Has Hasbro's Focus Changed?

[BerryPunch]

I dislike the term brony. I know people say "We're not all like that!" and "Don't associate us with the bad ones!" but the term was originally *created* by the bad ones. The term 'brony' was created on some othersite, so...yeah.

[slight content edit - SDS]

We're not all like that, though! 

[Silver_mirror46]

I know it must be hard for Hasbro to please everyone:  collector's, kids, fans of FIM.  I'm sure there's a way to do it.  I miss pony shopping.  The time I enjoyed pony shopping the most was during the G3 days, before the core 7.   

this post deserves an award 


Hasbro's merch tactics have changed so much, their target will always be the children because that's what ponies were created for, however with the brony craze they have FINALLY aknowledged the collectors as an important sector of their market, perhaps not as we would've liked, but now more than ever collectors are an important group of  people who buy ponies

we should not ignore the increase on older pony merch like all those posts of G1 tees and stuff, the sector who loves the older gens is also getting more attention than before

I believe that Hasbro is a little overwhelmed with the ridiculous sales they're making with the G4s, and to keep it going they want to follow the uber successfull doll line's model: "get Barbie and a couple friends re-released over and over, last year we sold doctors this year they can be vets!"

Also the release of the exact same poses and little innovation could be because of the growing fandom: bronies and children alike. Let's say a kid or future brony gets hooked with FIM, where will she/he find a cute simple character? Oh look, there's a normal version of Rarity in the store! I'll go buy her, she looks just like the one on the show. If they kept innovating every single line perhaps they would lose this, now that the toyline os centered around the show and not viceversa as it had been on its earlier years, they need to sell EXACTLY what the TV displays. That's just my logic though, there must be more and better reasons to sell the exact same pony over and over

I just hope they make more FS ponies, I'd love to see a white Celestia, Nightmare Moon, Trixie, Zecora, etc... or at least bigger ones, the only thing I can't really stand about G4s is the size

[Lon-san]

The Yamino attack was one of the worst things I've seen come out of a fandom. She was speaking her mind very respectfully on a contentious issue and people called for actual violence against her. Because love and tolerance is what this show is about, right?

I was highly irritated with Yamino. One of the things that bothered me was the implication that those of us who didn't consider the pony in question offensive were uncaring jerks. But, how does it combat the idea that we are uncaring jerks when people talk of actually hurting her? Even if they are joking, it doesn't paint a nice picture.

[Spike]

I think they're catering to Americans and Bronies.

They only release Target and Toys R Us exclusives to America. They apparently think that other countries won't buy them. Wut. But the show has become more or less for Bronies. So many puns in them now it isn't funny.

But on balance the rest of the world get exclusives which the US do not [Star Swirl, SkyWishes, Rainbow Flash] and often US exclusive lines do indeed make it elsewhere. Canada and the UK have now seen most of the Canterlot lines and in Australia you have got FS Shining Armour & Cadance whereas other countries have so far missed out on this set.

Oh! I didn't realize this. I asked my family just to get me that set for Christmas lol

[StarlightGaze]

The Yamino attack was one of the worst things I've seen come out of a fandom. She was speaking her mind very respectfully on a contentious issue and people called for actual violence against her. Because love and tolerance is what this show is about, right?

I was highly irritated with Yamino. One of the things that bothered me was the implication that those of us who didn't consider the pony in question offensive were uncaring jerks. But, how does it combat the idea that we are uncaring jerks when people talk of actually hurting her? Even if they are joking, it doesn't paint a nice picture.

Yamino doesn't get much credit for her opinion when she writes about other offensive subjects, like pregnant nuns. She even made an ad in Homestuck style of her pregnant nun character falling down some stairs. Seems kind of hypocritical if you ask me.

[Heliodor]

Yamino doesn't get much credit for her opinion when she writes about other offensive subjects, like pregnant nuns. She even made an ad in Homestuck style of her pregnant nun character falling down some stairs. Seems kind of hypocritical if you ask me.

People flooded her accounts telling her to commit suicide and called her every offensive English slur known to humanity. Her comments about That Pony were spot-on. It's pretty straightforward. In any case, nobody should ever be spammed with comments about hoping you get raped or that you kill yourself or transphobic slurs. It doesn't really matter what people think about her webcomic or not (I don't like it). She was nailed to the wall. Thousands of comments of the stuff I just mentioned. Literally thousands of people loving and tolerating her.

[butterflybuttons]

Keep this on topic! And please remember we are a pg13 site. 

[Jocelyn]

Er, I'd feel the same way. I don't find many people who like Japan for the country anymore, they always seem to be more interested in it because 'anime'

I love anime, but I love Japan for the culture, the movies, art, food, the landscape! That place is BEAUTIFUL.
Japanese traditions are awesome and I personally wish I could live there.

Sorry to kinda spin off into the off-topic area, but as a Japanese-American I just gotta say I agree wholeheartedly!! For years I just blindly hated anime without even watching it, just because of the way it shaped the perspectives of the people around me on my birth country. Of course, now I realize that's probably not much better at all, and I've actually found some that I really do like. But I still do feel a little annoyed when people assume my interest in Japan is from me being a crazy anime fan, rather than me being half Japanese. (it's not so terribly obvious when you look at me, only other asians have been able to see it before they were told.)

But back on topic, I do agree with everything that's been said, I don't think I can really contribute much...They're listening, but only to the loudest and most profitable of us, especially with all the Hot Topic merchandise and the blind bags coming out. I just wonder what they'll do once the FiM fad eventually dies out. Of course, they'll always have their target audience be little girls. But will they go back to throwing the long-term collectors a bone or two once in awhile? Right now, they're going with the fad and kind of ignoring the collectors and the alright relations they've had for years. Hopefully they'll return to that once the bandwagon's moved on.

[tikibirds]

As long as they don't go back to a "core 7" theme - i'm happy.

[Pythia]

Thousands of comments of the stuff I just mentioned. Literally thousands of people loving and tolerating her.

Hah.

[Majesty]

I know it must be hard for Hasbro to please everyone:  collector's, kids, fans of FIM.  I'm sure there's a way to do it.  I miss pony shopping.  The time I enjoyed pony shopping the most was during the G3 days, before the core 7.   

this post deserves an award 


Hasbro's merch tactics have changed so much, their target will always be the children because that's what ponies were created for, however with the brony craze they have FINALLY aknowledged the collectors as an important sector of their market, perhaps not as we would've liked, but now more than ever collectors are an important group of  people who buy ponies

we should not ignore the increase on older pony merch like all those posts of G1 tees and stuff, the sector who loves the older gens is also getting more attention than before

I believe that Hasbro is a little overwhelmed with the ridiculous sales they're making with the G4s, and to keep it going they want to follow the uber successfull doll line's model: "get Barbie and a couple friends re-released over and over, last year we sold doctors this year they can be vets!"

Also the release of the exact same poses and little innovation could be because of the growing fandom: bronies and children alike. Let's say a kid or future brony gets hooked with FIM, where will she/he find a cute simple character? Oh look, there's a normal version of Rarity in the store! I'll go buy her, she looks just like the one on the show. If they kept innovating every single line perhaps they would lose this, now that the toyline os centered around the show and not viceversa as it had been on its earlier years, they need to sell EXACTLY what the TV displays. That's just my logic though, there must be more and better reasons to sell the exact same pony over and over

I just hope they make more FS ponies, I'd love to see a white Celestia, Nightmare Moon, Trixie, Zecora, etc... or at least bigger ones, the only thing I can't really stand about G4s is the size

Accepts award. 


I agree, I am not too happy about ponies shrinking and being more than the price that G3's were.  I have some G3's and mostly G1's and a couple G4's and I look at the size comparison of G3's to G4's and it's extremely dramatic.  I don't know if Hasbro decided to shrink the ponies to save on molding material or for people who display their ponies (which is pretty much everyone) to have more room for more ponies.

Post Merge: December 04, 2012, 07:50:20 AM

As long as they don't go back to a "core 7" theme - i'm happy.

Sadly, they pretty much already have.  It's not 7 ponies but still.  They keep rereleasing the same ponies:  twilight sparkle, fluttershy, rainbow dash, apple jack, rarity in different ways.  First, it was with pets, second with the large colorful wings, third the wedding, etc.  I'm not sure on the order just trying to back up my statement.

[BerryPunch]

Sadly, they pretty much already have.  It's not 7 ponies but still.  They keep rereleasing the same ponies:  twilight sparkle, fluttershy, rainbow dash, apple jack, rarity in different ways.  First, it was with pets, second with the large colorful wings, third the wedding, etc.  I'm not sure on the order just trying to back up my statement.

Core seven minus one!

[Vulpy]

Er, I'd feel the same way. I don't find many people who like Japan for the country anymore, they always seem to be more interested in it because 'anime'

I love anime, but I love Japan for the culture, the movies, art, food, the landscape! That place is BEAUTIFUL.
Japanese traditions are awesome and I personally wish I could live there.

Sorry to kinda spin off into the off-topic area, but as a Japanese-American I just gotta say I agree wholeheartedly!! For years I just blindly hated anime without even watching it, just because of the way it shaped the perspectives of the people around me on my birth country. Of course, now I realize that's probably not much better at all, and I've actually found some that I really do like. But I still do feel a little annoyed when people assume my interest in Japan is from me being a crazy anime fan, rather than me being half Japanese. (it's not so terribly obvious when you look at me, only other asians have been able to see it before they were told.)

I agree with all of this. I started off being an Anime fan, but then I soon learned that Anime wasn't all Japan had to offer. I love the mythical creatures / yokai, I love the history, I love the culture etc. My religion is now Shinto, and I'm trying to learn the language. I want to try out Japanese food, but I haven't seen any Japanese resturants in Somerset yet. A japanese resturant opened in Wolverhampton AFTER I had moved away.

I'm even working on my own Manga series right now. ^^