Hair Quality Decline?

[Aitsuki]

Sometimes the tails really do have horrible hair, but I've found a product that helps at least get it manageable. It's called "Cos-Spray". It's a cosplay wig detangler! You spray it on the hair, comb through gently, and for the really frizzy tails? Curl it up tight with some tinfoil and blow dry for a bit. You don't need to wash it; you can leave the spray in. It's not harmful to plastic, since it's specifically made for nylon wigs, it actually smells quite nice, and it works magic at getting all the knots out and making the hair at least feel a bit better.

Thank you Aitsuki. That seems like a wonderful discovery you made.

Yeah. I'm trying to find it online, or the little shop or something, but I can't. I bought it at a convention, and I'm sure similar products will work; apparently, silicone sprays are great for wigs, so it should work for pony hair too.

[PoserBeachball]

Sometimes the tails really do have horrible hair, but I've found a product that helps at least get it manageable. It's called "Cos-Spray". It's a cosplay wig detangler! You spray it on the hair, comb through gently, and for the really frizzy tails? Curl it up tight with some tinfoil and blow dry for a bit. You don't need to wash it; you can leave the spray in. It's not harmful to plastic, since it's specifically made for nylon wigs, it actually smells quite nice, and it works magic at getting all the knots out and making the hair at least feel a bit better.

Thank you Aitsuki. That seems like a wonderful discovery you made.

Yeah. I'm trying to find it online, or the little shop or something, but I can't. I bought it at a convention, and I'm sure similar products will work; apparently, silicone sprays are great for wigs, so it should work for pony hair too.

That's interesting about silicone sprays. A lot of detangler sprays are silicone -based - you have to be quite careful with them with real hair (human or horse) as they tend to make real hair brittle.
Hmmmm - think I've got a small quantity of frizzed-up MLP donor hair, I'll have to experiment........

[Leave a Whisper]

I think the "reboot" ponies have an overall extremely sharp decline in quality - both in the body plastic, and in the hair.  The hair hasn't been great since G2s left the stores, but it's been adequate for the most part.  G3s have a problem with that disintegrating pink, and there are several ponies that have easily frizzing hair, but it was mostly ok.  G4s always had some problems, even more than G3s, but it was mostly adequate as well. 

I remember when the G4s first came out, someone posted a size comparison shot between all generations of MLP.  The person who made the photo was incensed that the new G4s were about the same size as the McDonald's ponies.  I have space issues, so tiny ponies are never a problem with me!  As long as they're decent quality, small is fine.  They may have been small, but they were still considerably better than the McDonald's ponies.  You could just look at them and see the difference, and it was even more pronounced when you held them.  Now, they seem to be getting closer and closer to fast food toy quality.   The type of plastic used for the bodies is getting closer, the molds have been redesigned to make them even cheaper to make, and the hair is getting closer to that very low standard as well. 

MLP is quickly becoming fast food toy quality at retail doll/action figure prices.

That's for sure.

[Wardah]

I think the "reboot" ponies have an overall extremely sharp decline in quality - both in the body plastic, and in the hair.  The hair hasn't been great since G2s left the stores, but it's been adequate for the most part.  G3s have a problem with that disintegrating pink, and there are several ponies that have easily frizzing hair, but it was mostly ok.  G4s always had some problems, even more than G3s, but it was mostly adequate as well. 

I remember when the G4s first came out, someone posted a size comparison shot between all generations of MLP.  The person who made the photo was incensed that the new G4s were about the same size as the McDonald's ponies.  I have space issues, so tiny ponies are never a problem with me!  As long as they're decent quality, small is fine.  They may have been small, but they were still considerably better than the McDonald's ponies.  You could just look at them and see the difference, and it was even more pronounced when you held them.  Now, they seem to be getting closer and closer to fast food toy quality.   The type of plastic used for the bodies is getting closer, the molds have been redesigned to make them even cheaper to make, and the hair is getting closer to that very low standard as well. 

MLP is quickly becoming fast food toy quality at retail doll/action figure prices.

Well what do you expect for a $5 pony? There is an old saying "you get what you pay for".

[Leave a Whisper]

I think the "reboot" ponies have an overall extremely sharp decline in quality - both in the body plastic, and in the hair.  The hair hasn't been great since G2s left the stores, but it's been adequate for the most part.  G3s have a problem with that disintegrating pink, and there are several ponies that have easily frizzing hair, but it was mostly ok.  G4s always had some problems, even more than G3s, but it was mostly adequate as well. 

I remember when the G4s first came out, someone posted a size comparison shot between all generations of MLP.  The person who made the photo was incensed that the new G4s were about the same size as the McDonald's ponies.  I have space issues, so tiny ponies are never a problem with me!  As long as they're decent quality, small is fine.  They may have been small, but they were still considerably better than the McDonald's ponies.  You could just look at them and see the difference, and it was even more pronounced when you held them.  Now, they seem to be getting closer and closer to fast food toy quality.   The type of plastic used for the bodies is getting closer, the molds have been redesigned to make them even cheaper to make, and the hair is getting closer to that very low standard as well. 

MLP is quickly becoming fast food toy quality at retail doll/action figure prices.

Well what do you expect for a $5 pony? There is an old saying "you get what you pay for".

Funny. We've had $5 ponies for 30 years and the quality is way better then this.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

I've noticed since the pearly pony release, and I even thought that it was due to the pearly material of the body that the hair quality dropped.

Funny. We've had $5 ponies for 30 years and the quality is way better then this.

You're right, although one could argue that the cost is the major factor, I've seen fakies and dollar store dolls with better hair...
I might just stick to thrift store G4.5's unless they release someone I ABSOLUTELY have to have. At least the Cutie Mark Crew will get my new pony fix.

[goddessofpeep]

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a straight up $5 pony.  Some of the most basic singles that don’t come with any accessories might be in that price range, and the discount chains can have ponies for that price(when they have ponies), but most “brushable” ponies are in the $7-$14 range over here because of the accessories.  The accessories they come with aren’t that great either, certainly not worth what they cost.   For that price, the ponies should be significantly better than what you can get at McDonald’s. They don’t even come with a meal!  :p 

What bothers me most about the newest incarnation is how they went away from the hollow, squishy vinyl plastic of the last 35 years to this solid, cheap plastic.  The skinny legs just get to me. They look so cheap!  They cheaped out on the hair too, so they really are a few steps away from fast food toys. 

[Taffeta]

A lot of the backcards I have from the US record a price tag of less than $5 for some of the G1s I know it was the 1980s, but just saying.

In the UK original retail for a basic pony was between £2.49 and £2.99. I got Windy when I did because she was pretty and she was cheap, a perfect combination for my Mum as she had a tight budget that year thanks to a mixture of things happening in the family in '84.

I think it is hit and miss with G4 pony hair quality. There are some ponies in G1 who also do have hair quality issues, mostly from the 1992 year where there are lots of hair experiments going on, particularly in Europe. G2 has decent hair, generally, but G3 have those few discount ones with breakable hair so...

Slow and gradual decrease in investment to try and maximise profit? We live in the most disposable time period ever - why make something to last when a kid will be bored with it next week? I have already found reboot G4 at the carboot sale and the kid selling them was about 7. I still had my G1 ponies out and played with them till I was ten or eleven...but it was a different world then.

[kissthethunder]

Slow and gradual decrease in investment to try and maximise profit? We live in the most disposable time period ever - why make something to last when a kid will be bored with it next week? I have already found reboot G4 at the carboot sale and the kid selling them was about 7. I still had my G1 ponies out and played with them till I was ten or eleven...but it was a different world then.

I can't tell you how much I agree with this statement. The supposed economic use of plastic has lasted a long time and now, where people used to be of the mind to fix things when they broke, now it's throw it away and buy a new one. From the over saturation of plastic in the oceans and landfills to how 'cheap' it is to create apparently, I see no real excuse for such a tank in quality aside from the mindset that Taffeta mentioned. Throw away culture.

I'm not a hoarder but I'm also not quick to throw things away. I hold onto things. My daughter doesn't play with her ponies often anymore but I still have them stored away should the nostalgia bug bite her. Some parents will replace things if they break. I will not, so I try to choose quality items for her so they last. Hasbro from the time G33 was out till now has drastically declined in quality so much that I hesitate to buy even ponies I want because I worry about them standing the test of time.

Hasbro is just another greedy corporate giant who's trying to milk a brands good name until people lose interest. Likely then they'll say 'oh, no one wants my little pony anymore, lets scrap it' when the truth is that we want mlp, but they just suck at making them now

I wish Bonnie was still around designing ponies.

[Leave a Whisper]

Slow and gradual decrease in investment to try and maximise profit? We live in the most disposable time period ever - why make something to last when a kid will be bored with it next week? I have already found reboot G4 at the carboot sale and the kid selling them was about 7. I still had my G1 ponies out and played with them till I was ten or eleven...but it was a different world then.

I can't tell you how much I agree with this statement. The supposed economic use of plastic has lasted a long time and now, where people used to be of the mind to fix things when they broke, now it's throw it away and buy a new one. From the over saturation of plastic in the oceans and landfills to how 'cheap' it is to create apparently, I see no real excuse for such a tank in quality aside from the mindset that Taffeta mentioned. Throw away culture.

I'm not a hoarder but I'm also not quick to throw things away. I hold onto things. My daughter doesn't play with her ponies often anymore but I still have them stored away should the nostalgia bug bite her. Some parents will replace things if they break. I will not, so I try to choose quality items for her so they last. Hasbro from the time G33 was out till now has drastically declined in quality so much that I hesitate to buy even ponies I want because I worry about them standing the test of time.

Hasbro is just another greedy corporate giant who's trying to milk a brands good name until people lose interest. Likely then they'll say 'oh, no one wants my little pony anymore, lets scrap it' when the truth is that we want mlp, but they just suck at making them now

I wish Bonnie was still around designing ponies.

 

[Baby Sugarberry]

Hasbro is just another greedy corporate giant who's trying to milk a brands good name until people lose interest. Likely then they'll say 'oh, no one wants my little pony anymore, lets scrap it' when the truth is that we want mlp, but they just suck at making them now

I wish Bonnie was still around designing ponies.

That's not quite why things are the way they are right now.  Hasbro likes money, unsurprisingly.  It's in the business of being profitable for its shareholders.  That means offering what the market wants, at the price the market will pay, in such a way that it gets a profit.  As was pointed out earlier, we're still buying ~5$ ponies some 30 years later, when the value of a dollar is a whole heck of a lot less than back in 1982. 

That should ring some alarm bells. 

A 5$ toy in the early eighties was low birthday gift price range, and would cost ~13$ today.  With a little more than 1/3 of the price, it's no surprise you get only 1/3 the quality, and it's what consumers want.  There are outliers, like collectors and quality-minded parents, but the bulk of the market (which is what Hasbro cares about) has voted with their wallet and 5$ cheap quality ponies is what they want to buy.   Consumers are extremely price sensitive - that's why you see other companies, particularly food brands, shrinking their sizes rather than increasing the cost. 

[kissthethunder]

Hasbro is just another greedy corporate giant who's trying to milk a brands good name until people lose interest. Likely then they'll say 'oh, no one wants my little pony anymore, lets scrap it' when the truth is that we want mlp, but they just suck at making them now

I wish Bonnie was still around designing ponies.

That's not quite why things are the way they are right now.  Hasbro likes money, unsurprisingly.  It's in the business of being profitable for its shareholders.  That means offering what the market wants, at the price the market will pay, in such a way that it gets a profit.  As was pointed out earlier, we're still buying ~5$ ponies some 30 years later, when the value of a dollar is a whole heck of a lot less than back in 1982. 

That should ring some alarm bells. 

A 5$ toy in the early eighties was low birthday gift price range, and would cost ~13$ today.  With a little more than 1/3 of the price, it's no surprise you get only 1/3 the quality, and it's what consumers want.  There are outliers, like collectors and quality-minded parents, but the bulk of the market (which is what Hasbro cares about) has voted with their wallet and 5$ cheap quality ponies is what they want to buy.   Consumers are extremely price sensitive - that's why you see other companies, particularly food brands, shrinking their sizes rather than increasing the cost. 

There's absolutely no arguing that. I often don't pipe up in conversations unless I feel I can bring new thoughts to the table. My post wasn't meant to say anything else wasn't at work, but rather something else that hadn't been thoroughly discussed as of yet.

[LadyMoondancer]

There are outliers, like collectors and quality-minded parents

I wouldn't say MLP collectors are outliers at all.   A lot of collectors want MLPs to be $5 forever, yet also be of as good of quality as in the 80s.  As a community we are notoriously cheap, probably because G1 MLPs were so popular and indestructible back in the day that most of them are easily found secondhand for a cheap price.  (More supply than demand.)  But just because someone is selling their childhood Cotton Candy secondhand for $5 doesn't mean that Hasbro can make a profit selling a pony of similar size and quality for $5 in the modern day.

Like you were saying, people have to pick their poison.  Cheap ponies made from cheaper materials, or better quality ponies that are more expensive.   I would love to see Hasbro raise the prices on ponies and make them of better material, especially the hair.  (As far as size goes, I don't mind either way.  You can fit more small ponies on shelf, so . . . )  I agree, though, that consumers are very price sensitive so it might not fly.  Still, with MLP FIM being as popular as it is, I think they could get away with it. 

I mean, they do offer ponies at a variety of price points, but often the more pricey ponies are physically bigger (like the singing Princess Skystar toy or the Fashion Styling ponies), which I don't like because then they are out of proportion to the other pony toys.

[Leave a Whisper]

There are outliers, like collectors and quality-minded parents

I wouldn't say MLP collectors are outliers at all.   A lot of collectors want MLPs to be $5 forever, yet also be of as good of quality as in the 80s.  As a community we are notoriously cheap, probably because G1 MLPs were so popular and indestructible back in the day that most of them are easily found secondhand for a cheap price.  (More supply than demand.)  But just because someone is selling their childhood Cotton Candy secondhand for $5 doesn't mean that Hasbro can make a profit selling a pony of similar size and quality for $5 in the modern day.

Like you were saying, people have to pick their poison.  Cheap ponies made from cheaper materials, or better quality ponies that are more expensive.   I would love to see Hasbro raise the prices on ponies and make them of better material, especially the hair.  (As far as size goes, I don't mind either way.  You can fit more small ponies on shelf, so . . . )  I agree, though, that consumers are very price sensitive so it might not fly.  Still, with MLP FIM being as popular as it is, I think they could get away with it. 

I mean, they do offer ponies at a variety of price points, but often the more pricey ponies are physically bigger (like the singing Princess Skystar toy or the Fashion Styling ponies), which I don't like because then they are out of proportion to the other pony toys.

Cheap? Cheap?! Are you callin us a bunch of baby birds?

[gabumon]

for me modern Hasbro is redeemed by the fact they sell ponies at multiple sizes and price points.  as far as i’m concerned Fashion Style size at $15 each are the  modern “Real MLP”.  the $5-$9 brushables are basically mini ponies, (not quite blind bag ponyville but close).  ive bought my fair share, but the bigger fashion style size is what i compare to vintage MLP.  as been said i think inflation and oil costs may have been what makes a modern $15 pony equal.