Wind Whistler (NSS)

Caden Dickinson
Jul 29
4 min read

CHARACTER(S): Wind Whistler

French name: Sifflebizz
Portuguese name: Asinha do Apito

YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1985

PLACE OF PRODUCTION: Hong Kong

MANUFACTURING COMPANY: Hasbro & Milton Bradley

TYPICAL PRICE ONLINE: $20 - 30 USD

Note: She often has very high shipping, at least in my experience - I live in the Midwestern USA
I have seen her listed at higher prices, into the $60 range - but I've also seen her at prices as low as $12. There's a pretty big range
(This is specifically for NSS Wind Whistler!)

OTHER COMMENTS/INFO:

NSS Info:

Wind Whistler was released in the US in Year Four (1984-1985) as a So Soft Pony
This is her Non-So-Soft (NSS) release - Some countries outside of the US did not get So Soft Ponies, instead selling unflocked versions of them
- NSS is primarily associated with the UK, but other countries did get NSS ponies
- She never got an unflocked release in the USA
NSS refers specifically to unflocked officially-sold versions of So Soft Ponies, not just any pony without flocking. For ponies who had both flocked and unflocked standard releases, you can tell which one is NSS by their darker-toned cutie merks
- Interestingly, though, the NSS version of Wind Whistler looks different from the directly deflocked So Soft version - She has lighter-toned fur and her cutie mark is colored as it is in the show, whereas, when deflocked, So Soft Wind Whistler has a dark pink cutie mark. Still, there was never a standard release of Wind Whistler that wasn't a So Soft Pony, so the unflocked Euro version still is considered NSS - especially since she was sold as part of the Movie Star series

Deflocked So Soft Wind Whistler [Left] vs Not-So-Soft Wind Whistler [Right]

Specific Release Info

Wind Whistler was part of the first set of So Soft Ponies, in Year 4. This was a very large set, consisting of 15 ponies (most sets had 6 ponies per wave)
NSS ponies from Year 4 were all either sold in the "Pony Friends" set, or in an unlabeled set (distinguished by a different backcard) generally referred to as "Movie Star" Ponies, because it was focused on ponies from My Little Pony: The Movie, and because in some countries they actually gave it a tagline in that vein - i.e., France (Cine-Stars)
- The Movie Star and Pony Friends sets are often treated by fans as originating in the UK and being translated to be sold in other countries, but I'm unsure if this is proven or just an assumption based on the UK being an English-Speaking country, same as the USA, where the standard releases are from.

Other Info

As an NSS pony, she was sold with the same accessories as her So Soft counterpart - a purple brush and white ribbon
There's a lot of different variation in the shade of blue that her fur is, and some variation in the color of her eyeliner as well.
Her hair is supposed to be pink, but is the case with any G1 pony with pink hair, her hair easily fades to white. Wind Whistler has an especially bad case of being difficult to find with still-pink hair

Media:

Wind Whistler was in the G1 MLP TV Show and movie
She was also in the UK comics (but they characterized her un-autistically!)

Personality: Quote, My Little Wiki, "Wind Whistler [is] an intellectual with a large vocabulary. While often level headed, she sometimes [has] difficulty understanding others' openly emotional reactions while other ponies [are] often confused by her verbose speech."

Yes, you heard that right! Autistic-coded My Little Pony! And she's even a girl! Ahead of her time representation! At one point, Gusty claims that Wind Whistler doesn't have feelings!! How much more obvious can you get!

Her US backcard writes: "LA-TE-DA," Wind Whistler sang happily as she did her chores. But the notes she sang fell from her lips and ran away! Wind Whistler put down her broom and followed them. She caught up with them just as they were dancing their way into the Wishing Well! "Hello down there," Wind Whistler called, poking her head into the well. "Hello down there," her voice echoed back. "Where are you?" Again, her voice echoed until a note popped up on the ledge. "The Wishing Well needs some happy notes to help grant wishes," the note explained. Hearing this, Wind Whistler sang loudly into the well. "DO-RE-ME-FA-SO-LA-TE-DO." The little note danced around the well with joy, then joined the others. "THANK YOU," a grateful voice echoed up. Wind Whistler flew off, happy that she could grant a wish for the Wishing Well.