What's With All the Pinkies?

[Deep Purple Crystal]

This question has been plaguing me for months: Why does Hasbro make so many Pinkies? It's pretty obvious there are more ponies out there that are more popular, but they just make more and more of her, no matter what. Why do they do this?

[Al-1701]

Because they're under the impression people love her.

Frankly, I'm getting a bit sick of her even on the show.  The first three episodes of the series tell me she's little more than a joke on four legs now.

Also, she's pink to obviously she's the pony girls want.

[Lucky_Ladybug]

I loved Pinkie in season 1. She had such deep moments, especially being empathetic in episode 5 and knowing she shouldn't prank Fluttershy. But in other seasons they seemed to mostly lose track of that side of her. I've never liked how she acted in Luna Eclipsed. She never seemed to consider that maybe Luna would feel really awful seeing everyone run away from her in supposed fright. I think season 1 Pinkie would have thought of that.

Pinkie had a really good moment in Too Many Pinkie Pies, when she realized how overwhelmed her friends must be with all the other Pinkies running around, but I think that was her last really deep insight.

I think Pinkie is really popular, but I curiously wonder how she actually does stack up alongside other characters. I definitely see a lot of people here who are sick of so much of her.

As for me, I'm kind of neutral. She isn't my favorite, but I don't usually outright dislike her. I'm pretty much used to seeing lots of Pinkie figures and Pinkie on lots of the merchandise. It's Rainbow I'm more fed up with seeing. It's hard to find any Pony shirts locally with characters other than Rainbow (except for a really nice one Wal-Mart had with Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie that unfortunately wasn't quite in my size).

[Deep Purple Crystal]

Wait a minute, don't I recall the reason Hasbro made earlier Celestia releases pink is that they thought pink toys sold better? Is that why?

[Lucky_Ladybug]

Bleh, it wouldn't surprise me. I hadn't heard that, though.

[Deep Purple Crystal]

I heard it from a forum member somewhere on the internet. I personally think white Celestia is much more regal. Pink just does not suit the raiser of the sun.

[claricesponies]

Hasbros target audience is little girls and little girls are supposed to LOVE PINK!   

[Eurocoin]

Celestia (in the show) isn't white, she's actually very very pale pink.

Personally as I'm not interested in brushable ponies, I haven't really noticed overflowing amounts of Pinkie toys. Also there are lots of these toys that never reach this part of the world too.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Oh man... every time people ask this question, my head hurts.  It's a simple business answer and everyone keeps hinting it is an anti-collector conspiracy.

Back in the ol' days, the toy companies used to send their catalogues out to the buyers and retailers, telling them, "This is what we are shipping shortly, figure out how to stock it."  There was no opinion from Wal*Mart - mostly because they didn't exist as a conglomerate yet.

These days, the retailers have all the power because they are ordering billions of products.  If there is a demand from the retailers, the toy companies have to do their best to meet it.  So when a buyer like Wal*Mart says, "These are girls' toys and they need to fit in with our aisle scheme.  They need to be PINK.  We will order many, many more if they fit in with the PINK toy aisle.  They WILL be pink, right?"

It's purely a matter of supply and demand.  The biggest customers are the retailers and if the retailers demand to sell them in pink, naturally they are supplied with pink. 

No longer can Hasbro say, "Deal with the boy ponies and the colors that are not pink," they have to listen to their customers who are demanding that it's easy to fill an entire shelf with Pinkie Pie.

And yes, Celestia is pale, pale pink that doesn't translate well to a toy - her colors would fade super fast and she'd be a mottled pink cream beige color.

[hathorcat]

Pretty much everything LBS has mentioned.

There is nothing more to it other than the fact that market research shows pink sells when you are manufacturing and selling girls toys - along with purples and whites. Its no conspiracy and its perhaps not something everyone wants to encourage [gender roles, etc] but its the cold hearted truth that the experts in making and selling toys are toy manufacturers and toy retailers...they know what shifts on shelves and clearly in MLP pink works. Pinkie Pie is about as pink as you can get, therefore she is the popular choice.

[WrittenEmber]

I haven't been inundated with Pinkies, but this is probably because I don't have much in the way of brushables to begin with. 90% of my collection (91.3%, actually -- please excuse my geekiness) are minifigures, and although I do have duplicate Pinkies among them, I also have duplicates of all the other Mane Six and of several other ponies, too. I don't mind doubles, either, especially when they are variations on the norm, like rainbowfied ponies, neons, glitters, etc.

As for the Pink is For Girls thing driving the sales of pink toys over other colors, who else has seen The Pink and Blue Project?

Here's a link to the artist's official page:
http://www.jeongmeeyoon.com/aw_pinkblue.htm

And a Google image search for "the pink and blue project" turns up even more. I can't decide if I think these photos are adorable or disturbing. I have to remind myself that they don't show all of those kids' possessions, just the pink and blue ones. They do presumably own toys and clothes in other colors. But still!

[Al-1701]

The thing is, a wider net catches more fish.  That was the idea during G1.  Hasbro understood that a wide variety of ponies would appeal to a wide audience.  Now, with the retailers controlling everything as has been stated, they're more interested in what looks best on their shelves.  Frankly, it doesn't make sense from the maker's standpoint because they have to worry about market fatigue (the retailers aren't affected by a brand going into decline because they can be replaced).

[Sapphire-Light]

Here's a good article on "pink is for girls" "blue for boys"     http://www.cracked.com/article_19780_5-gender-stereotypes-that-used-to-be-exact-opposite.html

[hathorcat]

You do all realise...that even with all these studies and all the "it used to be the other way around" history lessons that if right now "pink is for boys and blue is for girls" was true...we would just be having this conversation about "Bluey Burst" the blue pony with blue hair and pink and yellow balloon symbols?

[Al-1701]

You do all realise...that even with all these studies and all the "it used to be the other way around" history lessons that if right now "pink is for boys and blue is for girls" was true...we would just be having this conversation about "Bluey Burst" the blue pony with blue hair and pink and yellow balloon symbols?

That is sadly very true.  Though, would that mean Optimus Prime would have been bubble gum pink?