G3 "Retro" ponies on Target website

[Leave a Whisper]

Bandit-I believe Taf is saying that the trend of catering the brand to them in the form of a quadrillion different core characters, instead of keeping it fresh and creative, as they've always done for kids has become an issue.

Because MLP is a toy brand for kids first and foremost. We know that G1, G2 and G3 have had repeat characters, but never, even at the height of the Bore Core, had it reached such an obnoxious fever pitch obsession and kids do like different things. Even from one generation to the next. Other things are contributing to this of course. I suspect the biggest issue is Hasbro's laziness and greed.

The fact that they don't pull this kinda crap with their major boy brand Transformers, is both baffling and aggravating. It has a healthier mix of generations, old characters and new characters, then MLP does now. Although the G1 and G3 repros help a little. They cater to their older and newer fanbase in a far saner way and the quality isn't completely atrocious either.

[banditpony]

Bandit-I believe Taf is saying that the trend of catering the brand to them in the form of a quadrillion different core characters, instead of keeping it fresh and creative, as they've always done for kids has become an issue.

And I didn't disagree with that. But she said "lost track of the core aim of the toy".

IMO there's a difference on what they did with the brand, and what they did with the core toyline and why m6 are shelf warmers and why we didn't get a variety like in the past.

Licensing merchandise was the money maker (AND YES! This did include bronies in their strategy). toys were there just to make sure some kid who like FiM later on could get their fave character. That doesn't have to MAKE money if licensing merch is making money for the brand.

G4 was wildly different then the past lines because of the early success of FiM.

[Carrehz]

Yes, but if their parents have already bought them G4 Mane 6 toys for the last 9 years, why would they rebuy them as G5?

maybe Hasbro are counting on the "fleeting demographic" thing? Who knows how many kids have been into G4 for that long and are still interested in it. Not all kids hold an interest in the same show for its entire duration, you know?

this! I mean it's pretty obvious IMO-- they were there because of kids getting in later. I don't believe that the brand was carried by the toyline this round like perhaps in the past generations.

yes, thank you! Finally someone gets it! I've never said kids want the same toys over and over and I'm not sure why that notion keeps getting attributed to me o.O THIS is exactly what I was trying to say.

[Harmonie]

The effort put into Friendship is Magic from the very beginning makes me wonder if Hasbro was actually aiming to make MLP a more successful media franchise beyond toys. The Brony fandom may have been unexpected, but I think they were aiming for FiM to be a success on its own.

I'll admit I'm not super knowledgeable on all of that and may be completely wrong.

[Leave a Whisper]

Bandit-I believe Taf is saying that the trend of catering the brand to them in the form of a quadrillion different core characters, instead of keeping it fresh and creative, as they've always done for kids has become an issue.

And I didn't disagree with that. But she said "lost track of the core aim of the toy".

IMO there's a difference on what they did with the brand, and what they did with the core toyline and why m6 are shelf warmers and why we didn't get a variety like in the past.

Licensing merchandise was the money maker (AND YES! This did include bronies in their strategy). toys were there just to make sure some kid who like FiM later on could get their fave character. That doesn't have to MAKE money if licensing merch is making money for the brand.

G4 was wildly different then the past lines because of the early success of FiM.

The core is the toyline. They have lost its identity catering to a fringe adult fad-crowd by overproducing 6 characters and more tellingly out of lazy greed. That is what some people are trying to say.

Kids don't want 50 of the same character. Hasbro has forgotten this.

[banditpony]

Bandit-I believe Taf is saying that the trend of catering the brand to them in the form of a quadrillion different core characters, instead of keeping it fresh and creative, as they've always done for kids has become an issue.

And I didn't disagree with that. But she said "lost track of the core aim of the toy".

IMO there's a difference on what they did with the brand, and what they did with the core toyline and why m6 are shelf warmers and why we didn't get a variety like in the past.

Licensing merchandise was the money maker (AND YES! This did include bronies in their strategy). toys were there just to make sure some kid who like FiM later on could get their fave character. That doesn't have to MAKE money if licensing merch is making money for the brand.

G4 was wildly different then the past lines because of the early success of FiM.

The core is the toyline. They have lost its identity catering to a fringe adult fad-crowd by overproducing 6 characters and more tellingly out of lazy greed. That is what some people are trying to say.

Kids don't want 50 of the same character. Hasbro has forgotten this.

No one is disagreeing with the fact that people don't want 50 of the same characters. (And a few handful of people do like armies, but that's not why this is happening).

Hasbro knows this. We know this. EVERYONE agrees with this.

Putting personal opinion aside, they are only there so kids who get into the show can get the characters they like.

However, the brand is more than the main toyline.

[Leave a Whisper]

Bandit-I believe Taf is saying that the trend of catering the brand to them in the form of a quadrillion different core characters, instead of keeping it fresh and creative, as they've always done for kids has become an issue.

And I didn't disagree with that. But she said "lost track of the core aim of the toy".

IMO there's a difference on what they did with the brand, and what they did with the core toyline and why m6 are shelf warmers and why we didn't get a variety like in the past.

Licensing merchandise was the money maker (AND YES! This did include bronies in their strategy). toys were there just to make sure some kid who like FiM later on could get their fave character. That doesn't have to MAKE money if licensing merch is making money for the brand.

G4 was wildly different then the past lines because of the early success of FiM.

The core is the toyline. They have lost its identity catering to a fringe adult fad-crowd by overproducing 6 characters and more tellingly out of lazy greed. That is what some people are trying to say.

Kids don't want 50 of the same character. Hasbro has forgotten this.

No one is disagreeing with the fact that people don't want 50 of the same characters. (And a few handful of people do like armies, but that's not why this is happening).

Hasbro knows this. We know this. EVERYONE agrees with this.

Putting personal opinion aside, they are only there so kids who get into the show can get the characters they like.

However, the brand is more than the main toyline.

We know this. But Hasbro has forgotten and the constantly being on shelves excuse does not fly and never has. Especially not to this extent. Especially since Hasbro only started practicing obsessive insanity on only one of their big moneymakers and not the other. The toyline is the core. Its the Main Course. The cartoon, comic and merchandise are the appetizers, drinks and side dishes.

[banditpony]

Hasbro didn't forget something. The formula ended up being different this time, and relied on something that wasn't the main toyline. They made money -- which is their objective every time.

[Leave a Whisper]

Hasbro didn't forget something. The formula ended up being different this time, and relied on something that wasn't the main toyline. They made money -- which is their objective every time.

They've forgotten it and their obsession with a fad group's tastes may possibly end up screwing the brand over in the longterm. If it does, then Hasbro will start losing some money.  They'll be fine I mean, since they've got other stuff that makes money, but still.


Anywho, back OT, I'd like to see more G3s then just these 4. I never liked Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy and I already have an Applejack.

[Taffeta]

I am honestly not going to touch this discussion any more because a: everyone is basically saying the same thing and b: I am pretty sure that what I said has been wilfully or accidentally misunderstood, but I don't have the energy to untangle the mess and point out where.
 Honestly at this point it is easier to just say we are all making the same points with slightly different words...

And move on.

[KarentheUnicorn]

Putting personal opinion aside, they are only there so kids who get into the show can get the characters they like.

However, the brand is more than the main toyline.

Wellll, technically, the toyline came out before the TV show, so back in the origins of MLP, the 80's, we didn't have a tv show at first to corrupt our imagination into thinking we had to have 20 of the exact same pony. Hell, even when the TV show came out it was sorta a background thing compared to the toyline (at least for me but that's the read I get from most long time collectors) - else Hasbro would have saved money and just made the exact same pony over and over back then.

I think from a company standpoint it's cheaper to produce the same pony over and over and just fab up this idea of the mane 6 characters. It's easier to market than trying to market a whole new group of ponies every year or multiple different sets.

So for the company it's not really about collecting anymore, it's about shoving out the cheapest product they can for the largest amount of money. Even back in the 80's, they were calling MLP a collectable. I've got mail order pamphlets from the 80's that were calling the first 6 ponies collector ponies even back then. So I think in a certain way Hasbro looked at MLP differently than they do now - or at the very least the way they sell them is totally different. It just feels like it's more about shoving out cheap junk than a really great line of unique toys.

[banditpony]

Putting personal opinion aside, they are only there so kids who get into the show can get the characters they like.

However, the brand is more than the main toyline.

Wellll, technically, the toyline came out before the TV show, so back in the origins of MLP, the 80's, we didn't have a tv show at first to corrupt our imagination into thinking we had to have 20 of the exact same pony. Hell, even when the TV show came out it was sorta a background thing compared to the toyline (at least for me but that's the read I get from most long time collectors) - else Hasbro would have saved money and just made the exact same pony over and over back then.

I think from a company standpoint it's cheaper to produce the same pony over and over and just fab up this idea of the mane 6 characters. It's easier to market than trying to market a whole new group of ponies every year or multiple different sets.

So for the company it's not really about collecting anymore, it's about shoving out the cheapest product they can for the largest amount of money. Even back in the 80's, they were calling MLP a collectable. I've got mail order pamphlets from the 80's that were calling the first 6 ponies collector ponies even back then. So I think in a certain way Hasbro looked at MLP differently than they do now - or at the very least the way they sell them is totally different. It just feels like it's more about shoving out cheap junk than a really great line of unique toys.

I guess I was just referring to only right now why the mane 6 is on the shelves. And the drop off of why there WERE other ponies in the start, but now not.

They addressed "collecting" with all the side blind bag things. (Which is on par to compete with other similar blind bag toys).

but the goal of any company, now or then, is always to make money. The strategies can't always remain the same each time.

[HollowZero]

For g4 it wasn't as profitable to market to kids with several different ponies, it's just a different time. Hasbro tried the Barbie way - Barbie with a different dress and accessories, and it worked to a point.

They also marketed the larger or more detailed items to bronies. That took them a bit of finagling but they eventually got it sort of right.

Basic Fun picked up the slack and made retro G1s. The slack being late 20s and above females.

[Noasar]

They're cool but...too soon, too soon!

[Leave a Whisper]

TheBeatlesPkmnFan42, thank you!!!!!!

Haha, "retro" - classic, sure, but retro? C'mon, they're not that old yet! ..r-right?

To be fair, with "retro" I just put that word into the thread title to compare them to Basic Fun's G1 ponies since they're both recreations of past gen ponies. These Target listings don't say retro anywhere. That's why I put it in quotes.

Well that would be repro.