Explaining generation preferences (mostly toyline)

[Lore-Lei]

Love the responses so far. Gives a really good insight on what details people look out for. Keep it up.

[Niwalime]

First of, I must say that this thread is really interesting! I usually get really bored by reading looong threads with big respones but it is really interesting to know everyones opinion, because there had been a great amount of good points made!

I only started collecting ponies for real in 2015, BUT I've known MLP through my childhood.

G1 - Toywise, I didn't have much contact with the G1 ponies, as I am born in 1996 and I honestly don't know how popular they were where I live (The island where I live is kind of secluded and especially pre-internet era we were always kinda late on the trends).
I've only had about 5 G1 ponies and they all arrived as I started collecting, in different lots.
I really like G1 as they are the ''original'' MLP and seem to have had the greatest diversity among them, all kinds of sizes, ages and species, tons of awesome acessories and great color and gender diversity, and even exclusive releases. I also love how expressive and charming they are. At the same time, this kind of puts me off from collecting them, because it is abit overwhelming.
The G1 cartoons however, I did grow up watching and I think that did spark my interest for MLP. I recieved my first VHS when I was 4, and begged my parents to find me more of them because I loved it so much xD
However I found the Tales very strange, having gone from ponies living in a magical fantasy land to ponies living in a big town, attending school and playing football...

G2 - I had 2 G2 ponies growing up, and I loved them. Even though they look nothing like the other Gens, I think they have their charming elegance. However I will say that they are definitely among the least diverse ponies and pose-wise and expressionwise they're kinda dull. I like them, but they're definitely not my favorite. On the other hand, I have great memories of G2 ponies in the nostalgic sense. My older friend had more of them than I did and a really cute playset that we always used to play with our ponies on. Mentioning the playsets - I definitely appreciate the detail of G2 playsets. Very dainty and cute, yet very colorful.

G3 - They're definitely the pony Gen that I had the most contact with, and my favorite. I had several of them growing up, and me and another friend always used to take our ponies to eachothers houses and play all day long. I remember playing in her garden and throwing a pony up in the air (She was ''flying'') and somehow getting her stuck in my friends Walnut tree ^^ I am very fond of the G3, and I do like that they look alot more like the original G1, and they are the only Gen that I collect. I do pick up other gens if I find them, but G3 is my main goal. I've not had problems with their quality so far, but maybe I am just lucky. What I find very boring about G3 is that there isnt as much diversity in them either, like sure there are baby ponies, unicorns and pegasus and earth ponies... but it would have been great with something more, like more sizes (like G1 male ponies were bigger) and more species. Colorwise I do like them, even if there is alot of pink and purple, there is alot of other colors too.

I never had anything to do with G3.5, So I won't say much about them other than that... their heads are huge. Also, they seem to be aimed at amuch younger audiance which is kinda... mehh.

G4 - When G4 came around, I was already so over my Pony-era I didn't even hear of them until years later. Toywise... well. To me they are quite boring and bland, especially all the non brushables... kinda gives it less of a ''toy'' feel to them.
The quality of them as toys seem kind of poor, atleast for those that I have seen ''eye to eye'', and the playsets are very ... plain. Like someone mentioned, as the ponies are so much smaller, one would think that they could go ham with the playsets... but that does not seem to have happened. The ponies mainly being quite small as toys also puts me of, collectionwise I dont feel like they'd do well displaying. And If I was a kid, I totally would have lost my ponies if they were that small.

G4 does not really appeal to me, even if there are some really pretty ones, and bigger ''styling'' ponies. I feel like my opinion might have been different if I had not seen so many weird sides to the FiM fandom. It just really puts me of from even wanting to watch FiM and see what it is all about - however I guess the popularity of FiM has brought something good - all the merch, which I am sure is very exiting if you are into the G4's.

It will be very interisting what Hasbro might come out with next, for the future Pony Gens... Hopefully something good ^^

[ashlyne]

Maybe I can offer some help in the areas you have some questions.  A little about me and where I'm coming from:   I collected G1's as a child, from age 5 through my early teens, took a break and skipped G2's, then started collecting G1's and G3's when the G3's emerged.  I've been actively collecting since, into the G4's (brushables, blindbags, playsets, Fair exclusives only).  I watched MLP cartoons growing up, didn't care much for the G3 cartoons but watched them, and am watching Friendship Is Magic, although I don't consider myself a die-hard fan of the cartoon.  It's fairly entertaining for a cartoon, but I don't identify myself with it like a lot of fans do.   

G3 Is one I really wonder about, I know the animation was quite unpopular and somewhat polarising since most people seem to either love it or hate it. The toys on the other hand seem to be really popular among collectors and I confess I don't really understand why; they look the most like the first generation, but there are still noticable differences which don't quite do it for me, and this was the first generation to have the cutie mark on only one side. On the other hand this seems to be the first generation where adult collectors were really recognised by Hasbro and had merchandise made with older fans in mind.

I believe there are two reasons why the G3's were so popular in spite of the general dislike for the cartoon.   

1) For many G1 collectors, especially those disappointed in the G2 design who never got into them, this was a welcome rebirth of the ponies we loved as kids. It was refreshing to see new ones on the shelves in stores again. They came out about the time that many collectors in my age group (then late teens - early 30's) were digging out their childhood ponies again and falling in love with them. I was one of these collectors, with a place of my own now to display ponies that had sat in boxes for over a decade.   As adults, the G3 line brought back the excitement of seeing them in stores and the opportunity to buy however many we liked because  (just as we dreamed we could back when we were kids).   G3's were mostly about the toys, not the cartoon, which were still geared towards young children and were few and far between. You saw the cartoon because you collected the toy, not the other way around. 

2)  Most of the G3 generation offered a much higher diversity of ponies that the late G3's, G3.5 and G4 generations don't.   Like the G1's and G2's, you could expect lots of unique ponies with each release, making collecting them a whole lot of fun and somewhat challenging. Variety was a huge appeal to this group of collectors -- a new and different pony to expand the herd.    Very few repeat ponies were made until Hasbro decided to go with the "Core 7" idea near the end of the G3 line. Many collectors got tired of the multiple releases of the same character and stopped collecting. I believe this is why the G3 line died out, and the G3.5 line was not as successful (also, the look of the G3.5 wasn't as popular either).  G4 toys also have this repeat character thing going on (Mane 6), however unlike previous generations, the success of the cartoon and the fandom behind it is strong enough to keep the toy line going.  I don't believe the toys would be able to hold their own without that following.  The variety factor, combined with the well-liked style of the pony, is keeping the G3 likeability alive, even though it doesn't have a successful cartoon to back it or the nostalgia factor for most collectors. 

The G1.5/Pony Tales is well liked enough, but mostly glossed over and nobody really likes G3.5, especially newborn cuties

I think it's important to point out that most G1 collectors consider what you call "G1.5" part of the G1 generation. At least that's what I'm hearing from other G1 collectors who are confused by the "G1.5" distinction.   The toys came out before the cartoon, so generally speaking among the long-time collectors that have been using the G# codes, generations are broken up by the stylizations of the toys, not the cartoon releases.   This would explain why the Pony Tales toys were as well-liked as the original ponies. To those that collect them, they are part of the same first generation and there's no distinction because the toy style was using the same pony molds as the G1 ponies.    I would love to know who coined the G1.5 name, and when.  I'm guessing it had to be fairly recent. 

The G3.5 toys had the same characters as the late G3 line, but the style of toy was so different, collectors felt like it a big enough change to give it its own generation name, but still keep it tied to G3 generation because it wasn't a big enough break.   

...brushable hair seems to preferred over molded (this one I'm a bit curious about since brushable hair does have more style options, but molded hair tends to be more show-accurate and I'm part of the minority that saw brushable hair as a more of a liability than an asset since it wouldn't stay in place).

I think it's safe to say that those who prefer molded hair ponies are (for the most part) part of the newest generation of collectors and the FiM cartoon is a big part of their collecting experience.    Other collectors, those that have been collecting long before the G4's arrived, tend to like brushable ponies for a couple of reasons:  1) the toys were more of a collecting focus than the cartoon, and 2) we learned to identify ponies as having that haired feature from the beginning and for years after.   

Most of us long-time collectors grew up actually playing with ponies, and a big part of the playing was messing with their hair.  It didn't matter they weren't show accurate, even though we watched the cartoon.  It mattered that they were fun, and the hair really was fun to style in various ways with ribbons and barrettes and braids.  All kinds of time was spent on this feature and it became an identifying part of My Little Pony toys.  As adults, we got used to collecting ponies with this feature. Nearly 3 decades of collecting haired ponies!  So when G4's started going towards molded hair, they didn't feel like the ponies we were used to collecting. They didn't "fit" within the collecting standards we were used to because they had lost that one important feature.  They seemed more like sculptures or action figures, without the action. 

Hope this helps you out with some questions you had.   They are obviously my opinions, and there are exceptions to every statement.  But these points are also gathered from and supported by many other collectors I've met, talked with and known over many years and so thought they might be useful   

[Al-1701]

"Show accurate" didn't really mean anything until this latest generation when the characters all have unique manestyles.  In the original cartoon, the ponies had two basic manestyles based on whether the toy had straight hair or curly hair.  The ponies in the Tales cartoon had slight variations of manestyle, but not as significant as FiM.

In fact, I would not be all that surprised, when G4 transitions to a collectors item, collectors are going to find a lot of brushables made "show accurate" by bronies (I've seen so many tutorials for doing it I have to imagine it's an epidemic with the first releases especially).

[Wardah]

In fact, I would not be all that surprised, when G4 transitions to a collectors item, collectors are going to find a lot of brushables made "show accurate" by bronies (I've seen so many tutorials for doing it I have to imagine it's an epidemic with the first releases especially).

Not all FIM fans that produce fan content are "bronies".

[Al-1701]

In fact, I would not be all that surprised, when G4 transitions to a collectors item, collectors are going to find a lot of brushables made "show accurate" by bronies (I've seen so many tutorials for doing it I have to imagine it's an epidemic with the first releases especially).

Not all FIM fans that produce fan content are "bronies".

  Okay, but I saw a bunch of "show accurate" tutorials even in the first second couple of years of FiM.

[Jorgito93]

In fact, I would not be all that surprised, when G4 transitions to a collectors item, collectors are going to find a lot of brushables made "show accurate" by bronies (I've seen so many tutorials for doing it I have to imagine it's an epidemic with the first releases especially).

Not all FIM fans that produce fan content are "bronies".

  Okay, but I saw a bunch of "show accurate" tutorials even in the first second couple of years of FiM.

I think it can only be a problem for rainbow dashs and twilight sparkles.From all those tutorials i saw when i was really into the brony fandom, those two were the only ones where they said to cut the hair.

[Sunset]

In fact, I would not be all that surprised, when G4 transitions to a collectors item, collectors are going to find a lot of brushables made "show accurate" by bronies (I've seen so many tutorials for doing it I have to imagine it's an epidemic with the first releases especially).

Not all FIM fans that produce fan content are "bronies".

  Okay, but I saw a bunch of "show accurate" tutorials even in the first second couple of years of FiM.

I think it can only be a problem for rainbow dashs and twilight sparkles.From all those tutorials i saw when i was really into the brony fandom, those two were the only ones where they said to cut the hair.

Eh, considering the shear number of mane 6 releases, I really don't think it's going to be a problem no matter how many of them get haircuts.

[Lore-Lei]

shear number

I admit, I chuckled.

[Wardah]

In fact, I would not be all that surprised, when G4 transitions to a collectors item, collectors are going to find a lot of brushables made "show accurate" by bronies (I've seen so many tutorials for doing it I have to imagine it's an epidemic with the first releases especially).

Not all FIM fans that produce fan content are "bronies".

  Okay, but I saw a bunch of "show accurate" tutorials even in the first second couple of years of FiM.

And I don't doubt that. I'm just saying not everyone who would want "show accurate" hair is a "brony". Like the G4 cartoon was the first one where the cartoon hair actually looked better than the toys. G1 factory hair was a beautiful thing while G4 box hair is just terribad. If it needs to be styled anyways might as well try to make it look like the characters.

[LadyMoondancer]

Very true.  And it's not just "bronies" who care about show accurateness in general.  I've seen a Fizzy and a Whizzer who were rerooted to have "show accurate" hair (meaning reversing the order of Fizzy's hair stripes and giving Whizzer a red stripe).  And I know some collectors prefer the NSS Buttons with star and button symbols because it matches her show appearance.  (SS Buttons and the other NSS Buttons just have three big buttons as their symbols--no stars at all.)

[Leave a Whisper]

shear number

I admit, I chuckled.

We should all "cut" with the puns already. 

[LadyMoondancer]

They should definitely be snipped out of the thread.

[LordBlumiere]

Love, love, love this thread. Seeing everyone's opinions on the generations is wonderful, so I may as well throw my two cents in.

Some background--I was born in a weird place in pony time, where G1 had literally just ended the year prior and G2 was around long enough to make a little impression on tiny me but not much else. However, when G3 came out, I was already aware of the existence of G1 and more about G2 (thanks internet!) and at the tender age of 10 already considered myself a full-on collector. Ergo, my appreciation for the lines is going to be slightly different because of my weird situation--hope that makes some sense!

G1: Oh, G1, G1, G1. What can be said about this gen that hasn't been said already, and better, by loads of people in and outside this thread? The original generation, probably the most creative and innovative, definitely the most regional, and honestly I'd say it's objectively the best of all the generations so far looking solely at the toyline. While it's only my second favourite generation, G1 is definitely incredible to me. It laid the foundation for everything that came afterwards while being made with quality and care, and I have such a soft spot for these sweet squishy ponies. While I've seen people in this thread describe them as having a retro feel about them, I guarantee you that if Hasbro was to completely rerelease every G1 pony today kids would lap them up just as they did in the '80s and early '90s. It may not have been a generation I was around to see rise and fall, but I do have minor childhood experiences with them, and I've still got a very soft spot in my heart for them. And as for the cartoons--Rescue at Midnight Castle is my favourite MLP cartoon, period; I've not yet seen Escape from (C/K)atrina, and while I've watched the movie I've seen maybe one or two episodes from 'N Friends and none of Tales. However, I adore the sense of adventure from RaMC and the Movie, and even though a lot of people seem to have mixed feelings about Megan I love her too. G1 really did have the best of both worlds in a lot of ways, and I'm still learning new things about it years later. Long live G1 MLP!

G2: My favourite and childhood generation. I had exactly one G2 pony as a kid--the original Magic Motion Ivy, who I still own--and she was my absolute favourite toy. I also owned the Friendship Gardens game, which I played near-religiously, and where I think the most significant NA media giving characterization to the G2 ponies was. When I hear people talking about how G2 didn't have a lot of characterization, I usually agree, but Friendship Gardens really did give it that for me personally. Anyway, onto the toyline itself--I love G2's slender approach to ponies, which I actually think is pulled off better than any of the Sweetheart Sisters (sorry!). They always seem so sweet and yet so ethereal to me; all of them are little princesses or rebels in my eyes. I think the eye-gem gimmick is a really smart idea and I sort of wish it'd make a comeback at some point (I also really love TE ponies, so that's probably not a surprise lmao). I wish it'd stayed longer in North America, but what can you do about that now? Honestly, it's probably a combination of nostalgia and aesthetics that makes me love G2 so much. I've only got 3 but having more is at the top of my list.

G3: G3 was the first generation where I actively started to seek out MLP and knew damn well what I was getting. I'd been following the announcements online, and I still remember walking into Toys R Us and buying Kimono and Cotton Candy's Cafe right at the beginning of the line. G3 has always seemed to me like the line closest to a 'return to form' for the MLP brand, and while it was also the first line where quality control really became an issue, I also think G1 just barely beats it out in terms of what I'd consider my favourite. I have a lot of fond G3 memories, and getting to buy new ponies in store for the first time I could remember was really something special. I was still young enough to play with them, but old enough to take care of them, and most of my self-bought G3s are still in pretty dang good shape, though a lot of them have lost their natural curl over the years. The G3 playsets, again, are only barely beaten out by G1 sets for me; I still adore the castles and Twinkle Twirl's Dance Studio is one of my favourite playsets period (gotta love those tiny desserts)! G3 was also the first generation I was around to use mail order for; I actually managed to get all three of the ponies offered during the short cycle of the orders as well as a poster and the playset mat. Waiting for all of those to arrive is still one of my most exciting pony memories. I haven't seen much G3 media; only A Charming Birthday, Dancing in the Clouds, and A Very Minty Christmas. I thought they were cute at the time, but only Dancing in the Clouds really stuck with me. As for the Core 7, I remember being really upset when that started coming around, and I'm still pretty upset about it, which leads to...

G3.5: Not for me, I guess. I have some McDonald's ponies and the original winter Sweetie Belle, but I never actively sought them out and still have no intention of doing so. The media has never been watched by yours truly, and the aesthetics of this semi-generation just are not to my taste. It's the faces, man... those open mouths just weird me out...

G4: And now we come to the most current generation, which I only started getting into after the first season and a bit of the second had already aired. I think, when discussing G4, it's actually imperative to talk media first, toyline second; that seems to be Hasbro's approach, anyway, and while it's working out nicely for them I don't think it will forever. I do enjoy Friendship is Magic, though I've had to enjoy it in a vacuum recently due to the side of the fandom that thankfully isn't on this site and that I'd rather forget about. While the first few seasons (up to the end of S3) are definitely stronger, I don't think the shift to caring more about the adult fanbase has completely ruined the show like some people have been saying recently. I am uncomfortable with the shift, and I don't think it was necessary, but I do still enjoy the show in its good moments, and I would rather talk about those for the most part. As for the toyline... hoo boy. A return to Core 7 form in the worst way, imo. The quality control has gone way down, and while I'm seeing the hair at least start to improve again, the bodies have never been that great in my opinion. The lack of poses and of male characters other than Shining Armor in regular/'brushable' form is really upsetting when I look back at every other generation, too. From the show, G4 has so much to work with--but it concentrates on its main cast heavily, which is an extreme detriment in my opinion. I don't like the focus on non-'brushable' ponies, either; MLP was built around hair play, and I think that's been lost to cater to the crowd MLP was never really targeted at in the first place. G4, in my opinion, is sadly, the weakest generation after G3.5. They have so much to work with and such a big world, but since the departure of Faust from the show and the quality control taking a worse nosedive, I don't think G4 is doing itself any favours. I'm honestly hoping G5 comes soon, as while I'll still pick up any non-Mane 6 G4s as I know they're hard to come by, G4 is really tanking for me in the toy department, which is the main reason I like MLP in the first place.

So... G2, G1, G3, G4, G3.5. I don't think I've said anything particularly new, but these are my thoughts, and I'm stickin' to 'em!

[Crystal-Sushi]

Hm, let's see...

G1: I'm a young one, so I wasn't yet alive when G1 existed in stores. I did find the Dream Valley website at age >10 however, and would literally spend hours admiring and memorising the G1s. They were like soe kind of vast, unreachable treasure to me, as they all looked so different and amazing. Even today I'm in such awe of them that I could never customise a G1 - and I kinda cringe slightly when I see others doing so. To me, they're these amazing treasures.

G2: It started the year I was born, but I was unaware they existed in my childhood and thus only discovered them (again) on Dream Valley and liked how many little acessories they came with. I thought they were so elegant and dainty when I saw owners photos of them, and was amazed by their colour palette and increasingly questionable naming schemes. To this day they are my favourite generation <3

G3: The generation I grew up with, my first pony was Star Catcher and I got her on my 5th or 6th birthday, from memory, quickly followed by Thistle Whistle, Blossomforth and Spring Fever. I spent all of my pocket money on them, and soon amassed a collection of 40-50ish I don't actively seek them out, but I still love them for the nostalgia value they have for me!

G3.5: I hated the lack of new characters and in general how odd they looked so I only own one who came in a lot....

G4: Again, I dislike the repeating characters and how un- dynamic the poses are. They're also too small and hard