Movie Star Ponies

Although allegedly released in the UK for a short period of time,  So-Soft Ponies were supposedly withdrawn
almost immediately and replaced, at least in part by these plastic versions. Please note that Non-So-Soft versions of Truly, Cupcake, Ribbon, and Lofty were not a part of the UK range at any time, although they were probably sold in other countries world wide (See right for Truly - thanks to Joss for the use of this picture). I know for certain that Truly and Cupcake were sold in parts of Europe (namely Scandinavia, according to my source) in a set called "Pony Friends", with NSS Shady, Hopscotch and the perennial Posey and Cherries Jubilee (Scans of the card can be seen at the bottom of the page). I believe that this was the same card as used in the South African edition. The card is stamped Hasbro UK, but the set as such was not sold here, so I suspect that it was distributed by Hasbro UK abroad, since this has happened on other occasions, even with the new MLPs.  Sadly it's been more than two years now since these scans were emailed to me and I no longer have the identity of the sender (though I recall she was in Norway) so if you're out there, can you drop me a line so I can credit your donation?
A Non So Soft Paradise may have been issued with Paradise Estate briefly in this country, but I don't believe she was. I believe this to be something of a myth generated by the fact Paradise is loosely listed with PE on the Hasbro list, and the logic of the names. it is more likely that the Paradise which did according to Hasbro come with the Estate was a quickly withdrawn So-Soft version. It may even have been a special store exclusive - Argos, for example, were not against sticking additional ponies with playsets wherever they felt necessary!
Of the six ponies sold here it was Buttons who seemed to have an identity crisis. Her 'cousin', So-Soft Buttons had a symbol of three
 large pink buttons but in the UK the Non-So-Soft version was marketed with two different symbols. Most people recognise Buttons as having a symbol of several small pink buttons and blue stars, and indeed this is the one most commonly found second hand, but there is also a version sold with So-Soft Buttons' symbol. I suppose this is perhaps the true Movie Star Buttons, since she is the one drawn on the back of my MOC Shady's card. Gusty, though issued as an 'original' unicorn in year three of the United States' program was different when sold in the United Kingdom. The american Non-So-Soft Gusty has a classic glittery symbol and also aqua coloured eyes, whereas the UK version, derived as it is from So-Soft
Gusty  has a painted symbol and green eyes. Shady & North Star are the two Non So Softs most like their So-Soft cousins - Shady's body colour is much darker, which is to be expected but otherwise there are no major differences. Wind Whistler & Magic Star on the other hand have striking differences. The So-Soft Wind Whistler has all
pink whistles and is a much darker colour under her fur than the Non-So-Soft version. She also has a pink & blue whistle symbol, whilst the So-Soft version only has pink whistles. Magic Star, though retaining the characteristics of the So-Soft stands in the different, more traditional pose also shared by Cherries Jubilee and Tootsie.
In terms of personality...ooh boy.  These girls are fun :) Wind Whistler, far from being the slightly over-educated little pony from the cartoon is a ditzy, silly pony who always whistles...Shady is nothing like her unsure cartoon twin, because she, well, acts like she's on acid, lets face it. Shady apparently had a pair of 'magic' sunglasses through which she saw mystical secret worlds...mmmk. I had Shady as a kid - no comments please!
Gusty was charged with the duty of 'Nurse' to the Baby Ponies, and Magic Star was perhaps the most special of them all, since hasbro named her, and I quote, 'The most magical pony in all ponyland' (Fact File, 1987). A far cry from her earth bound slightly bossy animated alter ego!!
Though the name 'Non So Soft' has become widely accepted as a name for these ponies, I think it highly unlikely this was Hasbro's marketing pitch :P In fact, Hasbro's list merely says 'My Little Pony'. However, my Shady MOC (left) is a 'Movie Star' Pony, and so I've chosen to coin this nickname for them instead, since it is based at least in SOME fact.Her card features many of the ponies from the Movie and it seems logical, (since we did not have So-Soft ponies for any real length of time, if at all) that Hasbro saw this as a way to introduce Europe to the characters in the movie. .