About cutie marks...

[Baby Sugarberry]

*cough* G1's have symbols, not cutie marks, >_>;
Agree that putting the markings on only one side is lame lame lame.  Just another cost cutting measure.

[StarLite]

I could forgive this on the G3s, since they have other things going for them like magnets, foot symbols over those magnets, and eye symbols too, but what have G4s got?  Being smaller than ever?

G4s have 'still-being-five-dollars-in-2012'.

[hathorcat]

Price may not be an issue for us, but these are not manufactured or marketed as collectors items. They are toys, and in a struggling economy where toys are luxury items, keeping costs down is extremely important for companies.

Hit the nail on the head....personally its the thing I dislike in the most recent gens...the laziness of only having a symbol on one side. But at the end of the day if it saves them money - they will do what cuts down on manufacturing costs - especially as most of their "buyers" are playing with their ponies and not displaying them as we will. Doesnt stop me wishing they would even up those pony flanks though!

[Elisto]

Even when I was little, I would have been unhappy with the asymmetry of the cutie marks, so to me, it's not just a "collector's issue". I can't have been the only kid like this.

As for toy sales being down, I blame that more on re-releases of the same character than on quality. What collector OR child wants 10 of the same character? That's no fun to play with, and what parent is going to buy the same toy over and over again? Barbie seems to be the only toy that is successful with this strategy, and I can't figure out why.

[StoryDreamer]

Toy sales are also down because parents have barely enough money to feed their kids/buy clothes/etc...

[NoDivision]

I could forgive this on the G3s, since they have other things going for them like magnets, foot symbols over those magnets, and eye symbols too, but what have G4s got?  Being smaller than ever?

G4s have 'still-being-five-dollars-in-2012'.

THIS. I think that keeping the singles right at or under $5 ($4.99) is a big deal and a really great idea. It's so dang affordable. If you're a parent shopping with your kids it's way more reasonable to let them pick out a toy if the cost is so minimal.

Hasbros "girl" toy sales are down overall, but MLP has the best performance in that segment, so clearly they're doing something right. And if it really bothered anyone that much, you just wouldn't buy them.

[Elisto]

I don't, at least not new.

Also, while I recognize that printing the picture only on one side does save a lot of money, given the huge scale they're manufactured out, I don't think printing on both sides would bump the price over $5.

[Malicieuse]

I could forgive this on the G3s, since they have other things going for them like magnets, foot symbols over those magnets, and eye symbols too, but what have G4s got?  Being smaller than ever?

G4s have 'still-being-five-dollars-in-2012'.

THIS. I think that keeping the singles right at or under $5 ($4.99) is a big deal and a really great idea. It's so dang affordable. If you're a parent shopping with your kids it's way more reasonable to let them pick out a toy if the cost is so minimal.

Hasbros "girl" toy sales are down overall, but MLP has the best performance in that segment, so clearly they're doing something right. And if it really bothered anyone that much, you just wouldn't buy them.

Pity they don't follow that strategy outside the USA! I don't think a lot of people here like the idea of paying 7-8 euro for a fairly small pony.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

*cough* G1's have symbols, not cutie marks, >_>;
Agree that putting the markings on only one side is lame lame lame.  Just another cost cutting measure.

Gotta agree with Baby Sugarberry here. 

[appleponygal]

Yeah, I've thought about that myself!  I noticed with the G3s that the cutie mark isn't even on same side in all ponies so you have to have them facing different ways which is a little awkward.

[scarletjul]

Also, while I recognize that printing the picture only on one side does save a lot of money, given the huge scale they're manufactured out, I don't think printing on both sides would bump the price over $5.

Kind of agree.

[PinkRosedust]

Pretty sure we all noticed. =P I think it's pretty lame. I adore the fact that with G2, you can not only turn the heads any way you want (on most, at least) but they have symbols on both sides so you can display them facing either way. Hasbro had it all right back then...

*cough* G1's have symbols, not cutie marks, >_>;
Agree that putting the markings on only one side is lame lame lame.  Just another cost cutting measure.

Gotta agree with Baby Sugarberry here. 

LOL. No ponies have 'cutie marks' if you ask me. =P

[Shenanigans]

*cough* G1's have symbols, not cutie marks, >_>;
Agree that putting the markings on only one side is lame lame lame.  Just another cost cutting measure.

I thought I was the only one who called them "symbols" so I wrote cutie marks instead, lol. I actually hate that they're called cutie marks

[Baby Sugarberry]

"Cutie mark" is a G3 or G4 term, I think it came about in G3?  It definitely was not around in the first two generations, and I refuse to call my ponies symbols "cutie" anything.  PTOOEY. Makes them sound all cutsey and gross. 

[Elisto]

I'll call G3 and G4 symbols cutie marks since it's cannon, but I do think it sounds like they're trying too hard to sound cute and girly. They already are cute! No need to go overboard with it, I think.