Dear Hasbro -My Little Pony Generations- Similar Transformers

[Al-1701]

I like this idea. I mean, if hasbro realized how many people do customs of this same exact idea, they might figure out what we already know......that they would sell. lol

Maybe we should make a petition.  They're not doing right now because the old trademarks have lapsed and they would have to start the trademark process from scratch which is expensive.  Maybe if they see enough people who said they would buy these, they would be more willing to go to the expense.

I mean, the little kids would buy them because they're ponies.  But knowing they would get additional revenues from collectors could be an incentive.

[svleonard]

MORE PONIES PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[stormwing]

I'm all for this! I can't even begin to describe how much I'd love to have G1 or G3 ponies in the brushables molds! Please, oh please, Hasbro!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

If they re-released a retro set I would buy it.  Wait I'd buy 5 - 1 to open, 1 to keep MIB, 1 to trade, 2 to use as gifts.  C'moooooooooooon Hasbro!

[sleepyowl]

I really wish they'd do something like this.

[hathorcat]

It gets my vote! Great open letter gabumon.

[invaderhorizongreen]

I would love to see something like this I say go for it.

[Al-1701]

I wonder how many people emailing Hasbro it would take for them to honestly consider this.  They do listen to their customers, but they need a lot of customers to say they'll buy something like this to justify going to the expense.

[shabbychicdee]

yes yes yes
skydancer and seashell please

[gabumon]

If anyone else contacts them remember to mention the Transformers Generations and Universe toy lines!  That s paramount because they're already doing these lines and hopefully they will connect the dots for MLP.

[Sunset]

I have long wanted this to happen.  For me it's the RAMC ponies that I would want to see.

However, I have started to think that the large diversity in characters is actually working against us in terms of getting Hasbro to do this.  I think that the reason the bronies had such success with Bubblecup was that they all rallied around that one character.  But if you asked a 100 different collectors who their favorite pony is, you would get 100 different answers.  I imagine that makes Hasbro worry that any given single pony would not be popular enough.

On the other hand, plenty of us are behind them releasing Minty since they already had a prototype but they still haven't done even that.

[Tennyo]

Has Hasbro ever stated why they just won't buy back the rights to all the G1 characters?  Would it really be that expensive for them to do so?

[hathorcat]

Has Hasbro ever stated why they just won't buy back the rights to all the G1 characters?  Would it really be that expensive for them to do so?

This subject comes up often. Its not as simple as that Hasbro don't own the rights to the characters. This was an excuse first offered by Faust, which she claimed was given by Hasbro, to explain why she had to use Pinkie Pie and not Surprise and Rainbow Dash and not Firefly. Hasbro trademark each name they use - look on old G1 packaging and you ll see the little TM beside most ponies names. Its something which toy lines [in fact most manufacturers] do so that no one can come along and launch a line with a similar product in the same sector which reuses the same names as their products. However, over time if you do not continuously use the name then your rights to it are "lost". Its not that someone else bought them or that Hasbro sold them or that they deliberately lost them its just that Firefly and Surprise haven't been released ponies for 25+ years and so they no longer had the need to worry about competing brands in store and so they simply didn't renew/repeatedly use the name.

There is absolutely nothing stopping Hasbro trademarking any of these names again - whether they would be able to get the TM on some names is a different story; as the years have passed trade marking tends to be tougher mainly as other people have since trademarked similar words or because TM laws say you now cant trademark just anything and you have to prove it is something relevant to your brand. Its the reason a lot of G3s have double barrelled names or names which are a little "made up" or whimsical.

So Hasbro could have made Pinkie Pie white with yellow hair and trade marked Surprise Sparkle as a name...or made Rainbow Dash pink with blue hair and trade marked Firefly Dash as a name. Its not that they couldnt...its that the didnt want to. Which to be fair, is perfectly understandable and well within their rights.

Their issue with many G1 names could be getting a TM on them as they could be too simple for a TM or already in use. However all that being said in G3 they TMed Cotton Candy and Bow Tie, in G4 they TMed Applejack and Cupcake.  So their claims of loosing rights have either been grossly misunderstood or has been a little bit exaggeration. Also its perfectly possible for more than one brand to TM the same name - Applejack the pony, Applejack the drink.

At the end of the day if they wanted to produce a set of G4 ponies called Minty, Butterscotch, Snuzzle, Cotton Candy, Bluebelle and Blossom they could - they just need to register the TMs again. In fact they may not even need to go to too much effort thanks to G3...Hasbro still hold a trademark for "Minty" http://www.trademarkia.com/minty-73450975.html

[Al-1701]

There's a way around names being too simple or already in use that Hasbro has actually employed elsewhere.  Add a title to the trademark.  Like the Transformer Ratchet isn't trademarked as Ratchet.  He's trademarked as Autobot Ratchet.  They could have used My Little Pony Surprise or Pegasus Pony Surprise as the trademark.

It all comes down to money.  Because their trademarks have lapsed, Hasbro would have to start trademarking from scratch on G1 names which is an expensive process.  It was cheaper to make alterations to trademarks that were current, and Hasbro saw no sales advantage to releasing Surprise over Pinkie Pie.

[gabumon]

They could call them "G1 Pony #224"  for all I care!! LOL.  I dont think the names or copyrights are the biggest driver.  (Personally I think they just put work effort into the TF lines    )