Wingless Firefly? World's Smallest Pony and small blurb about Toys That Made Us.

[Cheshire_Raptor]

Didn't know about these and went and searched them and saw this. WHAT happened to Firefly's wings??! Are they actually missing on the toy itself?
Additionally, who did the photoshop work on these cause it is triggering me so bad!

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And can I just talk about 'The Toys That Made Us', or is that taboo as all the threads about it are locked?
My top take-away is RUMP DESIGNS!!! I've always called them cutie marks, and those here who argue that is not at all what those are called can kiss it as it was called cutie marks in the show!
 
I was happy to find out why there were washers in the G1 ponies. They sort of pushed that joke to the limit however.
Feed the Beast was FREAKING ANNOYING.
Crack Pipe Pony!!
I was annoyed also at that they touched on how G2 don't look like ponies but completely ignored the fact that the current ponies ARE NOT PONIES EITHER. Yes, unpopular opinion I have is that if it doesn't looking like a pony in shape, it is not a pony. Bubble heads, huge eyes and making them into humans, no thanks. And yes, I would have bought ponies that were marked like real life ponies. I was sort of drooling over that pure black one and brown and white one Bonnie was holding in the beginning.
I think it says something that these dolls lasted for YEARS without an actual story. Lauren, in my opinion didn't make things better. I haven't watched the FiM shows all because the ponies have bloated heads and has only ONE of the original. Yeah, it's nice that Rainbow Dash was based on badass Firefly, Pinkie Pie based on perky Surprise, Rarity based on fashionista Sparkler, Fluttershy based on gentle Posey, Twilight Sparkle based on Twilight and of course AppleJack is the only one to remain, but got cowboyed up. Could have easily used all the originals and STILL had these other ponies.
Sort of surprised they didn't touch more on Meghan to be honest.
I LOVED seeing the collections at the end and know a few of you guys made it in there so congrats!!
Ponies Forever

[Ragamuffin]

To answer your question about Firefly, yes, the toy is actually just like that. I guess they wanted to squeeze in Firefly because she's one of the more mainstream G1 characters, but that means they chose her over Snuzzle. Applejack is very recognizable too, AND she's an earth pony. But I guess she's not as "cool"...

I haven't taken any pictures of her except for a photoshoot I did a few months ago...
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[Taffeta]

Detail geek with obligatory correction note.

In Generation 1 Hasbro actually marketed the symbols as 'Rump Designs'. It mostly appears on UK promotion material (I grew up calling them rump marks because of that) but its inclusion in the documentary demonstrates it came from the US mothership originally.

For example:

Spoiler

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Nobody in the community denies the term cutie mark exists, just that it doesn't apply pre G3, which is a: fact, and b: supported by the documentary describing its introduction.

Collectors mostly just agreed that symbol was the most generic and easiest way to refer to those things prior to G3 happening, but the correct term for them in G1 is rump mark/rump design.

[Wardah]

Detail geek with obligatory correction note.

In Generation 1 Hasbro actually marketed the symbols as 'Rump Designs'. It mostly appears on UK promotion material (I grew up calling them rump marks because of that) but its inclusion in the documentary demonstrates it came from the US mothership originally.

For example:

Spoiler

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Nobody in the community denies the term cutie mark exists, just that it doesn't apply pre G3, which is a: fact, and b: supported by the documentary describing its introduction.

Collectors mostly just agreed that symbol was the most generic and easiest way to refer to those things prior to G3 happening, but the correct term for them in G1 is rump mark/rump design.

I've always preferred design to symbol tbh. Symbol to me gives it a weight I feel it wasn't meant to have. Like to me symbols are supposed to have a meaning behind them and until G4 they didn't really. But designs are a much better description IMHO.

[Artemesia's Garden]

To answer your question about Firefly, yes, the toy is actually just like that. I guess they wanted to squeeze in Firefly because she's one of the more mainstream G1 characters, but that means they chose her over Snuzzle. Applejack is very recognizable too, AND she's an earth pony. But I guess she's not as "cool"...

I haven't taken any pictures of her except for a photoshoot I did a few months ago...
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Aah love that.

OP, I feel your pain.

Anyway, just to chime in we used to call them symbols and thought they had some meaning.

[Ponyfan]

I think it's actually Blossom that was left out in World's Smallest instead of Sunzzle to make room for wingless Firefly.  This is the World's Smallest set I have. I wanted to get the other 2 sets also but haven't yet.

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I like calling them symbols over rump designs.

Ponyfan

[Carrehz]

The thread for Toys That Made Us isn't locked, though?

I think "rump design" wasn't as well-known a term when "symbol" was coined, and IIRC "cutie mark" didn't really catch on until G4 because initially no one was sure if it referred to the rump symbol or the hoof heart? And by the time that was straightened out, everyone was more used to "symbol". Or something.

Personally I just think "cutie mark" sounds ridiculously stupid (always have done, in fact - Animaniacs used the term far before MLP did, and I disliked it there, too ) so that's why I prefer "symbol".

Ragamuffin, that photo is SO CUTE omg!!!! I didn't realize they were Sylvanian sized!! aaaaaaAAAAA!!!!

[Taffeta]

My rusty brain thinks there were various minor squabbles over terminology back in the dark ages pre the horrific invention of CM.

I think in terms of designs, patterns, symbols...motifs...all of those are probably valid descriptions. I don't think any of them would cause any annoyance if you used them in a description.

As a kid, like I said, I called them rump marks because Hasbro did and I was indoctrinated to it young - but I ended up liking symbol better and using it more generally. It's just if we're talking official terminology, rump design/rump marking was the official G1 terminology. Cutie Mark happened much much later.

It also doesn't help that it's an unfunny joke and a stupid word. I kind of felt that it was patronising to the kids playing with the ponies, honestly...like girls can't cope with words like design, marking or symbol so have to have something cutesy instead...I felt that way about it in G3, though. G4 just made it more mainstream.

Objectively though CM is fine for G3 and after, because that's what it was invented for.

I think there was a bunch of confusion over CM and G3. Tbh I am still not totally sure given the beauty mark thing and the hoof hearts at the start of G3 and whether the meaning changed over the course of the product and solidified with G4 or whether it was always meant to be the symbol.

On the subject of the smallest ponies, I did think I saw them on amazon here for a while. The images don't really sell them, though. Wingless firefly is the weirdest thing.

Love the Sylvanians playing ponies, too, though.

[Carrehz]

It wouldn't at all surprise me if CM started off as a moniker for the hoof hearts and then Hasbro decided to reappropriate it. It seems like the sort of thing they'd do.

I just remembered, I think some official G2 stuff used the phrase "official rump design" or somesuch, too.

[Zapper]

They were too cheap to make smallest pegasi. Bunch of speciesists!
But yeah, that bothers me quite a bit. It's just not Firefly if she isn't a pegasus.

[Cheshire_Raptor]

I never had a name for them when I was growing up. Didn't put any thought into it so I had no idea what they were called.
I've gotten some flack for calling the butt designs cutie marks in the past so I was really laughing when the show said they were now dubbed cutie marks.
I guess with the lack of "rules" for MLP we could call them just about anything we wanted since no one really weighed in too heavily with it beyond the examples you've shown Taffeta. Thanks for the history lesson! 

Detail geek with obligatory correction note.

In Generation 1 Hasbro actually marketed the symbols as 'Rump Designs'. It mostly appears on UK promotion material (I grew up calling them rump marks because of that) but its inclusion in the documentary demonstrates it came from the US mothership originally.

For example:

Spoiler

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Nobody in the community denies the term cutie mark exists, just that it doesn't apply pre G3, which is a: fact, and b: supported by the documentary describing its introduction.

Collectors mostly just agreed that symbol was the most generic and easiest way to refer to those things prior to G3 happening, but the correct term for them in G1 is rump mark/rump design.

Post Merge: November 26, 2019, 10:36:42 AM

Well would you look at that! When I did a search I couldn't find that one. I kept getting this one "The Toys That Made Us”. Even more Interviews among various other offerings that had nothing to do with the show. Thanks for sharing that one.
Oh, good point. My interests stop at G3, who also have hoof hearts - as if you all didn't know already - and never thought about them like beauty marks or anything. The rump designs are a bit too purposeful to be anything like a beauty mark, and one could I suppose argue so are the hoof hearts, but with the hoof hearts they all had the same design- a heart - so it was closer to a beauty mark than the different designs on the butt would be. And now I'm rambling. Sorry. 
Those crazy Animaniacs! 

The thread for Toys That Made Us isn't locked, though?

I think "rump design" wasn't as well-known a term when "symbol" was coined, and IIRC "cutie mark" didn't really catch on until G4 because initially no one was sure if it referred to the rump symbol or the hoof heart? And by the time that was straightened out, everyone was more used to "symbol". Or something.

Personally I just think "cutie mark" sounds ridiculously stupid (always have done, in fact - Animaniacs used the term far before MLP did, and I disliked it there, too ) so that's why I prefer "symbol".

Ragamuffin, that photo is SO CUTE omg!!!! I didn't realize they were Sylvanian sized!! aaaaaaAAAAA!!!!

[sd_dreamcrystal]

I'll keep using the term symbol for all Gens.
I didn't know the term "Rump Design" mostly due because as a kid I didn't have very many MLPs. As for the official term for Gen 4... Nope I dislike the term so won't use it. I don't mind using the initials for the terms for like the little group for Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Blossom or the blind bag toy line (because kind of forced to say that)... but outside of those cases, nope

[Taffeta]

Symbol is the general term in this community so I will use that too, to be clearly understood I guess - that was one reason I switched from the official term to that one years back.

As for using the term CM - I think you can use it as you like for your own collection, but it isn't commonly used among pre-G3 collectors and in this space very little at all. Honestly, I would assume someone using it for their ponies was either a brony or didn't know much about MLP yet, because of using brony terminology.

Especially on the Arena, since many G1 fans here have said in the past they dislike the term being used on a generation that existed before Hasbro created it.

I posted the official G1 hasbro term proof because I didn't want a misconception created that CM was the first and only official term for MLP symbols. Just 'symbol' causes a lot less offence and annoyance to older gen collectors than CM, and I imagine the same would be true for G4 collectors and rump designs...

It's all just words in the end, but I see calling G1 symbols as CMs in the same category as people who start canonising Majesty's comic persona and calling Tales G2. In other words, annoying.

[Cheshire_Raptor]

Wait, wait, wait, wait!!!!!!

When did cutie mark become brony terminology? We just watched a show where they said the official term for the unique paintings on their butt as cutie mark. They didn't specify what generation that term is used for, so one can assume it's for ALL generations. I know very little about bronies and use that term.

Personally I find it absolutely silly to get worked up over a term. Use, don't use it, what does it matter? Knowing the terminology in collecting does not make or break you as a collector. I'm not going to refuse to do business with anyone because of what they call the designs. As long as I know what you're talking about, all is brilliant.

I will find it very insulting if someone uses my terminology to determine what type of a collector I am and assume I don't know my stuff. My golden rule in life, is where ever and when ever possible; don't assume things.

Which is why I ask a lot of questions, make a lot of statements and get a lot of information. I may not know everything there is to know about my herd of ponies, but I can tell you for all certainty what you just dug up is a chicken bone, not an ancient thigh bone of some now extinct animal. 

As for using the term CM - I think you can use it as you like for your own collection, but it isn't commonly used among pre-G3 collectors and in this space very little at all. Honestly, I would assume someone using it for their ponies was either a brony or didn't know much about MLP yet, because of using brony terminology.

Especially on the Arena, since many G1 fans here have said in the past they dislike the term being used on a generation that existed before Hasbro created it.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

It's just a precedent that was set in the early community, I imagine. I do attribute it to Bronies because of the prevalence of the term in FiM and that there is the tendency to try to look at previous gens through the same lens as FiM in that the symbol/CM/RD must have some occupational/passion-linked significance (similarly to the G2/MLPT thing).
I did not read Taffeta's message as insulting towards you. I did not live through the influx of Bronies in the 2010's on the collecting community but I can imagine that the time period left a bit of an impression on many of the people who've been here for a while.
I hope I'm articulating myself correctly, ha.