also released, which involved taking care of a pony and playing games along the way.
Some "Generation Two" ponies were sold as detachable key chains, including Morning Glory, Sundance, Light Heart and Ivy. Each pony comes with a comb attached to her neck by a string. The back of the package says, "My Little Pony Logo and Pony Names are Trademarks of Hasbro Inc. Copyright 1998." They were produced under license by Fun-4-All Corporation and made in China.
''My Little Pony: Friendship Gardens'' (1998)
My Little Pony: Friendship Gardens is a virtual pet game developed by Artech Studios and published by Hasbro Interactive.2003–2009
The third incarnation of My Little Pony, which is often unofficially referred to as "Generation Three" or "G3" by collectors, began in 2003. The revamped line of dolls was targeted to a younger audience than the previous lines. Before the generation's end in 2009, there were at least two minor revamps. A series of direct-to-video animated films accompanied the line-up.2010–2021
The next incarnation of My Little Pony, unofficially known as the "Generation Four", was launched in 2010. It is set in a fictional location named Equestria, and the main characters include Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. Television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, theatrical film My Little Pony: The Movie, as well as other related media accompany the current line-up. This era generated a fandom among grown-ups with the success of the television series.My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, the anthropomorphic spin-off, was launched in 2013.
My Little Pony: Pony Life, a spin-off comedy series, launched in 2020 featuring a new animation style.
2021–2024
Hasbro announced the start of "Generation Five" toy line in February 2021, with a 3D CG-animated film and a follow-up television series. Unlike previous generation changes which have generally featured a completely new set of characters, Generation Five will build upon the world and stories established in Generation Four from Friendship Is Magic, but will include a time jump as to introduce new characters and themes. According to Hasbro's Emily Thompson, vice president of global brand management for Entertainment One, the new line is aimed at Generation Alpha, which "has a higher emotional intelligence, and they expect a lot more from their entertainment"; to that end, the themes of the show will be aimed around diversity and inclusion but will still include nods and Easter eggs to the prior generation.The film and series takes place sometime after the end of Friendship Is Magic, where "friendship and harmony have been replaced by paranoia and mistrust" and the various pony species have segregated into their own tribes. The main characters of Generation Five includes Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow and Hitch Trailblazer,, alongside Pegasus siblings Pipp Petals and Zipp Storm.
The film was originally slated for theatrical release by Paramount Pictures, but the release was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was sold to Netflix, with the film's release date being set on September 24, 2021. Netflix also greenlit its follow-up CG-animated series, which will also debut on the streaming service.
The film was succeeded by a special and streaming television series titled My Little Pony: Make Your Mark in May and September 2022 respectively, and a Christmas-themed special, titled My Little Pony: Winter Wishday in November, on Netflix. A YouTube exclusive series titled, My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale premiered in April 2022. The second season of Make Your Mark, alongside its 44-minute special Bridlewoodstock, was released in June 2023. The final episodes of the Make Your Mark were released on November 23, 2023, alongside the special Secrets of Starlight. A Tell Your Tale special, The Blockywockys was released on April 4, 2024. The show ended its run with the final episode, "The Water Park", on October 17, 2024. According to studies of the brony fandom, G5 has failed to capture the "lightning in a bottle" that G4 did, and modern brony discussions still revolve around G4 rather than G5. G5 of My Little Pony was cancelled in 2024.
In September 11th, 2024, a series of promotional material was leaked on Equestria Daily, featuring a brand new animation style and a pitch video for a "Ponyverse" concept, featuring characters such as Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash from Friendship is Magic, and Misty Brightdawn from Tell Your Tale for a planned reboot called "Camp Cutie Mark." Shortly after the leaks were discovered, Hasbro allegedly found out about the leaks and cancelled the reboot.
In November 2024, My Little Pony was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play.
2026–present
On May 28th, 2025, Hasbro announced a "Total Brand Reinvention" for My Little Pony, celebrating the "Year of the Pony" in 2026 with "retro-vibes" style, and in 2027 with a "new look, tons of new content, and innovative products in the works."On July 15, 2025, a live-action film based on the franchise was announced to be in development. The film will be produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Hasbro Entertainment.