G1 What’s up with Sprinkles?

[starbeam]

I’m currently in the process of listing some ponies to downsize my collection a little (not quitting! just making space for ponies I want more haha) and I noticed something about Sprinkles:

My picture

MLPMerch Database picture

The Sprinkles in the database appears to have Firefly’s shade of hair and falls nicely. My Sprinkles’ hair sticks up straight, even after boiling, and appears to be slightly darker than Firefly’s hair. So- this raises the question, are there known hair differences between the same pony, in this case Sprinkles?
I know the MO version exists, but the difference between MO and Waterfall is more obvious than hair type (i.e pink body)

EDIT: it *is* a little darker and much shinier than Firefly’s hair! It’s a lot more obvious in person, though… batch differences maybe?

 

[LadyMoondancer]

Sprinkles (non mail order) is a very light lavender, so I'd say the database pic is just a trick of the light.

It probably took a lot of work and conditioner to get her hair looking that nice in the database picture, lol. Notoriously, Sprinkles and Majesty have crappy hair. Definitely not the same type as the other G1 ponies have. Your experience with it sticking out is normal. It's also common for Majesty and Sprinkles to have uneven ends on their hair.

 

[Flicksi]

My Sprinkles looks like she has lighter hair, like the one from the database. The mane is nice and soft, just a bit stubborn. But I think I could style it better. It would be interesting to see others.

 

[Daintress]

I'd show you my Sprinkles, but her head and body are so mis-matched that she looks alarming. She is sitting on my desk while i figure out what to do with her. I'd like to dye her, but I'm afraid the weird difference in the plastics would translate through the dye and then I'd have no more ideas how to fix her. Her hair is decent, though.

 

[LadyMoondancer]

My Sprinkles looks like she has lighter hair, like the one from the database. The mane is nice and soft, just a bit stubborn. But I think I could style it better. It would be interesting to see others.
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That's really interesting, I wonder if they changed the type of hair at some point!

 

[cowbrain]

Sprinkles (non mail order) is a very light lavender, so I'd say the database pic is just a trick of the light.

It probably took a lot of work and conditioner to get her hair looking that nice in the database picture, lol. Notoriously, Sprinkles and Majesty have crappy hair. Definitely not the same type as the other G1 ponies have. Your experience with it sticking out is normal. It's also common for Majesty and Sprinkles to have uneven ends on their hair.

I can't believe my thought about Sprinkles' hair being different has basis, that's wild!

 

[starbeam]

Sprinkles (non mail order) is a very light lavender, so I'd say the database pic is just a trick of the light.

It probably took a lot of work and conditioner to get her hair looking that nice in the database picture, lol. Notoriously, Sprinkles and Majesty have crappy hair. Definitely not the same type as the other G1 ponies have. Your experience with it sticking out is normal. It's also common for Majesty and Sprinkles to have uneven ends on their hair.

Thank you! I figured they’d must’ve used a cheaper material for the hair re: early playset ponies to cut costs. I know Majesty is VERY notorious for it, and Sprinkles to some extent, but I wasn’t expecting the difference to extend to a darker color and a mohawk as well X(

My Sprinkles looks like she has lighter hair, like the one from the database. The mane is nice and soft, just a bit stubborn. But I think I could style it better. It would be interesting to see others.
View attachment 81462

Interesting! Yours looks a lot more pinker/lavender in shade than the peachier/cream colored one I have too :0
Was the Waterfall (including Sprinkles) ever re-released outside of MO? Or would it have been a batch difference as theorized before?

 

[LadyMoondancer]

I'm really glad you asked about this, OP, because for so long Sprinkles was off my want list because of her hair issues. But after seeing @Flicksi 's Sprinkles I looked on eBay and saw that there are some Sprinkles with "regular" pony hair with that nice bounce.

And then there are the ones I've always found in thrift stores that are like . . .

For sooo long Sprinkles was off my watchlist because of her hair but now she's back on, I want the nice hair version.

Sprinkles was first sold in Year 2 and then rereleased in Year 3, which could explain the hair change. Majesty was also released in those years which makes me wonder if she also has a nicer hair version. (Aside from the mail order one.) Man, I would love that.

 

[Flicksi]

Interesting! Yours looks a lot more pinker/lavender in shade than the peachier/cream colored one I have too :0

I had the peachier version first and never really liked her. When I got the pink one, I thought she was just well preserved and the others faded. But I'm not sure.

Sprinkles was first sold in Year 2 and then rereleased in Year 3, which could explain the hair change. Majesty was also released in those years which makes me wonder if she also has a nicer hair version. (Aside from the mail order one.) Man, I would love that.

Majesty might have a couple of rereleases. There's Hong Kong with and without pat pend and China. My friend also has one with blue eyes which doesn't seem to be a faded purple. The pat pend with purple eyes has nice hair.

 

[starbeam]

I'm really glad you asked about this, OP, because for so long Sprinkles was off my want list because of her hair issues. But after seeing @Flicksi 's Sprinkles I looked on eBay and saw that there are some Sprinkles with "regular" pony hair with that nice bounce.

View attachment 81615
And then there are the ones I've always found in thrift stores that are like . . .

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For sooo long Sprinkles was off my watchlist because of her hair but now she's back on, I want the nice hair version.

Sprinkles was first sold in Year 2 and then rereleased in Year 3, which could explain the hair change. Majesty was also released in those years which makes me wonder if she also has a nicer hair version. (Aside from the mail order one.) Man, I would love that.

haha, no problem! glad she made it back on your wishlist and also glad to know i wasn’t going crazy overthinking about hair differences existing
so it’s definitely a year/release difference then (which makes three releases; 1983, 1984 and Mail Order), now to figure out which variant came out first which should be easy.. maybe.

Perhaps the lower quality hair came out first, people complained, and then switched back to “normal” nylon for the next batch? Or maybe the nicer hair released first in Y2 and switched to lower quality for Y3 for budget reasons since Y3 had more sets than Y2? Maybe someone that had the Waterfall/Dream Castle growing up could chime in with what hair their pony had and which year they got the playset? Hm…

I had the peachier version first and never really liked her. When I got the pink one, I thought she was just well preserved and the others faded. But I'm not sure.

Majesty might have a couple of rereleases. There's Hong Kong with and without pat pend and China. My friend also has one with blue eyes which doesn't seem to be a faded purple. The pat pend with purple eyes has nice hair.
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Oh she’s gorgeous with the nicer hair!