Do ponies and other girl's toys always get the short end of the stick?

[bladed]

I am dissapointed that they aren't doing anything for 30 years, but after the 25 years G1 re-releases flop I doubt they're willing to try anything

What happened with the re-releases? I wasn't into collecting back then so I don't know. I've only noticed that they aren't worth much.

They just sort of flopped. They didn't really sell and a lot of people complained about low quality and not being accurate enough. I never bothered getting any.

In b4: don't have license to reproduce G1s

Why is that?

The copyright ran out, thats why Faust couldn't use G1 ponies for FiM.

If the copyright ran out, how are they making all this retro merch with G1 ponies clearly on it?

[goddessofpeep]

With the exception of Barbie, most toy lines aimed at girls have never been taken particularly seriously.  We tend to get the short end of the stick from the toy manufacturers, and I have noticed that "girl" toy collections are not treated with the same respect that "boy" toy collections are, even in the toy collecting community.  Mattel seems to treat its female collectors considerably better than most manufacturers, but most of the other major "girl" toys get limited support and very little respect.  I find it sad that it took a large influx of male fans to make Hasbro really sit up and take notice of the MLP brand.  As a community we've been trying to get Hasbro to pay attention to us for years with mixed results. 

 

[elish2]

I guess to me it is kind of sad. I do not like the societal norms people tend to place, and it is ok for guys to be a lot of things but not so for girls. I tend to get the vibe that girls are supposed to be primped and ditzy and comic books and toy collections are not considered this. THis reason is actually why I do not let my two girls watch FiM, sorry but my husband and I feel that it pushes for it's ok to be ditzy as long as your popular and have friends kind of thing.

I remember talking with a person who worked for a toy company and that board games for example are always marketed showing the boy winning because if the girls win, boys will be "less likely" to want the game and they wanted to push more for boys to buy the products. So it is true that there is a bigger push to advertise to males.

[Artsy Craftsy]

I am dissapointed that they aren't doing anything for 30 years, but after the 25 years G1 re-releases flop I doubt they're willing to try anything

What happened with the re-releases? I wasn't into collecting back then so I don't know. I've only noticed that they aren't worth much.

They just sort of flopped. They didn't really sell and a lot of people complained about low quality and not being accurate enough. I never bothered getting any.

In b4: don't have license to reproduce G1s

Why is that?

The copyright ran out, thats why Faust couldn't use G1 ponies for FiM.

If the copyright ran out, how are they making all this retro merch with G1 ponies clearly on it?

See, this is why I'm confused too. I don't think the copyright "ran out" so to say. I'm thinking maybe they just don't want to? I heard somewhere that they put so much time and money into the G3/3.5 characters that they wanted to continue with them. I have no idea for sure though. Maybe it's because if they did use vintage characters they'd have to update the copyright, which also costs a lot of money.

[Majesty]

I agree with Bowtie. Although a really cool thing they could've done was turn some of the G1 ponies into G4s and sold them as a special set

In b4: don't have license to reproduce G1s

That would have been awesome.

Post Merge: August 20, 2013, 06:56:33 AM

I have noticed going to places like Walmart you do see more aisles with boys toys and they are always stocked full.  Nearly every time I browse the pony aisle it's nearly empty.  I may just be getting there at a time when they are just nearly sold out but they don't usually get much new anyway.

[BowtieG1]

I am dissapointed that they aren't doing anything for 30 years, but after the 25 years G1 re-releases flop I doubt they're willing to try anything

What happened with the re-releases? I wasn't into collecting back then so I don't know. I've only noticed that they aren't worth much.

They just sort of flopped. They didn't really sell and a lot of people complained about low quality and not being accurate enough. I never bothered getting any.

In b4: don't have license to reproduce G1s

Why is that?

The copyright ran out, thats why Faust couldn't use G1 ponies for FiM.

If the copyright ran out, how are they making all this retro merch with G1 ponies clearly on it?

I'm pretty sure none of it is official Hasbro merch :/.

Its just what I've been told.

[majikarte]

I'm pretty sure none of it is official Hasbro merch :/.

Its just what I've been told.

That merch isn't made by Hasbro, but isn't it still licensed by them? It's not like, bootleg or anything. I'm under the impression that it's like Artsy Craftsy said, Hasbro wanted to continue using the characters like Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash that the kids would already be familiar with.

[Star Spark]

I think it's because names that are "generic" words like Firefly and Surprise can't be easily trademarked, if at all- it's been an on-going problem in other Hasbro lines like Transformers and G.I. Joe. Toy manufacturers in the '80s weren't as concerned with unique character names, as individual characters weren't as important to the brand as they are now (some old Transformers and Gobots actually share names!) Now that some of those characters have become iconic, however, Hasbro takes care to properly trademark them, either by tweaking the name or adding something to it (example: "Ratchet" from Transformers is now trademarked as "Autobot Ratchet".) One notable exception is Bumblebee, whose name can't be trademarked but is so iconic that they actually use it without one.

...Which might be the reason why girl lines like MLP don't get as much love- the characters aren't as well remembered as ones like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. Older fans probably remember ponies like Firefly, Surprise, Moondancer, etc. from the show, but they generally only appeared for a year or two and were almost totally gone from the supporting fiction after that (lines like Transformers and G.I. Joe kept older characters in the cartoon and comic, even if they were no longer being marketed.) They never appeared again in later generations (I think there was a G3 Moondancer, but with a totally different appearance) so there tends to be only a small group of older collectors with an attachment to any particular character- names like "Pinkie Pie" and "Rainbow Dash", on the other hand, were already trademarked from G3 and there was the chance that some of the target demographic would still recognize them. Hasbro probably thought the collector sets of the first couple years were enough, as they have "historic" interest to collectors (and could be marketed as a set without worrying about individual names, I'd imagine.)

Personally, while I'd LOVE to see a new Moondancer (either as a reissued G1 or a G4 style), I also think it would be cool to see the current Mane 6 released in a G1 style!

[happycootie]

I also think it would be cool to see the current Mane 6 released in a G1 style!

Even though I don't watch FiM or buy G4 toys, I would TOTALLY buy that!

[BowtieG1]

I'd snap up G4 Mane 6- G1 and G1 Original 6- G4 in a flash x3! That'd be totally rad!

[Wardah]

Hasbro did do a retro pack for Strawberry Shortcake on the 25th anniversary. Now they don't even have the rights to SSC anymore.

Anyways I get the feeling they don't feel a 30th is all that important. Maybe 20 years from now when it is the 50th they will care.

[hathorcat]

On the copyright thing its not copyright its trademarks that matter. All the G1 merch we are seeing is licensed by Hasbro. And Hasbro are more than capable of trademarking Surprise or Firefly or other G1 names for MLP, nothing at all anywhere is stopping them; its that they dont want to not that they cant.

As to the celebratory releases, I am 100% on board that its frustrating and very very annoying. However, unfortunately a quick google and some research will tell you that the largest and most active number of toy collectors out there are in boys toy lines - Transformers, GI Joe, etc.

I dont think its a judgement so much against "boys toys" and "girls toys", I think its more that the lines with the biggest following get the most attention when collectors/celebratory releases are done.   

[Galactica]

It is frustrating-  but I think it has to do more with money than anything else. 
The various toy companies have actually done a fair number of 80s girl toy classic-look revivals (the MLP Anniversary sets, the Rainbow Brite dolls in 2002, the Strawberry Shortcake anniversary set, Danbury Mint Strawberry Shortcake and Madame Alexander Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite.  More recently- Hasbro teamed up with Integrity to release a collector line of Classic Jem. 

The MLP and Strawberry SHortcake sets seemed to sell reasonably well- but I don't think they were flying off the shelf the way MOTU was.  The Rainbow Brite re-release was a complete bust- they didn't sell and then went directly to clearance.      I am happy to report that the Jem revival seems to be doing pretty great.  http://www.integritytoys.com/jemandtheholograms/collection-hollywood-jem.php

For some reason, vintage boy toys and prototypes (with some exceptions) also seem to have more value.  (Comparing prototypes from Kenner girl lines with the boy lines- there is a huge difference) 

I don't know if it is sales numbers- or the perception that boy toys have more value and/or are cooler and/or men may have more money or spend more money on revival toys-  but boy toys definitely get WAY more attention.    Hasbro didn't really even seem to be listening to MLP collectors until boys started collecting in large numbers.  I know that Hasbro is probably just following the smell of money and a new and profitable customer base, but it still is a bit irksome, considering how many of us have been buying ponies for so many years.  All those pony sales prior to FiM were not just from kids...

[Star Spark]

On the copyright thing its not copyright its trademarks that matter. All the G1 merch we are seeing is licensed by Hasbro. And Hasbro are more than capable of trademarking Surprise or Firefly or other G1 names for MLP, nothing at all anywhere is stopping them; its that they dont want to not that they cant.

I dunno; I think many of them- "Surprise" especially- would be hard to get exclusive trademark to, because it's such a generic word and there are probably toys by other companies that use it in some fashion. They could probably release the character under some "tweaked" name though (like "Surprise, Surprise" or something, so we can all remember the Puppy Surprise song- which Hasbro also owns so it's okay.)

As to the celebratory releases, I am 100% on board that its frustrating and very very annoying. However, unfortunately a quick google and some research will tell you that the largest and most active number of toy collectors out there are in boys toy lines - Transformers, GI Joe, etc.

I dont think its a judgement so much against "boys toys" and "girls toys", I think its more that the lines with the biggest following get the most attention when collectors/celebratory releases are done.

I've always found MLP collectors to be the most active, personally, but that's just me. The thing is, even if adult collectors are a bigger market in boy lines (they're certainly more vocal) MLP has always been a comparatively cheap line to produce- whereas only two or at most three Transformer characters generally share a mold, and almost every Joe has at least one unique part (even if it's only the head) MLP can make dozens of characters with just a handful of unique molds. Even if they didn't want to invest in new G1ish molds (which are the most expensive part, though they probably still have the anniversary ones at least) it would cost relatively little to make a G4 set with G1 characters- it'd be a great way to celebrate the brand's past and present success.

[Galactica]

I'd love to see G1 characters using G4 molds- I actually think those would sell rather well.

I'm not so sure the G1 anniversary ponies sold very well unfortunately- I remember being very disappointed in the quality of them, and I do remember seeing lots of them at TRU on clearance...  Hasbro may not be inclined to try again.  In order to get nice quality the price point would probably be too much for people to want to pay (I think the cost of pony hair is actually one of the biggest cost factors)