New 35th Anniversary Collector Ponies Spotted! Pics!

[Reena]

I really wish that these would come to the UK. I would love to collect a full set! Am I right in thinking that they are not made by Hasbro?

I asked around via email to all the big companies and supermarkets but only got three replies. :/ Argos doesn't know, ASDA won't and the department store Fenwick said maybe. *sighs*

Ooooh! There is a Fenwick in the town I work in....I'm going to email them too and keep my fingers crossed!

Thanks for the legwork Bewilderbeast

[Aurora]

soooo.......I picked up Blossom today, in hopes of giving it to an acquaintance (still heavily debating on going through with it, even after I giftwrapped it and all). But when I asked th Target employee if the 20% off sale included the g1 ponies, as they advertised (20% ALL MLP merch), he said no. I feel jipped. All MLP merch means ALL MLP merch. g1 ponies/ g4 movie and all. ALL.

Take the receipt, advertisement, and your best firm smile back to talk to a manager.
That endcap will have it's own unique "C" part of the DPCI. (Department, Class, Item). The class belongs to those reproductions, and though any employee should have been able to read the ad and make an adjustment, most don't like to do it without a manager.

You don't need to take the pony back, just the paperwork. You are right, and a manager or decent customer service person will help.

They are just following what the computer tells them, don't take it personally. In computer world, those aren't ponies. They are repro-endcap items.

[Aurora]

Instead of a complete different set, I'd like for them to release a set of iconic ponies from a bunch of different sets. So like one Twinkle Eye (either Fizzy or Mimic), and one So Soft (either North Star or Lofty) and one Sparkle (Sky Rocket?) and one Perfume Puff (Red Roses), and so on.

This would be the most money-makingest thing ever! If they re-released all the ponies that are on eveyone's wishlist, I would buy them. Like, they happened to pick up that one specefic flier, the one with ALL THE PONIES, Rapunzel, the birthday girls, the TAF babies... I would just camp at Target!

[Leave a Whisper]

Instead of a complete different set, I'd like for them to release a set of iconic ponies from a bunch of different sets. So like one Twinkle Eye (either Fizzy or Mimic), and one So Soft (either North Star or Lofty) and one Sparkle (Sky Rocket?) and one Perfume Puff (Red Roses), and so on.

YES!

[Taffeta]

Ok. My bad. I can be literal sometimes. Although the image of  cosplaying pony fans with rainbow placards outside of Hasbro hq is a funny image.

And  no harm in writing to them. I was serious about that.

[Sunset]

I think the problem with getting us collectors mobilized in one direction is that we all have a different idea of what direction we want to go.  There was no "core" ponies in g1 and so even just picking which ponies to focus on would be difficult.  Then there is the fact that most g1 aren't *really* that hard to get a hold of.  I.e. I'd be excited to see a Gusty new in store and might even buy it.  But I'm not super passionate about it because I already have a vintage one.

The bronies have a different set of circumstances.  They have the show to unify the vision of what they want and what they want often at least dovetails with Hasbro's current line.  It would be a whole lot harder to get Hasbro to change gears and focus on something that doesn't advance their vision for their current line.

[Taffeta]

Adding to what Sunset said so much better than me, we're also talking about long dead generations which, though successful in their day, and nostalgic, and fond favourites for us, aren't in Hasbro's scheme of production.

The Takara ponies were not especially successful, are not (as I think LM said) really nostalgic in the MLP sense, and while popular with a niche set of collectors, aren't really fond favourites. I think that so long as we don't see hide or hair of ponies like Gusty in these kind of releases, there's no chance of anything more diverse.

Takara ponies are also designed and made to be sold to a Japanese market. The expense of trying to work that out to do a global release on a questionable brand isn't going to appeal to Hasbro's pockets.

I did think the other day it would be nice if Hasbro did a set with original Applejack, Bright Bramley, G3 Applejack and G4 applejack. I know BB isn't really an Applejack, but she has to be kin...and G3 Applejack stands out. But that really would mark out 35 years. The first ponies (aside from being 1982) only mark out, well, 1982...and I guess the reissued mail orders or whatever the UK did with them.

I think they'd do better with iconic ponies, but I don't understand really why 35th anniversary of MLP has to limit itself to G1. I am pretty sure 25th Anniversary did something with G3 at the time...but we've never had a truly allencompassing set.

Or maybe the Mane 6 as G1 style or G3 style and their alleged base ponies in G4 style and them something with G2 style... I dunno. Just something to mark out the whole span of pony, rather than just what happened at the beginning.

[Lilja]

The first TAF set might actually be a good candidate for reproduction. I know most collectors would prefer the second set, but the first set is probably among the more recognizable for those who grew up in the 80s. They appeared in the middle of G1's run in the US (whether you were early or late on the MLP hype train, there's a good chance you saw them), they were sold worldwide and they introduced an aesthetic that spread to a lot of other sets. They weren't in the cartoon, but appeared on a lot of merchandise. They don't have any gimmicks that are difficult to reproduce. The only drawback for Bridge Direct might be that they'd have to recreate five different molds to make the set.

If they went with a reproduction of the TAF babies instead, they'd only need three molds. These would be in high demand by collectors and the designs would still be recognizable to most G1 nostalgics. Might actually not be a bad idea! The question is if they would reproduce them just as they were, or switch around the species to match their parents.

[Leave a Whisper]

The first TAF set might actually be a good candidate for reproduction. I know most collectors would prefer the second set, but the first set is probably among the more recognizable for those who grew up in the 80s. They appeared in the middle of G1's run in the US (whether you were early or late on the MLP hype train, there's a good chance you saw them), they were sold worldwide and they introduced an aesthetic that spread to a lot of other sets. They weren't in the cartoon, but appeared on a lot of merchandise. They don't have any gimmicks that are difficult to reproduce. The only drawback for Bridge Direct might be that they'd have to recreate five different molds to make the set.

If they went with a reproduction of the TAF babies instead, they'd only need three molds. These would be in high demand by collectors and the designs would still be recognizable to most G1 nostalgics. Might actually not be a bad idea! The question is if they would reproduce them just as they were, or switch around the species to match their parents.

Ooh! I would LOVE to have Baby Up Up and Away and Baby Sweet Tooth! Though I personally am veeery picky about TAFs.

[Sunset]

The first TAF set might actually be a good candidate for reproduction. I know most collectors would prefer the second set, but the first set is probably among the more recognizable for those who grew up in the 80s. They appeared in the middle of G1's run in the US (whether you were early or late on the MLP hype train, there's a good chance you saw them), they were sold worldwide and they introduced an aesthetic that spread to a lot of other sets. They weren't in the cartoon, but appeared on a lot of merchandise. They don't have any gimmicks that are difficult to reproduce. The only drawback for Bridge Direct might be that they'd have to recreate five different molds to make the set.

If they went with a reproduction of the TAF babies instead, they'd only need three molds. These would be in high demand by collectors and the designs would still be recognizable to most G1 nostalgics. Might actually not be a bad idea! The question is if they would reproduce them just as they were, or switch around the species to match their parents.

Speaking of making molds.  We know from HQGQC how expensive that can be.  I wonder if Bridge Direct is up to doing that or if they just planned the one mold.  Like aren't the Strawberry Shortcake dolls all just the same base with different hair and paint?  I wonder if the "and MORE" weren't  meant to be Peachy and Lemon drop.

[Aurora]

Or Birthflowers!

[Sunset]

Or Birthflowers!

I actually think the birth flowers would be s good idea.  Especially if they did the alternate ones.

[LadyMoondancer]

I'd love it if they made a set of TAF babies where the babies matched the breed of their mom, i.e. a Baby Sweet Tooth who is an earth pony.

I also feel the 1st set of TAFs would be a great set that would sell well.  The 2nd set is harder to find but also . . . uh . . . not as pretty IMO.

I think the alternate birthflowers would be a good choice.  The US birthflowers are too copycat;  kind of takes away from the "collect them all!" thing when they're all the exact same color and pose.

I'll bet the first set of princesses would sell well too.

Taffeta, I love the idea of a multi-generational "apple" set!  So cute!

Also agree with Sunset that there's no unifying 'vision' among G1 collectors.  I do think midnight_dream has a point, that we would have more leverage as a community if we all acted together.  But it's hard because people collect for diverse reasons, they all have different favorites, and the two G1 TV shows are not what DEFINE G1, (unlike G1 Transformers where everyone wants Starscream and Soundwave released a million times because they were such a staple of the G1 show).

[Taffeta]

Again the caveat that right now I would just be happy if stuff came out in the UK for once.

BUT there are rerelease ponies I would want to go out to import and ones I wouldn't. Problem is, the US can't do them, because they don't know how to. I mean things like Pearl and her dragon which is iconic to me but we live in a world where UK sold merchandise can't even get Amethyst's name right and she's forever condemned to be Sparkle, her own identity here gone forever. So that will never happen. It's sad when I think of the things that I would love to see...and know I never will even if we get other stuff.

BUT in reality, we should be looking not so much at what individuals want but what several people would find buyable, in order to bolster Hasbro's view of it as a viable market option to do from time to time.

So nice as it would be to get remade mail orders in different poses or ponies that were never released like the Celestials, more realistic is probably the more iconic ponies, or maybe a collection of one from each set (sold in different boxes maybe, but examples, for example, a Twinkle Eye, a TAF, a Rainbow...a unicorn, an earth, a pegasus...a flutter. I think someone mentioned something like this earlier, but it would be cool.

Although I would adore a Paradise with no fur. Who needs fur, right?

[LadyMoondancer]

If you knew how much I wished for 'normal' versions of the So-Softs as a kid.  IF YOU KNEW.

Incidentally, there is an ad in a French magazine that implies that the first set of Rainbow ponies will be rereleased.  (Not sure if by The Bridge Direct or by someone else . . . It showed pictures of retro SSC dolls on the same page, does TBD produce them in France?)

I saw it on Facebook but I couldn't figure out who posted it originally so I couldn't ask for permission to share it . . . But anyway it's from a toy magazine called La Revue du Jouet (which I think translates into something like "The Journal of Play") and it shows Windy, Sunlight, and Skydancer (out of package).

It says:

“Portés par la sortie du film aux cinema, les petits poneys prétérés de notre enfance arrivent dans les rayons!”

Which seems to translate into something roughly like:

“On the heels of their cinema film [I assume this refers to the MLP FIM movie], the long awated Little Ponies of our childhood arrive on the shelves!”