The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: Cyber-Satan on April 24, 2014, 04:28:00 PM
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I am not exactly an expert when it comes to the G4s. I haven't really been keeping up with the recent releases or anything like that, I've just been sticking to the G1s recently but a question that keeps popping into my head about the G4s is this: Why are they so small?!
Here is a photo of the 'progression' of regular pony sizes from G1 to G4. (Excluding G3.5s)
[Apologies for the poor-quality image]
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Here is my question to Hasbro..are the new G4s even playable?
When I was around 6-7, I grew up with G3s. They were easy to pick up and play with - with large castle and bakery sets with interactive accessories. How on earth is making the pony almost 2x smaller make it playable? The ponies are so small that they almost seem to be designed NOT to be played with, but rather to be put on display. This would make sense perhaps to a collector - but not to a child!
I wouldn't say it's a major issue - but the fact that you have to pay MORE for a pony that is larger and has more play value is what bothers me.
Why did they become so small? They are starting to look like the G3 Mini series rather than full sized ponies!
Does anyone else think the same? Or am I just looking a bit to much into it? >_<
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My niece (about 5 now) really likes the "princess size" for playing. She seems to ignore the rest. I think that is the most "playable" size for her hands.
The Fashion Style ponies are a bit too large for her, but that is the size I prefer. :biggrin: The G4Zillas are pretty cool too, I'll admit.
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Probably the main thing is cost. I guess Hasbro thought that people would still buy it even though it was smaller. I feel like the cost of a pony hasn't changed, only how much it cost to make it. I may be wrong, but weren't G3s (and maybe G1s and G2s?) around 5 dollars for one? I guess because of economic reasons, they had to reduce the size of g4s to keep with the 5 dollar price range.
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I always thought it was cost too- now I think that most of the cost has to do with the hair, and maybe packaging, because with the thinner, shorter hair of the Zilla ponies, and minimalist packaging- they are able to sell the Zillas for $9.99 - which is way less than a FS.
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I always thought it was cost too- now I think that most of the cost has to do with the hair, and maybe packaging, because with the thinner, shorter hair of the Zilla ponies, and minimalist packaging- they are able to sell the Zillas for $9.99 - which is way less than a FS.
The FS have accessories too, which adds to the cost as well.
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I haven't seen a Zilla personally so right now I don't know if I even like them
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Because money.
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I have always wondered why to. But at least they don't have super big head like a lot of other toys out there.
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Well when I was little, I happily played with much smaller toys (LPS, Puppy in my Pocket...almost any tiny animal I could find). And what about Polly Pocket? Doesn't get much tinier than her! =P
I wouldn't mind them being slightly bigger but I'm mostly happy with their size. It's cute.
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Because money.
Hammer meets nail. Whatever they do to remain economically viable and keep feeding me ponies, I don't have much objection to (although what *were* they thinking with 3.5?)
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I loved small toys as a kid. So I don't think size matters. Except in production costs.
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I guess I've always assumed production cost too. And I'll throw my hat in too as preferring smaller toys when I was a kid. Man, I would have obsessed over blind bags if I were little, and I probably would have liked G4 for its smallness as much as I would have liked the others for colors, poses, and variety!
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Totally playable!
I liked smaller toys when I was a kid, much as I loved the G1 ponies. I'd lie on the floor with a tiny little 'town' spread out... the pony would be the biggest of the group, generally, because mostly I'd have... let's see, there was a My Little Kitty family, some small hard rubber figures, Sylvanian Animals, Playmobil figures, Quints... Lots of very small toys.
So I enjoy the small G4 brushables, and think they would have been right up my alley as a kid. (I'd have mixed scale with no compunctions back then, my toys interacted despite vast differences in scale)
I want that Zilla Rarity though, oh man.
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G2 babies are even tinier than G4 babies!
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I played with smaller toys when I was a kid, but the G1 ponies just felt "right" for my hand. They still do, something about the size/curves.
However, as a collector I love that the G4's are tiny: I can fit more into a smaller space XD
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I'm agreeing with everyone that has stated money as the reason.
I didn't mind small or big toys when I was little. I loved all toys :D I had Little Pet Shop and Polly Pocket (she was like the size of your fingernail!) The babies from the Puppy/Kitty Surprise etc. were small and they were one of my most favorite toys.
I do prefer ponies to be bigger though, but maybe that's because I grew up with G1 ;)
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I suspect they wanted them small so they could make smaller playsets. I doubt they save that much money on a G4 as compared to a G3. Don't G4's have more "solidly" plastic heads? *tries to squish one* Not solid plastic, but it seems thicker than the plastic on other gens? They might actually use more plastic than G3s (which have hollow heads).
I think it was a marketing decision, not a "let's use less plastic and save money" decision.
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Well, they are supposed to be little ponies, are they not? In any case, they don't look too small for a kid to play with to me, but I don't really spend any time around children, so I can't really say. Honestly, I'm glad they're smaller, saves on shelf space.
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And they just get smaller and smaller with G4...big focus on ponyville size and even the new POP line is smaller than the playful pony size.
As others have said, its cost. Hasbro want to keep ponies at pocket money prices. Despite inflation [and even factoring in improved production/logistics costs], a playful size Twilight Sparkle costs the same as her G1 namesake from over 30 years ago. There are not very many other products you can name which are the same price 3 decades apart - unless there have been sacrifices made to do that. So for G4 is size of product, size of packaging and quality of finish.
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Size of packaging is more for G4 than for G1 if you're going by amount of material used. :P G1 was just "piece of cardboard, plastic bubble."
(Until later years with the Dance 'n Prances and such.)
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Not with the carded ponies we are getting now. There is hardly anything to their packaging at all. Again its just a bubble and card. :)
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G4s cost the same as G1s did? I had no idea. I guess that explains some of the quality issues. Although, I only have G4 toys, so I don't really have any base to compare quality.
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At the start of G1 the toys would run the $3.99-$5.99 price bracket each. Which is about on par to what a playful pony costs now, as you know. :) Its something Hasbro have kept consistent across the line [although G2s ran a little higher in price]. :)
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I think, as well as production costs, the "chibi" craze has lasted long enough for at least 2 generations to have a preference for smaller, therefore cuter, toys. The popularity of Polly Pocket, Puppy in My Pocket, and other itty bitty toy lines shows that time and again. Mix in the fact that Aunts and Uncles (and a few early age grandparents) remember the MLP line and the happiness associated, and there you have it! Teeny big headed chibi ponies!
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Don't G4's have more "solidly" plastic heads? *tries to squish one* Not solid plastic, but it seems thicker than the plastic on other gens? They might actually use more plastic than G3s (which have hollow heads).
Hmm no I don't think a G4 head plastic is any thicker than a G3s.. maybe in some areas but I don't have a spare pony in both gens I want to cut in half XD Now it is stiffer because I think it's a different kind of plastic from the G3s or maybe it's just the shape/size of the pony heads compared to the G3s
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I sure don't think it's due to the cost of materials. Compare what you get for Lil' Woodzeez items at the same price as MLP items and the difference is really sad.
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Don't forget the bagged ponies that they have started to come out with too, they run a little cheaper than their carded/boxed counterparts, save for skimping on the hair colors for RD and removing the gradients from the eyes.
I honestly think that some of it is they put the silly accessories in there so it will increase the price, because they KNOW you want the pony -_-
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And G4zilllas only come wit a cardboard base, they don't even have a bubble or plastic cover, so they are exposed to the elements and getting dirty or their hair messed up >_<
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And G4zilllas only come wit a cardboard base, they don't even have a bubble or plastic cover, so they are exposed to the elements and getting dirty or their hair messed up >_<
OwO where can I find one? I really want them!!!
LOL nevermind I just saw the topic about them X3
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And G4zilllas only come wit a cardboard base, they don't even have a bubble or plastic cover, so they are exposed to the elements and getting dirty or their hair messed up >_<
Design a ponies are like that too, but because they don't have doll hair all they can get is cracked, dirty/marked, smudged, among other things
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If I were a kid, I would find the regular-sized G4s easy to carry around. (Aren't they just perfect to sneak into a handbag?) :)
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Ironically the minis have gotten bigger. The blind bags are much bigger than the G1 Petites.
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I used to think the G4 brushables were ridiculously small compared to G3's and thought that I would never buy them. Well,I quickly changed my mind :P You quickly get used to the size and think about it this way - they take up less space on the shelf! I still think they can be played with fine,in fact maybe better in some ways as they are a nicer size for little kids to hold.
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And they just get smaller and smaller with G4...big focus on ponyville size and even the new POP line is smaller than the playful pony size.
As others have said, its cost. Hasbro want to keep ponies at pocket money prices. Despite inflation [and even factoring in improved production/logistics costs], a playful size Twilight Sparkle costs the same as her G1 namesake from over 30 years ago. There are not very many other products you can name which are the same price 3 decades apart - unless there have been sacrifices made to do that. So for G4 is size of product, size of packaging and quality of finish.
Exactly, the Breyers I collect have tripled or more in price from when I was young. The quality of molds though and paint work has gone up but not enough at times to warrant where the price is now.
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Hasbro stated way back when G4s started (I can't find the quote now) that they picked a smaller size because it was easier for little girls to hold. Remember the target range for these toys is younger children (4-6 years).
As a preschool teacher, I have put out in my room G1, G3, and G4 ponies. The g4 ponies are actually ideal for 4 year old hands. Though the G4 playsets CANNOT hold up under actual playing (unless I superglue them together, and even then they break into pieces), unlike the G3 and G1 playsets which are super sturdy.
Though their small size does make it super hard for me with my big hands to do their hair in fancy styles. I still prefer G3s for hair styling.
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I think it has to do with multiple factors, the economy, the trend to make small toys, and possibly G4 being easier to hold for 4 year olds. Tho I think that last one is a little silly, considering I never remember having a problem with G1s when I was that age.
I don't collected G4 all that much because I've never got into the show, there's not a whole lot of characters in the toy line, quality is so so, they look odd, and I'm not a big fan of the smaller size.