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Pony International, commonly referred to as simply Pony, is an American brand of footwear and other apparel. Founded in 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, Pony was created by industry veteran Roberto Mueller along with financing provided by adidas Chairman Horst Dassler (See details in the book Sneaker Wars). Pony became one of the top athletic brands worldwide. By the mid-1980s, Pony's sales volume reached US$800 million. The Pony brand has been worn by championship athletes in every major sport including the World Cup, NFL Super Bowl, MLB World Series and the NBA championship.

Pony was owned by Pentland, based in England, in the 1990's before a sale to The Firm entertainment group, based in Los Angeles, CA. The Firm relaunched the brand in 2001 with celebrity entertainers including Justin Timberlake, Korn, Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton. In 2003, Global Brand Marketing based in Santa Barbara, CA acquired a majority share of Pony along with Symphony Holdings and Itochu Corporation. In 2006, Pony was purchased by Symphony Holdings, a public company based in Hong Kong, under the company Sharp Gain Profits Ltd. Symphony brought in former partner Infinity Associates (Mardy Cason and Bill Simon) who were the principles who purchased Converse from bankruptcy in 2001, turned the brand around and sold to Nike in 2003 for $305 million. Jim Stroesser, who was the key partner in rebuilding Converse, was asked to be the CEO/President of Pony in 2006. Stroesser's team relocated Pony from Santa Barbara, CA to downtown San Diego, CA. Pony was in need of a complete turnaround and Stroesser's team rebuilt the company's infrastructure and positioned the brand as one of America's most authentic sports brands. In 2010, the company's U.S. headquarters was moved to Los Angeles, CA.

Endorsees

Pony athletes include Pele, Dan Marino, Earl Campbell, Franco Harris, Lawrence Taylor, Willie Stargell, Reggie Jackson, Pete Rose, David Thompson, Spud Webb, and Darryl Dawkins. The Pony brand has a strong heritage in boxing endorsing Mohammad Ali, George Foreman, Larry Holmes and Leon Spinks.

In 2002 and 2003, Pony clothing and shoes were highly promoted by rock bands Korn, Staind, and Limp Bizkit. Pony made a signature shoe model for Jonathan Davis, the lead singer of Korn, which he wears while performing live.

Offerings

Originally, Pony was known for producing athletic footwear. The company expanded its offerings to include sport apparel, and it has more recently produced streetwear. As a result, Pony has partnered with and been endorsed by non-athlete celebrities including Snoop Dogg, who in 2005 launched his Doggybiscuitz range. [1]. Most recently, National Football League (NFL) star Randy Moss had his own line of football cleats developed. [2]

Pony also designed several football teams' kits in the 1990s, including teams such as Oldham Athletic, Huddersfield Town, Dundee United, West Ham United, Hearts, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Norwich City, Chile's Colo Colo, Mexico's Puebla, Club León, and Santos Laguna, among others.

Pony has been named the official shoe of the American Basketball Association (ABA).

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Shoes