1983-7:PLAYSETS
DREAM CASTLE
With MAJESTY: White unicorn pony with blue mane and tail (white streak in mane) and glittering blue flowers symbol
Dream Castle was the playset most children dreamed about when they were small. In the form of a big pink and blue castle, it was basically ponyland's magical palace, home of the 'Queen' pony Majesty and her baby dragon attendant, Spike.
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Majesty
In the United Kingdom particularly, Majesty became a major focal point for stories. She was the wise Queen who always knew what to do -and she had magic powers to help her, such as invisibility shoes and a magical mirror. Dream Castle came with both shoes and a mirror, plus a pulley mechanism to drag up the basket for Spike, a jewel box, a throne and more.
DREAM CASTLE'S UK RELEASE
The picture at the top of the page is my own childhood Dream Castle, which has seen a considerable amount of love over the years. The photo I took is modelled off the one on the box (unfortunately the image I copied is on the side of my box that is very badly damaged, but it shows Majesty wearing the purple cape and crown, rather than Bow Tie, which seems more appropriate.). The photo featured to the top right of the page is from the other, undamaged side of the box.
On the other side of the box is Starshine being made to jump through hoops and an image of the castle closed. (My apologies for the damage to my box ><).
OTHER SIDE OF BOX FEATURING STARSHINE instead of WINDY
(UK release, 1985-7)
The North American box for this playset was first done in blue outline as a drawing, and then featured photographs of the early unicorn ponies as far as I can understand. The UK box was not photo-edited from the US box, but was designed from what must have been a unique photoshoot with a playset and some actual ponies. A box design like this is only as old as its most recent pony releases, and the appearance of Groom & Style ponies Bow Tie and Posey indicate that the photoshoot was done in time for the 1985 release.
It seems probable, therefore, that Dream Castle officially entered the UK line in 1985, as no earlier box appears to exist. It was definitely available between 1985 and 1987, with some stores apparently stocking it into 1988, (thanks to Hathorcat for this information!)
The box was not altered for release in 1986. My Dream Castle was my first playset, which I got for my birthday in 1987. My parents bought it in the clearance sales after Christmas 1986, and the box is stampled inside August 1986, confirming it was part of the 1986-7 sales year. (Many early UK boxes are stamped inside with a date which almost certainly indicates the rough date of release of the playset).
The image on the box and below, from Argos, shows a yellow shooting star brush. My castle came with a blue shooting star brush, making me think that the 1985-6 release had a yellow brush and the 1986-7 release had a blue brush instead. (Mine is not pictured above). There are also paler and darker shades of blue and yellow accessories (mine came with darker blue and yellow everything, but my friend's childhood castle came with paler ones). Collectors talk a lot about a later release made in West Germany; interestingly enough the box to my castle states that the playset was made and assembled in the UK, the same as the green base Waterfall.
My castle is also missing most of its felt decorations (see box image and below) as these are easily damaged and lost.
DREAM CASTLE (ARGOS, 1985)
Thanks to Garej for the above Argos catalogue scan of the castle.
The castle closed up into a triangle, with a catch on the battlements that helped fasten them together (as in the Argos image). The hinges are very delicate, as are the mechanisms for the working drawbridge and basket pulley, and often get broken.
Majesty was never so important in the US ponylore as she was in the UK, and she never appeared in the cartoon series. Like most unicorns of her generation, she had a glittered symbol and a streak of a different colour in her mane. However, to mark her out as special, she also had the first damsel hat and crown that ponyland had to offer - an idea which would be later replicated in more style for the Princess Ponies.
Spike and Majesty both had several Mail Order releases in the US and Canada, though the Mail Order version of Spike had bigger eyes and not the slit eyes of the Castle edition.
Dream Castle also had a remodel and a lavender rerelease in North America some time during the late 1980s. This was never sold in the UK.
MAJESTY: MADE IN CHINA
CHINESE MAJESTY
My sister picked this pony up at a UK car boot sale in around 1998/9. When we raised the subject online, nobody had ever seen or heard of one made in China before. For that reason, even after this many years, we do not know Majesty's story. After much discussion with members of the MLPArena community, there are a number of theories about where she came from. These are:
#1 She might have been left over stock from the US mail order (though we don't know if this was made in China or not)
#2 She was sold with European or UK releases of Dream Castle late on in the line.
It is confirmed that some castles in Continental Europe DID come with a Chinese Majesty, so it may be the case that this one travelled to the UK from there (since a lot of stuff does!)
SYMBOL COMPARISONS: HONG KONG and CHINA
MAJESTY HOOF PRINTS: HONG KONG and CHINA
(UK box) 