It’s been too long since we added to this series of posts where we (re-)introduce you to a themed set of cute characters and where to buy products that feature them. This time, I’m sharing four cute horses and unicorns for the year of the horse.
My Little Pony
My Little Pony toys have been around since 1981 and have had multiple revivals for new generations of kids and collectors. There’s been loads of animations and movies too, with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic bringing in a whole new audience. They’re here to stay too with yet another revival due this year, along with a live action movie.
Bishoujo figure at Oshoppu / Pins at Hot Topic
My Little Pony toys are still widely available in toy stores but there’s lots of fun kawaii collaborations too, especially if you prefer the 80s style. Loungefly (US) have original bags & accessories, Truffle Shuffle (UK) have some exclusive clothing, Hot Topic (US) have clothing, accessories and blind bags and Oshoppu (UK) & Meccha Japan (JP) have Bishoujo figures from Japan.
Ponyta & Rapidash
There are quite a few horse-inspired Pokemon across the games but Ponyta has to be the most well-known (and cutest!) as one of the first generation, a a Fire-type that evolves into Rapidash. A pastel unicorn Psychic-type Galarian version was also added in 2019’s Pokemon Sword & Shield games, making Ponyta extra kawaii.
I was surprised that Pokemon didn’t create any year of the horse merch in time for Japanese new year but there’s still plenty of cute stuff available. Obviously, the Pokemon Center (UK/US/JP) have the widest range of Ponyta (& Rapidash) items including plush, clothing, homeware and collectibles. If you’re looking for something special, Kawaii Republic (JP) have a lot of rare and secondhand plush and figures, while Re-Ment miniatures (global) occasionally feature Ponyta.
Unicorno
The Unicornos are cute little ponies that transformed into unicorns when they found a hidden magical kingdom. They’re arguably tokidoki’s most popular characters, led by the first Unicorno, Stellina, from 2011’s first set of vinyl figures. tokidoki have been releasing new Unicorno series regularly since then with all kinds of fun themes, plus a spinoff set of underwater characters, the Mermicornos.
The official tokidoki store (US) is the best place to find all the latest releases and limited editions including vinyl figures, special editions, plush, clothing and bags. International stockists are a little harder to find these days but ARTBOX (UK) and Artoyz (EU) have a few things, including Sanrio collabs, plus you can check your local comic/gaming shop.
MANG (BT21)
I was struggling a bit to find a fourth character until I was reminded of BT21, the characters co-created by K-pop group BTS and LINE FRIENDS. MANG is J-Hope’s character, a masked mystery dancer who always wears a mask of a horse with a heart-shaped nose. The character inside was revealed in 2023 and has taken over recent merch releases but MANG still counts as a horse character.
Mug & Rolling Stamp at ARTBOX
Korean stores will obviously have the best and rarest merch and you can shop internationally at the official BT21 & LINE FRIENDS stores (global). Kawaii Republic (JP) also have a lot of rare and secondhand plush. Luckily there are plenty of stockists outside Asia too – ARTBOX (UK) have a huge range of plush, accessories, homeware & stationery, while Aurora (US) create official plush for the US market.
Who’s your favourite kawaii horse character?
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