The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: Deep Purple Crystal on December 25, 2013, 11:23:59 PM
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This question has been plaguing me for months: Why does Hasbro make so many Pinkies? It's pretty obvious there are more ponies out there that are more popular, but they just make more and more of her, no matter what. Why do they do this?
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Because they're under the impression people love her.
Frankly, I'm getting a bit sick of her even on the show. The first three episodes of the series tell me she's little more than a joke on four legs now.
Also, she's pink to obviously she's the pony girls want.
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I loved Pinkie in season 1. She had such deep moments, especially being empathetic in episode 5 and knowing she shouldn't prank Fluttershy. But in other seasons they seemed to mostly lose track of that side of her. I've never liked how she acted in Luna Eclipsed. She never seemed to consider that maybe Luna would feel really awful seeing everyone run away from her in supposed fright. I think season 1 Pinkie would have thought of that.
Pinkie had a really good moment in Too Many Pinkie Pies, when she realized how overwhelmed her friends must be with all the other Pinkies running around, but I think that was her last really deep insight.
I think Pinkie is really popular, but I curiously wonder how she actually does stack up alongside other characters. I definitely see a lot of people here who are sick of so much of her.
As for me, I'm kind of neutral. She isn't my favorite, but I don't usually outright dislike her. I'm pretty much used to seeing lots of Pinkie figures and Pinkie on lots of the merchandise. It's Rainbow I'm more fed up with seeing. It's hard to find any Pony shirts locally with characters other than Rainbow (except for a really nice one Wal-Mart had with Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie that unfortunately wasn't quite in my size).
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Wait a minute, don't I recall the reason Hasbro made earlier Celestia releases pink is that they thought pink toys sold better? Is that why?
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Bleh, it wouldn't surprise me. I hadn't heard that, though.
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I heard it from a forum member somewhere on the internet. I personally think white Celestia is much more regal. Pink just does not suit the raiser of the sun.
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Hasbros target audience is little girls and little girls are supposed to LOVE PINK! :biggrin:
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Celestia (in the show) isn't white, she's actually very very pale pink.
Personally as I'm not interested in brushable ponies, I haven't really noticed overflowing amounts of Pinkie toys. Also there are lots of these toys that never reach this part of the world too.
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Oh man... every time people ask this question, my head hurts. It's a simple business answer and everyone keeps hinting it is an anti-collector conspiracy.
Back in the ol' days, the toy companies used to send their catalogues out to the buyers and retailers, telling them, "This is what we are shipping shortly, figure out how to stock it." There was no opinion from Wal*Mart - mostly because they didn't exist as a conglomerate yet.
These days, the retailers have all the power because they are ordering billions of products. If there is a demand from the retailers, the toy companies have to do their best to meet it. So when a buyer like Wal*Mart says, "These are girls' toys and they need to fit in with our aisle scheme. They need to be PINK. We will order many, many more if they fit in with the PINK toy aisle. They WILL be pink, right?"
It's purely a matter of supply and demand. The biggest customers are the retailers and if the retailers demand to sell them in pink, naturally they are supplied with pink. ;)
No longer can Hasbro say, "Deal with the boy ponies and the colors that are not pink," they have to listen to their customers who are demanding that it's easy to fill an entire shelf with Pinkie Pie.
And yes, Celestia is pale, pale pink that doesn't translate well to a toy - her colors would fade super fast and she'd be a mottled pink cream beige color.
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Pretty much everything LBS has mentioned.
There is nothing more to it other than the fact that market research shows pink sells when you are manufacturing and selling girls toys - along with purples and whites. Its no conspiracy and its perhaps not something everyone wants to encourage [gender roles, etc] but its the cold hearted truth that the experts in making and selling toys are toy manufacturers and toy retailers...they know what shifts on shelves and clearly in MLP pink works. Pinkie Pie is about as pink as you can get, therefore she is the popular choice.
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I haven't been inundated with Pinkies, but this is probably because I don't have much in the way of brushables to begin with. 90% of my collection (91.3%, actually -- please excuse my geekiness) are minifigures, and although I do have duplicate Pinkies among them, I also have duplicates of all the other Mane Six and of several other ponies, too. I don't mind doubles, either, especially when they are variations on the norm, like rainbowfied ponies, neons, glitters, etc.
As for the Pink is For Girls thing driving the sales of pink toys over other colors, who else has seen The Pink and Blue Project?
Here's a link to the artist's official page:
http://www.jeongmeeyoon.com/aw_pinkblue.htm
And a Google image search for "the pink and blue project" turns up even more. I can't decide if I think these photos are adorable or disturbing. I have to remind myself that they don't show all of those kids' possessions, just the pink and blue ones. They do presumably own toys and clothes in other colors. But still!
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The thing is, a wider net catches more fish. That was the idea during G1. Hasbro understood that a wide variety of ponies would appeal to a wide audience. Now, with the retailers controlling everything as has been stated, they're more interested in what looks best on their shelves. Frankly, it doesn't make sense from the maker's standpoint because they have to worry about market fatigue (the retailers aren't affected by a brand going into decline because they can be replaced).
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Here's a good article on "pink is for girls" "blue for boys" :enthralled: http://www.cracked.com/article_19780_5-gender-stereotypes-that-used-to-be-exact-opposite.html
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You do all realise...that even with all these studies and all the "it used to be the other way around" history lessons that if right now "pink is for boys and blue is for girls" was true...we would just be having this conversation about "Bluey Burst" the blue pony with blue hair and pink and yellow balloon symbols?
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You do all realise...that even with all these studies and all the "it used to be the other way around" history lessons that if right now "pink is for boys and blue is for girls" was true...we would just be having this conversation about "Bluey Burst" the blue pony with blue hair and pink and yellow balloon symbols?
That is sadly very true. Though, would that mean Optimus Prime would have been bubble gum pink?
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They got a special discount on pink plastic and hair :lol:
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LBS- nail... head. Yes, it doesn't matter what collectors think. :)
My 6 year old and almost 4 year old love pinkie pie... right after rainbow dash, twilight, fluttershy and rarity. ;) Poor applejack just gets no love from my kids. :(
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You do all realise...that even with all these studies and all the "it used to be the other way around" history lessons that if right now "pink is for boys and blue is for girls" was true...we would just be having this conversation about "Bluey Burst" the blue pony with blue hair and pink and yellow balloon symbols?
Of course! That's what's silly about it all. Little girls love pink, but they don't love it because they are instinctively attracted to pink, they love it because they are surrounded by pink from an early age. When the majority of the stuff offered to them is pink, the likelihood that their favorite toy/character/shirt/whatever will be pink is pretty high, which then reinforces the positive vibes they get from the color pink. As in, "My favorite doll is pink, I like pink! My favorite color is pink, I like this pink doll!" It becomes a cycle.
(Nothing wrong with that, my favorite color really was pink, until I grew to the ripe old age of five and became enamored of Barney and his Rainbow-Colored Polka Dots. Did anybody else have those polka-dot curtains? :biggrin: )
The pink/blue gender code is a concept not unlike when one culture says a wedding dress should be white and a funeral dress should be black, while another says the wedding dress should be red and the funeral dress white. Color association is learned, at least to a certain degree.
I've got nothing against pink at all. Or blue. I'm just pro-colors. All of them! :art:
And as prevalent as the pink/blue thing is, toy manufacturers, marketing companies, and retailers are beginning to broaden their color horizons. Look at Disney princesses. The packaging might be pink as all get out (seriously -- walk down the Disney princess aisle in TRU and you'd think Barbie had snuck in there with her favorite can of pink spray paint), but the princesses themselves sport many different colors, including blue and green, which are generally "boy" colors, alongside the gender-neutral yellow and the classic pinks and purples. ^.^
I'm blabbing on, aren't I? Sorry, all! *shuts up* :redface:
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Ya it kind of is getting old with all of them. I have stopped buying anything that has PP in it.
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i like pinkie but she is not my favorite
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Oh I understand that some people believe it is a learned behaviour, although there are as many studies which will tell you it's not learned and colour preference [such as pink and light for girls and blue and dark for boys] has a deeper significance/genetic imprint than what just being a favourite because we are surrounded by in our youth. I think if we are going to quote and link to studies which suggest learned behaviour we should also consider that there is other scientific thinking on the reason we pick and prefer and are attracted to different colours. Its not as black and white [excuse the pun] as being a forced social behaviour.
What I don't get is why its such a big issue? Especially in a community which is collecting what is - no matter which way you package it or dress it up - a little girls toy. It just seems to be one of those issues which raises its head again and again and we have the good old "lets bash the colour pink and the big bad marketing companies/toy manufacturers for daring to force little girls to want pink toys and little boys to want blue toys".
Yes...this is a pet peeve for me...babble babble too :P
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Oh, no, it isn't really an issue. I had tons of pink as a kid, and it certainly never hurt me any. :biggrin:
I actually just linked to the Pink and Blue Project as an example of the themes, and because it's kind of amazing to see all that stuff laid out like that.
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*now wants a Bluey Burst*
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*now wants a Bluey Burst*
Make it happen Hasbro. You inverted Bumblebee's colors, do it for Pinkie Pie.
Ironically, I once came up with an G1 OC who was Galaxy's twin brother. He was the essentially the blue version of her (blue coat/sapphire eyes/Dark blue, blue, white, purple hair) with the constellation of Orion for his symbol. I guess I bought into the pink/blue divide there.
But Pinkie also gets a lot of exposure on the show which has nothing to do with retailers. Frankly, I'm more afraid that they're turning her to a self-parody. As one person pointed out, Season 1 Pinkie wouldn't do things we've seen her do lately.
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As someone said probably because she's pink and as we all know little girls love pink (I'm joking obviously). I mean, sometimes Pinkie's random moments of comic relief are funny and sometimes they get old, at least for me.
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I think if there were more characters released it wouldn't feel like such a pinkie pie overload.
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Because the new My Little Pony line is now called 'My Little Pinkie Pie' :P
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Pretty much everything LBS has mentioned.
There is nothing more to it other than the fact that market research shows pink sells when you are manufacturing and selling girls toys - along with purples and whites. Its no conspiracy and its perhaps not something everyone wants to encourage [gender roles, etc] but its the cold hearted truth that the experts in making and selling toys are toy manufacturers and toy retailers...they know what shifts on shelves and clearly in MLP pink works. Pinkie Pie is about as pink as you can get, therefore she is the popular choice.
I reckon by this point it's likely a vicious cycle - pink is ALL (or the majority) that is available, therefore that is what "sells" best. I didn't like pink much as a kid, especially as gifts from uninformed (lazy) relatives tended to be garishly pink and overly "girly" because I was a girl and therefore that was what I wanted. Shudder.
I could put up with the pink if there was more of a variety. There are plenty of other pink or pinkish ponies - Ploomette, Cheerilee, Cadence, Diamond Rose, BlossomForth, Cherry Pie, Cherry Berry, other background characters whose main colours are pink. But nope. All Pinkie Pie. All the time. I'd mind less if her character didn't seem so watered down to "hyper random pestering you all the time lol" recently from her formerly being way more perceptive and resourceful than everyone thought she was.
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I've come to the conclusion that Hasbro has hatched a secret plot to use an army of Pinkie Pies to overtake the world.
Forget the zombie apocalypse, its the Pinkiepocalypse you've got to fear now!
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It seems strange that Applejack sells and is released the least.
Pinkie Pie now must be on every single piece of G4 merchandise out there. It's just eerie to look at a section with lots of pony merchandise and see about 20 Pinkies staring at you.
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I don't mind Pinkie in the show,but I too are sick of seeing her in so merch. I understand why she is sold so often,but I really have no need for 20 Pinkie's,and I'm sure a lot of kids don't either. Does she really need a train,RC car and helicopter? Fluttershy and Rainbow don't even have one vehicle! (Yes,I know they can fly but not the point :P)
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Has anyone done and calculations as to how many releases each of the mane 6 has had? I have a suspicion Rainbow Dash and Twilight come pretty high up there in number of releases too.
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Has anyone done and calculations as to how many releases each of the mane 6 has had? I have a suspicion Rainbow Dash and Twilight come pretty high up there in number of releases too.
This is a little inaccurate as I haven't had time to update my count this week, and it follows number of variants (not number of releases, as some variants were released multiple times) including styling size, fashion style, glimmer wings, shine bright, the molded 2010 gift set, etc. Does NOT include Funko, Equestria Girls, blind bags, and other figures/ponies released outside of the main Hasbro toyline.
Applejack x 12
Pinkie Pie x 25
Rarity x 17
Twilight Sparkle x 12
Princess Twilight Sparkle x 12
Fluttershy x 16
Rainbow Dash x 16
:lol:
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*now wants a Bluey Burst*
Oh good, I'm not the only one!
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25 PINKIES? More than twice the number of Applejacks? We have an invasion of Pinkies on our hands.
It is also interesting how unicorn Twilight was available for two and a half years, and got the same number of variants as Princess Twilight, who's only been selling for eight months. :huh:
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These days, the retailers have all the power because they are ordering billions of products. If there is a demand from the retailers, the toy companies have to do their best to meet it. So when a buyer like Wal*Mart says, "These are girls' toys and they need to fit in with our aisle scheme. They need to be PINK. We will order many, many more if they fit in with the PINK toy aisle. They WILL be pink, right?"
It's purely a matter of supply and demand. The biggest customers are the retailers and if the retailers demand to sell them in pink, naturally they are supplied with pink. ;)
This is true, but the retailers are also keeping a really close watch on what sells. If it's not selling, they don't want it, so the public has a lot to do with this as well. I used to work on a buying team. HATED it!
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Too much pink makes my eyes melt :dizzy:, I do like the color but only in small amounts. :huh:
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Has anyone done and calculations as to how many releases each of the mane 6 has had? I have a suspicion Rainbow Dash and Twilight come pretty high up there in number of releases too.
This is a little inaccurate as I haven't had time to update my count this week, and it follows number of variants (not number of releases, as some variants were released multiple times) including styling size, fashion style, glimmer wings, shine bright, the molded 2010 gift set, etc. Does NOT include Funko, Equestria Girls, blind bags, and other figures/ponies released outside of the main Hasbro toyline.
Applejack x 12
Pinkie Pie x 25
Rarity x 17
Twilight Sparkle x 12
Princess Twilight Sparkle x 12
Fluttershy x 16
Rainbow Dash x 16
:lol:
So if we count all the Twilights as the same character since they are, she has has about as many releases as Pinkie. Yet nobody is complaining about the sheer number of Twilys.
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You do all realise...that even with all these studies and all the "it used to be the other way around" history lessons that if right now "pink is for boys and blue is for girls" was true...we would just be having this conversation about "Bluey Burst" the blue pony with blue hair and pink and yellow balloon symbols?
That is sadly very true. Though, would that mean Optimus Prime would have been bubble gum pink?
you just made my brain... STOP.
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These days, the retailers have all the power because they are ordering billions of products. If there is a demand from the retailers, the toy companies have to do their best to meet it. So when a buyer like Wal*Mart says, "These are girls' toys and they need to fit in with our aisle scheme. They need to be PINK. We will order many, many more if they fit in with the PINK toy aisle. They WILL be pink, right?"
It's purely a matter of supply and demand. The biggest customers are the retailers and if the retailers demand to sell them in pink, naturally they are supplied with pink. ;)
This is true, but the retailers are also keeping a really close watch on what sells. If it's not selling, they don't want it, so the public has a lot to do with this as well. I used to work on a buying team. HATED it!
Yep, and customers mostly buy what marketing has told them is cool... so it's a self-fulfilling prophecy! :( You had better believe if they had marketed the crap out of the castle with Shining Armour and not just let a TV episode do the advertising... the set would have sold better, and they'd have a reason to give us more boy ponies.
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These days, the retailers have all the power because they are ordering billions of products. If there is a demand from the retailers, the toy companies have to do their best to meet it. So when a buyer like Wal*Mart says, "These are girls' toys and they need to fit in with our aisle scheme. They need to be PINK. We will order many, many more if they fit in with the PINK toy aisle. They WILL be pink, right?"
It's purely a matter of supply and demand. The biggest customers are the retailers and if the retailers demand to sell them in pink, naturally they are supplied with pink. ;)
This is true, but the retailers are also keeping a really close watch on what sells. If it's not selling, they don't want it, so the public has a lot to do with this as well. I used to work on a buying team. HATED it!
100% this. Buyers are smart cookies; its their job to know what sells. If there is an over abundance of Pinkie [and clearly Twilight too! :P] its because they are a main seller. Thats no ones fault, its just good old supply and demand.