Musings on G1

[Wardah]

Do you think MLP would have been as successful without the gimmicks? If there hadn't been any TAF, SS, TE, Sparkle, Glow and Shows or anything else besides just a plain normal mold vinyl horse with regular straight hair and a design on it's butt?

Conversely do you think they would have been successful if they had all the normal gimmicks but applied them to the same six ponies?

Also which would you personally have preferred? A large range of different normal ponies or the same six ponies with lots of different unique gimmicks?

[Leave a Whisper]

No. The collect em all mentality MLP had for 3 decades makes it so popular. Not every gimmick was loved, and some aged terribly, but even the most unbeloved gimmicks are beloved by somebody. Its not Barbie or TMNT and it should never try to be.

Mane Six shelf sits where I am. Kids don't even seem to spare a glance, they might be feeling same toy fatigue

[Carrehz]

I don't really get the question tbh... the gimmicks didn't really come in until ~1985 and MLP had been running for a good four years at that point, so they were obviously already popular.

I don't really care for gimmicks; I just want different characters. No more main six, please!

[Ponybookworm]

Multiple characters always wins over same few, different attitude imo
We love variety. Just look at all the custom threads for proof of that xxx
Some gimmicks are take it or leave it, others rock socks due to sheer simplicity (Baby Sea Pony+ float= bath toy for example of simplicity)
But variety to me is the spice of Ponies & always has been

[Mana Minori]

Most likely not. The gimmicks make the lines interesting and unique. Why settle for a repaint, when you can have a  pretty pony with new a new pose and hair tinsel and batting eyes! Basically, like Pokémon, the gimmicks create a “catch em all!” Mentality

[dragonfly]

I think there's a distinction to be drawn between gimmicks and differentiation of design or character development.

I see the gimmicks as being in the more interactive releases of the series - Twisty Tails, BNG, eyelash sisters, light-up Princess Sparkle....I don't think that differentiation in species or design patterns counts as a gimmick. There was kind of  slow slide....the glitter ponies, for example, flutter ponies are kind of borderline. I don't, for example, consider seaponies or TAF ponies to be gimmicks - just different iterations of the core MLP line. When you begin expanding the features and functions of the toy itself, then you get into gimmick territory. For example, I'd say that flutters are more gimmick-y than the wingers, even though the flutters came first. Sweet Pockets I'd consider to have a gimmick, but not so much the standard Princess ponies.

Children crave novelty! I don't think MLP would have had the same longevity without the variety. Kids are world-builders and I think the variety allows them to be more creative and imaginative in their play. It also allowed them to find ponies that paired with their preferences for color, pony personality, hobbies, etc etc. There really was something for everyone! I think that had Hasbro limited themselves to a more basic approach in design or execution, kids would have become bored and moved on to the next new thing - the genius in marketability of the MLP line was partially due to extending the line to reflect the current culture and trends, and pace alongside development of more traditional toy releases like Barbie, and add in similar features like playsets, outfits and accessories. It provided them with an avenue to provide many different options and avenues for kids to play with, while remaining loyal to the MLP line and not necessarily jumping ship in brand preference to Mattel or other competitors.

Additionally in the 1980s and early 90s, MLP  had a platform that Baribie and most other "girl" toys did not (but Transformers and TMNJ did) which was a TV show that they leveraged in a unique way by paring the latter half of MLP & Friends or My Little Pony Tales with cartoon series of other Hasbro toy lines like Mr. Potato Head, Glow Worms, and Moondreamers.

[Wardah]

I don't really get the question tbh... the gimmicks didn't really come in until ~1985 and MLP had been running for a good four years at that point, so they were obviously already popular.

I mean from a marketing point of view even the Rainbow Ponies were considered a gimmick at the time.

Multiple characters always wins over same few, different attitude imo
We love variety. Just look at all the custom threads for proof of that xxx
Some gimmicks are take it or leave it, others rock socks due to sheer simplicity (Baby Sea Pony+ float= bath toy for example of simplicity)
But variety to me is the spice of Ponies & always has been

The customs threads are part of what got me thinking. There are a lot of customs that apply different gimmicks to gimmickless ponies.

I think there's a distinction to be drawn between gimmicks and differentiation of design or character development.

Yeah I didn't really draw that kind of distinction. To me anything that deviated from simple ponies is at the very least a marketing gimmick.

Tbh most of this was prompted by the fact that G3, which had very few gimmicks but a large variety of ponies, only lasted 7 years in the US but G4, which had more gimmicks but a smaller variety of ponies, went on for 10 years in the US. G1 also lasted 10 years in the US. Maybe from a sales point of view, gimmicky variants are just "different enough"?

[SunPony]

I think the G1 line definitely benefited from both the range of gimmicks AND the number of different characters.  It might have still survived as long, but maybe wouldn't have been AS popular.  I remember as a kid being very interested in the variety of types of ponies, and that was reflected in my childhood herd.  It might be worth noting that I didn't really play with them as their own characters very much?  Like I didn't think of them as having their own personalities so much as being extensions of myself.  So having a huge variety of characters wouldn't have interested me as much, but I think for more "collector" type kids, it would have. I also think the different gimmicks helped appeal to a broader age range of kids.

Also, maybe unrelated, but I think the playsets and gift packs helped maintain interest a lot as well.

It seems like G3 went with more characters and less gimmicks, as has been mentioned, while G4 went vice versa.  Would be interesting to ask some actual kids if they think there are enough characters represented as toys for G4! 

[lovesbabysquirmy]

the gimmicks AND the "collect 'em all" idea kept the money rolling in for a number of years.  Then I think it depended more on the gimmick, but the ideas were leeching out into other toylines.  unfortunately it cost a lot more to have the variety. 
that is probably why MLP went on the back burner until they were ready to do the Mane 6 thing and gave us the G3 design concept.

[Nemesis]

I definitely think variety and the collector mentality were a big part of MLP’s original appeal. That’s why the Core Seven/Mane Six marketing has always baffled me. Obviously you want to keep popular characters available to newcomers... But on the other hand, if there’s always something new and exciting, the existing audience will STAY hooked and scramble to keep up with new releases. I’d be genuinely interested in hearing Hasbro’s marketing department explain the pros and cons of the different approaches they’ve taken over the years.

In short, I don’t think MLP would have really taken off if they hadn’t continued to expand and innovate the way they did. Today, MLP is an established brand with a lot of history and nostalgia in its corner... but when it was just getting started, the massive cast of characters and variety of styles and gimmicks helped set it apart from the competition.

[LadyAmalthea]

Just my own musings and experience...as a kid I wasn't easily baited by gimmicks. I liked to assign my ponies their own personality and story, and sometimes the gimmick would be too distracting for me to make the pony who I wanted it to be or the way I wanted to play with it, if that makes any sense. The only time I ever remember being excited about a new gimmick coming out was when I found out there were going to be first tooth ponies (I was always interested in teeth at an early age...no surprise that I ended up in the orthodontic field as an adult!), and telling my best friend I wanted one for my birthday. Then when she got me one, I thought they were ugly and kind of hillbilly looking, the way the tooth stuck out like a buck-tooth. So that was disappointing.

I liked playsets, if those were considered gimmicky, (which they probably are) because it helped me build a world for the ponies to live in, but I wanted to use my imagination for who the ponies were. I just wanted new characters, and those characters having jewels for eyes, flocking, or eyes that open and close wasn't going to help me do that.

As for the question of whether I would have sought out copies of the same pony with different gimmicks...the answer is no, I don't think so. I remember when SS ponies came out, and some ponies that were previously released were then re-released as So Softs. My sister and I went through the checklist, basically crossing off ones we already owned; Posey, Lickety Split, Gusty, Surprise...we figured we didn't need them, since we already had a version, why did we need 2? I don't think I would have thrived very long as a child in the G4 world...I would have liked the show, most likely, but wouldn't have sought out the toys once I had one of every character I could easily get my hands on (meaning I'd probably only own 6 ponies and then give up and move on to something that had something fresh to offer).

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

I definitely think variety and the collector mentality were a big part of MLP’s original appeal. That’s why the Core Seven/Mane Six marketing has always baffled me. Obviously you want to keep popular characters available to newcomers... But on the other hand, if there’s always something new and exciting, the existing audience will STAY hooked and scramble to keep up with new releases. I’d be genuinely interested in hearing Hasbro’s marketing department explain the pros and cons of the different approaches they’ve taken over the years.

The Core 7/Mane Six thing makes sense on the show end, since it's easier to develop a smaller cast. But it's a problem when that turns into a an overabundance of minimally-different toys of the same characters on the toyline end.

In short, I don’t think MLP would have really taken off if they hadn’t continued to expand and innovate the way they did. Today, MLP is an established brand with a lot of history and nostalgia in its corner... but when it was just getting started, the massive cast of characters and variety of styles and gimmicks helped set it apart from the competition.

Agreed.

[MyLittleMillennial]

I think G1 and G4 are simply toy-first versus story-first. To me both are equally gimmicky and I think that’s just the way of toys past the first year.

G1 first expanded on what Hasbro was learning from relaunching GI Joe to make MLP into a collectible toy powerhouse. The cartoons were an afterthought created to sell more toys. Many kids I knew who had tons of ponies never watched the cartoons. I never had any ponies from the shows except Firefly and I think that would have really bothered me if most of my MLP experience had been through animation, books, comics, etc. But since G1 was toy-first I just made up my own stories.

Conversely G4 puts story first. The animation was developed and then toys were created to support it. Basically the opposite approach from G1 and obviously both have their place. I wonder if that sense of extreme approach is part of the reason why both lines enjoyed such longevity. Maybe having a great story and a great toy line together is not so sustainable? I’m having trouble thinking of something that has.

[Leave a Whisper]

Alternately, something that is long live can also be dragged out. That's definitely the case in G4.

[LadyAmalthea]

Many kids I knew who had tons of ponies never watched the cartoons. I never had any ponies from the shows except Firefly and I think that would have really bothered me if most of my MLP experience had been through animation, books, comics, etc. But since G1 was toy-first I just made up my own stories.

Same here. I had many of my ponies and their stories established before I ever watched the show/movie, and it was actually kind of disconcerting to see them act different than the way I pictured them.