In Japan, My Little Pony toys or dolls were produced by a company called Takara (today, Takara Tomy 🔗). These ponies, released in 1985 under the name “Mai Ritoru Ponii – Osharena Ponii” or Stylish Pony, look very different from their Hasbro counterparts and are highly collectible. What makes the Takara ponies so special, and why are they so difficult to find?
The Takara ponies are small, posable figures that stand upright. They have brushable hair and large heads and were released each with their unique fashions and playsets. The line has four main characters and at least 11 different outfits.
After Takara stopped producing these ponies, several companies tried to copy their success. Because Takara didn’t brand the majority of the toys, it can be tricky to identify the “fakies” from the real deal. A lot of Takara ponies never made it past the prototype stage, so it’s also tricky to confirm the sets exist! Even with items that were for sale, sometimes the colors and combinations are different. This is one of the reasons why Takara ponies are sought after and very, very treasured by their owners!
The Line-up
Takara MLP Milky, Pinky, Lily & Popo
There are two grown-up Takara ponies characters: Milky and Pinky. Each of them came with a dress, a brush, hair accessories, and a card featuring a photo. Milky has a light yellow body with a pink mane and tail. Pinky has a light-pink body and a purple mane and tail. Several versions of Milky and Pinky were produced wearing different outfits. Some of these outfits could be bought separately.
The Milky and Pinky ponies were twin sisters and had two more baby siblings: Lily and Popo. Lily has a light-yellow body with a pink mane and tail, and Popo a light-pink body with a purple mane and tail. These baby ponies were sold with two different playsets and on their own. Unlike their grown-up sisters, they are not posable and are slightly different to each other. While Lily’s arms are raised, Popo’s are held down.
Light yellow body and pink hair. Large body, one white dot in each eye. Arms on the sides of the body.
Light pink body and lilac hair. Large body, one white dot in each eye. Arms on the sides of the body.
Light yellow body and peach hair. Small body, two white dots in each eye. The arms are set apart.
Light pink body and lilac hair. Small body, two white dots in each eye. The hands are touching.
Boxed Takara My Little Pony Milky toy with accessories. Made and available only in Japan.
Boxed Takara My Little Pony Pinky toy with accessories. Made and available only in Japan.
Would you like to learn more about vintage My Little Pony? Japan is one of the 25+ countries included in The Unofficial My Little Pony Compendium, a book written by yours truly ;)
More Takara Ponies: Ami Ami, Fuwa Fuwa, Kuru Kuru and Sara Sara
There are four more adult ponies that complete the Tajara ponies collection. These are Ami Ami, Fuwa Fuwa, Kuru Kuru and Sara Sara.
Ami Ami has a light blue body and a teal mane and tail. It also has two braids on top of the head. Fuwa Fuwa has a light pink body with a dark pink frizzy mane and tail. Kuru Kuru has a light green body and a green mane and tail, with two piggy tails (also green) on the sides of the head. And Sara Sara has a light yellow body with a long yellow mane and tail.
Light green body and green hair. Large body, one white dot in each eye.
Light blue body and dark aqua hair. Large body, one white dot in each eye.
Light yellow body and blonde hair. Large body, one white dot in each eye.
Light pink body and red aqua hair. Large body, one white dot in each eye.
My Little Pony Takara – Kuru Kuru
My Little Pony Takara – Ami Ami
My Little Pony Takara – Sara Sara
My Little Pony Takara – Fuwa Fuwa
Takara My Little Pony Designer Sets
Two sets with hair accessories were released, one for Milky and one for Pinky. These included combs, a hairdryer, extra hair, hats, a mirror cabinet, ribbons, curlers, and makeup kits, among others.
Plush Takara Ponies and the Land of Close Friends
Plush versions of Milky and Pinky were released by Takara in Japan. They were sold for 2,800 yen each. The Land of Close Friends was a line of 10 different small animals (the size of babies Lily and Popo). They costed between 480 and 680 yens each.
The "Takara Fakies"
After Takara stopped producing their “My Little Pony – Stylish Pony” series of poseable ponies, many companies copied the design of the baby toys. The quality varies considerably depending on the origin of the “fakie”, with some lines famous for their thin hair and visible mold lines. Having said this, many collectors have turned to Takara Fakies as a more affordable option! So, it’s common to see at least a couple of these ponies up for sale in second-hand markets at any given time.
The two main companies that manufactured pony toys using the Takara Baby Pony mold were Palau Toys (from Spain) and the unnamed one in charge of Lovely Pets (the packages are unfortunately not marked with any manufacturing information).
Palau Toys "Mis Caballitos Lindos" Takara Fakies
Mis Caballitos Lindos (“My Beautiful Horses”) was a 1986 toy line available in Spain. Toy catalogs for the time show a pair of pink and yellow twins in a pink carriage with white wheels; the same design Takara had used in Japan.
Known variations of this first set include twins with yellow body with pink hair and pink body with lilac hair, as well as yellow body with pink hair and slightly darker pink body with blue hair. The reverse of the box also showed sets with an orange horse (not released or not found yet).
Palau Toys also released various Takara Fakie babies. These were sold in see-through boxes that used the Japanese My Little Pony designs and came with a bottle, a hairclip, and a comb. Collectors have also found ponies that used a different mold for the body and have hair all around their circumference! There are also unconfirmed pictures of an adult Palau Toy fakie pony.
Light pink body and lilac hair. One white dot in each eye. Small body with arms apart.
Light yellow body and pink hair. One white dot in each eye. Small body with arms apart.
Light yellow body and pink hair. One white dot in each eye. Small body with arms together.
Light blue body and chartreusse hair. One white dot in each eye. Small body with arms together.
Lovely Pets Takara Fakies
This line, which can still be found in unbranded sealed cards, included an adult pony that seemed to use a Remco mold and sometimes had rainbow hair, as well as two Takara baby ponies in the pose with arms down.
Collectors suspect the many different loose Takara fakies in bright colors were produced by the same company that did the Lovely Pets ponies, but this hasn’t been confirmed. Rarer variations include ponies with blue noses and bright pink bodies. Here are some examples of combinations you might find today:
(My!) My Little Pony G1 Guides
The world of My Little Pony is… huge. We’re talking thirteen years of collections featuring all sorts of figures and toys! So, I’ve been working on creating smaller guides to help you navigate this wonderful pastel-colored world. Below, you will find (some!) pages with ponies sorted by year, collection (such as Birthflower ponies, Spanish Piggies, etc), country, and much more. I hope they help!
With 400 pages of G1 ponies, The Unofficial My Little Pony Companion is a deep dive into the world of My Little Pony and the people who created the line.
The book includes custom-made images of thousands of pony variants, graphics, beautiful illustrations, and, for the first time, a comprehensive list of ALL Nirvana (foreign) ponies shown and described in detail—as well as previously unknown details about how ponies were manufactured and distributed all around the world. Follow the link to learn more!
Restoring My Little Pony is the result of almost three years of restoring and customizing My Little Pony toys for my channel RetroGeek Crafts. The book contains 86 pages full of detailed step-by-step guides, project features, material and technique comparisons, and much more. The book is mostly focused on My Little Pony Generation 1 (MLP G1). However, these techniques can be applied to all other generations, including MLP G2, G3, G4, and even G5.
