Nearly Non Existent Pony Section

[Snapdragon]

Hasbro taking over the Pony Fair was SUCH A MASSIVE AND COLOSSAL MISTAKE!!!

I've said this from the very beginning!  and for what, access to some voice actors and an exclusive pony that we had zero input over???!

*rages , throws fakies* 

This makes me so sad too! It definitely felt like the beginning of the end - especially that first year, when we were all like 'wait, what?' when they started messing with the exclusive! I can't help but feel like Hasbro might have seen it as an easy cash grab (Bronies = $$$) and when they realized it wasn't, just kinda ... dropped it. Like, Hascon, whatever happened with that, anyway? It certainly wasn't a big event for MLP! I hope someday we'll get a tell-all from the organizers, I bet they have some big tea to spill!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I hope someday we'll get a tell-all from the organizers, I bet they have some big tea to spill!

I remember they gave me so much grief and nasty comments about my thoughts about it.
I said once they [Hasbro] took it over, that we [actual pony collectors] would never get it back.  And it's true... we have some smaller conventions but the Big Name Convention is now completely controlled by Hasbro.

[Taffeta]

I was always so glad that UK Ponycon did not have that tight interwoven relationship with Hasbro. It meant we didn't always get the same stuff, but overall, Ponycon survived the upheaval fairly well.

I remember the Paloozas and the original fairs being organised, and these were entirely fan-driven events. Hasbro would not have had anything to build on without the G1 community making them happen in a time when pony was not really first on the marketing agenda. It's just very sad given what it started out being and what it became. Yes, nobody is disputing that Hasbro own MLP as a copyright. But the attitude to the collectors who kept MLP alive in times when Hasbro had given up on it was so completely different from the attitude towards the fad brony crazies who had swept in on a FIM wave of adrenaline.

Basically they backed the wrong horse. :/ But unfortunately the ones who really suffered in this were the US pony community and all the years of work the fair committees put in making it happen. :/

[sd_dreamcrystal]

Well I was able to check my other Walmart (still haven't had a chance to check Target)

Walmart #1: Smaller but tends to have a better selection of things than the older Walmart in the area. No MLPs nor Sparkle Girl Ponies (only those lesser fakies that are on the knock off brand aisle and even then it's just 1 box lol)

Walmart #2: Older but larger, did have some Gen 5 mlp items... but it was only the Make Your Mark - Styling Ponies and the Mini World Magic Critter Corner (maybe some of the other mini worlds as well but Critter Corner was the one that I saw)

Funny enough I looked on Walmart's site to find the Critter Corner one because could not 100% remember what it was to find it on MLP Merch... and the site said it was out of stock even though I saw it a few days ago (and I know it ain't moving fast)

[Leave a Whisper]

Except for a few Sunny Starscouts, and one Trailblazer, I've barely seen anything at all. Not even in the check out stand.

[Koudoawaia]

Went to my city's comic and toy con yesterday and was surprised to see no ponies there either. I did see a few knit G4 hats that were no doubt fan made but no pony figures.

[TheClassCalico]

I think that Hasbro ought to listen to fans in general, especially with the rise in adults collecting toys in recent years. I don't think that there is anything wrong with them listening to Bronies any more than there is with them listening to the collecting community or children. Honestly, it seems that they missed all demographics with G5 thanks to them not really properly listening, although I suspect that they tried catering to Bronies as well as younger fans that enjoyed G4, just very poorly. It is important to keep in mind that G4 was very popular with children as well, albeit seemingly primarily due to the show.

I do hope that we see a change in G5. I genuinely think that there is potential there. I think that it's been mishandled, and if they moved to a different approach, such as going back to collectability—I know that that is still popular with children—it may become more successful.

[Leave a Whisper]

I think that Hasbro ought to listen to fans in general, especially with the rise in adults collecting toys in recent years. I don't think that there is anything wrong with them listening to Bronies any more than there is with them listening to the collecting community or children. Honestly, it seems that they missed all demographics with G5, although I suspect that they tried catering to Bronies as well as younger fans that enjoyed G4. It is important to keep in mind that G4 was very popular with children as well, albeit seemingly primarily due to the show.

I do hope that we see a change in G5. I genuinely think that there is potential there. I think that it's been mishandled, and if they moved to a different approach, such as going back to collectability—I know that that is still popular with children—it may become more successful.

Strongly disagree. When a portion of the fan base is being toxic and causing serious issues,  and making highly inappropriate suggestions in a Children' Franchise then No Company should  ever listen to them, or implement them. Fans like that ruin it for everybody,  ESPECIALLY the target audience.

If the fan base is asking politely and not biting their heads off or making death threats, then a company May or May Not consider it. Mostly they won't consider it, unless they figure it's going to bring them a large profit.

[TheClassCalico]

I think that Hasbro ought to listen to fans in general, especially with the rise in adults collecting toys in recent years. I don't think that there is anything wrong with them listening to Bronies any more than there is with them listening to the collecting community or children. Honestly, it seems that they missed all demographics with G5, although I suspect that they tried catering to Bronies as well as younger fans that enjoyed G4. It is important to keep in mind that G4 was very popular with children as well, albeit seemingly primarily due to the show.

I do hope that we see a change in G5. I genuinely think that there is potential there. I think that it's been mishandled, and if they moved to a different approach, such as going back to collectability—I know that that is still popular with children—it may become more successful.

Strongly disagree. When a portion of the fan base is being toxic and causing serious issues,  and making highly inappropriate suggestions in a Children' Franchise  then No Company should  ever listen to them, or implement them. Fans like that ruin it for everybody,  ESPECIALLY the target audience.

I do not want them to listen to the toxic side of the Brony fandom, but I do want them to listen to the more reasonable side, as they are fans just as much as we are and inevitably contribute to its success. Being a large fandom, and especially one with its roots, it's a bit of an inevitability that there's going to be toxicity, but I don't think that they should be altogether dismissed because some people are toxic.

I'm no longer a part of the fandom, although I used to be, and based on experience, it is very much a mixed bag. I also talk to quite a few people who consider themselves Bronies that are perfectly kind people. It's a shame that the toxic people ruin it for others.

[Leave a Whisper]

I think that Hasbro ought to listen to fans in general, especially with the rise in adults collecting toys in recent years. I don't think that there is anything wrong with them listening to Bronies any more than there is with them listening to the collecting community or children. Honestly, it seems that they missed all demographics with G5, although I suspect that they tried catering to Bronies as well as younger fans that enjoyed G4. It is important to keep in mind that G4 was very popular with children as well, albeit seemingly primarily due to the show.

I do hope that we see a change in G5. I genuinely think that there is potential there. I think that it's been mishandled, and if they moved to a different approach, such as going back to collectability—I know that that is still popular with children—it may become more successful.

Strongly disagree. When a portion of the fan base is being toxic and causing serious issues,  and making highly inappropriate suggestions in a Children' Franchise  then No Company should  ever listen to them, or implement them. Fans like that ruin it for everybody,  ESPECIALLY the target audience.

I do not want them to listen to the toxic side of the Brony fandom, but I do want them to listen to the more reasonable side, as they are fans just as much as we are and inevitably contribute to its success. Being a large fandom, and especially one with its roots, it's a bit of an inevitability that there's going to be toxicity, but I don't think that they should be altogether dismissed because some people are toxic.

The bronies should not have been listened to at all. Because they issued death threats, suggested inappropriate material, and acted horribly.  Their toxicity was the rule, not the exception.

[TheClassCalico]

I think that Hasbro ought to listen to fans in general, especially with the rise in adults collecting toys in recent years. I don't think that there is anything wrong with them listening to Bronies any more than there is with them listening to the collecting community or children. Honestly, it seems that they missed all demographics with G5, although I suspect that they tried catering to Bronies as well as younger fans that enjoyed G4. It is important to keep in mind that G4 was very popular with children as well, albeit seemingly primarily due to the show.

I do hope that we see a change in G5. I genuinely think that there is potential there. I think that it's been mishandled, and if they moved to a different approach, such as going back to collectability—I know that that is still popular with children—it may become more successful.

Strongly disagree. When a portion of the fan base is being toxic and causing serious issues,  and making highly inappropriate suggestions in a Children' Franchise  then No Company should  ever listen to them, or implement them. Fans like that ruin it for everybody,  ESPECIALLY the target audience.

I do not want them to listen to the toxic side of the Brony fandom, but I do want them to listen to the more reasonable side, as they are fans just as much as we are and inevitably contribute to its success. Being a large fandom, and especially one with its roots, it's a bit of an inevitability that there's going to be toxicity, but I don't think that they should be altogether dismissed because some people are toxic.

The bronies should not have been listened to at all. Because they issued death threats, suggested inappropriate material, and acted horribly.  Their toxicity was the rule, not the exception.

I disagree. That behaviour was not appropriate, and as I said, I do not think that those fans should be catered to at all, unless what they are asking for happens to be the same as what more reasonably people want; death threats are, under no circumstances, appropriate. I want the more reasonable fans to be taken into consideration, but I want Hasbro to avoid encouraging that behaviour.

I'm not sure if it is the rule or if those people are just especially loud. It seems a little unlikely that a giant fandom has a majority toxic population, but regardless, I don't think that reasonable requests (and behaviour)  should just be ignored.

My word choice is a little repetitive and I realise that I'm more or less repeating myself. My apologies!

[Leave a Whisper]

Companies hardly listen to their consumer base anyway.  Its very rare, and most companies have the common sense not to cave to bullies and creeps. The fact they did makes me suspicious about what kind of disturbed people are working in Hasbro’s animation department sometimes? This is MLP, not freakin South Park.

[Taffeta]

I agree that fans shouldn't be listened to if we're talking about a toy aimed primarily at kids. If you're making a collector spinoff, then yes, fans (reasonable ones) can be involved (as with the MH stuff lately). But the main line, nope. G4 deviated away from the kids to please the bronies and I think that's a problem...since Hasbro's main actual product is toy, which the G4 adult fanbase were less likely to engage with than their own, fan-created media.

On the subject of the hostility, I don't believe most G4 fans were toxic. That said, I hold the G4 fanbase collectively responsible for the damage done to pony collecting and its reputation - and the impact that brony misbehaviour has had on the rest of us, who were just quietly collecting ponies before we were hit by an onslaught of anti-older gen junk.

Again, I don't think all the fans participated in this. But at the same time, they didn't challenge it. And not all of the problem was the really toxic stuff. Instead of sharing a fan space with the existing pony fan community, it was a barrage of G4-fans trying to reinvent how MLP worked. How G4 was the perfect evolution. How G1 characters related into G4 lore. How Tales was G2 because the actual G2 wasn't animated. And all the G3 mockery, epitomised by that documentary.

G4 fans trying to recreate what pony was about, what the pony fandom was about, and pouring scorn on anyone who saw it differently is just a bitter taste G4 left behind. I think it will take a while for that to die down.

That said, there was a lot of (differently angled) bitterness over G2, and that's all gone now. So time is a healer and will heal.

[Leave a Whisper]

Discovered we have a small TrU section in the mall. No ponies.  No ponies at Barnes n Noble either.

Post Merge: March 12, 2024, 11:01:44 AM

Hasbro and in particular CEO Chris P. Cocks' stupidity has also lead to sales-killing price-gouging on brands like Transformers that's hurting those brands as well. And I bet the idiot has a golden parachute clause in his contract, too; it would explain why the shareholders haven't fired him in order to stop him from continuing to undercut their value with his idiocy.

Regarding G5... I think starting it up so soon after G4 ended could still have worked.
IF it had been the clean break in narrative and design that it actually needed to be. G4 was exhausted on every level, and retailers and customers alike were exhausted of it and its poorly-balanced assortments.
MLP needed a new setting and a substantial change in aesthetic (like, say, reverting to something more horse-like) that would have actually felt like a new start.
But noooooo, the idiots in charge couldn't bring themselves to fully let go of G4, and so the line basically looks and feels like more of the same thing they were already sick of to retailers.
And wasn't there also a long delay between the movie coming out and the show debuting?

I'm not mad about the obsession with segregating species and then bringing them together, either, it's cliche and hackneyed.

Indeed.

I never bought into G1's fixation with de-magicking earth ponies in US media releases, since in the UK ponies had magic regardless of their species and I liked that better. The factfile states Magic Star is the most magical pony of all of them, so yeah.

In fairness, "My Little Pony and Friends" toned down everybody's magical capabilities compared to the backcard stories. Individual unicorns don't have much variety to what they can do with their magic in that, and the only special thing pegasi can do is fly (although that did make them the cartoon's favorite since the cartoon loved to travel to various locations).
The show does at least make clear that Earth Ponies are still inherently magical - otherwise, their hair wouldn't have been much use in repairing Porcina's cloak.

Maybe because I grew up with it, but I feel like it's not very progressive, having a world in which x type of pony can only do x. It's not quite as strangling as 'your cutie mark destiny', but it isn't great.

How do you feel about G4 giving pegasi weather magic to go with them flying?

Reality isn't like that. I will never understand why Earth ponies should not have magic as an option by default.

I think a lot of people tend to see them as the "normals" of the setting because they're the closest to IRL horses and don't have obvious supernatural features like wings or horns. Hasbro themselves seem to have felt that way in G3 (and it obviously took arm-twisting to get pegasi and unicorns added to the line at all).

Unpopular opinion, too, but I am ok with MLP ending with G5. I feel like we already had 2 generations too many, given the chaos of G4 and then this. MLP doesn't need to be constantly trampled down by repetitive overselling of the same characters. If MLP disappeared completely, well, so what? Those of us who grew up with G1 survived that and we're still surviving it. Will it really make a huge difference if ponies stop being sold? The ones most of us grew up with (G1 or G3 included) haven't been on shelves for years but we're still here for them...

I mean, it will make it harder to share MLP with future generations if it ends, and probably kill throwback stuff like Basic Fun reissues that make getting G1 stuff more accessible for those who didn't grow up with it.

At this rate, maybe it would be better if Hasbro imploded and Takara-Tomy picked up the pieces.

The hasbro CEO has an unfortunate name. 

[cowboyopossum]

Says a lot about him.