My Thoughts to Hasbro on MLP

[Al-1701]

After attending this year's My Little Pony Fair listening to the fair organizers reading the prepared statements of Hasbro since they couldn't spare anyone, I have this statement as a response.  I don't know if I'd actually send it, but it's here for you to read and comment on.

Dear Hasbro,

I attended the My Little Pony Fair this year in Indianapolis and looked forward to the panel where you would answer the questions of fans.  I was disappointed you couldn't spare anyone to answer our questions in person, but I can understand that you're stretched thin at the moment.  The answers to our questions at the My Little Pony Fair raise concerns for me in regards to your respect for this franchise and interest in its long-term vitality.  You seem to be making the same mistakes with the Friendship is Magic era that you did with the Core 7 in generation three.  Many of your responses convey your desire to concentrate on the main characters of Friendship is Magic due to current media popularity despite the fact the main blocks of your actual customers (collectors and parents) are less inclined to buy their tenth Twilight Sparkle even if she's now an alicorn princess.  My Little Pony rose to success in the 80's based on diversity with new and imaginative lines coming out each year.  The Friendship is Magic era has been marked by selling the same small group of characters over and over with different accessories.

The responses at the Fair in fact suggest an unwillingness to branch out.  If anything, you seem more willing to expand Friendship is Magic with Equestria Girls.  It makes me very worried that you have decided Friendship is Magic is the franchise you want to take forward with My Little Pony just being a subset of it instead of the other way around.  The current popularity of Friendship is Magic will fade in the relatively near future as the show winds down and catering to the brony craze while ignoring the fans who will remain after the novelty wears off is a recipe for disaster in the long term.

Speaking of Equestria Girls, I don't believe this is a good direction to take My Little Pony in.  "Celebrating" 30 years of My Little Pony by making them not ponies is an insult to the fans who have been loyal to you for decades.  It is also a business strategy based on a gross misunderstanding of the target demographic and lack of faith in your own product.  The type of customer Equestria Girls seems to be aimed toward doesn't exist.  The girls who only care about high school and watch high school dramas tend to not buy dolls period.  The Equestria Girls "movie" is also a very poor use of the potential of the concept and what I've seen of the dolls is disappointing.  If you think this is your ticket into the teen and tween girl market, I'm afraid you're in for a rude surprise.

If you want this brand to appeal to a wider audience, you need to show it more respect than you have.  Again, you seem to respect the Friendship is Magic side more than the My Little Pony side.  The respect can start with where everything started.  Get your copyright ducks in a row with G1 and release the uncut versions of the pilot of Escape from Catrina on Blu-Ray.  Make Friendship is Magic era versions of the more well known G1 ponies like Faust's original picks for Friendship is Magic's main characters or the primary characters from the 1986 film.  Show that you respect and honor the entire franchise instead of promoting a generational gap where you only care about the new and the old is dead to you.  You do it for Transformers, you can do it for My Little Pony.

You can also show respect to the current franchise by saying Friendship is Magic isn't the be all and end all of the franchise.  Currently all media is focused on the main characters of the television show from the show itself to the toys to the IDW comic to books.  Even things outside of the main characters center on characters popular with the brony crowd.  We need more media focused on more ponies.

Finally, the toys need to be made with better quality.  The fact Friendship is Magic era toys are showing problems that G1 ponies ten times their age aren't is a disgrace.  I know times are hard and costs have to be kept under control, but people joke about the corners you cut.  Do you like people making fun of one of your franchises?

To conclude, I hope that you will reevaluate your priorities in regards to My Little Pony in the near future.  I think your current direction is the wrong one for long term survival.

Yours truly,
David A. Youngquist

[achab1984]

That is well said!!! I wish they would be more like they were back in the day G1! They are a big company and they will do what they want to do. Some day our loved ponies will come to a end again.    

[disturbed-rainbow]

*shrug* send it.. It's very well put.. But you may either get an email that doesn't help or will be ignored.. But there could be a chance that you cut through to them.. But whatevs.. They lied to me when I sent them a question and suggestion about rainbow dash FS.

[Lightning Twirl]

Send it! xD I like G4, but I dont want it to be the end of My Little Pony! I dont mind Equestria Girls.. but they need to not focus on that more than the PONY merchandise! Thats why we love MLP, be cause we get to brush animals-not human dolls for a change! I am very worried it will be all about EQG now and the idea of Ponies being animals will slowly drift out of the toyline...

[achab1984]

Ya is the ponies go away so will I with buying them from Hasbro. I will still collect from the older generations though :")

[WingsOfMasquerade]

Great letter.
Print it out and THEN send it. I heard companies take more seriously things that are on physical /  paper media than they do emails or phone calls.

" Celebrating" 30 years of My Little Pony by making them not ponies is an insult "

THIS THIS THIS AAAAA!

They're SO obviously going for a cut of that juicy Monster High / Bratzillaz / Novi Stars  "girls with every color skin" money that they see MH rolling around in on a daily basis. I think the theme behind these is cool-- "different is cool" (I love that!) and "Be unique, be you, be a monster" that's really great as well for self esteem, being yourself, and etc. The different colors and types for the dolls (split forearms, fish details, etc) is great and fun. However, the whole point of ponies is that they're ponies and no matter how much you want doll money, replacing ponies with dolls is still abandoning ponies.

[ravengusty]

I know there are fans of every generation of pony but for me G1 will always be the best. And the quality of G4s and the frequent releases of the main characters from FiM (which I rarely watch) makes me less inclined to buy them. I only own three of them and there aren't many more on my list.

Print it and post it too them 

[StarDapple]

Very well said!  I agree with you completely, but I am unsure if Hasbro will listen.  But definitely send it anyway, who knows who may read your letter and be influenced by it.

[CupcakeLoverXx]

Send it! xD I like G4, but I dont want it to be the end of My Little Pony! I dont mind Equestria Girls.. but they need to not focus on that more than the PONY merchandise! Thats why we love MLP, be cause we get to brush animals-not human dolls for a change! I am very worried it will be all about EQG now and the idea of Ponies being animals will slowly drift out of the toyline...

I agree,especially since most people aren't bothered about Equestria Girls,even the target audience. (I saw a kid on YouTube review the EG Pinkie Pie and she didn't really like it) As you said, the whole point of MLP from the beginning was because it was different to Barbie's and all the other dolls...

I don't like to think of ponies coming to an end

[Twilight Pink]

I highly doubt ponies will come to an end :/ but if the Equestria Girls dolls are not gonna sell good, well it better wait til I get those dolls 
Hasbro is just branching out in a new direction, but I'm concerned with the lack of FS Applejacks

[CupcakeLoverXx]

I highly doubt ponies will come to an end :/ but if the Equestria Girls dolls are not gonna sell good, well it better wait til I get those dolls 
Hasbro is just branching out in a new direction, but I'm concerned with the lack of FS Applejacks

I doubt ponies will stop for years but it's a sad thought xD You should be able to get them,I just don't think they will be that popular as not many people,on here at least,seem too bothered about them. I hope FS Applejack pops up again soon Still kicking myself for not getting FS AJ when I first got into MLP... (I didn't know she was rare)

[Aquatic Neon]

Very well put, I couldn't agree more. Fixing this copyright garbage is a must, returning old G1 characters into the show as the mane 6 parents or just other ponies in the show wouldn't hurt anyone, but actually get a lot of the older fans excited and into the show.

The most successful episodes, and favorites have been the darker ones with villians, so I think they should continue to make episodes like those, they are my absolute favorite to watch, way preferred over watching the cmc do random things around town, or just a funny episode. Even my two younger cousins who watch the show with me say they like the villian ones the best! I think the show needs to explore the history of equestria, especially the beginning of Luna and Celestia in power, their parents, how they grew up, trials they faced, how they got their power to control the sun and the moon. Show a flashback of Luna turning to Nightmare Moon leading up to the pilot. Flashback of what happened to Applejack's parents. And the families of Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. More male characters get larger parts in the show, explore more regions of Equestria, possibly Aquastria as well, revisit the Changelings, the Griffons, maybe a trip to Los Pegasus, etc! Don;t just stick to Ponyville, Canterlot, and Crystal Empire. I hope for season 4 they expand and show us many new locations, backstories, and new characters!

As for the toy line I think everyone can agree G1 is by far the most well done, detailed, imaginative, largest variety, etc. It's sad that over time the toys have got worse almost, I do think that some G4 are much better done than G3, G3 was basically all earth ponies, and re-released the same ones in the same poses over and over. No sea ponies, flutter ponies, rarely any unicorns, no boys, etc. Now with G4 I'm very excited that they are making the villians and other fan favorite characters, but the execution by hasbro is lazy and not well done. For one the cutie mark is only on the display box side, two they have paper accessories now, and three mainly only remaking the mane 6 over and over again! Yes I understand they want to have those guys on the shelfs too, because they know that they will sell, but if they had new characters on the shelves too, they would sell even better. Also take polls on your facebook page so people can vote to decide what characters, ponies they want to see, LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE (kids, fans, collectors, bronies, parents, etc) Come out with more boys, everyone has been asking for years, they would sell very well, make sure they have real hair not all troll hair. Hasbro as for the collector/favorites line go for accuracy, not easiness, create more moulds, rather than reusing the same ones, as well as the packaging I would glady take a job and design every single package for the ponies, as graphic design is the field I'll be working in, I will create fresh new vectors and make your packaging much more accurate and appealing!

[Sakuyamon]

Well said! I think ya should send it.

[Twilight Pink]

I highly doubt ponies will come to an end :/ but if the Equestria Girls dolls are not gonna sell good, well it better wait til I get those dolls 
Hasbro is just branching out in a new direction, but I'm concerned with the lack of FS Applejacks

I doubt ponies will stop for years but it's a sad thought xD You should be able to get them,I just don't think they will be that popular as not many people,on here at least,seem too bothered about them. I hope FS Applejack pops up again soon Still kicking myself for not getting FS AJ when I first got into MLP... (I didn't know she was rare)

Same here :s that "I'll get it later" attitude got me

[CrazyCatPony]

yes please send this! very well put and so true, we wants lines of ponies like we used to have with diversity and lots of it! i am a mom and i collect ponies and so does my daughter but i will only buy so many of the main 6 before she is SOL with no new ponies...