Can someone explain the different Generations for me?

[jillrose]

Hi all!  Recently I've been following more and more IG collection accounts, and I've grown curious about what differentiates G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5...and moreover, why is G2 so very detested in the collector world?!

I began my online collecting endeavors as far back as 1998, when G2 was in stores and G1 was all the rage among collectors online.  Dream Valley was MECCA back then.  (Anybody know why DV fizzled? Is Kim S. still in the collectors' realm at all?)

Anyway, at the time, I knew that G2 was detested for the simple fact that it wasn't G1.  Kind of made sense.  But while I was on a rather long hiatus from collecting (nearly 2004 - 2014!!!), I missed a lot - including the background story on G3, G4, and G5.

Can anyone help me out?

[Draikinator]

There's isn't a G5- do you mean G3.5? that's a pet name for these guys:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login


they're probably more unpopular than g2 lol

[LadyMoondancer]

Basically the generations are split up based on the style of the toys. 

Ponies from 1982 to 1995 are G1s, most of them are chubby and made of soft vinyl.  (G1 ended in the US in 1992, but some countries had them up to 1995.)

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


-----

Ponies from 1997 to 2003 (in Europe) are G2s, they are slender and are made of a harder plastic.  Like G1s, most of them have symbols on both sides.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


-----

Ponies from 2003 to 2011 are G3s, they are quite similar to G1s in structure but not quite as chubby, and they also have larger heads in proportion to their bodies.  Many of them have a magnet in one hoof.  They have a symbol on one side of their body.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


----

G3.5s are from the same "universe" as G3s in terms of TV specials, but their design is very different. They were around from late 2009 to late 2010. They have huge heads and tiny bodies, almost a "chibi" style.  They have a symbol on one side of their body.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


----

G4s are the current ponies, they debuted in 2010 and are still in production.  They have a small body and a large head, but not to the extent that G3.5 did.  Also their faces look less "baby-like" than G3.5.  They have a symbol on one side of their body.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Pictures are all from My Little Wiki, which is a great place to see more pictures of the different gens.

[Al-1701]

You might also see G5 in some threads.  This is the theoretical generation that will follow G4 when it ends.  Anything regarding it (including whether or not it will even exist) is pure speculation at this point.

[Taffeta]

Dream Valley is also still there, although it is an incomplete site. I am pretty sure Kim is not active in the community anywhere, but the site still exists. However it is only a resource really for ponies that had a US release. DV caused a lot of confusion over European ponies thanks to her receiving a lot of bad information way back when, so she decided to take down/pare back the other sections.

There are lots of ID sites around now. The Wiki probably has the most wide range of information. Strawberry Reef also has a lot, but there are errors on SR about European releases based on the DV errors. Both cover multiple generations. There  are also nirvana sites and regional sites, not to mention dedicated G2, G3, G4 sites as well as G1. So there's a ton more information around now that supersedes that from DV.  Because there are so many experts on specific areas of pony knowledge, there's less pressure to spread that knowledge too thinly across categories, so as a result we all know a lot more than we did back in 97-8!

I don't think G2 is hated; I think a lot of people collect it these days. It used to be, but not so much now. People back when G2 came out weren't accustomed to this idea of a big change in pony style and so really took against the new style that Kenner/Hasbro used. Now this generation thing is normal so I think they've found their own niche. There are some collectors here who specialise in them, and, indeed, all generations, which is nice

[ponyqueen]

In a nutshell:

G1- Awesomest forever infinity plus one.
G2- You'll warm up to them.
G3- MLP reboot! Very well done.
G3.5- No.
G4- Anime inspired ponies

[MJNSEIFER]

In a nutshell:

G1- Awesomest forever infinity plus one.
G2- You'll warm up to them.
G3- MLP reboot! Very well done.
G3.5- No.
G4- Anime inspired ponies

G4 was not anime inspired.  No offense, but this is something that people incorrectly say about G4, despite the fact their creator (Lauren Faust) said she wasn't trying to make them look anime at all (and in my opinion, she succeeded, they look nothing like anime, at all.

I'm sorry if I sounded rude.

[Purpleglasses]

In a nutshell:

G1- Awesomest forever infinity plus one.
G2- You'll warm up to them.
G3- MLP reboot! Very well done.
G3.5- No.
G4- Anime inspired ponies

G4 was not anime inspired.  No offense, but this is something that people incorrectly say about G4, despite the fact their creator (Lauren Faust) said she wasn't trying to make them look anime at all (and in my opinion, she succeeded, they look nothing like anime, at all.

I'm sorry if I sounded rude.

Has Faust said that? I think perhaps Ponyqueen is referring to the big eyes of G4 and perhaps the subtle influence of anime that seeped into a lot of post-90's animation because it was everywhere.

[Galactica]

I think it is only G3.5 that is "detested" - it has some fans but not many.

I think they make great customs!

I USED to hate G2 when it first came out just because it looked like they had messed up G1.  But now-  well I think they are kinda pretty.  G2 has plenty of fans now.  I really liked G3 when it came out.  I HATED G3.5 .

G4 is cute- but the toys just don't have the soul that G1 had. I'm glad we had G1 when I was a kid- I loved their eyes...

[Draikinator]

In a nutshell:

G1- Awesomest forever infinity plus one.
G2- You'll warm up to them.
G3- MLP reboot! Very well done.
G3.5- No.
G4- Anime inspired ponies

G4 was not anime inspired.  No offense, but this is something that people incorrectly say about G4, despite the fact their creator (Lauren Faust) said she wasn't trying to make them look anime at all (and in my opinion, she succeeded, they look nothing like anime, at all.

I'm sorry if I sounded rude.

Has Faust said that? I think perhaps Ponyqueen is referring to the big eyes of G4 and perhaps the subtle influence of anime that seeped into a lot of post-90's animation because it was everywhere.

well, yeah, but if you wanna get technical lol, anime's big eyes i based on tezuka's art having big eyes, which HE based on disney lol.... It All Comes Back Around

[Al-1701]

Poor Kenner.  They get bought out by Tonka which is then bought out by Hasbro, making them the chicken in a giant turducken (Firefox spell check recognizes that as a word but not Kenner or Tonka?) of toy makers.  They're given a chance to make the future of two of Hasbro's most storied brands only for fans to flip out over the changes they made.

[jillrose]

WOW! This is all so fascinating  I am loving these responses.

I keep hoping they will come out with new generations of Lil Litters and Petite Ponies, but alas, to no avail   

[HoustonCollector72]

Poor Kenner.  They get bought out by Tonka which is then bought out by Hasbro, making them the chicken in a giant turducken (Firefox spell check recognizes that as a word but not Kenner or Tonka?) of toy makers.  They're given a chance to make the future of two of Hasbro's most storied brands only for fans to flip out over the changes they made.

 

Yes, G2s were designed by Kenner and not Hasbro's MLP Team at the end,and that is why they are very different at the end.
the first releases did show Kenner's logo on the back along with Hasbro.

G2s have plenty of Fans and new ones are joining all the time  as I myself discovered them back in 2013 and now I have all their releases  loose and now only hunting for 10 in package MIB/MOC.

I think every collector is going to be collecting differently ,I like all gens, but I do not collect much of G1 or G3.5,Have collected most of the G3s I like and I'm keeping up with all the new releases of  g4, but also getting pickier on them and just adding what I like from it.

For G2 information I would suggest

Monbreeze's page , but there are more out there from other members
and feel free to post questions like this one on this thread everyone will bring their opinions and knowledge

http://lavenderlagoon.weebly.com/

[ghouldilocks]

LadyMoondancer did a perfect job of explaining the different gens, so I won't bother reiterating any of that haha. As to G2 being "detested," though...I know there are always some people who have very strong opinions (sometimes negative) about different gens, and I definitely didn't start out as a fan of G2. I didn't hate them, though...I just wasn't interested. G1 was my childhood gen, and I have no memories of even seeing G2 in stores, so when I started coming across G2 online as a collector after G3 became a thing, I wasn't really fussed on them at all. They were not very pony-like to me. They've since grown on me, though, and I currently have a few in my collection (with the intent to get more, lol).

G3.5 is probably the least interesting gen to most collectors, if I'm not mistaken...I personally don't actively collect those at all, with the exception of ONE set, only because I received two of that set as gifts. 

[Carrehz]

Poor Kenner.  They get bought out by Tonka which is then bought out by Hasbro, making them the chicken in a giant turducken (Firefox spell check recognizes that as a word but not Kenner or Tonka?) of toy makers.  They're given a chance to make the future of two of Hasbro's most storied brands only for fans to flip out over the changes they made.

 

Yes, G2s were designed by Kenner and not Hasbro's MLP Team at the end,and that is why they are very different at the end.
the first releases did show Kenner's logo on the back along with Hasbro.

:o I didn't know this!