The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: faespirit on December 22, 2018, 07:09:30 PM
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Lately, I've wanted to know about the G4 Sweetie Blue protoype pony after recently receiving my first G4 prototype. When was she "released" on Taobao? Has she ever been for sale? How much would she be worth? Was she a variant of a released pony or originally supposed to be her own character. Also if you are lucky to own her, I would especially love, love, love to see pictures of her as there is not much of her on the Internet. :frolic:
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While I can't help you with exact chronology, from what I remember the pony you're referring to was one of the earlier TaoBao finds. They're also probably not prototypes, but bootlegs or grey market variants. Pretty much all TaoBao ponies were produced explicitly for direct consumer sale, where a prototype generally refers to a single or small run of ponies - often partially finished or handmade - that were created at the behest of Hasbro to see what the toy would look like before committing to a full production run.
If there are more than a handful of something, it's probably not a genuine prototype.
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While I can't help you with exact chronology, from what I remember the pony you're referring to was one of the earlier TaoBao finds. They're also probably not prototypes, but bootlegs or grey market variants.
Eh.
I feel like not all ponies that hit taobao go for sale on there for the same reason, especially in the earlier days.
When this pony was on taobao, a lot of the other ponies popping up at the time would eventually hit retail shelves.
This pony has way more in common with the big eye / duo hair color muffin pony, minty without the black around her symbol (ponies that were Hasbro's but got modified before final production.) I think it's most likely a factory extra that didn't make it to production. /but that is only my speculation/. There's no reason to think at that time the Chinese people would copy a blind bag pony exactly -- and the design surely didn't come out of no where.
Here is a youtube post about her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ua-yUI9NM
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She's cute. I'm a sucker for ponies with cake on them!! Creamy creamy frosting.
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I thought she was a special small run made by Hasbro that they knew would never go to full production, and gave the handful of those made ou to employees at some company event?
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Eh.
I feel like not all ponies that hit taobao go for sale on there for the same reason, especially in the earlier days.
You are of course entitled to feel any way you want, but the reason why ponies are sold on TaoBao is because they know they'll sell for good money (relative to how much a factory/worker can get per piece to the legitimate owner of the product.) Nothing coming from TaoBao is sold with the consent of Hasbro, which makes them by definition 'bootleg'.
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Eh.
I feel like not all ponies that hit taobao go for sale on there for the same reason, especially in the earlier days.
You are of course entitled to feel any way you want, but the reason why ponies are sold on TaoBao is because they know they'll sell for good money (relative to how much a factory/worker can get per piece to the legitimate owner of the product.) Nothing coming from TaoBao is sold with the consent of Hasbro, which makes them by definition 'bootleg'.
I was talking about the reason the pony produced, not why they show up on taobao. (ie some are created by factory workers, some are rejects, and some are pre-production for hasbro that get changed for production -- like minty, or the sdcc pony).
I agree nothing that is sold by taobao is sold with the consent of hasbro -- 100%. I disagree that makes everything a bootleg. I have a different definition. We've already discussed our differences in the past ,and it's not needed to do again.
I think the video explains well enough why I agree that I think this pony was created by Hasbro, but did not make it to production. Which fits what your definition of a prototype is.
where a prototype generally refers to a single or small run of ponies - often partially finished or handmade - that were created at the behest of Hasbro to see what the toy would look like before committing to a full production run.
Although I'm not sure that's the word to use either -- tbh. That's why I stick with 'taobao pony' for these types of things *Shrug*. We will really never know the true story behind it, most likely.
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I think we overuse the term prototype across all the generations, personally. For me prototypes are more the preproduction experimentations, such as the painted or resin g1 ponies or incomplete ones in the possession of production people. Stuff produced as a one off, of which there may be an internal company photo but not ones for which there is an actual production run or wider publicity beyond that stage of the process.For me, those would be a production sample or promotional model. They exist too, but they're the next step in the production process. I don't personally believe there are ever prototypes in multiples, so for me the taobao ones are production samples which ultimately didn't get used for mainstream sale.
Regarding this one particularly, she seems to come up in discussion a lot which in itself is interesting since there are so many different weird ponies that came from taobao for G4. It begs the question why this one more than others...
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Eh.
I feel like not all ponies that hit taobao go for sale on there for the same reason, especially in the earlier days.
You are of course entitled to feel any way you want, but the reason why ponies are sold on TaoBao is because they know they'll sell for good money (relative to how much a factory/worker can get per piece to the legitimate owner of the product.) Nothing coming from TaoBao is sold with the consent of Hasbro, which makes them by definition 'bootleg'.
I was talking about the reason the pony produced, not why they show up on taobao. (ie some are created by factory workers, some are rejects, and some are pre-production for hasbro that get changed for production -- like minty, or the sdcc pony).
I agree nothing that is sold by taobao is sold with the consent of hasbro -- 100%. I disagree that makes everything a bootleg. I have a different definition. We've already discussed our differences in the past ,and it's not needed to do again.
I think the video explains well enough why I agree that I think this pony was created by Hasbro, but did not make it to production. Which fits what your definition of a prototype is.
*headtilt* I thought I did address why they're produced - because they sell well to collectors. Anytime there's a market, generally you'll have business looking to fill that demand. I'm also a bit puzzled on how we can differ on the meaning of bootleg, since it's got a pretty clear definition.
bootleg |ˈbo͞otˌleg|
adjective [ attrib. ]
(esp. of liquor, computer software, or recordings) made, distributed, or sold illegally: bootleg cassettes | bootleg whiskey.
So if it's being made and/or sold without Hasbro's consent, that makes it a bootleg... even if the exact same product or something similar is legitimately sold later.
And for prototypes I wouldn't consider something with more than a few copies a prototype. Pretty sure there are more than 5+ of most of the TaoBaos, and they don't really have any of the other hallmarks of a true prototype either, such as being partially finished, partially handmade or painted, clear variants or progressions on a design, etc.
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I don't accept "the dictionary says!" as a valid argument. That was one that anti-gay-marriage people used for years. "The dictionary says marriage is between a man and a woman, so it CAN'T be between two women or two men!" The dictionary is there to describe how people are using language . . . not to dictate how they use language.
Besides, none of the prototypes make it out of Hasbro "with their consent." There's no way Hasbro ever said "Sure, you can take home that ceramic Baby Explorer!" Everything produced at Hasbro belongs to Hasbro, the company, not the employees. The employees just ignored the fact that it was Hasbro property and snuck them out. (Which I am fine with, Chaotic Good for life.)
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:rolleyes: The definition of 'bootleg' hardly runs into human rights issues, so that's a lovely case of false equivalency you've got there. Yes, language and its definitions change with usage. As far as I'm aware though, there isn't a more appropriate word to use currently. 'Counterfeit' implies an imitation, probably of lesser quality, and an intent to deceive. So does 'forgery'. 'Pirated' has connotations of stolen, or smuggled.
What word would you propose instead?
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Why are you so intense on this word? Start a new topic if you want to discuss this. OP wanted to know about Sweetie Blue.
Again. I was talking about I think this pony was made by Hasbro that didn't get to production. Second time: I don't want to talk about the word bootleg. Why quote me and keep going on about it
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Why are you so intense on this word?
Why are you so adamantly against it? *confused* I would have happily left it at one post, and now I'm asking what would be preferred instead of 'bootleg' @LadyMoondancer. Seriously and un-ironically. If there's a better word please propose it, so we can leave this behind and continue with the topic. I'm definitely not against a different term if there's one that fits better.
As for quoting, I was under the impression that this was generally proper forum etiquette when referring to a portion (but not the entirety) of another person's post, so the context would be clear. Should I not be quoting other posts?
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Why are you so intense on this word?
Why are you so adamantly against it?
Sorry you feel that way. It wasn't my intention. I was against an absolute "all things". Again. I feel a bit different about the definition.
When you quote me when I said "I have a different definition. We've already discussed our differences in the past ,and it's not needed to do again." and you talk about a textbook definition-- I find that being a direct response to me.
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Guys, you're arguing over semantics, here. The thread's about Sweetie Blue, not what exact terminology we should be using for her. :/ Take it to a different thread or settle down already.
Going back on topic... I believe OP asked for some pics of her? :)
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I have no idea when she first turned up on Taobao (I bought mine from another collector a few years ago). I know she was one of the earlier Taobao oddballs. AFAIK she was never officially sold, the only reason we know her name is that she was sold as a blind bag. No idea about worth (I'm not a valuer) but I'll say that mine is probably the most expensive pony in my collection (or the second-most expensive).
I think she's probably popular because she's a unique character! The other Taobao oddballs are all (or mostly) hybrids (like the Trixie/Fluttershy/Rarity hybrid in my sig, "Holly Blue"), alternate hairs, missing paint details, etc. Stuff like that. Sweetie Blue is the only one I can think of that is an entirely original character. (I could be forgetting someone, of course; I'm not an expert on Taobao oddballs. Ooh - I guess there is the yellow unicorn baby, too. But we don't know who she is or if she was meant to be her own character..)
Personally I do think she was intended for release but just... was not, for whatever reason. She's too specific and too "final" to be just some factory workers messing around, or a mistake, or whatever. I've heard the theory that she was made for Hasbro workers and some ended up on Taobao, but I don't know where that story came from, or if its true.
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Guys, you're arguing over semantics, here. The thread's about Sweetie Blue, not what exact terminology we should be using for her. :/ Take it to a different thread or settle down already.
Going back on topic... I believe OP asked for some pics of her? :)
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I have no idea when she first turned up on Taobao (I bought mine from another collector a few years ago). I know she was one of the earlier Taobao oddballs. AFAIK she was never officially sold, the only reason we know her name is that she was sold as a blind bag. No idea about worth (I'm not a valuer) but I'll say that mine is probably the most expensive pony in my collection (or the second-most expensive).
I think she's probably popular because she's a unique character! The other Taobao oddballs are all (or mostly) hybrids (like the Trixie/Fluttershy/Rarity hybrid in my sig, "Holly Blue"), alternate hairs, missing paint details, etc. Stuff like that. Sweetie Blue is the only one I can think of that is an entirely original character. (I could be forgetting someone, of course; I'm not an expert on Taobao oddballs. Ooh - I guess there is the yellow unicorn baby, too. But we don't know who she is or if she was meant to be her own character..)
Personally I do think she was intended for release but just... was not, for whatever reason. She's too specific and too "final" to be just some factory workers messing around, or a mistake, or whatever. I've heard the theory that she was made for Hasbro workers and some ended up on Taobao, but I don't know where that story came from, or if its true.
Thank you carrehz, that's just beautiful and exactly what I wanted to know! I wonder how much of her there is in the world... :blush: She truly is unique because she looks like her own character and it's such a shame that she never was released. There was an auction actually selling her a while back with ridiculous pricing. https://www.ebay.com/itm/My-Little-Pony-g4-Sweetie-Blue-Prototype-Original-Hasbro-2010-RARE-/111937283807?hash=item1a0ffb66df&nma=true&si=irXuX0eTAivjVL300mtYgyfAeLI%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/My-Little-Pony-g4-Sweetie-Blue-Prototype-Original-Hasbro-2010-RARE-/111937283807?hash=item1a0ffb66df&nma=true&si=irXuX0eTAivjVL300mtYgyfAeLI%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557) I never have seen the yellow unicorn for sale though.. Do you recall how much you bought Sweetie Blue for at the time? ( I want to compare prices)
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I don't know if collectors will ever know the answer to this, unless someone at Hasbro tells us. And think of how obscure some of the knowledge from toylines gets, from what we have seen on that show The Toys That Made Us. Sometimes it's only like, ONE person who knows the answer to some question we all have. And any of the marketing and communications people, IF IF IF they knew, would not really be permitted to share this information.
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I never have seen the yellow unicorn for sale though.. Do you recall how much you bought Sweetie Blue for at the time? ( I want to compare prices)
Well, I don't like talking exact figures (in general, I mean, not just for Sweetie... plus tbh I'm not sure of the exact price I paid off-hand anyway, lol), but it was much much MUCH less than the crazy price that auction was asking for ;) I love ponies and all but there's no way in heck I'd pay four figure prices for 'em.
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Do you recall how much you bought Sweetie Blue for at the time? ( I want to compare prices)
I'd say don't compare prices to what people "ask" for on ebay. But expect at the very least she'd be worth a few hundred dollars minimum... I think she has some demand/interest. So that will always keep her price up.
The youtube link I mentioned a private auction from 2014 and while the final price wasn't mentioned, it at least shows a price that someone was willing to pay.