Generation 2 ponies were released in 1997, and marked the second generation of My Little Ponies. Slimmer and more stylized than the previous generation, G2 had a distinctly village-y feeling to the setting, as if you'd discovered a hidden town of magical friends in the woods. Despite their relatively short production run, G2s still managed to cover a variety of interesting releases, including the articulated Magic Motion ponies, and were featured in quite a few interesting pieces of merch, from bags to watches. There was even a PC game, called 'My Little Pony: Friendship Gardens', in which you could design and care for your very own My Little Pony, teaching her to jump and to gain enough courage to eventually cross the rainbow on her own.
G2s were only available worldwide for one year, from 1997 to 1998. Following this, they were found exclusively in Europe, until the G2 line ended in 2003.
I was born in 1997, so I was still a bit too young yet to have had any of the ponies as childhood toys (this would change later, as I began collecting G2 ponies from thrift stores and garage sales). I did, however, grow up with the G2 PC game. My parents bought it for me in a bundle of horse-related games and I absolutely adored it. It greatly influenced my desire to play with and collect MLPs. I remember Ivy and Sundance were always my favorites (until I learned that G2 also had boy ponies!).
Year 1
Secret Surprise Clever Clover
Year Made: 1997 Mold/Pose: Clever Clover Pose How They Joined The Herd: Bought him for $3 at the April 2019 OK MLP Friends Pony Meet.
Birthday Magic Light Heart
Year Made: 1997 Mold/Pose: Sky Skimmer Pose How They Joined The Herd: Got her as part of a trade at the April 2019 OK MLP Friends Pony Meet. I traded a Little Pretty Puppy Melody for $15 worth of ponies.
Magic Motion Sundance
Year Made: 1997 Mold/Pose:Sundance Pose How They Joined The Herd: Bought in a $5 pony lot on eBay.
Magic Motion Ivy
Year Made: 1997 Mold/Pose:Sundance Pose How They Joined The Herd: Bought in a pony lot from Shopgoodwill.
Year 2
Magic Motion Moon Shadow
Year Made: 1998 Mold/Pose:Sundance Pose How They Joined The Herd: Bought in a pony lot from Shopgoodwill.
Year 4
Prince Firefly
Year Made: 2000 Mold/Pose: Sky Skimmer Pose How They Joined The Herd: Bought him for $5.80 on eBay. Trivia: He traveled all the way to Oklahoma from France! Quite the journey.
Merchandise
G2 McD's Happy Meal Toys
Year Made: Mold/Pose: How They Joined The Herd: Bought for $0.25-$0.50 ea. at the April 2019 OK MLP Friends Pony Meet. Trivia: The top two were US McD's ponies (Ivy and Sundance), and the bottom one is Euro Sweet Berry.