Again Hasbro is Doing a Fan Built OC - but not MLP - Transformers

[hathorcat]

I cant help but think that Hasbro largely dont care because it does not make them enough money. Sure with the G4 fandom they have a much larger and $$ spend thrift group of people interested in MLP. But these are not the people who buy the toys on shelves. Hasbro are clearing up with them through licensed material and products. The toys themselves still are all about the little kids and therefore there is little point. The fact Hasbro and TRU moved from "fan favs" releases to this years repeat release of the main 6 (almost) suggests they have not seen the benefit of such releases in previous years and instead fell back on a staple seller. 

Honey Dash is still the exception to a rule but lets face it a pink unicorn with a strawberry symbol? Not exactly out of keeping with existing and previously released characters.

I agree its annoying and disappointing but unfortunately the TP fandom and recognition of the brand, just allows so many more freedoms and opportunities than we ever get with MLP.

[Al-1701]

It's just so much safer to sell pink ponies to children aged 2-6, isn't it? 

But there's no fun in it.  "What do you want to do today?"  "The same thing we do everyday.  Make another version of Pinkie Pie."  It must lose it's charm after a while.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

It's just so much safer to sell pink ponies to children aged 2-6, isn't it? 

But there's no fun in it.  "What do you want to do today?"  "The same thing we do everyday.  Make another version of Pinkie Pie."  It must lose it's charm after a while.

But little Susie just turned two years old today!  And she reached for the pink pony at the table and said, "Who is that?" and her 4 year old sister said, "It's Pinkie Pie!" and Susie says, "I waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaant one!" 

And Hasbro makes a Super Power Pink Love Sparkle Pinkie Pie for little Susie.

And the Collectors cry that SPPLSPP has mismatched plastic colors and that her hair isn't soft enough and that the symbol is misprinted by .3 mm

[Attercop]

I do believe that TF fans tend to spend way more money on TF than Pony fans spend.  Like, way, WAY more which makes it less of a risk to do things like this.

[LadyMoondancer]

innapropriate (Button's mom) backgrounds

A mare who plays video games and has a son who plays video games is inappropriate?

There's always Snowdrop. She's not remotely p0rnographic.
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Personally, though, there are plenty of existing characters I'd rather see given toys before there's any need for fan-designed stuff.

[content edit ~ many thanks ~ hathorcat]

Yeah, but there's no guarantee the majority of fans would submit Snowdrop rather than Pip.  (I actually enjoyed that fic but it would be inappropriate to link it to canon MLP.)

Besides, at that point it would be less "fans create the character collectively" and more "fans rig the contest so the pony one person created a while ago wins", you know what I mean?   

Like with the previously created OC Transformer, Windblade, she did not exist at all until she was created, step by step.  She was not someone's fanfic character, she didn't have Youtube videos or a Tumblr.  She was truly created communally.

As much as I would like to think that MLP fans could do the same . . . I don't think they would.  I think certain fans on certain sites would organize and say "Okay, everybody vote for this breed!  Okay, everybody vote for this hair color!  Okay, everybody vote for this symbol!"

And I think enough fans would do exactly that to tip the contest.

[content edit ~ many thanks ~ hathorcat]

[Shimmer Mist]

Just from what I've observed, I have to say that Transformers truly does seem to have a much bigger adult fanbase for pretty much most incarnations. Ponies only exploded in popularity on such a large scale a couple of years ago. Hasbro does indeed cater to the adult fanbase but it's mostly just heavily cartoon-focused. All the focus is on G4 and that alone is apparently profitable enough. You know the saying "Money talks..."

Also, it might not happen now thanks in part to the Brony portion of the fandom, to be perfectly honest.
Most bronies are content with the main characters, a few backgrounds and that it, period. It also doesn't help that there has been a LOT of extreme negative backlash on the fandom's part when changes are made to the show or something happens that they feel "ruins" the show. Princess Twilight for example....Oh my GOSH that nightmare! Windblade got some hate but it wasn't nearly that bad. Mostly just a super vocal minority that went out of their way VS a majority of the fandom foaming at the mouth in anger. Hasbro may even be playing it safe to be honest.

Overall the FIM fandom really does hate OCs. Everything from their cutie marks, what breed they are, and even what colors they can have all have to line up perfectly with the style and canon of the show or it's a "mary-sue" or "pony generator trash". There was one background pony in one episode of S4. Something about the Make-A-Wish Foundation and thus a sick kid's pony persona was put in the show. I can't tell you how many nasty or otherwise negative comments I've seen regarding the poor kid's character.

[Al-1701]

Overall the FIM fandom really does hate OCs. Everything from their cutie marks, what breed they are, and even what colors they can have all have to line up perfectly with the style and canon of the show or it's a "mary-sue" or "pony generator trash". There was one background pony in one episode of S4. Something about the Make-A-Wish Foundation and thus a sick kid's pony persona was put in the show. I can't tell you how many nasty or otherwise negative comments I've seen regarding the poor kid's character.

Frankly it's because a lot of them are elitist snobs who believe they're special because they like something not aimed at them.  An OC has to be this well developed and thought out character before they even poke their head out.  They can't be for just simple fun.  In fact, bronies seem to be the most fun-hating group of people at times.  Therefore, the entire pony fan community is shut out of the fun on account of them being party poopers.

[Shimmer Mist]

Overall the FIM fandom really does hate OCs. Everything from their cutie marks, what breed they are, and even what colors they can have all have to line up perfectly with the style and canon of the show or it's a "mary-sue" or "pony generator trash". There was one background pony in one episode of S4. Something about the Make-A-Wish Foundation and thus a sick kid's pony persona was put in the show. I can't tell you how many nasty or otherwise negative comments I've seen regarding the poor kid's character.

Frankly it's because a lot of them are elitist snobs who believe they're special because they like something not aimed at them.  An OC has to be this well developed and thought out character before they even poke their head out.  They can't be for just simple fun.  In fact, bronies seem to be the most fun-hating group of people at times.  Therefore, the entire pony fan community is shut out of the fun on account of them being party poopers.

Very much true! Especially on the "special" aspect. All of the attention the media has given them, both good and bad, and I've lost count how many documentaries the fandom has produced about "being a brony". Where are all the documentaries about girls who like Transformers or Ninja Turtles? Aren't we just as special for breaking gender barriers because we like media whose target audience has always been boys?

It actually makes me a bit sad that so many like to hate on lots of OCs too. Granted some are Celestia's other long lost sister but what does it matter? It's just an OC and isn't hurting anyone, usually. Sometimes the designs are rather lovely, too. But uh-oh, it has wings AND a horn?! Blasphemy! Lauren Faust said there can only be two alicorns on Deviant Art once. Word of god right there! Let's feather and tar anyone who opposes the Great Word of Lauren Faust.

[Starie]

I WISH we could have a community design OC! That would be wonderful, but I agree with everyone else that it would probably be mayhem and disastrous, especially with the entitlement of the brony community and OC-bashing.

The thing is, there are so many beautiful OC designers out there too, it's a huge thing on Deviantart for sure, and that community is actually very kind, accepting that not everyone is going to have grade A design skills but that doesn't mean their OC has any less merit.

[sparkykandy]

I'm curious to know how G.I. Joe is currently faring.  It feels like that they're doing worse than both MLP and Transformers.

Anyways, I do wonder if part of the problem of trying to do a fanbase created character for MLP has to do with how fractured the fanbase is.  You have the bronies who don't care about the G4 toys at all; the G1 collectors who collect only G1; etc. 

[Leave a Whisper]

Just from what I've observed, I have to say that Transformers truly does seem to have a much bigger adult fanbase for pretty much most incarnations. Ponies only exploded in popularity on such a large scale a couple of years ago. Hasbro does indeed cater to the adult fanbase but it's mostly just heavily cartoon-focused. All the focus is on G4 and that alone is apparently profitable enough. You know the saying "Money talks..."

Also, it might not happen now thanks in part to the Brony portion of the fandom, to be perfectly honest.
Most bronies are content with the main characters, a few backgrounds and that it, period. It also doesn't help that there has been a LOT of extreme negative backlash on the fandom's part when changes are made to the show or something happens that they feel "ruins" the show. Princess Twilight for example....Oh my GOSH that nightmare! Windblade got some hate but it wasn't nearly that bad. Mostly just a super vocal minority that went out of their way VS a majority of the fandom foaming at the mouth in anger. Hasbro may even be playing it safe to be honest.

Overall the FIM fandom really does hate OCs. Everything from their cutie marks, what breed they are, and even what colors they can have all have to line up perfectly with the style and canon of the show or it's a "mary-sue" or "pony generator trash". There was one background pony in one episode of S4. Something about the Make-A-Wish Foundation and thus a sick kid's pony persona was put in the show. I can't tell you how many nasty or otherwise negative comments I've seen regarding the poor kid's character.

I've learned there are plenty of nice bronies, those people that said mean horrible stuff about the Make-a-Wish pony are just horrible people period. and its always nasty trolls that ruin things for everyone.


I have no idea how G.I. Joe is faring, I can't remember the last time I've seen a toy since the movie came out

[Chaosette]

It's perfectly obvious, to me anyway, why they would never do this for MLP. The fan base for generation 4 is incredibly controversial,  and divided, considering the vast amount of  Bronies is almost proportionally greater than the amount of kids who watch the show. So, if they were creating a fan character, they'd have to decide if it was going to be created for kids (whom the show was originally created for and who still dictate the majority of the content to this day) or to the Bronies. what the Bronies would request would likely be difficult to consolidate into a kids show, and what the kids would request would never satisfy the Brony fans. There are a few of us who consider ourselves fans of G4, as adults who aren't bronies but we are a very tiny minority compared to the other two fan bases I mentioned. It's not going to happen, and I personally would never want it to. It wouldn't be appropriate for the show, in my opinion. Besides, the kids love the main characters and the Bronies have the background characters. I think that's a pretty good compromise.

[Shimmer Mist]

I'm curious to know how G.I. Joe is currently faring.  It feels like that they're doing worse than both MLP and Transformers.

Anyways, I do wonder if part of the problem of trying to do a fanbase created character for MLP has to do with how fractured the fanbase is.  You have the bronies who don't care about the G4 toys at all; the G1 collectors who collect only G1; etc.

G.I Joe is in the toilet right now. Just last year or the year before was the 50th anniversary of the franchise.  50! Half a flipping century and Hasbro hardly celebrated it at all! The official Joe convention hadn't even announced whether or not it was going to put up orders for their tickets and there was like one piddly little anniversary set of teeny figures that were TRU exclusives. On top of that they were off-the-wall characters I've never even heard of. I think the next Joe film has either been cancelled or pushed really far back. In favor of Jem, I think. It's a shame it was sort of ignored as it's not like hasbro doesn't like celebrating anniversaries for their franchises.  The Transformers' 30th anniversary this year was a HUGE deal on the other hand. There were special "Thrilling 30" figures. Generations figures actually started living up to its name and did incorporate different generations of transformers, not just updated G1s. Everything from Beast wars, Armada, RID(anime), the IDW comics, even gimmicky figures like Target Masters and Headmasters were revisited. I'm sure they even did something special at Botcon, too, but I don't know what was as I didn't go.

[Al-1701]

G.I. Joe is suffering because it now feels like a mockery of warfare.  Cobra was made into a terrorist group because organized terrorism was a fairly new concept to the general public in the early 80's.  They could do what they like because this wasn't a fight between nations.  It was civilization and freedom against barbarism and oppression.  However, we've been fighting global terror for more than 13 years with the world watching, and G.I. Joe seems infantile in its portrayal of terrorism compared to reality.  Much like when it was discontinued in 1976, G.I. Joe might have to go on indefinite leave again until the geopolitical climate changes and people are more open to its fantastical portrayals of warfare.

However, that's off topic.

Back on topic: anyone else think Equestria Daily might be part of the problem?  I know they rigged one of the Hub's people choice marathons by directing all their readers to the site to vote.  I have to imagine if Hasbro announced something like this pony related, they would direct their readers there and overwhelm the voice of everyone else.

[flyawayraven]

I think if Hasbro saw adult collectors eagerly flocking to the new gens and snapping up the toys, then yes we would get a similar contest. But the majority of us, or so it appears, strongly prefer the older gens and have rather vocally in the past told Hasbro as such. Most of the money in collectible ponies is wrapped up in trading and selling G1, products that are ancient history to Hasbro at this point. They don't really have any say on the market value of G1's so they could not care less about collectors.

But if we suddenly ran out and started buying up G4 ponies? They'd notice because that's a sudden influx of money in their pocket. I think the reason they cater to bronies is that they're actively out there loudly promoting and buying the brand, whereas collectors are just overall "meh" on G4. If you were a company out to make money, you'd be tripping over yourself to hold the attention of free advertising and fresh brand loyalty.

I think Hasbro knows they've lost the collector market, and frankly they don't care. We don't make them enough money to bother with us. They're probably also trying to actively distance themselves from the brony community as more and more of the dirty underbelly comes to light. If you're trying to lure young girls and their families into buying your products, having an association in your audience's mind with the creepy comic book guy stereotype will NOT win you buyers.