The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: Mana Minori on September 17, 2020, 02:05:59 PM
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It has just been revealed that Pony Life will get a second season in Spring 2021, before g5 is set to take the stage in 2022. Now, I like pony as much as the next person (though PL isn’t really my slice of cake)... but Here’s the problem with a instant stream of pony- even if it is just filler like PL is...we don’t get a break from ponies, ever. A hiatus in the toyline and the series is DESPERATELY needed to make us MISS ponies and want them back in a new generation, rather than h omg a never ending stream of pony everything that only serves to overwhelm and turn people off from the brand.
What do each of you guys think? Should Hasbro allow the brand to disappear for a while and start letting us miss it, before bringing in a new gen, or just keep pumping out pony and possibly allowing for fatigue?
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I think it can be hard to get shelfspace back once a toy company chooses to forego it.
I do understand that feeling of being overwhelmed, but collectors need to remember it's okay to take a break. I collect Transformers too, and that is a toyline that I don't think has been on hiatus since 1997. The trick is to self-regulate. It's okay to skip the latest show or not buy the latest toyline . . . it's okay to abandon the message boards or not update your toy blog . . . Take care of yourself and give yourself a "vacation from toys" if you need one. :)
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I agree with LM, but personally I would be fine if pony ended.
I think it's very hard to reinvent the line completely and beat the success globally of G4.
But if they're rehashing G4 to create G5, to try to ride on its success, it means that MLP in general has probably taken a wrong turn it might not be able to get back from.
So I would personally be fine with a break or even no G5 at all. I think a rehashed G4 as G5 would basically kill MLP once and for all.
The idea of no gap between generations isn't new, though. MLP has also not been on hiatus since 1997, but it depends on the geography as to whether your location had that continuity. Here in Europe we had only around a 3 year gap between G1 and G2, and it was still possible to find some G1 stragglers in stores while early G2 were in stores (I found the bed and crib set in 2000, for example). And then G2 ended in Europe in 2003, when G3 began, and G3 merged into G3.5, and then into G4.
I understand Hasbro want to keep the shelf space warm, but the product has to be worthwhile to fill it.
I'm more about quality. I see PL as the end of G4, or like G3.5 as a stopgap and it's fine...but whatever comes next will have to be pretty special imo to be worthwhile.
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Cool, I had no clue about the second season! I was curious what the rest of 2021 had planned since the movie would be coming out in the latter half.
I would be sad if MLP was no longer fresh new on the shelves but it happens. The toyline is pretty expansive as-is, we're a lot luckier than some other toylines.
I'm loving the new stuff, the toyline felt stale for a few years so I don't mind an extra year of Pony Life. If you take a break, try not to worry about it too much. Secondhand shops and collectors with extras are always around if you feel bad about falling behind in collection.
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I really miss seeing what's new "in the Pony Aisle"... but it's good to take a break. Hasbro should take a good year off. Gives us time to catch up on vintage MLP. :)
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For the sake of brand fatigue? Yes. For Hasbro's bottom line? No.
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I think it can be hard to get shelfspace back once a toy company chooses to forego it.
I do understand that feeling of being overwhelmed, but collectors need to remember it's okay to take a break. I collect Transformers too, and that is a toyline that I don't think has been on hiatus since 1997. The trick is to self-regulate. It's okay to skip the latest show or not buy the latest toyline . . . it's okay to abandon the message boards or not update your toy blog . . . Take care of yourself and give yourself a "vacation from toys" if you need one. :)
oh I agree that collectors need breaks (our wallets aren’t bottomless, after all!) and I also agree that toy competition is tough. Everyone is fighting for shelf space, and Hasbro doesn’t want to give theirs up- even if they aren’t taking up as much space (from what I’ve seen) as before. I haven’t been throwing money at Pony Life like I have with g4- partially because it doesn’t appeal to me (although I do have a Potion Nova and Applejack brushable) and partially because I have run out of storage space (I actually had to buy another storage bin to put more ponies in, yesterday). I just think we could’ve done without a .5 filler right on the heels of G4’s 10 year run (even as PL is going on, FiM is still ongoing in a “season 10” through the comics) so I guess i just feel like there’s too many things going on and overlapping and I want to miss the ponies so that absence can make there heart grow fonder. And appreciate them more when they return.
That’s definitely not to say that I don’t appreciate some of the things Pony has to offer, now, but (sorry, it’s hard to articulate my feelings into text, sometimes) that an endless stream of content with no breaks is either bound to burn out Hasbro or its consumers sooner, rather than later. I can see the fast pace of content in the Pokémon franchise and fans begging and wishing for content releases to slow down for the sake of quality over quantity, and I feel that Hasbro’s MLP brand is suffering from that as well.
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The thing about brand fatigue and My Little Pony is that it is primarily a toy aimed at the 3-8 age range. Which means that there are always new kiddos coming in to the brand all the time. So while brand fatigue could apply to the older fan base, there will always be room for ponies on the toys isle. Even if it’s down to only 1 shelf now.
Really I think PL is as much a break as Hasbro is ever going to do at this point. And since PL isn’t really my cup of tea, I’ve been treating it as something of a break.
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I wouldn't mind it at all.
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Because the G4 continuity was very fleshed out and beloved by a broad audience, I’m inclined to wonder if it won’t always exist in the way that G1 Transformers or the original Thundercats series do. As in, some specialty merchandise and comics could continue to pop up even after the franchise has “moved on”, to appeal to the fans who loved the older generations. The IDW comics are already doing this with FiM, and I think that’s great for people who are going to miss the story and characters from G4.
Continuing with the Transformers comparison... TF actually juggles a number of continuities simultaneously, including comic book universes in which characters from different generations cross dimensional boundaries and exist together. While a sci-fi setting makes this a bit easier, G4 did toy with the ideas of parallel dimensions and co-existing continuities (EQG, PL, the aforementioned comics...).
Lately, Hasbro (and BF) has even been using classic MLP characters and likenesses in merchandising. I think the best thing that could happen to the franchise as a whole would be to follow TF’s example and move forward with new iterations, continuities, and styles... while not ignoring the brand’s history, and continuing to offer collectibles and licensed goods that cater to fans of past generations. This could also help alleviate Hasbro’s hesitance to leave G4 behind and move on.
I don’t think a proper break is going to happen—not in today’s fast-paced toy market. And from the standpoint of loving MLP and wanting it to continue to have a place in toy aisles... I think a break would be a poor move, business-wise. These “.5” generations seem to be Hasbro’s new way of buying themselves time to prepare the next proper gens.
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The thing about brand fatigue and My Little Pony is that it is primarily a toy aimed at the 3-8 age range. Which means that there are always new kiddos coming in to the brand all the time. So while brand fatigue could apply to the older fan base, there will always be room for ponies on the toys isle. Even if it’s down to only 1 shelf now.
Really I think PL is as much a break as Hasbro is ever going to do at this point. And since PL isn’t really my cup of tea, I’ve been treating it as something of a break.
Not necessarily. Too much exposure and fans old and young get tired of it.
The influx of comic movies these past five years comes to mind when every three movies is a comic movie, and two more are announced in the making whether they're made or not.
TTG has had schedules that took up literal days at a time with very little inbetween. Absolutely insane.
The mane suxx is ignored on the shelves and little kids pass by without sparing it a second glance. Going for toylines with more variety.
So yes, kids do get burned out on businesses' hyper- obsessive practices.
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The thing about brand fatigue and My Little Pony is that it is primarily a toy aimed at the 3-8 age range. Which means that there are always new kiddos coming in to the brand all the time. So while brand fatigue could apply to the older fan base, there will always be room for ponies on the toys isle. Even if it’s down to only 1 shelf now.
Really I think PL is as much a break as Hasbro is ever going to do at this point. And since PL isn’t really my cup of tea, I’ve been treating it as something of a break.
Not necessarily. Too much exposure and fans old and young get tired of it.
The influx of comic movies these past five years comes to mind when every three movies is a comic movie, and two more are announced in the making whether they're made or not.
TTG has had schedules that took up literal days at a time with very little inbetween. Absolutely insane.
The mane suxx is ignored on the shelves and little kids pass by without sparing it a second glance. Going for toylines with more variety.
So yes, kids do get tired of businesses hyper obsessiveness.
I didn’t mean that there isn’t going to be an ebb and flow of popularity in the brand (thus the 1 shelf comment) or that Hasbro shouldn’t mix up the characters they offer. But there is always going to be a certain percentage of children who just want a colorful pony. And since MLP was the first of its kind and is a household name, there will always be adults who will grab MLP as a gift just because of brand recognition.
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I am grateful that Hasbro is finally starting to put out some new things. Even if its a line for a con/fair that had to be cancelled physically. Crappy eye placement or not, the Crossover Collection is a breath of fresh air, in a closed room that stinks of dust and stale fart.
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I don’t think a full hiatus of nothing is good, since shelf space is hard to get back once it is gone. But just enough old stuff to hold the shelves, and maybe one or two new things is good. A slowdown to help people not get overwhelmed and caught up. Some breathing room to exhale before the next big tidal wave.
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I wouldn't mind if they took a break for a year or two, just to refresh the brand to make a bigger and better comeback. Anything to keep them from milking mane six and releasing poor excuses for equines.
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I don’t think a full hiatus of nothing is good, since shelf space is hard to get back once it is gone. But just enough old stuff to hold the shelves, and maybe one or two new things is good. A slowdown to help people not get overwhelmed and caught up. Some breathing room to exhale before the next big tidal wave.
Mmm...I'm not sure how specific brands work and it needn't be a big hiatus, but they do have other profitably viable brands to "hold the place in line"for a few months.
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As a person who's had next to no interest in the g4 line, and is finally excited about new ponies again: no xD I really like the pony life toys, and I collect slowly, so I'd personally like to see them on the shelves for a while longer.
I can totally understand wanting a break though if you're the kind of person who wants to collect everything pony.
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A lot of people want the brand to do what they want.. but Hasbro isn't going to do something that purposely hurts their brand.
Since the target audience is young kids, it doesn't make sense for a hiatus.
I work for a different industry, but just yesterday we were talking about if we lose space for our product, it can be hard to gain it back. (It would be for different reasons, but the fact is the stores have the power here).
As a collector, I see these .5 times as breathing room. There's not too much to collect, and I mean, there's still something to enjoy or it's easily skippable too.
If MLP was ever like G1 or G3 again, where they were spewing out ponies left and right... THAT is where I would personally find it hard to keep up, or getting worn out because I feel like I couldn't take a break (Due to not wanting to "miss" something.)
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the MLP toyline must be profitable to some degree, but I don’t get the sense it is a big money maker. from an observers point of view they don’t push it like it is. they push Transformers and Nerf - all with simultaneous multiple sublines.
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*shrug* If it's making them money, then they're gonna keep making 'em, and why the heck shouldn't they. No one's obligated to buy every single MLP product... if you're feeling burned out, just take a break and come back when/if you want to.
Also I'm pretty sure Hasbro cares more for the "fleeting demographic" - little kids who've never had ponies before, etc - than us adults and what we think, lol. It's easy to say "well kids get burned out on things too" and yeah, they do, but there's also lots of kids in the world, you know? One burns out, another discovers the brand for the first time and falls in love.
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I sure wish they would take a break!
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the MLP toyline must be profitable to some degree, but I don’t get the sense it is a big money maker. from an observers point of view they don’t push it like it is. they push Transformers and Nerf - all with simultaneous multiple sublines.
If it weren't a big money maker they wouldn't have kept it going so long. :shrug:
Making :money: is their priority, MLP is their top selling girl brand and I'm gonna presume that its not really profitable to invest in something for decades if people didn't snap it up for their kids. Toytoons are heavily dependent on their toys and merch which is why some toons or generational iterations fell by the wayside regardless of how good they were. ThunderCats 2011 is a good modern example of this.
Its also why it can't take a short break. Realistically.
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There's generally more emphasis on "boy" toy-lines anyway.
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There's generally more emphasis on "boy" toy-lines anyway.
Aint that the truth. :rolleyes:
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If you're a "must catch em all" kind of collector I totally understand taking a break during this time of course. Personally I'm not in love with the G4 or G4.5 toys, but love the cartoon series.
Hasbro did something incredible with the TV series which brought MLP to a huge audience - as others have mentioned, how will they follow that success?
As for an all new G5, collectors like us would have loads of ideas for how they should look and feel. (I just want them to be BIGGER than G4 ponies... they are too small lol.) :lol:
But what would the next generation of children want to see ? That's the hard question. Toys reflect the culture of the time they were made which makes collecting so fascinating. What do you guys think children and collectors alike would like to see ?
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If you're a "must catch em all" kind of collector I totally understand taking a break during this time of course. Personally I'm not in love with the G4 or G4.5 toys, but love the cartoon series.
Hasbro did something incredible with the TV series which brought MLP to a huge audience - as others have mentioned, how will they follow that success?
As for an all new G5, collectors like us would have loads of ideas for how they should look and feel. (I just want them to be BIGGER than G4 ponies... they are too small lol.) :lol:
But what would the next generation of children want to see ? That's the hard question. Toys reflect the culture of the time they were made which makes collecting so fascinating. What do you guys think children and collectors alike would like to see ?
I’m definitely not the “gotta catch em all” type of collector. I don’t have that kind of disposable income or space.
G5 ponies reflecting the culture of the times? Slimy, glittery ponies that have bigger anime eyes, and can twerk?
*throws my wallet into the fire*
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As for an all new G5, collectors like us would have loads of ideas for how they should look and feel. (I just want them to be BIGGER than G4 ponies... they are too small lol.) :lol:
But what would the next generation of children want to see ? That's the hard question. Toys reflect the culture of the time they were made which makes collecting so fascinating. What do you guys think children and collectors alike would like to see ?
:iconclap:
I think this is the best outlook to have, as an adult collector. As a nostalgic kid-at-heart reminiscing about what I loved when I was young, it’s easy to get upset by change in a franchise I have followed for so long. I think a lot of people here feel that way, and that’s normal and understandable. But I do think that part of the fun in toy collecting is in how different lines, gimmicks, and styles reflect on the times (and target audiences) they were designed for.
As for what kids today would like... I think this is actually an excellent market to introduce a reimagined MLP into. Unicorns, mermaids, and fantasy creatures are very trendy right now, as are vibrant and rainbow colors. Interactive “pets” like Fingerlings and Hatchimals have also been consistently popular over the last few years. Collectibility and variety are commonplace. Do I expect blind bags? Yes, unfortunately. Slime? Very possibly. But I also think we could be treated to a greater variety of characters, a heavily fantasy-influenced series, and a resurgence of popularity for MLP.
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If you're a "must catch em all" kind of collector I totally understand taking a break during this time of course. Personally I'm not in love with the G4 or G4.5 toys, but love the cartoon series.
Hasbro did something incredible with the TV series which brought MLP to a huge audience - as others have mentioned, how will they follow that success?
As for an all new G5, collectors like us would have loads of ideas for how they should look and feel. (I just want them to be BIGGER than G4 ponies... they are too small lol.) :lol:
But what would the next generation of children want to see ? That's the hard question. Toys reflect the culture of the time they were made which makes collecting so fascinating. What do you guys think children and collectors alike would like to see ?
I’m definitely not the “gotta catch em all” type of collector. I don’t have that kind of disposable income or space.
G5 ponies reflecting the culture of the times? Slimy, glittery ponies that have bigger anime eyes, and can twerk?
*throws my wallet into the fire*
You forgot to add the colorful poop
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I also think that any new pony line should reflect the kids now, not what we want as adult collectors.
It's why I never really got on board with the 'bring back G1' mantra at the end of G2 and G3, and though I love the basic fun ponies, I really never expected that to happen. I'm also glad in a way they're licenced rather than by Hasbro, since Hasbro don't really have the vibe for their older lines any more.
...It's whether they have the vibe for MLP and kids now. I don't think it has to be slime and glitter poop. Kids always like slimy things and stuff like that, but it doesn't mean that it's the only way to go.
I think what kids really want in any generation is something that they can play with and enjoy with their own imagination as well as with stories they're told/read/watch on TV. After G4 there is probably an expectation that a tv show for G5 is a must, even though it's a disconnect from the older generations...it just has to be a good enough one to make kids want to buy toys.
(though I think dvd specials or online specials/shorts/streaming stuff might work just as well, tbh. It did great for MH in the early days.)
G5 is an opportunity to wipe away the stale ideas of G4 (whether you like them or not, G4 has reached its shelf life) and start something completely different. But it's whether Hasbro have the right people in their team to really do that.
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Hasbro's priority should be what's best for their employees and keeping the company running. I don't always like what they come out with, but that doesn't mean it won't do well in a larger market or at least keep them afloat. I think, eventually they'll make something I'll love even if it takes a few years. :lol: :lol:
At any rate, I'm far more focused on Basic Fun ponies. It's kind of a dream come true for me to see them brand new!
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the MLP toyline must be profitable to some degree, but I don’t get the sense it is a big money maker. from an observers point of view they don’t push it like it is. they push Transformers and Nerf - all with simultaneous multiple sublines.
It's a huge moneymaker, one of their top three most profitable toylines. (And I believe the other two are, indeed, Transformers and NERF.)
The MLP brand doesn't have the diversity of Transformers because Transformers has a much bigger adult fanbase--yes, when the brony thing was at its height. Whereas with MLP the largest demographic is definitely kids. So even if something is a little more high-end (like the Nightmare Moon statue), it's usually still something that an older kid would like / be able to afford.
Compared to Transformers where this statue of Starscream costs $975, and there are collectors who will pay that.
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Hasbro's face as they rake in all those $$$ from Transformers collectors:
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Hasbro's priority should be what's best for their employees and keeping the company running. I don't always like what they come out with, but that doesn't mean it won't do well in a larger market or at least keep them afloat. I think, eventually they'll make something I'll love even if it takes a few years. :lol: :lol:
At any rate, I'm far more focused on Basic Fun ponies. It's kind of a dream come true for me to see them brand new!
Yeah those have been awesome! :inlove:
Post Merge: September 18, 2020, 04:09:49 PM
the MLP toyline must be profitable to some degree, but I don’t get the sense it is a big money maker. from an observers point of view they don’t push it like it is. they push Transformers and Nerf - all with simultaneous multiple sublines.
It's a huge moneymaker, one of their top three most profitable toylines. (And I believe the other two are, indeed, Transformers and NERF.)
The MLP brand doesn't have the diversity of Transformers because Transformers has a much bigger adult fanbase--yes, when the brony thing was at its height. Whereas with MLP the largest demographic is definitely kids. So even if something is a little more high-end (like the Nightmare Moon statue), it's usually still something that an older kid would like / be able to afford.
Compared to Transformers where this statue of Starscream costs $975, and there are collectors who will pay that.
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Hasbro's face as they rake in all those $$$ from Transformers collectors:
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That last line slayed me. :lol:
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Hasbro's face as they rake in all those $$$ from Transformers collectors LadyMoondancer:
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Fixed :P
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:lol:
So true, so true.
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It bums me out that the MLP adult collector base is not bigger. I personally wouldn't mind higher end stuff.
Even still-- the really the mantra of many adult collectors tends to be geared toward wanting a variety, at a cheap price point.
And even beyond that, sometimes I feel like everyone likes MLP for a really different reason, it's hard for me to imagine what they could put out that people would even like.
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I think they should do another Pony Project , with designers and artists
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I think the problem is that Transformers fans are willing to pay out $$$$ for TFs. Let's be honest, guys, we're all cheapskates. x) Except when it comes to Nirvana, I guess. But c'mon, how many threads have we had on here with people going "Oh that's too expensive"? Whenever Hasbro do try making something geared towards older collectors, that always happens!
Now granted, TF stuff is probably much higher quality (I dunno, the only "higher-end" one I have is a TakaraTomy release so prolly not a good comparison), whereas modern MLP quality can be.......... variable. But still x) I can't imagine MLP fans coming together to raise thousands of dollars for a lifesized Tirac, you know?
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I think banditpony also nailed it with the comment about us all looking for different things in a collectable. Let's be fair about this, we can none of us even agree on which generation to memorialise most of the time, let alone which character/type of character/type of merch...
BF is probably as close as we're going to get, but even with BF you see a lot of posts saying "it would be great if they would do Mimic/Mountain Boys/Rapunzel/enter expensive G1 pony name here" because of the cost of the originals. Which in contrast to almost $1000 being shelled out by a TF collector is a bit different. Yeah, there are people in this community who will shell out that money for a Nirvana or an OOAK pony, don't get me wrong - and I don't know HOW many TF fans would buy in that price range...
But for Hasbro to do one and not the other definitely suggests Carrehz is right as well that we're cheapskates ;)
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I think they should do another Pony Project , with designers and artists.
AGREED.
BF is probably as close as we're going to get, but even with BF you see a lot of posts saying "it would be great if they would do Mimic/Mountain Boys/Rapunzel/enter expensive G1 pony name here" because of the cost of the originals. Which in contrast to almost $1000 being shelled out by a TF collector is a bit different. Yeah, there are people in this community who will shell out that money for a Nirvana or an OOAK pony, don't get me wrong - and I don't know HOW many TF fans would buy in that price range...
But for Hasbro to do one and not the other definitely suggests Carrehz is right as well that we're cheapskates ;)
It is actually GOOD that MLP fans are generally more frugal. Giving so much money away for a hunk of plastic is dumb. I have collector shame myself. That and we are of course much smaller because unlike TF, MLP is not about a sexy car in our human world turning into a macho man going to war with other machos in spaaaace - the premise combines car crazies with action fans, sci fi nerds, robot freaks and guys who want to see explosions. MLP can only ever be MLP, if that makes sense. TF can be action movies, toys, actual cars, etc.
As an ex-fan I gotta say that TF fandom attracts the usual "sittin in ma mancave, no broads allowed" nerd fanbase that also collects other action figures, Funko POPs, has katanas on their wall, movie props - you get the gist. Regular nerds. They are the kind of folks who buy expensive statues of anything nerd-related. I like to look at these statues but I'd rather buy food and stuff for my pets :lol: And that's the sane option. Also got bills to pay.
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It is actually GOOD that MLP fans are generally more frugal. Giving so much money away for a hunk of plastic is dumb. I have collector shame myself. That and we are of course much smaller because unlike TF, MLP is not about a sexy car in our human world turning into a macho man going to war with other machos in spaaaace - the premise combines car crazies with action fans, sci fi nerds, robot freaks and guys who want to see explosions. MLP can only ever be MLP, if that makes sense. TF can be action movies, toys, actual cars, etc.
As an ex-fan I gotta say that TF fandom attracts the usual "sittin in ma mancave, no broads allowed" nerd fanbase that also collects other action figures, Funko POPs, has katanas on their wall, movie props - you get the gist. Regular nerds. They are the kind of folks who buy expensive statues of anything nerd-related. I like to look at these statues but I'd rather buy food and stuff for my pets :lol: And that's the sane option. Also got bills to pay.
I don't personally appreciate this.
Let's not judge/shame people who spend a large amount of money on something in their collection..
There's no difference to in someone spending $1,000 on one nirvana pony they save up for-- vs someone who has a collection of 200 ponies that they paid an average of $5.
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yeah I'm with Banditpony on this one. People can spend however much they want to on their collections and there's nothing wrong with that.
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There's no difference to in someone spending $1,000 on one nirvana pony they save up for-- vs someone who has a collection of 200 ponies that they paid an average of $5.
Yes, there is. That difference is that one would be spending 5$ at once and the other is spending 1000$ at once.
I wasn't even talking about Nirvanas. Nirvanas are only as expensive as the owners want them to be. Yet that new 1000$ statue fresh from the factory has a price point set by Hasbro.
I don't care what you personally spend your money on but having a collection of plastic items for 1000$ each is something I don't consider role model material. I would advise anyone against it. I have stuff here I paid €100 for at the most and even that makes me feel like I spent way too much for something that only gathers dust. So we obviously are not gonna agree on this topic, ever :lol:
People can spend however much they want to on their collections and there's nothing wrong with that.
Well in my opinion there is something wrong if you spend all your hard earned money on pop culture items to a point Hasbro can charge an insane price like that and you will still open your wallet. Some things really, truly aren't worth it and the moment my real car breaks down I'll wish I wouldn't have bought that little plastic transforming car for hundreds of bucks on ebay if you know what I'm saying. Being cheap in the right places pays off in the end.
But I'll leave it at that because people love feeling personally attacked and I'm not gonna fight these windmills today.
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I'm not going to get into the debate on how much people pay for ponies or other toys, I think it just comes down to what disposable income you have and that varies between people. I personally wouldn't spend in that category, but value is subjective.
And if I won the lottery and someone was selling $1000 MOC Sunburst, I would almost certainly buy him for sentimental reasons. :)
But I do think there's a difference between Hasbro putting that price point on a collector item being sold and produced now, even in limited runs, and what is decided on a second hand item in the community. Not in terms of the money but in terms of how Hasbro reads the market. They judge they can do that for TF because they feel they can turn a profit from it. They don't do it for MLP, which suggests they don't feel they can turn a profit from it. So it's more about how Hasbro sees the profitability of the fandom in a sense.
It's probably also why they became unnaturally pandery to the bronies, because they sensed people who would spend a lot on pop culture items. Look at those Japanese doll figures still coming out even though G4 is ending (albeit not at the TF price point). :/
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I havent seen pony life and I probably won't either G5 maybe ill see what its like but Im not holding my breath and I do have 2 sets of G1 rereleases to get first :)
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All I'll say is - while I personally disagree with spending thousands on collectables (at one time) and wouldn't do it myself - if someone can do that, and wants to, then I have no problem with that. As long as they have their priorities sorted (toys shouldn't go before food/essentials/etc) then it's their business, not mine, and I don't judge them for it. If you have that kind of disposable money, then more power to ya.
Who said anything about "role model material"? o_O
But I'll leave it at that because people love feeling personally attacked and I'm not gonna fight these windmills today.
why are you being so argumentative...? This was a pretty civil convo before you started firing off. :/
They judge they can do that for TF because they feel they can turn a profit from it. They don't do it for MLP, which suggests they don't feel they can turn a profit from it. So it's more about how Hasbro sees the profitability of the fandom in a sense.
It's probably also why they became unnaturally pandery to the bronies, because they sensed people who would spend a lot on pop culture items. Look at those Japanese doll figures still coming out even though G4 is ending (albeit not at the TF price point). :/
very good point - especially about the Bishoujo figures. I know I've complained about the brony-pandering in the past but honestly, from a business point of view... I see where they're coming from. Although bronies seem to prefer blowing their money on custom items, but still x)
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I think the problem is that Transformers fans are willing to pay out $$$$ for TFs. Let's be honest, guys, we're all cheapskates. x) Except when it comes to Nirvana, I guess. But c'mon, how many threads have we had on here with people going "Oh that's too expensive"? Whenever Hasbro do try making something geared towards older collectors, that always happens!
Now granted, TF stuff is probably much higher quality (I dunno, the only "higher-end" one I have is a TakaraTomy release so prolly not a good comparison), whereas modern MLP quality can be.......... variable. But still x) I can't imagine MLP fans coming together to raise thousands of dollars for a lifesized Tirac, you know?
$300 for a custom pony is hella expensive to me, being on low income. I can’t fathom paying thousands for one thing, like TF fans can. Trust me- if I could, I would. (Points at Takara Ponies). But I can’t.
And yeah, I would love high quality pony stuff, too. I feel like the Kotobukiya figures would be the cap as far as quality and a somewhat affordable price point (give or take a few months of saving) for some time now.
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Well in my opinion there is something wrong if you spend all your hard earned money on pop culture items to a point Hasbro can charge an insane price like that and you will still open your wallet. Some things really, truly aren't worth it and the moment my real car breaks down I'll wish I wouldn't have bought that little plastic transforming car for hundreds of bucks on ebay if you know what I'm saying. Being cheap in the right places pays off in the end.
But I'll leave it at that because people love feeling personally attacked and I'm not gonna fight these windmills today.
Oh no, I agree with you here. No one should ever buy something non-essential with ALL of their hard earned money. I wouldn't even recommend people spend much on non-essential things without some sort of savings for emergency. That is a priority in my eyes.
But the fact of life is everyone somewhere different in their life financially.
And what is a "dumb" purchase to you, doesn't mean it's financially dumb to someone else.
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I think the problem is that Transformers fans are willing to pay out $$$$ for TFs. Let's be honest, guys, we're all cheapskates. x) Except when it comes to Nirvana, I guess. But c'mon, how many threads have we had on here with people going "Oh that's too expensive"? Whenever Hasbro do try making something geared towards older collectors, that always happens!
Now granted, TF stuff is probably much higher quality (I dunno, the only "higher-end" one I have is a TakaraTomy release so prolly not a good comparison), whereas modern MLP quality can be.......... variable. But still x) I can't imagine MLP fans coming together to raise thousands of dollars for a lifesized Tirac, you know?
Yeah your not wrong about that. :lol:
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I think they should do another Pony Project , with designers and artists
I'd LOVE to see that!!!
Although I remember quite a few people complaining about THAT too, at the time! Because they went with well-known artists (like professional artists) instead of MLP customizers. I guess you can never satisfy everyone. Anyway, I loved the Pony Project and I still regret not buying the green x-ray pony. It was so cool.
As far as collectibles go, obviously you shouldn't spend food or rent money on non-essentials. But if you have disposable income, buy what you want. I'm not going to buy $575 Unicron or Rapunzel for $800 (? that's what she used to be anyway), but I dropped $500 on commissioned Transformers fanart this year. And I don't regret it at all. :P I just got on Alex Milne's commission list (the artist from IDW's "More Than Meets the Eye" comic) and I'm thrilled.
But anyway, my point was that's the reason that Transformers collectors get more attention from Hasbro. Because it's more profitable and they can create things at crazy price points. It's also the reason there are over 60 third-party nostalgia- or collector-oriented "Transformers" companies (like Iron Factory, Mastermind Creation, and the one with the absolute BEST name, Hot Soldiers) and only one third-party MLP company (HQG1C).
Which is probably the part I'm most wistful about. I love HQG1C, but I'd love to see even more people making G1 style (or heck, even G2 or G3) factory ponies. But I don't think the market would support it, sadly.
Edit: If anyone knows where I can find a picture of the green x-ray Pony Project pony, let me know. Because I can't find it and I want to look at it again, lol. It was a whole diorama. I don't remember if it was for the 2005 Pony Project or the 2012 one.
2nd Edit: Actually I suppose some of the Etsy shops that sell, like, repro princess wands and repro conch sea pony shells also count as third party. So there are more than one. But only one that makes custom factory-made ponies, as far as I know. (I know some Etsy sellers make individual resin ponies and one that makes super cute resin dinosaur friends.)
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I'd love another Pony Project! With established artists or pony customizers, either would be rad. (Actually, I'd really love to see them give our talented customizers some time in the spotlight... that'd be so cool!!)
and the one with the absolute BEST name, Hot Soldiers
:lmao:
I've been looking around the third-party TF scene lately, I was surprised just HOW many are out there!! It'd be fantastic if we could get more third-party ponies but yeah, I don't think there's a market for them... Even HQG1C have had trouble selling some of their ponies. :(
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There's also the angle that as mostly women we are socialized to spend money on our household and families and appearance before our hobbies.
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Yeah, and we're generally paid less.
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I can't say I'm well-educated enough on the Barbie scene (I think BJD being an entirely artist-led community sort of exempts it from this discussion) but I wonder what comparisons could come from that? I was going to chime in with agreement and "I don't think there is the common stereotype of a woman collector which may be driving some decisions" but then I remembered that there is something for human dolls in general.
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There's also the angle that as mostly women we are socialized to spend money on our household and families and appearance before our hobbies.
Tragically, there’s a lot of truth in this. :/ Not to mention stereotypes about just what types of hobbies “normal” women have. Rarely are geeky women with toy collections ever portrayed in popular culture, media, or even documentaries. We’re obviously too consumed with spending our money on purses, shoes, and makeup. ;)
Still, the sheer number of collector-aimed Barbie dolls retailing for hundreds of dollars would seem to imply that the industry is willing to bet on women shelling out for high-end toys. Integrity’s Jem dolls, Breyer’s pricier models, and Pullips are further evidence that there are lots of adult collectibles aimed at women. For some reason, MLP in particular tends to ignore their collector market.
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Yeah, and we're generally paid less.
And collector shamed. Regularly.
Not that I like how the media jumped on the brony bandwagon, since a lot of that wasn't exactly nice, but MLP only became interesting on a wider scale when men showed an interest in it. Go figure.
On the note of third party - I am in favour excrpt for reproduction items that mimic the original. I mean, they're going to exist, but I would not want to see them being encouraged beyond the level they already exist. Too many of them are too close to the original and not marked up well. It makes me uneasy.
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There's also the angle that as mostly women we are socialized to spend money on our household and families and appearance before our hobbies.
Tragically, there’s a lot of truth in this. :/ Not to mention stereotypes about just what types of hobbies “normal” women have. Rarely are geeky women with toy collections ever portrayed in popular culture, media, or even documentaries. We’re obviously too consumed with spending our money on purses, shoes, and makeup. ;)
Still, the sheer number of collector-aimed Barbie dolls retailing for hundreds of dollars would seem to imply that the industry is willing to bet on women shelling out for high-end toys. Integrity’s Jem dolls, Breyer’s pricier models, and Pullips are further evidence that there are lots of adult collectibles aimed at women. For some reason, MLP in particular tends to ignore their collector market.
Dolls are also stereotypically popular with gay men. Smithers from the Simpsons collecting Malibu Stacy is actually based on that stereotype.
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For some reason, MLP in particular tends to ignore their collector market.
As I mentioned before, this community doesn't seem to want the same things.. and we really aren't that big, and so there's not enough demand.
I can't even picture in my head what they could do that could satisfy the community. The general mantra seems to be a variety of brushable ponies, at a cheaper toy price point.
HQG1C seems to kinda fill that in a way, but it's still too expensive for some (and of course obviously unlicensed-- but it's aimed clearly at collectors). So if Hasbro put similar out (not saying it would a G1 mold), people would probably be upset at a collector price tag.