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Author Topic: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities  (Read 9301 times)

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Offline MintyMyndi

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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #15 on: November 15, 2020, 03:44:09 PM »

Post Merge: November 15, 2020, 03:31:17 PM

OK, now G1: Holiday Themed Ponies. I can count the ones who exist on the fingers of one hand: Merry Treat, Felicidades (SP), Lambaditsa & Paschalitsa aka Ladybird. Two for Christmas (one a Nirvana), & two for Easter who are both Greek nirvanas. Where were Halloween Ponies, Valentine Ponies (they could have been couples as well), more Christmas & Easter Ponies???
Don't forget Stockings and her unofficially-related baby!

But yeah, G1's seasonal ponies were pretty lacking. Stockings was basically a Birthflower with a new symbol (we have fourteen ponies with the same body, hair, and eyes!), and the unnamed Rice Krispies baby just reused her symbol.

G2 had Baby Sweet Snowflake, but I really don't like how her colors work together. There's something off about them.

White/green/red aren't Christmassy to you?
I could've sworn she had green, red, AND blue in her hair... I guess she doesn't, looking at her now, though her green is less Christmas-y and more aqua, so it kinda clashes with the red, and the colors blend in her tail, making it... poopy-colored. Merry Treat has the same issue with her tail, though, and whenever I have mine off the shelf, I find myself trying to separate them. I think Sweet Snowflake would look better with a solid green tail, but I guess she's not as bad as I remembered.
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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #16 on: November 15, 2020, 03:50:24 PM »
G3 Boys = none unless you Customise. G3 pegasi were too few, wi unicorns being FAR too few!!! And Spike. Can't forget Spike.
G2 Unicorns & pegasi, again too few. And could they not find a way to permanently attach wings to G2s??? At least you can gender-bend G2s. My Her (His) Majesty Star & Snowball are both male.
G4: agree wi everybody. Where were half the Ponies??? Where were most of the Changelings & ANY of the bright changelings??? Where were most of the hippogriffs & ANY of the griffons, yaks & kirins???
For ALL of the above: SEA PONIES!!!! Why were there pretty much NONE??? G2 had NONE. G3 Had Bore 7 Blind Bag mermaids. G4 had Mane Six & two more.
Also Pony Wear. Why sell it ONLY attached to the Pony??? Serious missed opportunity there.

OK, now G1: Holiday Themed Ponies. I can count the ones who exist on the fingers of one hand: Merry Treat, Felicidades (SP), Lambaditsa & Paschalitsa aka Ladybird. Two for Christmas (one a Nirvana), & two for Easter who are both Greek nirvanas. Where were Halloween Ponies, Valentine Ponies (they could have been couples as well), more Christmas & Easter Ponies???
On the subject, a variant of an existing Pony does not a themed Pony make. Why did G2 cop out with Easter Sky Skimmer, instead of giving us an actual new G2 Pony with an Easter Theme??? Same goes to G4 & their Mane Six adjusted for X season Ponies.

One other thing: not giving the G3 Easter Ponies rabbits, the G3 Halloween Ponies black cats & treat buckets, the G3 Valentines Ponies heart cushions & doves, & any of the castles a G3 Spike was a huge missed opportunity.

I can moan until I'm blue in the face about a lack of G3 Spike figure...

Yes to G3 Spike.

They did release Skystar, Novo, the 8 babies, Haven Bay and a blue one. But their handling of it was ****-poor.
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Offline TheBeatlesPkmnFan42

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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #17 on: November 15, 2020, 03:53:40 PM »
The handling of the G4 line and it's failure to tie into to the show.
The show is clearly meant to be an advertisement for the toyline-fine, typical. But what sense does it make to introduce so many characters and then just...not make those characters? We don't have a Mayor Mare!
I do like towards the Explore Equestria line we saw more background characters become pearly ponies. Yes, more of that please, but all the time, and with accessories that let kids act out the scenes from the show.
No villains? How are kids supposed to act out a playscene between the CMC and not give them Cozy Glow to be the sassy bully? I know we had DT and NMM but I mean beyond that, we had so few.
The school...Yona? Hello?

Seconding this! FiM had so many characters that Hasbro easily could have made into toys. It's ridiculous we got so many Mane 6 releases when they could have taken other already existing FiM characters, and made toys of them. Hasbro wouldn't have even had to had people design more brand new characters, they already had plenty of existing ones in FiM to use, yet nope. Bunch of Mane 6 releases constantly instead. :rolleyes:

Like we got some other FiM characters released here and there, but nowhere near as many as we should have gotten. So many side characters, minor characters, background characters, etc who never got anything, or only got toys in other more minor lines of toys (like blindbags or Guardians of Harmony). Hasbro had the potential to give the main G4 toyline a lot of variety and decided not to because they're cheap.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2020, 03:55:33 PM by TheBeatlesPkmnFan42 »
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Offline Ponyfan

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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #18 on: November 15, 2020, 04:25:34 PM »
I wish G1 would have had more baby ponies that matched their mothers. I know it would have been too much for every adult to have a matching baby but I never understood why Moondancer and Glory got babies but Twilight and Sunbeam didn’t.

I wish Petite Ponies would have had a longer run. It seems like they didn’t last too long.

In G4 I thought for sure there would have been more major characters released as toys. I’m surprised that Hasbro only released Sandbar and  Silverstream out of the students even though it was heavily implied that Sandbar and friends would eventually become the  future holders of the Elements of Harmony.

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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #19 on: November 15, 2020, 04:42:06 PM »
I wish G1 would have had more baby ponies that matched their mothers. I know it would have been too much for every adult to have a matching baby but I never understood why Moondancer and Glory got babies but Twilight and Sunbeam didn’t.

I wish Petite Ponies would have had a longer run. It seems like they didn’t last too long.

In G4 I thought for sure there would have been more major characters released as toys. I’m surprised that Hasbro only released Sandbar and  Silverstream out of the students even though it was heavily implied that Sandbar and friends would eventually become the  future holders of the Elements of Harmony.

Ponyfan

I agree about the babies. I love matching baby/mother sets. They really missed the boat not making them for twinkle-eyed sets and other favorites like the ones you said. I love seeing matching baby customs people on here have done of them. I have a few in the works myself...completed a Baby Snuzzle this past week! If anyone has baity babies they don't want, I'll buy 'em! But still, I would rather they had just been made.

And I'll just echo what others have said about more boy ponies...in every gen. G1 Big Brothers were introduced as my interest in MLP was waning (as a kid anyway!) and I never got any. We always had to pretend girl ponies were dads, brothers, etc.

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Re: Hasbro%u2019s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #20 on: November 15, 2020, 05:51:51 PM »
Oh, I forgot about the Tales boys! Yeah, seconding those.

Also not sure if this counts, but I wish mum + baby/family sets hadn't stopped being a thing after G2 (or G3 if you count the two sister sets, I guess).
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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #21 on: November 15, 2020, 06:15:53 PM »
G1: Not following the RaMC art style into the show, not keeping Megan as a cowgirl.
I agree.

I think that G3 should have had male ponies and more baby ponies.

Offline Wardah

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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #22 on: November 15, 2020, 06:19:49 PM »
And I'll just echo what others have said about more boy ponies...in every gen. G1 Big Brothers were introduced as my interest in MLP was waning (as a kid anyway!) and I never got any. We always had to pretend girl ponies were dads, brothers, etc.

I wish G3 got boy ponies. Even if they did what they did in G2 and just used the same molds. I already considered Tropical Surprise to be a boy due to the colors. There were lots of other ponies in G3 that could have been boys too.
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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #23 on: November 15, 2020, 06:29:15 PM »
The greatest missed opportunity of all: not keeping the amazing tone and stylings of RaMC for the entirety of the series. X3 RaMC was MLP at its very finest, IMO.

Which leads into... We need more villain toys! G4 was the first time we received any at all, if I’m not mistaken. Tragically, we still don’t have a single representation of Tirek or Scorpan, despite them making it into FiM.
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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #24 on: November 16, 2020, 01:40:47 AM »
OK, now G1: Holiday Themed Ponies. I can count the ones who exist on the fingers of one hand: Merry Treat, Felicidades (SP), Lambaditsa & Paschalitsa aka Ladybird. Two for Christmas (one a Nirvana), & two for Easter who are both Greek nirvanas. Where were Halloween Ponies, Valentine Ponies (they could have been couples as well), more Christmas & Easter Ponies???
Don't forget Stockings and her unofficially-related baby!

But yeah, G1's seasonal ponies were pretty lacking. Stockings was basically a Birthflower with a new symbol (we have fourteen ponies with the same body, hair, and eyes!), and the unnamed Rice Krispies baby just reused her symbol.

G2 had Baby Sweet Snowflake, but I really don't like how her colours work together. There's something off about them.
Rats, sorry!!! Yep, Stockings & "Socks" as well.

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Post Merge: November 16, 2020, 01:42:33 AM

G3 Boys = none unless you Customise. G3 pegasi were too few, wi unicorns being FAR too few!!! And Spike. Can't forget Spike.
G2 Unicorns & pegasi, again too few. And could they not find a way to permanently attach wings to G2s??? At least you can gender-bend G2s. My Her (His) Majesty Star & Snowball are both male.
G4: agree wi everybody. Where were half the Ponies??? Where were most of the Changelings & ANY of the bright changelings??? Where were most of the hippogriffs & ANY of the griffons, yaks & kirins???
For ALL of the above: SEA PONIES!!!! Why were there pretty much NONE??? G2 had NONE. G3 Had Bore 7 Blind Bag mermaids. G4 had Mane Six & two more.
Also Pony Wear. Why sell it ONLY attached to the Pony??? Serious missed opportunity there.

OK, now G1: Holiday Themed Ponies. I can count the ones who exist on the fingers of one hand: Merry Treat, Felicidades (SP), Lambaditsa & Paschalitsa aka Ladybird. Two for Christmas (one a Nirvana), & two for Easter who are both Greek nirvanas. Where were Halloween Ponies, Valentine Ponies (they could have been couples as well), more Christmas & Easter Ponies???
On the subject, a variant of an existing Pony does not a themed Pony make. Why did G2 cop out with Easter Sky Skimmer, instead of giving us an actual new G2 Pony with an Easter Theme??? Same goes to G4 & their Mane Six adjusted for X season Ponies.

One other thing: not giving the G3 Easter Ponies rabbits, the G3 Halloween Ponies black cats & treat buckets, the G3 Valentines Ponies heart cushions & doves, & any of the castles a G3 Spike was a huge missed opportunity.

I can moan until I'm blue in the face about a lack of G3 Spike figure...

Yes to G3 Spike.

They did release Skystar, Novo, the 8 babies, Haven Bay and a blue one. But their handling of it was ****-poor.
I have yet to find a brushable Silverstream.
But cheers for supporting the Get G3 Spike Made Campaign xxx
« Last Edit: November 16, 2020, 01:42:33 AM by Ponybookworm »
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Offline Lilja

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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #25 on: November 16, 2020, 05:38:10 AM »
Prototypes, definitely. I will forever be sad the dolls meant to go with the Pony Friends never came to be. :(

Speaking of dolls, they should've made a doll of Danny! I hate only having 2/3 of the kids - call me sentimental but I always hate only having part of a family :P

Yeah, the Pony Friends set definitely feels incomplete without the dolls. It's also too bad we lost out on a second edition of Molly and Baby Sundance. If only at least Hasbro UK had made their own version of Molly/Baby Sundance like they did with Megan/Sundance. I've been wondering what that would've looked like.

I'm pretty sure there must've been at least at some point a Megan & Sundance set planned for year 5, with a Sundance symbol that matched the unreleased first tooth baby. Possibly this concept eventually became TAF M&S in year 7. If Hasbro ever considered making a Danny doll I'm less certain of, but I do find it conspicuous that they came out with a "Big Brother" pony set around this time, a theme that would've gone suspiciously well with Danny. This was also when they released figures of the Bushwoolies, which was a clear cartoon tie-in.

I think the G1 toyline could've done a lot more to tie in with the cartoon. It would've added something to it without taking anything away. I bet kids would've loved to have toys of the villains, just like I've seen kids today go crazy for Nightmare Moon toys. But I guess the stereotype was that little girls don't want conflict in their play.

(and that's not even getting into MLP Tales, LOTS of missed opportunities there)

G4 did a much better job with this. But it still seems they could've done more. The FIM collection buildings were lovely, but it feels incomplete without Fluttershy's cottage or a Cloudsdale playset. While sad that it was separate from the main line, Guardians of Harmony also showed a lot of potential, there are so many characters that would've been perfect for it that we never got. I believe a Tirek's Castle playset appeared in Amazon listings, but we never saw anything more from it? That would've been amazing!

I guess Hasbro hadn't anticipated what a big success G4 would become, so they played it safe with the toys in the beginning. Years later when they started putting some actual effort into them, it was a bit too late and the hype had mostly passed.

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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #26 on: November 16, 2020, 07:51:26 AM »
oh yes - toys of the G1 villains would be *amazing*... you can't tell me people wouldn't go bonkers for a nice Tirac figure. Even non-G1 fans. (I want Catrina and Rep!) I can understand not making them at the time, I suppose, since G1 didn't really have any recurring villains and I think most of the 80s villain toys I've seen were recurring? (Scowlene, Sour Grapes, arguably the Misfits I guess) Which makes me wonder why the witches vanished after End of Flutter Valley, but that's another thought for another thread.

Oh, and Lady Lessons from the UK comics should've gotten a toy.

If Hasbro ever considered making a Danny doll I'm less certain of, but I do find it conspicuous that they came out with a "Big Brother" pony set around this time, a theme that would've gone suspiciously well with Danny. This was also when they released figures of the Bushwoolies, which was a clear cartoon tie-in.

oooh, good point. A "Danny and Big Brother (whoever)" set would've been too perfect.

speaking of the Bushwoolies, I'm still sad the Furbob figures were never produced.

I guess Hasbro hadn't anticipated what a big success G4 would become, so they played it safe with the toys in the beginning. Years later when they started putting some actual effort into them, it was a bit too late and the hype had mostly passed.

I think this is what happened, too. Still surprises me how slow on the uptake they were there, though.
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Offline Taffeta

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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #27 on: November 16, 2020, 08:22:35 AM »
Personally I never cared that there weren't villain toys. They would only have been villains from the TV series, anyway, which wouldn't have translated well in areas the TV series wasn't so widely distributed. The comics had different villains, but I didn't want any of those either.  xD.

I feel like Lady Lessons was meant to have a toy, but it got wiped at a development stage somewhere along the line.

So there are things we know there were prototypes for - like FT Molly & Sundance, and the pony friend dolls, and so on (I admit my thoughts on those are tainted by all the years I had to spend banging heads against walls to prove that no, they weren't UK exclusives just because DV said they were, but in essence the overall concept was interesting...maybe?). THere are prototypes of existing ponies that came out differently (those that are extremely different like the pictures of the y6 TAFs and so on, also Star Gleamer and the pegasus dance and prances). But there are also things like Lady Lessons that you just have to wonder about.

The evidence for her existing in concept at least include the glasses with the school, which seem to fit her glasses. And the idea of a teacher with the school would have made sense. But I guess we'll never know for sure.

I'm also still convinced that it wasn't just Paradise who should have had a regular UK release, but also Ribbon. I have much less evidence for that, because it's circumstantial, but there's a reason why Ribbon appears on Megan & Sundance's UK backcard story in 1986 - the year before the Movie Stars came out - and why in the club material the movie star ponies are all pictured...except Gusty, but with Ribbon instead. I think at some point they realised, hang on, we never sold that set with Gusty in the UK, and so Gusty got switched in. I think if we had had the y3 unicorn set, we might have had a regular Ribbon in the movie star set.

But again, I can't prove it. It just seems a possibility.

I do think we should have had Lofty, Ribbon and Paradise. They are the only ponies from the first set of So Softs that never had a regular release made in HK, and that does somehow seem wrong. Especially with Ribbon, as we had Baby Ribbon in the UK. If you think that the assumption was we'd had that y3 set in 1986 (which we didn't), Baby Heart Throb and Baby Gusty would already have been covered. Baby Ribbon, however...? Not so much.

Why Baby Shady wasn't released instead is a bit of a mystery, too. Though I can't find any indication that Shady would NOT have been released here (she's in all the art, comics, as well as the insert material).

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Offline Zapper

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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #28 on: November 16, 2020, 11:14:41 AM »
I already considered Tropical Surprise to be a boy due to the colors. There were lots of other ponies in G3 that could have been boys too.

Would you have been angry if they had made G3 boys but they were all pink or purple? :lol:

Offline MintyMyndi

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Re: Hasbro’s Missed Opportunities
« Reply #29 on: November 16, 2020, 11:24:30 AM »
G3 potentially had two male characters, but Gossamer was never referred to with pronouns, so I'm not sure.
If you count G3.5 as a part of G3, there were a few boy ponies in the background of Twinkle Wish Adventure, with shorter hair and no eyelashes. None of them had toys, obviously, and their symbols are reused from other ponies, but they do exist. If you look closely, the background ponies in TWA tend to be somewhat alphabetized; the boys tend to appear late in the Bs, but before ponies like Bumblesweet, which implies their "names" may have just been "Boy," potentially followed by an identifying letter, number, etc.
On that note, did you know that Star Flight and Heart Bright appear in TWA? They're earth ponies, only shown at a distance from which their symbols aren't visible, but the colors and position in the aforementioned alphabetized crowds give away their identities!
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