Would it sell? Pony concepts meet reality.

[Mana Minori]

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away....I recall little seasonal ponies being released. One pony’s name was Abra-ca-Dabra, and the other little pony’s name was Pumpkin Tart. They lived happily ever after and never were heard again after g3. And I wonder- would seasonal ponies still be accepted? Perhaps not re-releases, but NEW ponies. It is the time of year where pumpkin spice is put in EVERYTHING. And...why hasn’t Hasbro jumped on the bandwagon to make a Fall inspired pony and named her Pumpkin Spice? I’m sure she would sell like hotcakes. But that’s just my idle wonderings.

Are there any pony concepts you guys wonder why Hasbro hasn’t done yet?

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I miss the fun of collecting the G3 seasonal exclusives.

I wonder why we haven't done the color-changing thing very much in G4.  either with the hair or the bodies.

[Dreamer]

I miss the fun gimmicks even if they could be unnecessary sometimes. I mean, do ponies with glitter or GITD bits in clear plastic have any reason NOT to sell (other than it costs money to make)?

[Wardah]

I really don't know why they stopped doing them. I do think maybe the 2008 G3 Halloween ones didn't do as well because by then G3 was on the Bore 7 and they were only repeat characters with a costume accessory. Then in G4 we got a Valentine's Pinkie and an Easter Fluttershy that also didn't do great because they were just regular G4s with just a little leg deco. Those ones were Target Exclusives. I'm figuring Target got tired of losing money putting them on deep clearance and just said no more. We did get a bunch of Nightmare Night themed ponies in the Friendship is Magic collection and 3 waves of Nightmare Night themed blind bags but they were just released like normal. Then there's the Best Gift Ever sets which were pearly ponies in vaguely holiday themed packaging.

MGA has been releasing a bunch of holiday themed LOLs so I do think there's still demand for seasonal themed toys but unfortunately ponies aren't popular enough anymore.

[Dreamer]

You'd think that with the current unicorn craze brushable horsie toys (ok, more unicorns than anything else but still) would be more popular than ever

[Taffeta]

I have to admit that's the one set of G3 ponies I sold that I regret selling xD.

I think the seasonal pony idea was nice, but also frustrating. Geograophically speaking they were produced for Target and did not get a release everywhere, including here in the UK.

I am not a fan of lines that have extra US exclusives on top of what is sold elsewhere. G4 did quite well with this, compared to G3, because some of those exclusives got taken up by international stores (or were allowed to be). But there were still some (Haven Bay) and also some that ended up in Europe.

I am fine with exclusives in G1, aside certain omissions, because everywhere had something different and it's a bit of a pick and mix. But I would be absolutely fine with seasonal or holiday ponies IF they were global and not store exclusives. I am not a fan of store exclusives when they punish people for living in a country where a particular store does not exist.

That was always my only complaint with the G3 holiday ponies. Not the concept but the sales mechanism.

[SunPony]

Hmm, that's a good question...why they aren't doing season-themed or holiday-themed ponies anymore.  I guess "they don't think it would be profitable" is the main answer, but why wouldn't it be...  Maybe they are trying to stick with more universal concepts for pony designs?  Maybe it's tough to market and sell them in a narrow window of time?  Maybe their design department is short staffed  . I would love to see a spring, summer, fall, winter set.

[Emillia]

I wish they came back. I loved the winter-themed ponies, and the valentine ponies too. They came with adorable pony wear too.

[Carrehz]

I miss seasonal ponies SO MUCH, I have no idea why they stopped making them! Maybe the last few didn't sell that well (they were pretty boring...) and they decided it wasn't worth it?

[Ragamuffin]

Surprised Wardah is the only one that's mentioned the seasonal G4s... I had the Fluttershy.

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[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

We stopped getting them because Hasbro went all "haha mane 6 overproduction go brrr"

[LadyMoondancer]

I think seasonal ponies would definitely sell.

Almost all the G3 seasonal ponies were Target exclusives (in the US).  (And apparently the G4 ones, which I didn't know about, whoops.)  Which makes me wonder if Hasbro would not have made them if Target hadn't specifically requested them?  Maybe a lack of such requests is why we've seen them fall off.

It seems like you would have to be a store with a quick turnaround to pull it off . . . Like a Christmas pony is going to sell better in November and December when people are in the Christmas mood than in April or August.

[Snapdragon]

OMG, how did I forget seasonal G4s... there's been so many G4 releases! But never again holiday ponies! Bring 'em back!!

[Mewtwofan1]

     I do not have any of the seasonal releases, though I do wish I had some. I really would like to see more like it. I love it when a theme shines through, and holiday/seasonal ponies do that quite well. Not to say the “flower” or “star” theme isn’t working, just want a bit more out of it. The only Halloween themed g4 releases (I think, correct me if I am wrong) were the nightmare night blind bag figures.

[Carrehz]

Almost all the G3 seasonal ponies were Target exclusives (in the US).  (And apparently the G4 ones, which I didn't know about, whoops.)  Which makes me wonder if Hasbro would not have made them if Target hadn't specifically requested them?  Maybe a lack of such requests is why we've seen them fall off.

Oooh... I knew most of the G3s were Target exclusives, but not the G4s. (I only saw the Fluttershy in shops over here very briefly.... in The Works - a bookshop - of all places.) Yeah, that could explain things.

I could easily imagine it being a case of "Target want some sort of exclusive -> Hasbro oblige -> they sell well enough to continue for several years -> the later, less interesting ones don't sell and shelfwarm for ages -> Target are like 'welp I guess no one's interested in them then, cancel our subscription'"... that'd make a lot of sense.

(DID the last couple of seasonal ponies shelfwarm? I assume they did through other comments on this thread, but...)