Bubbles (Brazilian Nirvanas)

CHARACTER(S): Bubbles - Quindim or Festinha in Brazilian Portuguese

RELEASE YEAR: 1983, 1984 / 1985, 1986

PLACE OF PRODUCTION: Brazil

MANUFACTURING COMPANY: Estrela

TYPICAL PRICE ONLINE: Not enough listings to determine

OTHER COMMENTS/INFO:

Bubbles was released in 1994 (Year 3), as one of only two ponies ever released in the USA with the sitting pose.
There are two Brazilian Nirvana variants of Bubbles
- They were released with different names - The first one was named Quindim, the second one Festinha

About Ponies in Brazil

All ponies made in Brazil were manufactured by the toy company Estrela
There are 38 different MLP brushables unique to Brazil/Estrela
Brazilian ponies are often a little bit smaller than standard release ponies
The plastic treatment given to Brazilian ponies appears to make their plastic feel softer than most ponies. The plastic also has a prominent sheen to it
- They also have a distinct hair texture; it is thick and dry. It frizzes easily, meaning they probably have high polypropylene content
No unicorns were produced in Brazil - all Brazilian ponies are either earth ponies or pegasi

Variant 1 - Sitting Bubbles (Quindim)

Variant 1: Yellow with blue hair, sitting pose. Near-identical to her original design.

Release Info

She was sold in late 1983 (Year 2), in the Brazilian equivalent of the second wave Earth Pony Set, which contained all the same ponies as the American set, with the exception of Blossom, Snuzzle, Seashell, and Bow Tie (although Bow Tie would receive two later Brazilian releases)
- These means the other ponies in this wave in Brazil were Blue Belle, Butterscotch, Cotton Candy, Minty, and Applejack

Other Info

Her name comes from Quindim, a type of Brazilian desert food - pictured below!

She is one of few brushables produced in Brazil that has flat hooves, in a similar vein to the Year 1 Flat Footed Ponies. Most Brazilian ponies have concave hooves. This also applies to the other Brazilian pony in the sitting pose, the first variant of Bow Tie.
In an early brochure, she is shown as a prototype with solid red hair. It is believed that this prototype is stored at a Toy Museum in Brazil
Accessories: She was sold with a blue comb and pale yellow ribbon, at least according to advertisements/promotional material. It's unknown if she had any other accessories.

Image Sources:

Variant 2 - Birthday Bubbles (Tenista - name means "Tennis Player")

Variant 2: Yellow fur with blue hair (same as original Bubbles). In the "Shy Pose" instead of the sitting pose. No cutie mark.

Release Info:

She was part of a set called Circo de Cavalinhos, which sold ponies along with Ponywear outfits.
The set was originally released in 1985 as a set of four - consisting as well of Parasol, Gusty, and Bow Tie.
- In 1986 these four ponies were released again, under the same set name, but with NSS versions of Ribbons and Magic Star, who were not sold with outfits like the other ponies.

General Info:

Her name is Festinha
She is likley meant to be dressed for a birthday party - Although I really feel like she looks more like a clown.
She does not have a cutie mark, nor do any of the ponies from this set. It has been said that they are their own characters, but they do all resemble existing MLP characters. They are given new names, but this is often the case for ponies overseas
- The other ponies featured in the set resemble Gusty, Parasol, and Bubbles
- It is extremely rare for G1 ponies to be produced intentionally without cutie marks - This is usually only the case for prototypes.
It appears her hair may have started out red, but fades to pink
Accessories: She comes with a striped dress, four shoes, and a hat. Her comb was a hot pink, and her ribbon was light (?) pink.

Image sources:

See Also:

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