DVD Review: My Little Pony Tales: The Complete Classic TV Series

Long before we learned that Friendship Is Magic, but not long after the first My Little Pony television series, there was My Little Pony Tales. My Little Pony Tales was on for only one season, in 1992. This one is mainly aimed at young children, and unlike the earlier show, features no human characters, but does feature adult ponies, both male and female, along with the children. Like Friendship Is Magic, these episodes provide plenty of lessons for young ponies and people, and also feature musical numbers. Fans of Friendship Is Magic will be happy to learn that Cathy Weseluck directed the singers in this series. My Little Pony Tales: The Complete Classic TV Series includes all thirteen episodes on two discs. Each episode features two stories. The DVD also includes the commercial break bumpers (“Looks like a commercial, let’s check it out”), which is cool.

This series features ponies like Bright Eyes, Starlight, Clover, Patch, Bon Bon and Sweetheart (Sweetheart might remind you at times of Fluttershy, and even has a weak spot for animals in need). Though this series is clearly aimed at young children, every once in a while there is a reference for the adults who might be watching. For example, one story is titled “The Play’s The Thing,” a reference to Hamlet.

The first story of the first episode, “Slumber Party,” finds the young ponies having pillow fights, playing charades and telling ghost stories. Well, actually, there is no ghost in the story, but rather a dragon and a pony named Squire. The ponies get frightened anyway and sing a song about how “Things are not always what they seem,” which was the theme to every story we read in grade school. That episode’s second story, “Too Sick To Notice,” finds Bon Bon acting sick in order to get attention from her family. And there is a little joke on all those 1980s teen magazines.

In one episode, the ponies have a masquerade party, where they are told to dress up as whatever they wish to be when they grow up. Patch plans to be a circus clown while Bright Eyes wants to be an environmentalist, but it’s the one who wants to be a model that gets the song. The second story in that episode has pro-environmental message at one point. Plus, I love the horror movie music cue when Clover’s unlucky teapot shows up.

The second episode has Clover singing a song about indecision: “I find it so confusing to be faced with a decision/I even dread choosing what to watch on television.” The series’ best song, however, comes in “The Tea Party.” Titled, “Boys! Boys! Boys!” this song features lyrics like, “Boys! Boys! Boys!/Most of them make such noise/Ugly grunts and nasty snorts/Some write lovely book reports.” Wonderful. It’s interesting that several episodes deal with girl-boy friendships. In one episode the ponies sing about how to attract a member of the opposite sex: “When a girl is there, act like you don’t care.” And then: “It’s a common fact/Putting on an act/Helps you to attract.” Of course, they eventually learn to be themselves.

The series improves as it goes along, with most of the best episodes being the later ones. The ninth and tenth episodes are two of my personal favorites. In the ninth, the ponies want to see a UFO, and Patch sings a song about desiring adventure in her life. The teacher takes the class to meet a hot-air balloon enthusiast who seems more interested in flirting with the teacher and drinking tea than in teaching the students. “I never discuss ballooning before tea,” he says. Plus, this episode has sharks and Pegasus ponies. And the tenth episode has the ponies searching for an endangered species of bird. They get lost in the woods and survive on what they’ve learned. While fishing, three fall in the river, leading Bon Bon to say, “I guess I’d better go rescue them if we’re going to have any lunch.” This episode has a great pro-nature message about preserving the old forests.

The final episode features two wonderful stories. The first, “Ponies In Paradise,” finds Bright Eyes signing up to be an exchange student for a week on an island. The other ponies warn her about sea monsters and cannibals and hungry volcanoes. This funny, adorable story teaches the lesson about keeping an open mind about other cultures and to not let their differences frighten you. The second story, “Who’s Responsible,” has an environmental message about pollution and littering and has cute lines like, “And anyone who makes school books can’t be completely on the up-and-up.”

Special Features

The second disc contains four sing-alongs, with the lyrics printed at the bottom of the screen so everyone can join in. These songs include the “My Little Pony Tales Theme” from the opening credit sequence, “Sweet Music,” “Boys! Boys! Boys!” (which is the series’ best song) and “The Adventure.”

My Little Pony Tales: The Complete Classic TV Series is scheduled to be released on DVD on April 28, 2015 through Shout! Factory.