Early meaning of "cutie mark"?

[Broken Irishwoman]

Ah, so many helpful replies! Thanks people! This clears up a lot. I'm still glad I'm not the only one who remembers the hoof hearts being called cutie marks though.

[Leave a Whisper]

Cutie Mark has meant symbol from G3 onward. Heart hooves are the name for the little hearts.

[Aurora]

I remember when g3 first came out. One of the backcards mentioned something about two ponies comparing cutie marks, and I was ranting about it. "Mine is a heart! What's yours! Oh, it's a heart, too!" So something must have led me to think the hoof hearts were the cutie marks!

[Taffeta]

This makes me think of the interesting way Hasbro dodged this issue in G1 from time to time...the surprise newborns had 'surprise friends' which suggests a vagueness by 1994 about what they were called. I am fairly sure in the eighties though Hasbro did trademark 'rump mark' but I may be wrong...I just feel like I saw it somewhere with the tm. Either way if it had lapsed by 1994... maybe it led to them feeling the pressure to trademark this term. But it also makes sense it was cutesy as g3 had a younger target age demographic based on the shows etc. I remember that being talked about a lot. It makes sense to use a term a five year old might find cute (might...). I guess because it alrwady existed it then made sense to keep using it in the new g4 context and Faust used her childhood memory of Ember to make it mean something.

Weird question - what does g2 call symbols?

[Carrehz]

Weird question - what does g2 call symbols?

I don't think it was ever directly referenced on backcards or anything, but IIRC there was a shirt or something like that that referred to them and I think they called it "Official Rump Design" or something like that? I know I saw it somewhere but I can't remember where, now :/

[Aurora]

Ooh, I own one of those shirts! I will hunt it down.

[LadyMoondancer]

G2 called them "rump designs".

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[Leave a Whisper]

G2 called them "rump designs".

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*Snurf*

[Carrehz]

Oooh, I never noticed they did put it on the packaging after all! Hehe.

Ooh, I own one of those shirts! I will hunt it down.

I'm excited to see it!

[LadyMoondancer]

Ohhh, was the G2 shirt one produced during G2, but with G1 characters?  I think I have it.  It's sooo pretty!  It has Parasol and Baby Lickety-Split on it, and I believe there was a 2nd one with Rosedust and Galaxy on it.

[Carrehz]

Ohhh, was the G2 shirt one produced during G2, but with G1 characters?  I think I have it.  It's sooo pretty!  It has Parasol and Baby Lickety-Split on it, and I believe there was a 2nd one with Rosedust and Galaxy on it.

mmmmaybe? I'm not sure. I don't think I've ever seen the Rosedust/Galaxy one though, that sounds really cute! :O

[Wardah]

I've always thought calling them symbols or even cutie marks was redundant. I would just say like "pink pony with blue and yellow balloons on it" or "white pony with strawberries all over". "Pink pony with a blue and yellow balloon cutie mark on it" or "white pony with strawberry symbols all over it" just seems unnecessary.

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

I've always thought calling them symbols or even cutie marks was redundant. I would just say like "pink pony with blue and yellow balloons on it" or "white pony with strawberries all over". "Pink pony with a blue and yellow balloon cutie mark on it" or "white pony with strawberry symbols all over it" just seems unnecessary.

Symbol and/or cutie mark would mean you don't have to say "on it" or "all over it", though. Just gotta say "pink pony with a blue and yellow symbol/cutie mark", or even "pink pony with a balloon symbol/cutie mark". IMO it takes less effort to type "pink pony with a balloon cutie mark" or "white pony with strawberry symbols". Plus symbol/cutie mark is used in a lot more situations, such as just discussing the concept as a whole, or saying "what is your favorite symbol". Wouldn't really be able to have proper discussions about them without them having a term to refer to them, right?

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

^This.

[LadyMoondancer]

As a collectors terms like "symbol" or "cutie mark" are useful for buying selling toys.  "Hair: Good.  Eyes: Slight rubs.  Body: No marks.  Symbol: Rub on right side."  So you can describe ponies in a systematic way. It just seems easier to have a word for it IMO.  Like, I don't see any advantages in not having a word for it.