'My Little Pony' gets star treatment for charity

Celebrities such as LeAnn Rimes will decorate plastic playthings

Twinkle Hope, shown here, is one of the "My Little Ponies" toys that will be auctioned for the Give Kids The World Village charity. Other ponies will be designed by celebrities.

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updated 10:08 p.m. ET June 19, 2008

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - LeAnn Rimes is putting her own stamp on My Little Pony.

The singer is among celebrities and artists who've agreed to design some new versions of My Little Pony, the plastic toy that has captivated girls since the 1980s.

Pawtucket-based Hasbro Inc. will auction the special ponies for the Give Kids The World charity as part of a celebration of the toy's 25th anniversary.

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The pastel-colored ponies — with names like Rainbow Dash and Daybreak — usually sport decorations on their hind quarters, often of hearts, balloons or stars. The celebrities and artists were given blank, 18-inch versions of the usually 4-inch-tall ponies to decorate, Hasbro spokesman Dan Benkwitt said.

Also designing a pony is 1980s teen idol Deborah Gibson, said Susan Storey, a spokeswoman for the charity.

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Hasbro initially announced that the stars of ABC's "Boston Legal," including William Shatner and James Spader, would decorate ponies. But Stacey Luchs, a spokeswoman for the show, said Thursday that Shatner and Spader were unaware of the venture and would not participate.

Artists designing ponies include illustrator Catalina Estrada from Spain, New York graffiti artist-turned-designer Claw Money and Japanese manga artist Junko Mizuno.

A pony designed by Estrada was expected to be unveiled at a collectors' fair this weekend in Providence, Benkwitt said. The others will be unveiled during a gallery event in Manhattan in September, when they also will be auctioned.