Hasbro is starting a NEW approach to merchandise

[DazzleKitty]

Well, I do hope it's proven false, or if it's true, Hasbro won't follow through with it. I believe the toys and TV series should be kept separate.

I'm constantly blocking the TV series from my mind since my meltdown earlier this year. Thinking about the TV series for too long (as in, for more than one minute) results in my depression kicking in. Right now the reason I'm still collecting the toys is that they're in a different universe from the TV series. If Hasbro integrates the two line, well, I will have to let the toys go as well, lest I want to live in constant deep depression.

I think if MLP is giving you depression that bad, there is another underlying factor that could be contributing to it. Take it from someone who has had depression for years. Maybe you want to get some help? There is no shame in visiting a doctor that specializies in this sort of therapy. The brain is just as much of a part of your body as your leg, ears, etc.

But I can also see where you are coming from. I ADORED FiM. I still love the show. I've only seen the first two seasons and haven't started on three. But, like you, bronies have ruined a lot for me. How the show blatantly panders to them, the merchandise made for them, etc, when pony collectors like me have been supporting it for a decade or two just get pushed to the side. So yeah, I can understand the bitterness and frustration. I just try to keep myself away from where bronies roam. That's why I like this forum. There are bronies here, but they aren't the obnoxious ones that roam the internet. It's hard when a community/fandom you have been a part of for so long becomes soured. I've been in that situation before.
But even if some stuff about the G4 market angers me, I still love my G1s, G2s, and G3s and they bring me more happiness than G4 anyways. Though I do love the G4 brushables and will continue to collect NEW characters, they cannot compare to the nostalgia that a holding a G1 in my hands brings.

[Bow Tie]

If it's for kids, why did they cater to bronies and moved it away from slice of life?

Because not all kids like to be bored with real life.
I myself am a hardcore fantasy, adventure, danger lover, even as a small child. My imagination was filled with constant sword battles and a struggle of light and dark, not giggling parties and "real world issues" 24/7. Kids get that a lot in the real world. It's good to have shows that show an actual plot.
If cartoons were all the way YOU wanted, I would have been bored and a very frustrated kid, as would a lot of other kids. There already are MANY slice of life shows. They're just not "mainstream" and require some work to actually find out about them.
And I agree with what others have said; if something depresses someone, they'd have to be insane or enjoy bringing themselves pain to keep going on about it and bringing it up. You're an adult I presume, therefore you can easily distance yourself from what depresses you unlike kids who often have to stay near their triggers in school.

That's how I was. Though I was a bit more "girly" when I played with toys. And when it came to Power Rangers. Oh boy. My siblings and I were crazy. We love love LOVED Power Rangers. And Digimon? I had so much fun having adventures with my Digimon toys! I don't mind the occasional slice of life. Some of them can be fun when they aren't 100% realistic and have those fun quirks. It makes them more enjoyable.

[InkyMilk]

And I agree with what others have said; if something depresses someone, they'd have to be insane or enjoy bringing themselves pain to keep going on about it and bringing it up. You're an adult I presume, therefore you can easily distance yourself from what depresses you unlike kids who often have to stay near their triggers in school.

I'm sorry, but that is completely untrue, rude, and extremely uncalled for thing to say. Just because someone is an adult does NOT mean they have control over something like depression. True depression is a mental disease which one can control no more easily than deciding if they want to get the flu or not. It is NOT your place to tell someone to just get over their depression and unbelievably cruel to label them as insane because they do not have a handle on it yet. Having a mental illness is very difficult to cope with, and not as easy as just stepping away from your triggers since they honestly live in your mind. It is not easy at all, try to have just an ounce of compassion.

[DazzleKitty]

Very true, InkyMilk. I've had people say I should be able to snap out of depression. You cannot. There are a lot of people out there that still stigmatize mental illnesses. I've been diagnosed with a mild form of bipolar, but my new doctor thinks I have 'simple' reoccuring depression. Either way, it's not fun for anyone who has to deal with it. Everyday I deal with things that overwhelm me and I envy people like my dad who don't understand depression and have never had a truly depressed moment in their life.

Geez, sorry to cart this so off-topic.

So um....to be on topic, I sure hope this means we get new characters. Lots of those blind bags would make some stunning brushables.

[Evening_Moonstone]

What I'm hoping for is a perfect blend between show and toys.
For example, the "where did she come from?" brushables - the ones that have no relation to the show - should appear as background ponies in the show.  Like they did with Blossomforth in the "Hurricane Fluttershy" episode.
Background/secondary characters should be made into toys - like they did with Lyra, Zecora, and Trixie.

The show fans get toys of characters they like, and the collectors get some validation for new characters to be added.

[Betelgeuse]

And I agree with what others have said; if something depresses someone, they'd have to be insane or enjoy bringing themselves pain to keep going on about it and bringing it up. You're an adult I presume, therefore you can easily distance yourself from what depresses you unlike kids who often have to stay near their triggers in school.

I'm sorry, but that is completely untrue, rude, and extremely uncalled for thing to say. Just because someone is an adult does NOT mean they have control over something like depression. True depression is a mental disease which one can control no more easily than deciding if they want to get the flu or not. It is NOT your place to tell someone to just get over their depression and unbelievably cruel to label them as insane because they do not have a handle on it yet. Having a mental illness is very difficult to cope with, and not as easy as just stepping away from your triggers since they honestly live in your mind. It is not easy at all, try to have just an ounce of compassion.

That's not the point I'm trying to stress. I'm saying that if he knows for a fact that something IS causing his depression, it's for his own benefit if he distances himself from it. AND he has the right and ability to at least try and do so. He keeps stating that FiM is triggering his depression and yet he continues to follow up on the toyline (I think he's stopped with the cartoon.
I never told him to try and "get ove" his depression. I have dealings with it too. Mostly brought on by things I cannot distance myself from. (family, children, etc)
I'm just saying that he should really try to ignore/move away from his triggers whilst they still hurt. Because they are a show and a toyline. Now that won't mean he won't still think about it, but if that is indeed what he is upset with it would be for the best at least for a while. Sorry to come off as rude. This is just a touchy subject and I don't take claims of depression too lightly because I've had people in my life die from it.

Nooowwwww, I'm also sorry to leave the topic. Honestly though, I'll just be pleased if Hasbro changes ANYTHING. I think the toys are rather boring now for example. I'd like to see a variety in characters, poses and types. For example, I'd like actual so softs. (Ponies with flocking) sea ponies (also preferably in the cartoon) and villains. This I want to see most simply because I have a love of Sombra's design. *gets shot* (No seriously though. I don't know why people call Sombra a "bad OC" He's just rather cliche. And that can be good at times.)

[hathorcat]

Can we remember that this is the Pony Corral - to discuss pony issues. It would be much more pleasant if we could avoid casting aspersions on fellow members. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and feelings in reaction to the show - they dont even have to explain why. While I understand some of the comments are for the good of the member they are directed at - they are not relevant to this discussion.

Lets keep the subject to Hasbro and FiM please.

[Vulpy]

I agree that I don't see much difference between Hasbro-designed ponies and Hub-designed ponies.  Twinkleshine is the most boring of them all, IMO, and she is from Hasbro.

Unfortunately, in the show, she is a pretty white pony with a pink mane, but apparently Hasbro wanted to make her a "mini Celestia" and she became all pink. 

Actually I think the white pony was probably based on Baby Moondancer, who Lauren Faust mentioned on her DA that she had as a kid.

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And Spike also told Twilight that she had received a gift from Moondancer in that same episode. The white pony being a version of Moondancer makes sense. ^^

[Malicieuse]

I agree that I don't see much difference between Hasbro-designed ponies and Hub-designed ponies.  Twinkleshine is the most boring of them all, IMO, and she is from Hasbro.

(I do agree that the male ponies are an overabundance of grey and brown, though.)

I don't really get all the hate for "plain" ponies anyway.  Up until Year 5 almost every G1 pony had a single hair color, unless they were a unicorn (then they got a mane stripe) or from a special set like the Rainbow ponies or Twinkle-Eye ponies.

It seems like a lot of collectors have favorite G1 ponies who were "only" two colors . . . Firefly, Bubbles, Magic Star, Medley, and so on.   To me the poses, the symbol,s and the colors chosen are way more important than "only one color in the mane" versus "three colors in the mane."

Well, like i said, i was talking about the early G4 toy ponies. When we also had more new characters in general.
One Twinkleshine doens't mean much if she is surrounded by ponies like Honeybuzz. It's not that i don't like simple ponies anyway. (I actually really like Twinkleshine.) It's that these days most of them are simple ponies and that pretty much every background character is a "simple pony". Some more variation would be nice.
I personally prefer more colorful ponies. One of the things i miss about G3.
(And like you said yourself, gen1 had rainbow pony sets as soon as year 2. )

[StoryDreamer]

I think this is nice.  I mean, G1 had all their ponies on the shows available. Like the episode with the Newborn Twins? Bam, Hasbro had them available. It didn't matter if it was a one-shot episode, those ponies were available. It would be great if that fell back into that and offered more of the show ponies. Like I would love Luna's guards and also the pony everyone called Fleur De Lis. Also Fancy Pants and Silver Spoon. Granny. Big Mac.

Seems like also a cost-saving measure. Same person can oversee two departments but under one department.

[StarlightGaze]

We only have 46 different characters as standard size brushables. That's not very much! There's still a lot of characters that can be made into show accurate minis too, like Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and DJ Pon3. And Fluttershy, darn it.

[hathorcat]

We only have 46 different characters as standard size brushables. That's not very much! There's still a lot of characters that can be made into show accurate minis too, like Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and DJ Pon3. And Fluttershy, darn it.

46! Do you know if I was asked for a number off the top of my head, without thinking about it I think I would have said about half of that figure!

[Salli]

I think any change will probably be good because they are not listening to their own market.

[RavenFeather]

What I'm hoping for is a perfect blend between show and toys.
For example, the "where did she come from?" brushables - the ones that have no relation to the show - should appear as background ponies in the show.  Like they did with Blossomforth in the "Hurricane Fluttershy" episode.
Background/secondary characters should be made into toys - like they did with Lyra, Zecora, and Trixie.

The show fans get toys of characters they like, and the collectors get some validation for new characters to be added.

AMEN!!!!! Either way we get new brushies, new backgrounders in the show, a more diverse crowd. It's a Win/Win!!

Personally I'd just love a brushable of Doctor Whooves/Time Turner.  Maybe Comic Con this coming year?  I mean, he fits the bill better than any other pony..