G5 assumptions

[hathorcat]

Errr  Bronies are all about mane 6 but also on any other pony that catches their eye, otherwise Pony, DjPon3, Dr Whooves  and many others,would have never become fan favorites

But they don't make the best brushable toys.  And when Hasbro makes them, they shove them into an expensive set.

It's not been 7 straight years of a limited toyline.  G3 was able to keep the Core 7 alive by releasing G3.5 with new playsets.  G4 also had a many brushable ponies for the first couple of years.  Now it seems G4 is keeping the Mane 6 relevant by altering them.  Twilight's now a princess and we now have the Rainbow Power forms.

And again it's not the customers that pay Hasbro, it's the stores.  As long as Hasbro can convince stores people will buy their latest rendition of the Mane 6, the stores will order them.

It has been a core line for 7 years - sure its supplemented by some additional characters now and again. But the concept of a core set of characters is what we have been running with since the Bore 7 first hit shelves. Whether you add some playsets or variation, its the same concept.

And yes its the stores that pay Hasbro...but trust me retailers know what their market wants and they know what will sell. Yes, Hasbros customer is the retailer but both of them need the consumer. Buyers are the bigger player in the mix - as a manufacturer you know your market but you also adjust to suit what your buyers are telling you they want to stock on shelves.

[ponyqueen]

So should we march to TRU and demand new characters?

[hathorcat]

You'll have more luck demanding something from them than you will from Hasbro. But either way, the key is to remember sadly and unfortunately retailers like TRU largely dont care what we want...they want to know what 3-5 year old little girls want because thats who they are marketing the line for. However, at least with the first couple of favourites sets and their "collectors series" TRU did at least recognise there was more to the market than their traditional targets. Core series and items sold in assortments are what big retailers like when it comes to luxury items - because it means they can carry more variety within the same shelf space. Likewise they like a known quantity, a guaranteed seller essentially - Pinkie Pie makes sense to them because Pinkie Pie is a brand that their supplier is going to be touting and using in advertising (most lines are sold to buyers with a guarantee of certain levels of advertising support); Dewdrop Dazzle doesnt because she is getting no TV time and she certainly is not likely to show up in any advertising material.

[MoondancerMilkyWay]

retailers generally see Ponies as one thing and tend to not differentiate between the new ponies coming out that might sell, the 923958-929312 Pinkie products they have and the Fan Favorites that sell.
When I was selling, we have some core items that do amazing and some less-awesome selling partners. they were packaged together to get the slower ones to still move...eventually the store was left with the ones no one wanted and the retailer said "I don't want anything to do with those! they don't sell!"
so....I have no idea.

[Eily311]

Lol I love this thread

[Darker]

Looking at how Hasbro has been dealing with G4 since 2010, my best guess is that it will be as bad as G3.5, because no one will want to work in the project, and the show will be unoriginal, immature and childish. Like G4, only that even with less personalities and mediocre characters.

I don't think they can do anything great to make the franchise more popular than it is now.

[Shimmer Mist]

No idea what they will look like, but, G5 will probably end up like Transformers cartoons. Same characters getting rehashed over and over and over. You can expect us to NEVER see a MLP line without the likes of some version of Pinkie Pie for years to come. You'll be begging for different characters that aren't Twilight Sparkle Optimus Prime, Pinkie Pie Bumblebee,  and Rainbow Dash Ratchet. You may get ONE new character or a new take on a character that feels fresh but their toy will be short-packed in cases and super hard to find.

Unfortunately TF cartoon/ Movie toys actually DO have character variety. TF figures suffer from crappy gimmicky toys that no one wants to buy and clog up the shelves just like the 1000th brushable version of Rainbow Dash with slightly less hair and more tinsel. x-x

[LadyMoondancer]

This reminds me of an interview with George Dunsay, who was head of Hasbro's Research & Development when G1 My Little Pony and Transformers debuted:

George Dunsay:  "I cannot say why Hasbro does what it does now. I stopped consulting for them four or five years ago."

(In 1999, since this interview was in 2004.)

"All that seems to matter now is what Wal-Mart wants. Toy companies do not sell their new ideas, they take orders. There is a difference.""

"Back when I was heading up all of Hasbro corporate R&D (just a little ego trip here: We went from $65 million when I came to Hasbro to $1.8 billion when I left 10 years later), we told the store what to buy. The year we made My Little Pony, it wasn't even our #1 girls' offering. But we forced it into the stores, and it took off. Today, toy companies show products to the "Marts" (Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target), and the buyers make their choices based on what is currently popular. So in essence, you are designing next year against what is popular last year. That's why there are very few new, exciting ideas."

[Leave a Whisper]

I need the collectible tear vial too!!!

Y'all are being WAY too nice with your pictures. They're way too cute. I'm envisioning this... pardon the awful drawing...

* Red stripper heels cuz ponies are SEXAY NOW
* tiny sprigs of hair, easy to care for
* no body, too expensive.
* large eyes so IT CAN SEE YOU
* solid plastic! no customs allowed!

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

What is that? I don't even

[Al-1701]

This reminds me of an interview with George Dunsay, who was head of Hasbro's Research & Development when G1 My Little Pony and Transformers debuted:

George Dunsay:  "I cannot say why Hasbro does what it does now. I stopped consulting for them four or five years ago."

(In 1999, since this interview was in 2004.)

"All that seems to matter now is what Wal-Mart wants. Toy companies do not sell their new ideas, they take orders. There is a difference.""

"Back when I was heading up all of Hasbro corporate R&D (just a little ego trip here: We went from $65 million when I came to Hasbro to $1.8 billion when I left 10 years later), we told the store what to buy. The year we made My Little Pony, it wasn't even our #1 girls' offering. But we forced it into the stores, and it took off. Today, toy companies show products to the "Marts" (Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target), and the buyers make their choices based on what is currently popular. So in essence, you are designing next year against what is popular last year. That's why there are very few new, exciting ideas."

And ten years later it's likely gotten worse.

This suggests the usage of media is likely more important than ever.  If the stores want what they think is popular, a well received show might convince them to accept a new product.  Maybe release the show tie-in months before the Toy Fair where the related toys are shown.

[Sea_Breeze]

I hope they're hideous so I'm not tempted to start collecting them too