Unpopular Pony Opinions

[Carrehz]

I don't mind the odd modern/human aspect here and there, I just don't like it when they go overboard with it. Tales has never really been my thing for that reason (I like it well enough, what I've seen of it at least, but it doesn't feel like MLP to me). Hated those anthro G3 Ponyvilles.

The smartphones feel weird to me since I personally prefer them to be a bit more timeless, but they're not exactly dealbreakers for me either. Just something I probably wouldn't have done myself.

[SweetNightmare]

Personally I don't mind the modern human elements in MLP universe. But I do prefer more whimsical\magical\cottage core elements. They are indeed more timeless and fun.
I do love those accessories like the new "pony smartphone" in g5 as well as the small cellphones that g3's had also I think that streamer Pipp set is super cute even though it will probably be so dated in a couple years.

[MJNSEIFER]

I think I've mentioned this before, as one of my unpopular opinions, but I don't mind the cell phone thing personally.  It's not what I'd have done myself, but I think so far they've made it part of the show so naturally, that I don't really notice it, it's like it's always been there, for me.

I mean, I still found Tales to be a fantasy world with all its technology for the time, and G5 feels very fantasy to me, as it reminds me of Final Fantasy in places (Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights remind me of FFX) and because of my influence from the FF series, I've never really found use of technology to be counteractive towards the idea of a fantasy world, to be honest.

Also add to the fact that they're not really in you face about the phones, they're just there, so it doesn't feel like they're trying to modernize the show, in my opinion.  Pony Life kind of brings it to the foreground in some episodes, but that show is more light-hearted and fun, so it even feel natural there in its own way for me.

Another thing that helps for me is... well, I don't actually view cell phones as "modern" these days - they've been around long enough, that they are just part of the world for me now, it's no different to including a TV or a radio on as show in my opinion.  They just blend into the scenery for me, most of the time.

I respect those who don't like them in MLP and I will admit, I wouldn't include them myself, but... it doesn't bother me that they're involved as it just seems natural to me.

[Shadowperla]

I do mind because, if it outside, I am so bothered by people constantly on phones. AND why show "streamer" (parasite caste) as a positive option? It made me dislike Pipp. Too grotesque modern...does she also have a PonyFans page?

I am not a fan of bringing bad life things, like these, into MLP.

[Taffeta]

I agree we can do without pony influencers. The number of people who now apparently can't do anything in their own lives without someone on a video upload telling them how to live is already terrifying to me. The name itself is toxic. I thought we were meant to be individuals thinking for ourselves, and yet here we are as a society guided by influencers...yeah. So that one I am in agreement with.

When I worked in the library, we used to have to tell people to turn their phones off constantly. So I'd start to twitch whenever I heard one go off, even outside of work. It was lovely in Japan when you didn't have people using phones on the train except to browse/scroll, they were all on silent because of manner mode. I really noticed that difference when I came back home.

I don't mind cell phones that much overall; I do mind social media and its proliferation, which I suppose also goes back to the influencers.

All that said, I suppose MLP is just reflecting society. Modern society is not very impressive, and the kids have to learn to live in it. Or, you know, be told by someone else how to because that's how it's done these days.

I still feel like I'm ok with tech and slice of life MLP stories, but I do absolutely draw the line at the kind of modern culture mentioned above.

 

[MJNSEIFER]

Again, I don't really find it that modern, and it doesn't bother me personally (though respect to those who feel differently.)  Also, I personally feel that the whole "constantly on phones" thing is an exaggeration - I don't even see it that much, and when I do, it's usually like a handful of people, and even then, it doesn't look constant.

It's no different to when I would play my Gameboy in public in my opinion - sometimes you just need something to keep the kids entertained and sometimes that will be the internet, other times it will be a video game or even a book.  Otherwise, they'll be part of what is going on (which they can still be with their "distractions" if they choose to be.)

I'm not a follower of the influencer scene, and I'll admit I only took into account that kids could be following them recently when it was brought up in media, and I get that kids can be impressionable, but they can still essentially (with guidance if necessary) make their own choices at the end of the day.  It is also nothing new essentially, I'm speaking for myself, but kids in general would (presumably) tend to act like people they watch in someway - be it an actual celebrity they're fans of, or a character they watch on TV, though at the end of the day, they are still ultimately themselves, even if they take cues from other people, because their true selves, their actual personality essentially shines through, and at most whatever was "influenced" in them just gets incorporated into that.

It is not a "today" thing, the people in our environment has likely shaped our personality since the moment we, as humans, became consciously aware of other humans.

Regarding Pipp, I'm not even sure she is an influencer, given what seems to be the idea of them (note: I am referring specifically to the movie, as I haven't seen Tell Your Tale yet) she has an online presence, but at best she just seems to be an online celebrity of some kind, like a YouTuber or whatever.  This in itself, I would say is a good thing (though as a YouTuber I'm likely biased) and is more so about expressing yourself, and sharing your personality and opinions with the world and such like (yes, I realize this varies depending on the YouTuber), which I would say is a positive thing at the end of the day.  You can have fans, but I don't think there has to be any desire to actually tell them how to do things, at best it's just you showing how you'd do things - unless it's an actual guideline video or something... I dunno it's a grey area that depends on the YouTuber, or whatever kind of online presence we're dealing with.

With Pipp as a streamer, maybe she's providing entertainment for the other ponies and expressing herself?  I'm sure she enjoys the idea of being the center of attention and being famous in some way (again using YouTubers as an example, even if you're more into it because it's fun and something you want to do, you're still at least partly in it for fame, otherwise you wouldn't do it so publicly.) It is like how Rarity expresses herself with her designing, which is also in part for the benefit of the other ponies, as she wants to celebrate their beauty, but at the same time, I'm sure she still enjoys the praise from other ponies regarding her designs.  The same thing could apply to Pipp, as in, she is providing entertainment for the other ponies, but at the same time would appreciate the praise that she'd get from it?

So... yeah, I can see the positive side from it, but if others don't then I respect that and hope I've come across as respectful.

[BlackCurtains]

What's wrong with streamers? Okay, "influencers" I agree is a dumb thing, but it's not new, like MJ said. People in commercials and the cover of magazines can also be seen as "influencers". But like, just regular streamers? People who cook on camera, or garden, or do repairs, or play games... I don't think that's a negative thing? I only watch a couple myself but really, I think comparing normal streamers with adult platforms is overreacting and weird.

I can't say anything in detail about the ponies themselves, since I have yet to watch the movie.

You also have to remember this is aimed at kids and kids are exposed to modern tech everyday. It's just the way things are in the 1st world. It's the same as TV show families actually having televisions in their homes, when they were not widely available. Or... phones! Rotary phones existed in 1919 but didn't become popular until the 1950s but movies and TV shows still had phones in them. Or video game consoles. Or anything, really. It's all the same.

[Taffeta]

The idea of kids being influenced by celeb or other culture is not new, true enough, but the access and directness of it now is a problem because of its lack of regulation. See the influencers using their platforms during COVID to take stances on vaccines, for example. Streamers are a bit different from influencers in my mind, but it depends...I don't really like streamers who take money for advertising (these are what I would call influencers, that have an ulterior motive for what they are doing). If you're just doing it for your own entertainment, like deboxing ponies or reviewing anime or talking about your garden then I don't have an issue with it. But people who actively go out to make money through advertising products to their base...I think its hard to say that every single one of them is acting in good faith, even if some are.

People are very susceptible to the influence of peer pressure and the cultural media around them. It not being a new thing doesn't make it automatically an ok thing, mind you. Most of the negative things neurodiverse kids experience as they grow up come about because of this culture of how you should do things/what you should like/ and so on. Growing up as a neurodiverse kid without a diagnosis and having to navigate that world of conformative blah was often not a fun experience. On the positive, it made me able to deal with those things as a reality in every day. But I can't say it enriched my childhood experience and often the opposite.

I feel like there are limits to the extent people should be able to 'influence' other people's lives. But the point being discussed is whether it's ok for ponies to be using these tech things that we see in our everyday. I will say I think the idea that ponies need to reflect modern tech and culture is kind of silly, because that would mean that literally nothing could be fantasy or unrealistic, and that stories set in other worlds, or the past, or any of those things have no right to be produced because they don't reflect modern society.

I was ok with the level of 'human society' that the MLPtales ponies had, I think because the level of human society in the 1990s was a long way from being the intrusive and toxic thing that it is now. It is a scientific fact that more young people now suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health problems because in large part of social media - and that internet bullying means that kids have no escape from the people tormenting them, not even by going home from school.

...The decision to push popular kid society into our kids tv is not a new one by any means, but it doesn't mean it shouldn't be handled carefully. I mean, FIM pushed friendship on its viewers but by doing so accidentally created some awkward moral lessons. So if that stuff is going to be in the pony world, it needs to be done selectively. The world is far more open and intrusive on people's lives now than in the past, and the extent to which that needs to be reflected on kids' TV screens is probably the thing in need of debate.

[Leave a Whisper]

 it's up to parents to monitor their kids activities online and restrict them from toxic websites. We can't shield them from every nasty thing in the world, but  parental locks on computers and phones make it a little easier. The people in the world have always tried to tell other people how to live and what to think. In some places, that intrusion is far worse and more horrifying then some opinionated person on social media. But those are different matters.

 We now return to My Little Pony. My unpopular opinion is, Ivy is cute but I don't particularly care for her.

[Mami Tomoe]

I really want another forest playset like in G2

[Taffeta]

G2 had a lot of neat ideas actually.

Berry Bright is best G2. I don't really understand all the Ivy hype, genuinely.

[Leave a Whisper]

G2 had a lot of neat ideas actually.

Berry Bright is best G2. I don't really understand all the Ivy hype, genuinely.

Isn't there a G2 in similarish colors? Sea Foam or something?

[Artemesia's Garden]

I'm not sure if I already said this but I love the Perfume Puff Palace. It's so whimsical. Apart from that, my ponyverse exists somewhere in the dark ages. I don't even have Steamer let alone...

[BlackCurtains]

I'm not really into playsets, and wasn't when I was a kid either (aside from Castle Grayskull with the slime) but I always liked the G3 playset with the rainbow waterfall. Butterfly Island is its name. That was a cute playset. The little Breezie train was cute too.

My opinion that might be unpopular? I wish Hasbro had done more horse markings in G1. We have blaze and...? I think that's it. It would have been cool if they did things like paint or appaloosa. I guess Cotton Candy is as close to appaloosa as we got.

[Taffeta]

G2 had a lot of neat ideas actually.

Berry Bright is best G2. I don't really understand all the Ivy hype, genuinely.

Isn't there a G2 in similarish colors? Sea Foam or something?

Um, maybe Sea Breeze? The mail order? *racks brains for G2 names, at which she often fails*

But yeah, it's definitely a reused colour scheme.

I actually think it would've been cool to have a proper appaloosa set with different colours. O.O

Playsets...as a kid I wanted PE and the hair salon and had neither. So I have a special fondness for them. I had DC and the nursery and played with them over and over. As an adult...it's a problem of storage. :/