Unpopular Pony Opinions

[Taffeta]

They were Adventure Boy ponies in 1988 and then the second set reverted to Big Brother ponies for some reason best known only to Hasbro xD.
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I've never been worried about them picking up stuff in hooves or in mouth, honestly. Thinking of revolt of PE, Paradise takes the paint in her mouth, and I know they redecorate with the brushes in their mouths. But I remember scoops taking the lid off the ice cream with her hoof in ice cream wars. If you have both, use both..?

Unpopular opinion now, maybe? But I don't really like ponies having bridles and saddles.

[Leave a Whisper]

No need to get snippy. It's the unpopular opinions thread, we're not gonna agree on everything.

I'm not being snippy.

[SpacePinto]

I guess my ultimate unpopular opinion here by far would be that, even though I love the toylines and wish I'd grown up with them, I am always going to think of the cartoons first (despite the fact I will always think of all "canons" when it comes to inspiration) - I know the overall response to this will basically be "Oh, it's a brony thing...", but I do have a love and respect for the toylines as well, but brony or not, the animations was what I started with, so I do value them.

I have to admit that although the old pony toys are cute, to me MLP has always been mainly about cartoons as well, I grew up with the G1 cartoon and then as an adult in the 2000s I also developed a liking for My Little Pony Tales and partially for the G3 videos. I hate it when people perpetuate this fake dichotomy that you can either be a brony and like the G4 cartoon or a collector and like toys of different generations.

[Ponybookworm]

Both. Both is good

For me personally, MLP has always been about collecting toys. Hence my dislike of calling the Ponies themselves "merch". They are figures with a cartoon based on them. Merch IMO applies to books, bedding, crockery, & other stuff with pictures of the figures on it.

But if you want to like both the toys AND the cartoons, nobody is stopping you. You like what you like, I like what I like, others like what they like.

Let's all enjoy MLP the way we want to xxx

[Taffeta]

I guess my ultimate unpopular opinion here by far would be that, even though I love the toylines and wish I'd grown up with them, I am always going to think of the cartoons first (despite the fact I will always think of all "canons" when it comes to inspiration) - I know the overall response to this will basically be "Oh, it's a brony thing...", but I do have a love and respect for the toylines as well, but brony or not, the animations was what I started with, so I do value them.

I have to admit that although the old pony toys are cute, to me MLP has always been mainly about cartoons as well, I grew up with the G1 cartoon and then as an adult in the 2000s I also developed a liking for My Little Pony Tales and partially for the G3 videos. I hate it when people perpetuate this fake dichotomy that you can either be a brony and like the G4 cartoon or a collector and like toys of different generations.

I don't think that's a problem either, honestly. Being a fan of the G1 cartoon doesn't make you a brony, or any less a G1 fan. What I get a bit weary of is just people talking about ONLY the cartoon, as though G1 had one canon, rather than multiple.

I grew up with the comics, and four episodes of G1 animation. As a kid, I adored Revolt of PE, and my strong love for Paradise came from her storytelling persona in that more than anything in the UK lore, because, aside the factfile entry, she was absent. I watched Ice Cream Wars a lot, too, hoping for a glimpse of baby Tic Tac Toe, my first tooth baby - she's in it peripherally - and when I discovered Milkweed and Tumbleweed were real twins I was really excited to get them. I may possibly even have them twice >.>.

The other two were Sweet Stuff and the Treasure Hunt, which I like except for the name Sweet Stuff, and the Would Be Dragonslayer. Which, I don't really like but it's fine I guess. I liked seeing Masquerade and Whizzer in the former.

...But the issue I have is that people talk about the personalities of the ponies as though the animation is the canon, rather than a canon.

The difference between G1 and G4 is simply that G1 has an animated canon AND other canons. G4 has an animated canon, and everything else ties into it. It's not about whether people are more into the animation in G1. It's just wishing for people to be more aware of other G1 media at least existing. Because frankly, a lot of the time people aren't.

I guess this is an unpopular opinion, but I don't really like how US-centric the general community view of MLP still is, even though we're a global community. My childhood pony collection wasn't divided into 'US ponies' and 'European ponies'. They were just 'ponies', and they didn't always come with the accessories the Wiki said they did, or at the time the Wiki says they were/must have been released. I don't want to use US names, and the stories I read as a child and that inspired my imagination are just as valid as the animated episodes that inspired other people. I often feel like people forget that.

As Ponybookworm said, both, all...ALL are important. We're all absolutely valid in how we enjoy MLP.

[MJNSEIFER]

To SpacePinto and Ponybookworm: Thank you.  I'm pleased that you understand in your own ways that I think of the cartoons first, yet still respect, love, and take inspiration from the other "canons".


To Ponybookworm specifically: Yeah, I've taken a dislike to pony toys being called merch as well - toys aren't merch if they started out as toys, to me MLP merch would be a shirt or something.  In fact, I have an FiM mousepad in front of me now - that is merch as far as I can see, not the toys themselves, they are the franchise.

To Taffeta: First off, thanks for explaining about the Adventure Boys.

Second; yeah, I understand the annoyance of people acting like the cartoons are the only canon - some bronies at least, don't get it - they don't get that every canon of MLP is its own canon, ultimately.

It is indeed correct that G1 MLP had more than one canon (off the top of my head; toyline, comic books, story books and cartoons), but the thing is, this is actually true for at least most generations up to and including G4.  Yes, G4 has multiple canons too - the comics and the books and comics are considered to be a separate canon... or they should be - at least some bronies just right off the comics as non-canon, which isn't the correct use off the phrase; they are "separate canon" - I am sure I have explained to them that this has happened with previous generations, that there are separate canons for all, or at least most of them.

That's one of the beauties of MLP for me, you can take as much or as little from any canon or even canons you like, or just create your own completely - it's your choice, your imagination.

I too agree with Ponybookworm's statement - there is no wrong or right way to enjoy MLP, we are all valid.

Thank you, everyone.   

[Ragamuffin]

Unpopular opinion now, maybe? But I don't really like ponies having bridles and saddles.

They're just pointless, really. Related, I was thinking of like a... theory? Lack of a better term? For G1's progress:

Spoiler

Horse phase -> Fantasy phase -> Domestic/Modern Phase

"Horse phase" obviously being the bridles and saddles, but also Megan's inclusion. The stable is also very horsey, but what makes it even MORE horsey are the trough accessories! Early MLP feels like "horses, but what if it was purple?" rather than how we know it today. "Fantasy phase" is the mainstream view of MLP. No need to explain further. Magical little ponies with magical little powers living in castles and going on adventures. "Domestic/Modern Phase" is obviously Tales, but also the shift of the brand entirely. From "magical ponies in castles" to "prom queen ponies" and "house furniture playset and pregnant mom pony". G1 is the most baby-heavy of all the gens, but instead of just "babies" there's an emphasis on "families" like, obviously, the Family sets (Sweet Celebrations, etc) in late-G1. A quick glance at MLW (which I know isn't the authority on MLP history, but it's good enough with something like this), early G1 looks like it's mostly adult ponies with some babies. But by year 7-8, it's halved, with a LOT of baby releases... like half adult ponies, half babies. Of course when I mean family I mean "mom, dad, baby", not "random orphaned baby" and "adult pony with her cloned baby self".

I know G1's progress was just a matter of them refreshing the brand to make it more appealing to its demographic, but it sort of repeats itself with the other gens:

G2: Simple Phase -> Fantasy Phase -> Domestic Phase
G2 started off with basic playsets and themes, went onto the royalty thing, then finished off with a mansion mom and baby playset. The focus on babies as time went on I think also contributes to the "domesticity" of the gen, since if you have babies, you probably will want to roleplay "family" stories. Cooking, school, and gardening playsets as well.

G3: Simple Phase -> Fantasy Phase -> Domestic/Baby Phase
G3 started off with very simple stories that didn't do much, but A Very Minty Christmas and The Runaway Rainbow gave the ponies more exciting adventures to go on halfway through the gen. Finish off the "Fantasy Phase" with Twinkle Wish Adventure. These ponies are going on adventures across the land and not just planning parties in Ponyville like the Free Media movies. As for "Domesticity", we have the Ponyville playsets-- ponies living in a town, a society, rather than a magical world. Ultimately, the gen wraps up altogether with Newborn Cuties.

Gens seem to have a focus on babies at the end of their run...? Is this a "last ditch effort" to make money? "OK we gotta bring out the big guns, give them babies. Little girls love babies."

G4: Simple Phase -> Fantasy Phase -> Domestic Phase
"Simple Phase" being the "slice of life" early episodes of FiM, "Fantasy Phase" being the more... "geek franchise" later seasons, and "Domestic Phase" being Pony Life. "Modern Phase" also fits Pony Life, just as Tales was G1's "Modern Phase". Although they came before PL, you could throw in a brief "baby phase" with the... 2 sets of baby Mane 6 merch we got...? (The 6-pack minifigures and the Pinkie/Twilight dolls)

G5 has just begun but I wonder if we'll see a similar pattern. Maybe Hasbro can shake things up and give us babies right away.

As for saddles... I think they can be done well on a pony. I like how G4 handled saddles, as a fashion thing. A little band on the back with a frilly skirt. I like simple clothes on ponies, not a button-up blouse, pants, and tennis shoes. Anything more *saddley* is pointless as there are no humans, and bridles are ESPECIALLY weird. At least with a saddle you could have a pet ride on your back or something... what's a cat going to do with a bridle?

[Taffeta]

Ragamuffin, that analysis in the spoiler was beautiful. Cookies for you

It's interesting regarding the baby ponies. I know there are certainly a lot of babies in the later years. I also remember as a kid that I pretty much could only ever afford to buy babies, because the adults had gone beyond my pocket money level. I would have to save for them, wait for them at Christmas/birthday or use money from those events, generally. The babies ponies at the end of the line in 1994ish were the same kind of price as the adults has been in the early part of the line, at least based on the price tags on my childhood later backcards and the prices listed in the argos etc catalogues for earlier times.

On the saddles, they're reflective of ponies being subjugated to Megan and to human characters. Which is weird to me given they run their own world perfectly well without that being a thing. And them going to Megan for help I guess I also see in that light. Megan is bossy and often quite useless.

...I remember in the Picnic at PE story tape, which is from the US lore (and I still love the song btw), it's all very mundane and unmagical really, and Megan is somehow the 'oldest', even older than the adult ponies...unless they're working in horse years.

I was also quite confused that the tales ponies were meant to be 10 years old. They seemed like young teenagers to me, at least 14 or thereabouts, given their behaviour and the fact this was the early 1990s. While I know kids grow up fast, they don't go to rock concerts on their own at age 10, much less perform in them.

[Leave a Whisper]

Unpopular opinion now, maybe? But I don't really like ponies having bridles and saddles.

They're just pointless, really. Related, I was thinking of like a... theory? Lack of a better term? For G1's progress:

Spoiler

Horse phase -> Fantasy phase -> Domestic/Modern Phase

"Horse phase" obviously being the bridles and saddles, but also Megan's inclusion. The stable is also very horsey, but what makes it even MORE horsey are the trough accessories! Early MLP feels like "horses, but what if it was purple?" rather than how we know it today. "Fantasy phase" is the mainstream view of MLP. No need to explain further. Magical little ponies with magical little powers living in castles and going on adventures. "Domestic/Modern Phase" is obviously Tales, but also the shift of the brand entirely. From "magical ponies in castles" to "prom queen ponies" and "house furniture playset and pregnant mom pony". G1 is the most baby-heavy of all the gens, but instead of just "babies" there's an emphasis on "families" like, obviously, the Family sets (Sweet Celebrations, etc) in late-G1. A quick glance at MLW (which I know isn't the authority on MLP history, but it's good enough with something like this), early G1 looks like it's mostly adult ponies with some babies. But by year 7-8, it's halved, with a LOT of baby releases... like half adult ponies, half babies. Of course when I mean family I mean "mom, dad, baby", not "random orphaned baby" and "adult pony with her cloned baby self".

I know G1's progress was just a matter of them refreshing the brand to make it more appealing to its demographic, but it sort of repeats itself with the other gens:

G2: Simple Phase -> Fantasy Phase -> Domestic Phase
G2 started off with basic playsets and themes, went onto the royalty thing, then finished off with a mansion mom and baby playset. The focus on babies as time went on I think also contributes to the "domesticity" of the gen, since if you have babies, you probably will want to roleplay "family" stories. Cooking, school, and gardening playsets as well.

G3: Simple Phase -> Fantasy Phase -> Domestic/Baby Phase
G3 started off with very simple stories that didn't do much, but A Very Minty Christmas and The Runaway Rainbow gave the ponies more exciting adventures to go on halfway through the gen. Finish off the "Fantasy Phase" with Twinkle Wish Adventure. These ponies are going on adventures across the land and not just planning parties in Ponyville like the Free Media movies. As for "Domesticity", we have the Ponyville playsets-- ponies living in a town, a society, rather than a magical world. Ultimately, the gen wraps up altogether with Newborn Cuties.

Gens seem to have a focus on babies at the end of their run...? Is this a "last ditch effort" to make money? "OK we gotta bring out the big guns, give them babies. Little girls love babies."

G4: Simple Phase -> Fantasy Phase -> Domestic Phase
"Simple Phase" being the "slice of life" early episodes of FiM, "Fantasy Phase" being the more... "geek franchise" later seasons, and "Domestic Phase" being Pony Life. "Modern Phase" also fits Pony Life, just as Tales was G1's "Modern Phase". Although they came before PL, you could throw in a brief "baby phase" with the... 2 sets of baby Mane 6 merch we got...? (The 6-pack minifigures and the Pinkie/Twilight dolls)

G5 has just begun but I wonder if we'll see a similar pattern. Maybe Hasbro can shake things up and give us babies right away.

As for saddles... I think they can be done well on a pony. I like how G4 handled saddles, as a fashion thing. A little band on the back with a frilly skirt. I like simple clothes on ponies, not a button-up blouse, pants, and tennis shoes. Anything more *saddley* is pointless as there are no humans, and bridles are ESPECIALLY weird. At least with a saddle you could have a pet ride on your back or something... what's a cat going to do with a bridle?

That was really well thought out Ragamuffin.

[brightberry]

Good points Ragamuffin!

I had My Pretty Pony first and honestly saw her as more of an animal intelligence.  So Little Ponies for me were colorful versions of the ponies living next door.  It wasn't until the first special that I saw them as anything different. 

Saddles I get because they protect backs from being bounced on. I mean, think about what that can do to a spine if the rider isn't top notch.

[Taffeta]

But that still asks the question, should the ponies be being ridden?

I'm a sentient being. I don't want someone gallivanting around on my back telling me where to go

[brightberry]

But that still asks the question, should the ponies be being ridden?

I'm a sentient being. I don't want someone gallivanting around on my back telling me where to go

If we're forced to, I'd agree.

We carry pets, children and occasionally other people if we need to.  I mean, if I was a pony and the annoying two-legger that needed to come along was terribly slow... I probably would.  The real reason I don't carry slow people around now is that it's tiring.  But a pony doesn't have that problem.  It doesn't mean that they get to tell me where to go.  Even with a hackamore, horses still basically go where they want.  They're just choosing to listen to their rider/friend.  But honestly, if it was easy to carry other people who have movement issues, why wouldn't I do it?

Adorable cat and horse for fun:
https://youtu.be/dG0pbTItcDc

[Taffeta]

But that still asks the question, should the ponies be being ridden?

I'm a sentient being. I don't want someone gallivanting around on my back telling me where to go

If we're forced to, I'd agree.

We carry pets, children and occasionally other people if we need to.  I mean, if I was a pony and the annoying two-legger that needed to come along was terribly slow... I probably would.  The real reason I don't carry slow people around now is that it's tiring.  But a pony doesn't have that problem.  It doesn't mean that they get to tell me where to go.  Even with a hackamore, horses still basically go where they want.  They're just choosing to listen to their rider/friend.  But honestly, if it was easy to carry other people who have movement issues, why wouldn't I do it?

Adorable cat and horse for fun:
https://youtu.be/dG0pbTItcDc

I feel like we're probing deep and meaningful issues here, but it's somehow still fun and interesting xD.

The irony of this is that I wrote pretty much my whole PhD thesis around the characterisation of horses in Japanese war tales, several of which are ridden by warriors (both with and without saddles).

But there's one character who on two occasions carries his horse, rather than the other way around. First, across a river, because it's injured. And second, down a mountain, so it doesn't get hurt.

...If it was that kind of mutually beneficial relationship, I can see there's a good reason for a horse to carry a person.

And the difference I guess between carrying an animal like a cat (aside the weight) is that the cat is probably not the one deciding where the horse should go, when it should stop, and so on. It would depend whether the horse was carrying the person as a favour, or whether the horse was being subjugated to the person's will, maybe.

...But this is way too deep for the unpopular opinions thread

[Leave a Whisper]

But that still asks the question, should the ponies be being ridden?

I'm a sentient being. I don't want someone gallivanting around on my back telling me where to go

If we're forced to, I'd agree.

We carry pets, children and occasionally other people if we need to.  I mean, if I was a pony and the annoying two-legger that needed to come along was terribly slow... I probably would.  The real reason I don't carry slow people around now is that it's tiring.  But a pony doesn't have that problem.  It doesn't mean that they get to tell me where to go.  Even with a hackamore, horses still basically go where they want.  They're just choosing to listen to their rider/friend.  But honestly, if it was easy to carry other people who have movement issues, why wouldn't I do it?

Adorable cat and horse for fun:
https://youtu.be/dG0pbTItcDc

I feel like we're probing deep and meaningful issues here, but it's somehow still fun and interesting xD.

The irony of this is that I wrote pretty much my whole PhD thesis around the characterisation of horses in Japanese war tales, several of which are ridden by warriors (both with and without saddles).

But there's one character who on two occasions carries his horse, rather than the other way around. First, across a river, because it's injured. And second, down a mountain, so it doesn't get hurt.

...If it was that kind of mutually beneficial relationship, I can see there's a good reason for a horse to carry a person.

And the difference I guess between carrying an animal like a cat (aside the weight) is that the cat is probably not the one deciding where the horse should go, when it should stop, and so on. It would depend whether the horse was carrying the person as a favour, or whether the horse was being subjugated to the person's will, maybe.

...But this is way too deep for the unpopular opinions thread

Well it's not so easy carrying around an animal that on average weighs between 800-1,200+pounds.

[SpacePinto]

I think that ponies look very cute with bridles on their muzzles.