Lack of new characters: Anyone else worried?

[ShortyBoo]

I'm one of those people who only collects one of each character. So this means I only have one Rarity and won't buy any more, even if she has more design on her leg, tinsel in her hair, etc. There are a few exceptions, for example, I have a regular unicorn Twilight and alicorn Twilight. I also have both types of Luna.

So after I got the CMC & Friends set with Twist & Silver Spoon the other day, I realized that I now have all the different characters they've released as brushables and I have nothing to look forward to. I'm just worried that Hasbro is going to fall back into that thing they did with G3s where they only release the same few characters over and over again. And they seem to be focusing more on Equestria Girls and the mini blind bag size sets than the normal brushables. I mean, I know we've gotten several new characters this year, but it seems like they're only in big expensive sets, usually with several re-releases of characters most of us already have. A good example of this is the set with Minty. It made her more expensive to obtain than if they had just released her as a single. I miss how it used to be, like with wave 3 and 4 where there were several new ponies released alongside the main six. It wouldn't be hard for them to come up with new characters to release. There's tons of blind bag characters that haven't been made into brushables. And if they made G1 characters into G4 brushables, I bet they'd sell like crazy.

And then there's the Fashion Styles. There's only have the main six (though these could use a re-release, especially AJ) and the princesses and Bubblebutt. They could easily expand the line by adding new characters. They could even take brushable sized ponies and make them into FS.

Does anyone else feel the same way? Or do you like the direction Hasbro seems to be taking MLP recently?

[Galactica]

Sounds like it's time for you to get some commissions rolling!   That's how I get my fix for the need for new characters

[ShortyBoo]

I really, really hate paying more than $10 for any pony, though, so customs are out. I almost passed on Minty because I couldn't find her for under $20, and she's my favorite pony. Last time I priced them, most Hasbro inspired customs were around $30+ each.

[Galactica]

Yeah- you are not going to find really nice customs for $10.  I've seen plenty for $25, but not $10.

[Roseprincess1]

really? i havent had a problem with it.. then agian the last three i got were off ebay and here so i couldnt tell you.
depends on what hasbro thinks sells i guess

[Malicieuse]

We already are pretty much stuck in a new type of "core 7". Over the past year only 3 new characters have been released in my country and we got nothing new to look forward to.
If we want to get any of the other new characters we are stuck having to import them. I had a bit of a rarity army but i am growing tired of it too. I'm realising that i'm better off spending that money on other things than rebuying something i already got.

[Dragonflitter]

You're hardly alone in feeling this way, ShortyBoo, there have been dozens of threads here on the Arena all with this topic over the past year or so. It seems like Hasbro has given up on new characters in the brushable line and instead are only focusing on new characters for the blind bags, for the most part.

[hathorcat]

I dont know if worried is the right word for me - I am disappointed...but also not surprised. What confuses me more is why they bothered with the roll out at the very start of the line with so many different characters in the first 4 waves of singles...and then just repeat after repeat of the same ponies.

Hasbro did the core 7 for a reason and clearly it worked for them, hence the way they have rolled out G4 as a core 6 now. It must be working for them to continue it again and again unfortunately.

I would adore seeing more new characters. I dont need as many sets and variety as G1 or G3, but yes at least one or two new characters for each new singles wave would be nice. 

[RainbowAlicorn999]

I wish they would make new characters. I am also very disappointed and worried. I guess I can use my money for other things though if they are never going to make new characters.

[Zombelina]

I dont know if worried is the right word for me - I am disappointed...but also not surprised. What confuses me more is why they bothered with the roll out at the very start of the line with so many different characters in the first 4 waves of singles...and then just repeat after repeat of the same ponies.

Hasbro did the core 7 for a reason and clearly it worked for them, hence the way they have rolled out G4 as a core 6 now. It must be working for them to continue it again and again unfortunately.

I would adore seeing more new characters. I dont need as many sets and variety as G1 or G3, but yes at least one or two new characters for each new singles wave would be nice.

^ Exactly. It's just so hard for me to fathom how selling only the same six over and over and over is apparently much more profitable than selling the same six *plus others* too.

It really doesn't seem to me like the constant mane six rereleases sell all that well, either; absolutely every store (Walmart, Target, TRU, Superstore, you name it) in my city still has the Crystal Empire playful ponies. The masquerade ponies have not been stocked here at all since there are still stacks and stacks of old mane six.

But last year, when the Lyra/Trixie/Sunny/Cherry wave was out? They sold SO fast around here. I wish so much we could go back to that for the single releases, having new characters in the mix. Apparently it's just too much to hope for...

(But it does leave me more money for all the new character releases of Monster High! Hasbro's loss = Mattel's gain...)

[reanna-mator]

I don't know at this point. I want new characters, but a break in new toys does mean a break for my wallet. I guess I'm fairly neutral at this point. As long as we keep getting the occasional new character every now and then, I'm more or less okay.

[Aquatic Neon]

I'm worried  and disappointed I think if we get one more wave of only mane 6 after this next one, it might be over for new character singles, I'm very happy with funkos character selection and continuing down that road. I hope hasbro realizes that most kids, and people don't want to buy tons of the same character, and they make new characters for the people who already have mane 6, I think your guys best bet is new characters in the show like Sunset Shimmer becoming a toy, if we see more characters having larger roles you should see them as toys as well, seems that's how hasbro has turned completely, and leaving the variety to the blind bags.

[Dewprincess]

I also collect only one version of each character...I wouldn't say I'm "worried" about the lack of new characters, though, because G4 is not the only generation that I collect.  If there's no G4s left to look for and I feel the need for a new pony, there are still G1s and G2s that I can look for instead...even a few G3s!

[Flitter]

I'm not worried, but then again I've never been afraid of the series ending or them no longer making toys I like. I could feel I had a good run at collecting MLP at this point. I have all the released brushable characters now too! (I also only buy doubles in certain cases.) If they started coming out with only a couple new things a year that I liked, I could still see myself being a content collector and wanting to stay involved in the hobby. I'm not terribly excited for much that's on the immediate horizon (the taobao sightings, more mane 6 releases we know are coming) but I'm still looking forward to what may be at Toy Fair in Feb. and what might pop up on taobao next.
We've got a brand new full length season of FiM starting tomorrow! There may not be any we know about right now but I really doubt we're done seeing new brushables through the span of that 

[Shenanigans]

I'm hoping that maaaybe we'll see some new characters over the holidays since season 4 is coming out? Maybe?