Applause Plushes and International Hasbro Softies

::Applause Plushes :: ::International Hasbro Softies::


    Hasbro Softies made their first appearance early in My Little Pony history; they were sold from 1983-1986. They were the official line of plushes from Hasbro and they had a long and successful run. The actual names of the plushes are Softies. You may hear them referred to by a variety of names, most commonly as plushes. Also, Softies and Plushies. Each is about 12 inches tall, has a soft body, comb able mane and tail, round plastic eyes, and sewn-on symbols. They also have a standard Hasbro Softies tag (see example right) and a twined loop on their backs, these shouldn't be removed unless they were cut off from the plush. Also, there are. They also come with a square tag and a comb (with a hole in the end of it). Star shine's tag example is pictured below, each tag featured that particular pony. It also bears the My Little Pony logo. The tag and comb usually get separated from the pony over time.

Hasbro Softies came in a variety of colors and styles, all based on My Little Ponies from the 1982, 1983, and 1984 with the exception of the International exclusive, Honeycomb. The first issues were earth ponies, having no horn or wings. Later, Unicorns and Pegasus were issued as well. Even later, beautiful Rainbow Ponies made an appearance. Then, lastly, the Mother and Baby Sets were issued.

Hasbro Softies were not the only My Little Pony plushes to be issued, there are also the Applause Plushes. The Applause plushes were just four ponies issued in 1982. Those ponies are Blossom, Cotton Candy, Firefly, and Glory, there are no International exclusives. They are more slender than the Softies and have other subtle differences as well. The Applause versions are not Hasbro Softies, they have a completely different name. They are My Little Pony however, with the standard My Little Pony logo.

Other closely related issues: Firstly, I believe this list to be complete, I've heard rumors of other International Hasbro Softies, but haven't seen any surface. If there are any, they are not standard U. K. and European issues, they are some type of variants. There are a soft of fabric Brazilian types, this is an example of variants. There are also a variety of Pajama Cases (rare Trickles, Bowtie, and Cotton Candy). They are not listed in this section.

 

Applause Plushes

Hasbro Softies were not the only My Little Pony plushes to be issued, there are also the Applause Plushes. These were called Applause Plushes because they were made by the Applause company under the liscense of Hasbro. The Applause plushes were just four ponies issued in 1982. Those ponies are Blossom, Cotton Candy, Firefly, and Glory, there are no International exclusives. They are more slender than the Softies and have other subtle differences as well.

They came packaged with a gold cord around their necks, which held their flower brush (with a hole through it), and a black Applause tag attached to the ear.

Related Items: Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasus.

Thanks to Inglemist for photographs below.

Blossom (earth pony) is all purple with three purple flowers (these are commonly mistaken for stars on the plush line). 
There is a second Blossom plush. The Hasbro Softies version of Blossom differs from this one she is chubbier and has white flowers instead of purple ones.

Cotton Candy (earth pony) is pink with dark pink dots.  The Hasbro plush differs from this one because it has pink dots instead of white ones.
There is a second Cotton Candy plush. The Hasbro Softies version of Cotton Candy differs from this one she is chubbier and has white dots instead of pink ones.

Firefly (Pegasus) is pink with blue hair and two blue lightening bolts.  She has purple eyes and pink eyelids.
There is a second Firefly plush. The Hasbro Softies version of Firefly differs from this one she is chubbier and has larger wings (with blue accents painted on).

Glory (unicorn) is white with purple hair and a blue streak.  Her symbol is a purple shooting star.  She has blue eyes and lavender eyelids.
There is a second Glory plush. The Hasbro Softies version of Glory differs from this one she is chubbier and has a reversed symbol. The Hasbro softies version has the star's trail pointing toward her body and the Applause version points away.

 

International Softies

As far as it is known Honeycomb is the only Internationally exclusive Hasbro Softie. I've heard rumors of other International Hasbro Softies, but haven't seen any surface. If there are any, they are not standard U. K. and European issues, they are some type of variants. There are a soft of fabric Brazilian types, this is an example of variants. There are also a variety of Pajama Cases (rare Trickles, Bowtie, and Cotton Candy). They are not listed in this section.

Honeycomb (Pegasus) is white with chartreuse hair and four yellow and black bumblebees as her symbol. She has purple eyes and blue eyelids; an oddity for Plush items. Her wings have yellow accents. See also, International Ponies, Honeycomb.

 


The contents contained within this site are Copyright © 2001-2007 Lavonia Martin.  My Little Pony is a registered trademark of Hasbro and Hasbro images are used for informational purposes only. My art is also subject to copyright law. The photographs in the site belong to myself or other collectors and not available for public use.