You now have complete control over the MLP franchise, design a new generation

[Dreamer]

Includes toy line and media (cartoons, games, comics...)

Have fun 

[Rika_of_Thunder]

i'm sick right now so this is like... extremely rough, but if i were in charge i'd give the ponies a more cute/dainty appearance (cuter and daintier than this lol), with slightly more detailed designs. i'd give the whole series a kinda dreamlike nostalgia feel, a sorta timeless vibe like calico critters

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[cola]

I have to be honest, I would just make G2 again. Maybe make them a little stumpier like G3. I would probably create something really similar to LPS, like a lot of Y2K-esc abstract buildings, everything is pastel or brightly colored. Maybe something like the friendship garden's gimmick from early G2? Like, connectable fences or some sort of obvious interactive play between them.

There would be way too many gimmicks as well. Every gimmick imaginable that I like at least lol. Flocking, tinsel, butterfly wings- just all the gimmicks.  Seasonal/themed gimmicks would be fun- like every Halloween we could get a different toy theme and playset. Like let's say, a graveyard one year, a haunted castle the next, etc. New ponies, new merch for every wave of toys etc. oh and bring back fashion packs, I could get into a pony closet situation. Vampire costume, ugly sweater, aprons, tutus...y'know the works.

maybe a cartoon, but i think it would just be something really similar to TYT or Tales. It wouldn't have a solid cast- I would probably just cycle through characters a lot. I'd at least have most ponies made put as background characters. Uhh no real plot lol, it'd be slice of life/drama. Comics and other media would be the same. lots of songs

The tone would be really, really understated and casual. yes they're neon horses who bake cookies and play hopscotch. they like that kind of thing. all the critical thinking would be put into the story telling not the world building.

i guess that is it oh wait uh, no babies and no obvious gender divide in design. sorry baby pony fans. Pink is a neutral I think

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Ponies that look like a cross between G2 and G3.  They should all come with download codes so that you can download stickers/background pieces  for playsets.  They could also come with download codes for 3-printed accessories or playsets.  Give the consumers more access to DIY licensing - files to use in their Cricut machine, files for sewing machine embroidery, plushie patterns, etc. 

[brightberry]

I would stick to what basic fun is doing with new pony designs. Maybe a video game Animal Jam style.

[Taffeta]

This is a hard tug between what my own childhood nostalgia says and an awareness of how the world has changed.

The line would definitely have variety attached. I don't know whether I would want a TV series as such with a 'core cast'. But I think it would be cute if each package had a QR code to access an online animated short for the character just purchased. Ponies should be brushable, irrespective of gender, and should come with a brush and a ribbon. Sorry, that's base line for me

I would obviously like a style of pony closer to G1, but it doesn't have to emulate G1 exactly. Just better proportions and a more appealing countenance than "I hit my face on a door" (G5).

I'd also like to see variety of species. So maybe adults, maybe babies, but not just earth, unicorn, pegasus. I don't want detachable wings, they should be part of the pony *lol*. That said, I'm not against a 'fairy' type species with changeable wings.

I'd probably begin with 2 earth, 2 pegasus, 2 unicorn and then expand each line out. Maybe repeating a character here and there but only to overlap one release (like we see with Cherries Jubilee/So Soft Cherries Jubilee) and then a new one.

Lots of colours. No dark pink packaging. I think lighter colours - white, blue, etc - present the colours better.

As for the world.

Years ago I wrote a backstory for the history of ponyland *lol* probably inspired by Mimic's episode and the 'first unicorn' mythology. I like the idea of a fantasy type world rather than slice of life. I like them each having their own magic irrespective of their species, and also their symbols don't have to reflect their fate. I dislike those concepts.

I don't really like how the G1 animation strips the earth ponies of the magic on their backcard stories. It's one of my main bugbears with the show, compared to the comic.

Comics? Yes, but I think having a digital option as well would be good.

Blind bags? Possibly. I'm thinking for friends/pets/etc rather than actual ponies, though. I don't need ponyland to be only ponies, but no humans unless fantasy related (witches, wizards, merpeople, ok - people being flown over from our world, not ok! LOL)


But having said all of that, if a series was going to happen, it would be fun to have a pony from "modern day no magic world" fall through a mirror (an archaic magic mirror in an abandoned castle, perhaps?) and end up in 'the past' pony realm.

I don't want to reprise anything from G1. But I don't see why a future generation couldn't start after G1 and go back to a world before it. Or a world between MLP Friends and Tales.

I just came up with all of that on the spot so if it doesn't make sense, I apologise xD.

[Shaiyeh]

Ponies that look like a cross between G2 and G3.  They should all come with download codes so that you can download stickers/background pieces  for playsets.  They could also come with download codes for 3-printed accessories or playsets.  Give the consumers more access to DIY licensing - files to use in their Cricut machine, files for sewing machine embroidery, plushie patterns, etc. 

I love this idea a lot!!

[PinkieLopBun]

I'd probably do something like G3. I don't know what I'd do exactly other than not make it an exact copy, but it's easily my favorite gen and I'd love to see something like it again!

[DreamvalleyMLP]

Toys:

1. a mix between flutters, sweetheart sisters, the feathered hooves of the boys, with the identifiable G1/G3 style head sculpt for the "main toyline"
2. bring back the petites; expand this line, because the small sized pony figures allows for elaborate playset buildings that are still afforable and storable due to size
3. DIY pony building: blank ponies to design and decorate, with removable hair plugs and tails

Media:

1. A mix between G1 RaMC, Winx, W.I.T.C.H., Harry Potter, Chevaliers du zodiaque
2. A total ban on "teaparty gone wrong because a cupcake went missing" storylines

[Ponybookworm]

Their physical shape would resemble real ponies or horses, but with longer hair, because BRUSHABLE, & their colours would be rainbow colours, mixed with white. Not TOO much pink, there'd be males with slight but noticeable differences from the females (we could even have beards on adult males). And since we're in this day & age, some Ponies who are neither male nor female, again with a slight difference.
There would be younger Ponies of several age groups, including babies, toddlers, tweens, & teens. There would be Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, Sea Ponies, & some kind of fairy Pony (I love the Breezies & the butterfly wings on the Wingers). There would be pets, playsets, friends of other kinds of animal, & some kind of gnomes or elves & fairies who could all interact with the Ponies.
Variety & collectability would be the focus, & any QR codes would be linked to videos or downloadable images, artworks, colouring pages, & background scenes. 3D printing options would be included for accessories, with the Pony website giving options to "print for you" for a small materials & postage fee, plus enough to pay the supervising workers. I totally agree with clothing patterns being made available too.
Their world would be magical, & feature adventures & challenges as the Ponies explore the world. No silly "tea parties all the time". Each Pony would have their own character, magic, & colour scheme. The symbol would be there, but not in the "Friendship Is Magic" way of restricting a Pony's career choice. There would be groups of Ponies with particular themes & gimmicks, but not outright gimmick for gimmick's sake (yep glow in the dark, nope pocket on one hip). Articulation maybe, but not at the expense of looking pleasant or feeling uncomfortable in the hand.
Minis, yep, with their own mini playsets, but not at the expense of the normal-sized Ponies (3 inches is too small, so I'd go for at least 4). Plushies, yep, some.
Bring it back to building the world for your Ponies to live in. That's one of my fave parts of collecting

[Carrehz]

Rika, that design is TOO CUTE!! I would totally buy it!

Great ideas so far everyone <3 Let's see, what would I do...

Not sure what I'd have them look like. I guess G1s are my favourite so something like G1/G3? But then I also adore G2s, and G4s grew on me, so... Let's just set aside specifics or we'll be here all day But certainly I would NOT give them the way-too-human faces that G5 has. (G4s are very stylized too, but at least they're stylized *consistently*? I'm not sure how to put it. G5s have a horsey-ish body but very flat, human/Elsafaces, they just look weird together. The stylization used for G4 is a bit more... cohesive, maybe? IDK I know what I mean but I'm not sure how to properly explain it)

One of my favourite things about G1 is the VARIETY, not just in designs/characters/etc but also in pony sizes/body types. Big Brothers are different to Sweetheart Sisters, which are different to Flutters and Wingers... Etc etc. I mean look at this old pic I took:

Spoiler

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The first 9 ponies are all from the same gen and they're all different sizes etc, but still easily recognizable as all being part of the same toyline. So I'd bring that back and have lots of sublines with ponies of all different shapes and sizes. Heck, that answers the question of "but I love G2 too.." because then we could have some that were tall and lithe like G2s/SHS/G4 princesses/etc too! ^_^

Boys are a MUST. Personally I love that the Big Brothers and Mountain Boys are big shire horses with feathered hooves, but then I also like androgyny? IDK I'm torn, I'm not always into the "Girls look like THIS, guys look like THAT" brand of cartoon sexual dimorphism, but then also I don't really mind how MLP usually does it (at least for G1... not a fan of the square-headed G4 boys really.. but with G1, yes the boys were usually bigger and had feathered hooves, but they still had long hair and were pink and such), so... mmmhhh... Well I definitely want beautiful shire horses with feathering. I love how MLPs look with feathering :3 Not *all* G1 boys were in the BB moulds though so... perhaps I'd go with that then. Some of the boys could be in "boy moulds" and some would be in the same moulds as the girls, and vice versa.

Family sets would come back, not just mum/baby pairs but also dads, brothers, etc. Same amount and variety of baby ponies as G1 had. I like how G2 and the G1 Family Friends handled symbols for families, where they have similar/connected/related-but-still-different symbols, so I'd probably go with that.

BOYS HAVE LONG HAIR. Full stop! Everyone does! They're brushable horses, that's the point!! NO moulded hair, at least not on the main line, and certainly no stupid troll hair or mohawks for the boys (because boys need to have short hair right, that's how you know they're boys?? NO WAY. We're not doing that).

Lots of variety for species/breeds - Earth/Uni/Peg of course, but also winged unicorns, sea ponies, merponies, flutters, fairies like Wingers/Breezies/etc, bat ponies, etc etc. I'd also like to bring back Pony Friends, not necessarily make them a focus but they'd be _there_. None of this "only ponies have symbols" nonsense either. Hippogriffs would also be there, I think, I liked the G4 toys they made of those, I just wished they had symbols!

I don't have a good eye for playsets... I love them but usually don't collect them. So I can't really comment there. But anything that was an actual _playset_ and not just a boring facade, like most of the G4 playsets, would be nice. Cola - I like your idea of connectable buildings. The idea of being able to mix 'n' match things to create YOUR OWN Ponyland is really appealing to me.

Ponies need pets! More pony pets please. That's something G2 and G3 were sorely lacking... G4 started off strong by including little critters with most of the early releases, but it'd be nice if they had names too, like the G1 pets all did :> I don't need them *all* to have pets, but I want some critters around!

I really enjoyed G3 Ponyville, and I liked the G4 blind bags in general - my problem with them was that eventually, they focused all their creativity on those instead of the main line. The brushables should ALWAYS be the focus of the line. So I would have a sideline of small, moulded-mane ponies (probably blind bagged since those are popular right now, but either way), but they would always be IN ADDITION to the main brushie line and shouldn't surpass it. Ideally you'd be able to collect all or at least most characters in both sizes, but there wouldn't be any Moulded Mane exclusive characters.

Speaking of characters - I'm neutral on if I'd have a core set of recurring characters or not; I suppose it depends on how we do the connected media. I think recurring characters are easier and more appealing to work with for cartoons, comics etc so maybe? mmm... probably closer to how MLP and Friends did it - there are recurring/more 'major' characters, and there's more consistency with characters than how the G1 toons did it (no one's going to suddenly vanish after one movie), but no Main Six or Core Seven, exactly. Characters can be re-released, preferably in new poses so as to encourage and justify getting them again (it's not a duplicate if they're different to the original release!), but not ALL THE TIME. I.e. G3 Minty had a lot of releases, but she wasn't in every. single. line. That's how I'd like to handle re-releases. There should always be a lot of variety in character designs and availability.

Symbols would have no meaning to them. I think that idea is interesting but ultimately too limiting (as far as I know G4 never really explored the concept or did much with it...) so we'll just throw out any notion of them being representative of Destiny or what-have-you.

Pink is great! I love pink! But not EVERYTHING needs to be pink. For every so-pink-it-hurts girlytwirly pony, let's have one that's entirely different in colour. More neutral colours like grey, brown, pastels, neons, etc. So yes we have prettily pink ponies, but we also have every other colour (and colour combo!) under the rainbow too! It'd be nice to see them try a more neutral colour scheme for the packaging, too.

Different poses/moulds are an absolute MUST. If we're not looking at the range of poses that G1 and G3 had, I don't wanna know!

As for media... pretty much if you can give me something akin to the G1 series, especially RaMC, I'm game. More consistency in continuity, characters, etc, and a bit more variety in character design would be nice (doesn't have to be big - just little things like different hairstyles, etc). I prefer adventure stories to tea parties and schools. they live in a fantasy world with fairies, gnomes, centaurs, wizards, Bushwoolies, etc, no basically-human-society-but-with-ponies stuff. I can see that in any other show, I don't want it with my ponies I don't mind if we have some visitors to Ponyland, I like the Williams kids... but the main focus is always on the ponies. We can have low-key/silly/whatever stories too, they don't ALL need to be big epic high-stakes adventures, but again, let's not have them be humans-in-pony-bodies.

Aaaand that's all I can think of for now Oh, I love everyone's ideas re: make-your-own ponies too. I don't have anything much to add to that, but I think there's real untapped potential there.

[gabumon]

Variety. Like Pokémon levels of variety!  I think for a change maybe make the stubby lil ponies. Shaped like G1 twins. 
Maybe if they make show have the main cast be kids with only a few adults around?

[lalalei2001]

I feel like I would mix all the different gen ideas and concepts if I was able <3

[Strawberry Swirl]

OH I'm so glad this thread made its way to me because I've been envisioning my own pony generation for the longest time.
So long in fact that I have a handful of full colour drawings sitting on my tablet just waiting for me to post them... but that ain't gonna happen until I finish all the ones in the set.

The first thing that would change is that the whole thing won't be centered around a small handful of "main cast" characters, no-sirr-ee. Instead, many different characters are featured in both the toy line and TV show. There will be some recurring ones, sure, but overall the variety of ponies will be vastly improved to what we've gotten from the last two gens.

Something that I think would be fun to have on the side is characters returning from previous gens, made into toys using the current (aka MINE) moulds. I'm thinking there would be two poses for each of the 3 races; two unicorn, two earth, two pegasus. At least to start! And then as time goes on and my gen is hopefully well received, new ones could be made either to join the regulars or to be reserved for special releases. Like, how cool would it be to have convention exclusives be a couple of the more popular ponies but in a completely unique pose?

Lore-wise, the main pony "hub" where most of the stuff happens is largely self governing. That means there's no royalty or kingdoms in this incarnation, however, one idea I had was to take inspiration from Dream Beauties and from the Warriors novels in the form of more realistic horse-looking ancestors that the ponies can communicate with. Whether it's to ask for advice, to vent, or for any reason really, these celestial figures act as role models and similarly to village elders for the characters.

But that's not all for unique characters that play a particular role in the storytelling; winger and flutter ponies both make a return in the form of small, pixie-type creatures that care for both the fauna and flora of this world. Flutter ponies are in charge of all plant life, with their leader being similar to the Queen in a hive of bees, she trains and instructs her followers on how to do their jobs. Wingers function much the same way, but instead with all animals. The difference here being the methods in which either clans operate. The Winger queen is more like the sergeant to an army, a hardheaded no-nonsense sort of gal that rules with an iron fist. She can be real scary but she's also a big softie on the inside, a fact that she guards like her life depends on it... the Flutter pony queen resents this manner of leadership and thus takes on a more gentle approach. There's a sort of rivalry between the two clans because of this difference in opinion, but at the end of the day both sides must work together to keep the world in balance.


There's probably a lot more than I'm forgetting atm but there ya go

[Mrs. Prospector]

Ooooooh…I’ve been thinking about this ever since Pony Life was announced!!

So basically, the ponies look like this. I think it would be cool if the three main species all had unique body types. Unicorns are tall and thin, earth ponies are short and stout, and pegasi are somewhere in between. The unicorn horns have a pearlescent coating on them! Also they have tiny little shapes inside their eyes like the G3s do.

Flutter Ponies, Sea Ponies, Crystal Ponies, Changelings, Kirin, Bat Ponies and more would also have more limited run lines. There would only be two Alicorns-Celestia and Luna, some of the few characters returning from G4.

The toyline would go back to  MLP’s roots and be all about variety. I imagine there being a “basic” line of ponies without any gimmicks that gets 3-4 waves released per year. There will also be side lines with more gimmicks-it’s been 40 years, So Softs need to come back! Holiday ponies will also make a comeback. The main characters of the show get re-released in some form each year for newcomers, but they will make up a small percentage of all the MLP releases.

The ponies have turning heads, but no other articulation. They come in a variety of poses. They are around the same size as G3s, and made out of a similar material to the Basic Fun ponies. They have nylon hair, and different ponies have different styles-some long, some short, some straight, some curly, some with forelocks, some without. The symbols are on both sides! I think it would be cool if the magnets were brought back, but I know they were stopped because of safety reasons so it might not be possible. Standard ponies come packaged with a brush, a small accessory relating to their personality, and a collector card with information about them.

Blind bags exist, but they are a side line and not the main focus. What I think could be a cool new variety of a pony is a “my size”  pony-about 3-4 feet tall, so kids can actually sit on them!

As for the show..I’ve been working on the lore for like 4 years now!

The show is a fantasy adventure series in the vein of G1, although there are still more light episodes between the epic adventures. I want to channel the kind of out-there adventures a child might dream up when playing with their ponies, but in a more in-depth way.  I’d like for the emotional intelligence of G4 to remain, and although the show promotes positive values through its stories, there’s no spelled-out morals and Friendship isn’t used as an all powerful weapon.

The animation style would be a lineless 2D style like the intro of A New Generation. I think it’s a really pretty style and is distinct from any other MLP generation. Every episode has at least 1 song, and it really leans into being a full-on musical instead of a story with songs clumsily forced in.

As for the story-here’s the summary I wrote:

“What happens on the other side of the rainbow? If you dare to cross, where no human has ever crossed before, you’ll reach the end of earth’s horizon and stumble upon a new land. This land, called Dream Valley, is home to all the magical creatures you thought you only heard about in storybooks. Dragons, griffons, trolls, and leprechauns are just some of the fantastical creatures that call Dream Valley home. However, the most elusive and magical beings in the land are the colorful ponies that inhabit the three kingdoms in the center of the land. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies each inhabit their own kingdoms, surrounding the Everfree, a gloomy forest lost to time.
   These ponies were descended from two beautiful horses with both large feathered wings and long shimmering horns. These two mystical mares were known as Celestia and Luna, two twin sisters who founded the land millennia ago as a way to take refuge from the danger life on earth put these creatures in. They now reside within the bodies of the sun and moon themselves, but their philosophy of all creatures living in safety and harmony would remain. For years to come, the ponies were in charge of carrying out that philosophy.
   However, somewhere among all those years, the ponies got into a rare conflict. The Everfree Forest, which sits in between Alicornia, Cirrostrata, and Gardenia, was the only patch of land to remain from the reign of Discord, a mischievous, mismatched spirit created from pure chaotic magic. In this forest, the most despicable forces known find their home, dangerous wildlife thrives, and wild magic fills the murky green air. The three kingdoms, seeking to continue to bring harmony to Dream Valley, desired to take control of the Everfree Forest, but had a little squabble over which kingdom it would belong to. Eventually, the argument got out of hand, and the three kingdoms signed a treaty to never speak of it again. From that day on, the three kingdoms thrived on their own, and as the years went by, the three tribes gradually forgot about each other’s existence. Despite this, Dream Valley as a whole remained largely at peace…

That is, until the Unicorn Queen Majesty’s apprentice,  a young mage named Glory’s, magical mishap accidentally summons Lord Tirac, the manifestation of all evil, who seeks to transform the land into his corrupted vision. Since Tirac is far too dangerous and powerful for the unicorns to take on their own, Glory, seeks to remedy this mistake, but loses all hope until a spunky pegasus named Firefly crash-lands in her isolated forest kingdom.  Glory’s eyes are opened up to a whole new world, and the three kingdoms might just realize that they aren’t as different as they thought, and they soon make up and become friends, and help defend their kingdoms from foes of harmony, and help other creatures carry on the magic that makes Dream Valley thrive.”

I see this series as a tribute to MLP’s entire history. Characters and concepts from all generations are incorporated to and expanded upon in this series. There isn’t a main “squad” of characters, but there are ponies who are more important to the story than others-different story arcs focus on different ponies. Glory is the overall main character of the series, and she, Firefly, and Posey make up the “marketable” trio. Most of the main characters are G1 ponies-I know this is a bit hypocritical since I’ve gone at length about how I don’t want them to reuse the Mane 6 in future generations. However, it’s been so long since these characters have been in the spotlight, and I think many are interesting characters that could be explored more in depth, so I think they deserve their due time.

I could talk at length about my ideas for toys and my worldbuilding and characters for the show—I might need to make my own thread!