'Fakie' or 'Phony' is a term coined by My Little Pony collectors for off-brand toys trying to get in on the popularity of My Little Ponies. The toys vary from exact casts of genuine ponies to toys that are barely recognizable as equine. Some collectors have even taken to collecting fakies.

Most fakies date to Generation 1, although several have appeared during Generation 3. With Generation 4 came more copies as well.

Authenticity

While most fakies at first sight may look like an exact replica, there are key features that will give away whether or not the pony is a genuine pony.

Stamps and Markings

Fakies generally do not have any markings, some may state their country of origin and some might state the production company. Generally genuine ponies will say Hasbro, country of origin and sometimes Pat. Pend., either on the bottom of their feet, inside the leg or on their bellies/rump. The exception to this rule are Nirvanas, they may for production reasons have had either or all of the above removed from their production mold where they were made.

Example
G1 bodies usually have stamps that state year, Hasbro (sometimes Hasbro-Bradley, Estrela or Playskool - if they are nirvana), 'Pat. Pend.' (Patent Pending, for earlier releases of ponies) and country of origin. Some ponies do not disclose origin, year or production company. These ponies are usually Nirvana.
G3 bodies will usually have the logo, year and Hasbro stamped on their feet. Early versions of G3 had magnets in their feet that would allow them to interact with play-sets. Due to small parts Hasbro discontinued this style and later G3s instead had a relief of the logo in their body mold.
Later release of G3 stamps and markings, now the magnet piece is no longer included.
G4 ponies usually have a stamp probably for mold number, production number (?), logo, year and Hasbro, sometimes also '# Hasbro SA'.

Size and Shape

Sometimes the pony may look spot on, but upon closer inspection something looks off. Perhaps the face looks odd in shape, this may be a key that the pony is not genuine. There are a few exceptions to this rule however. South African ponies tend to have poses that are usually a blend of two ponies, which gives them a strange appearance.

Colors

Many cheap fakies usually have vibrant colors, the exception to this rule are Nirvana ponies - they may have ordinary poses and still have oddly vibrant colors.

Rooted Tails

Genuine ponies generally do not have rooted tails, they have their tails held by a washer - a metal piece securing it from the inside. However there are exceptions to this rule, South African ponies are known to have rooted tails instead of tails secured by washers.

Example
Example of a fakie tail. The hair is usually rooted into a circle shape to hide the fact that the tail isn't a full tail.
Tail of Sundance, note how the tail is a single hank going through a hole in the body - secured by a washer on the other side.

Paint

Generally, genuine ponies have a nice even paint and symbols are vibrant and follow a uniform style and palette. Fakies on the other hand may have paint that is unstable and may bleed or not remain stable as a solid, they usually tend to have a single color as their symbol as well. There are however a few Nirvana ponies that are prone to doing this as well, especially Greeks.

Example
General style of G1 My Little Ponies, note the outline of the eye and shape of the iris/pupil and placement of the white speck, it will usually be mirrored on the other side. Ponies can be stamped, painted or airbrushed.
.jpg

G2 eyes had gemstones in them instead of white specks.
General style of G3, note the similarities in how it follows a similar execution to G1. With an extra upper eyelash and a single stroke of paint and an additional symbol in the eye, it is almost like the original style.
General style of G4, the eyes have gone from being painted to a stamped on look. The distinct gradient in the iris and two tone highlights is a recurring style as eyes vary - but budget versions usually just have a single solid color and one white speck.

Brand Names

Chap Mei

Chap Mei Pony, note that this specimen has been re-haired but with similar colors.

During Generation 2, Chap Mei entered the market with their own line of ponies. These ponies had an oblong body with short legs and molded decor on their feet, their tails were rooted and had metallic accessories such as winged saddles, crowns and necklaces prone to bleeding the dye into the plastic. There was also a smaller variant of solid PVC ponies with brushable tails that came with metallic saddles. The adult ponies are about 8.5" (11cm) tall while the small ones are roughly 2.5" (7cm).^[1] As of Today Chap Mei focuses solely on manufacturing action figures and playsets. ^[2]

Remco

Remco Unicorn, 'Happy Unicorn'

Remco Earth Pony, 'Clyde Clydesdale'

Remco was active in the early 80s when My Little Pony first started out, they made fakies with painted feet and were stamped Remco at the bottom of their feet. Their activity ceased once the company went bankrupt. ^[3]^[4] Their fakies generally had a rounded stubbly look as the ponies had big heads, round bodies and short thick legs. ^[5] On the packaging the ponies are referred to as 'Pretty Pets' and comes either as Happy Unicorn or a normal pony called Clyde Clydesdale. They came with a flat comb, rainbow necklace and ribbon.

Copies of Remco

There are copies of the Remco ponys that either call themselves 'My Pony' or 'Lovely Pets'. They would come with a ribbon, flat comb and a hair clip, most commonly butterfly shaped. The distinct difference is that these fakies have the appearance of sunken in eyes and strong eyebrows, making them sometimes appear grumpy.

Simba

A company based in Europe, also shortly known as Super Toys between 1993-1994.^[6] The company have been active in making ponies since Generation 1. They are notorious for using Hasbro's own molds of ponies and generally never brand their products, at most 'Made in China'. They are still active today and still produce ponies. Their sets are very generic and have themes such as family and weddings.

Pony Land

Dancing Pony - Ballerina pony fakie
Beauty Friends - Lady Lovely Locks pet fakies
Talky Pony - Battery driven,
Just Married Pony - Battery driven, Buddy L fakie
Pony with Baby
Galoppy Pony - Battery driven, Buddy L fakie
Pony with Baby (Drink 'n Wet)
Ballerina Pony
Dreamland Pony
Cirkus Pony with Baby
Teeny Pony - Sweetheart Sister fakie
Magic Ponies

Pony Land

^[7]

Lanard

Lanard Baby Fakie

Lanard 'Teen' Fakies

Lanard Adult Fakies

The early versions of Lanard ponies looked more like a realistic horse, with small eyes on the sides and usually painted feet. They have gone through many different faces of shapeshifting and currently are very similar to G4 but with significantly larger ears. Lanard always brand their ponies either on the bellies or bums so they aren't too hard to differ from genuine ponies. ^[8]

Party Ponies
Pony Tails

Buddy L

During the early 1990s Buddy L and SLM Inc. entered a partnership to produce the 'Talk to Me Pony'.^[9] They have one pose but come with variations such as horns, wings or saddles. There is also a baby that came in the 'Talk to Me Pony Nursery'. The sets had names such as 'Talk to Me Pony Tales' and 'Talk to Me Pony Magic Unicorn' in this toy line.

Princess Rinse 'n Spit

Collectors have dubbed this pony "Princess Rinse 'n Spit" because of her extremely pronounced open jaw full of big horsey teeth.

She comes in various colors, and with both plastic and yarn hair.
She (sometimes?) has two different sound mechanisms behind her two differently placed 3-d symbols, and a speaker in her mouth.
Produced by Mei Ah Toys Factory Limited

Crumpet Fakies

Collectors have dubbed this pony "Crumpet" because of her pose.

She comes in various colors, and with many colors of hair and symbols.

Big Brother

Mexico exclusive

Unknown Fakies

These ponies only come in the colors yellow, pink and blue and they all have the same three colors on all of their manes with the same balloon symbol. Their left back hooves read "Made in China", and they come with one or two brushes.

Garland Fakies

These fakies were only sold in Europe. It's unclear by what company but they came in many different colors.

Rainbow Love Pets

These fakies have long necks, rooted manes and a small molded tail. They don't have a symbol and have painted feet. The body is thick with longer legs.

Fakies

Contents