Founded in 1972 on Madison Avenue in New York City, PONY was created by Uruguayan-born[3] industry veteran Roberto Muller, along with financing provided by Adidas Chairman Horst Dassler. The company's name is an acronym for Product of New York.[4] During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Pony became one of the top athletic brands worldwide. By the mid-1980s, PONY's sales volume reached US$800 million. The Pony brand has been worn by championship athletes in every major sport, including the FIFA World Cup, the NFL's Super Bowl, the CFL's Grey Cup, MLB's World Series, and the NBA Finals, as well as boxers, most notably Buster Douglas on the night of his epic defeat of then-undefeated heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
In 2003, Global Brand Marketing, based in Santa Barbara, California, acquired a majority share of PONY, along with Symphony Holdings and Itochu Corporation. In 2006, PONY was purchased by Symphony Holdings,[5][6] a public company based in Hong Kong.[1] Symphony brought in former partner Infinity Associates, who together purchased Converse from bankruptcy in 2001 and Haggar Clothing in 2005.[7] Jim Stroesser, who was the key partner in rebuilding Converse, was asked to be the CEO/President of PONY in 2006. Stroesser's team relocated Pony from Santa Barbara, California, to downtown San Diego. In 2010 the company's U.S. headquarters were moved to Los Angeles.
In February 2015, US corporation Iconix Brand Group acquired rights to the brand "PONY" from Symphony Holdings for US$ 37 million. Iconix acquired rights to North America, retaining option to expand global ownership. Iconix partnered Anthony L&S Athletics to carry out the purchase.[1]
Originally PONY was known for producing athletic shoes. The company expanded its offerings to include sports clothing, producing 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.[11]
PONY designed the kit for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in 1977. PONY in the 1990s signed a Long Complexing brand deal trust with the Royal Spanish Football Federation for supplies any regional and territorial federations, comprising the different Autonomous communities and cities since 1994 (until 2000 years.
PONY's endorsements include NFL star Randy Moss, who had his own line of American footballcleats developed.[13] In basketball, PONY signed a deal with the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 2007, becoming the official shoe provider for all ABA players.[14]