I agree.
Seen Puppy Surprise in stores lately?
That one, as far as I can tell is EXACTLY the same as original Puppy Surprise. Not updated, not future-puppy-ized, not slimmed down & fashionabled, its actual Puppy Surprise just as you remembered her. This, to me, is the way to do it. Same toy, same box type, similar to equivalent price point, THAT is what will evoke the nostalgia.
I also don't believe it was 'too early' that they retro re-released. They did too many things wrong for it to have worked.
1. Couldn't match the same soft pastel colors
2. LACK of nostalgic packaging.
3. Only sold in sets of 3 (MLP rarely sold in sets)
4. Different eye
5. Different quality of plastic, very hard, head-heavy toy that falls over
6. High starting price
7. Can't choose the pony you want
So it's like...These WERE NOT the "original ponies" in any way. They couldn't evoke nostalgia buys. People remember a soft pastel pony & you give them that loudly colored Cotton Candy, they remember the bubble-carded single toy & the joy of selecting the one they want at ok cost...you give them multi packs where they pay a lot to not choose.
The things that succeeded like puppy surprise, the strawberry shortcake...those gave the people the original thing in the original package. Making zillions of changes does not create nostalgia.
And then, I think Hasbro blamed the fans for not liking what they did, which was the rotten cherry on top.
I completely agree with 'license out g1 brushables' if they're so frustrated and fan-blaming for their own mistakes. All these other brands doing well with same-look products...even care bears I think, are proof that if the company respects the original source it does well in this new day.
I do think if they single packed them, made them decent quality, and had them in nice retro packaging, even collectors would be willing to pay up to $10. Because yeah you might be able to get an original for less but you can't get one MIB for less.
On a side note didn't they come in boxes at one point? I didn't grow up with G1, I just find 80s toys to be fascinating. I think boxes would work better because they can be reused to display it even if you take it out. With backcards once it's open there is no putting it back.
The Retro SSC doll Bridge Direct released last year was successful enough that they are expanding on it and adding more character. I find it amazing that a small company can do better on a retro rerelease than a big company. They are not just popular with collectors but with parents too. Too bad the G1 MLP rereleases never caught on with parents but perhaps it was just too soon. I think a lot of people who grew up in the 80s and put off having children until they were more financially stable are buying things for their kids now. And these nostalgic parents have more money at their disposal than parents who had kids right out of high school or college. Of course that is just my observation and I wish Hasbro would give retro rerelease brushables a try or at least license them out to someone who will since even tho I like the MLP G1 Action Vinyls, they are not the same.
I was just ranting about this the other day haha, but I think a really crucial thing they failed to realize is that repros can be really successful to non-child non-collector buyers, but it needs to be an impulse buy.
If people say "I'd pay $5 for it," saying "ok here's 3 or $15!" is NOT the same thing. A mom or college kid at the store is going to feel much more stupid indulging herself in a massive box closer to $20 than 5, with three ponies in it - and in the case of the Collector Ponies, three nearly identical ponies. It just can't be justified.
I really can't believe they didn't just test the waters and put out, say, Firefly by herself on a backcard.
I also can't believe, with the gorgeous original-packaging Jem repros hitting comic con to please collectors, we've never seen like a Princess Pony or more astutely a Flutter Pony repro hitting the con. And then as in the pre-brony days they'd probably have extra stock for Hasbro Toy Shop, so all the collectors who wanted them would get them and they'd undoubtedly sell out.
Personally, I don't believe there was anything wrong with the packaging, which referenced the g1 art or selling three in a set. TRU did a similar concept for Strawberry Shortcake around the same time - I think the set contained Strawberry, Orange Blossom and Raspberry Tart - and it sold just fine (and it still seems to sell well on eBay.)
In my opinion, the main problem was the lack of quality. Those ponies just look don't look as good as the originals, IMHO. I didn't even mind the brighter colors on them. But their hair is thin; their bodies are heavy and tip over easily. When you could literally buy the original pony for about the same price secondhand, most people were going to go out and buy the originals. In fact, most people already owned the originals, so why buy a semi-duplicate that didn't look quite as good?
I appreciated that Hasbro tried. I wished that the Rainbow set had a better distribution, because I thought they looked a little better. But I wished they'd ignored the price point that collectors told them. Clearly, not all collectors could've answered them (I didn't, because I wasn't on the boards yet) and I was certainly willing to spend more than $5/per pony. And I wished they'd tried harder.
They weren't really a high starting price. They were $15 for 3, so $5 each. The low price is what fueled the poor quality hair and the hard plastic. But you can't blame Hasbro for the price, they literally asked people how much they'd be willing to pay for a retro MLP and the collective answer was "$5".
Well, for $5 you get thin hair and cheap plastic.
The colors were altered so that the retro ponies wouldn't be mistaken for original G1s on the secondhand market. Many collectors requested this.
Hasbro has never blamed fans. They've never said anything about the retro releases. They just stopped making them.
That's not to say Hasbro did everything perfect. IMO they should never have rereleased the Collector ponies; they're sort of a boring set. (On the bright side it could be worse, at least Hasbro didn't rerelease the BBE ponies, LOL.)
I think one of the difficult things about MLP for a retro release is that there are hundreds of characters, and no easy way for Hasbro to guess which ones are actually popular. Normally this is easy, you just look at the TV show. But with MLP a lot of non-show characters are more popular than show characters. Ask people to choose between Dancing Butterflies and Cherries Jubilee and I think Dancing Butterflies would win. The BBE babies were on TV, but most people prefer the TAF babies. And most of all, people prefer the ponies they personally grew up with. But this varies from person to person.
I don't own any of these myself so i can't check, but did they use the FF mould as a base, instead of the revised collector pose? That would explain the tipping; the original FF's are only semi-stable because of their very heavy tail washers - without them, they go nose down at the slightest touch.
The Retro SSC doll Bridge Direct released last year was successful enough that they are expanding on it and adding more character. I find it amazing that a small company can do better on a retro rerelease than a big company. They are not just popular with collectors but with parents too. Too bad the G1 MLP rereleases never caught on with parents but perhaps it was just too soon. I think a lot of people who grew up in the 80s and put off having children until they were more financially stable are buying things for their kids now. And these nostalgic parents have more money at their disposal than parents who had kids right out of high school or college. Of course that is just my observation and I wish Hasbro would give retro rerelease brushables a try or at least license them out to someone who will since even tho I like the MLP G1 Action Vinyls, they are not the same.
Wish SDCC repro doll?
Yeah why would they make repros of the less popular sets? Why not retro rereleases of TAFs? Or Twinkle Eyes? Or Flutters or princesses or brothers? How about it, Hasbro? It's not too late!
Really? I was under the impression that the FF/CP set was popular? I know for sure the Rainbow ponies are.The originals, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the collector ponies. pretty much MPP-1985 are things I love the most (hard to choose though love 86' and after that year it's individual sets, or ponies and some that are so so). It wasn't the set, it was the quality for me the eye paint and hair thickness especially. box was cute, but lackluster. but for the price-point it wasn't shocking to see all those things. I had hoped for a more high end release (like a store barbie, Vs a silkstone), but inexpensive is what collectors apparently wanted from what was posted here about hasbro polling, and it is what we got.
Really? I was under the impression that the FF/CP set was popular? I know for sure the Rainbow ponies are.The originals, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the collector ponies. pretty much MPP-1985 are things I love the most (hard to choose though love 86' and after that year it's individual sets, or ponies and some that are so so). It wasn't the set, it was the quality for me the eye paint and hair thickness especially. box was cute, but lackluster. but for the price-point it wasn't shocking to see all those things. I had hoped for a more high end release (like a store barbie, Vs a silkstone), but inexpensive is what collectors apparently wanted from what was posted here about hasbro polling, and it is what we got.
Really? I was under the impression that the FF/CP set was popular? I know for sure the Rainbow ponies are.The originals, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the collector ponies. pretty much MPP-1985 are things I love the most (hard to choose though love 86' and after that year it's individual sets, or ponies and some that are so so). It wasn't the set, it was the quality for me the eye paint and hair thickness especially. box was cute, but lackluster. but for the price-point it wasn't shocking to see all those things. I had hoped for a more high end release (like a store barbie, Vs a silkstone), but inexpensive is what collectors apparently wanted from what was posted here about hasbro polling, and it is what we got.
I don't think a lot of people dislike the Collector ponies, but I also feel like they rank pretty low on the "OMG, that pony was my CHILDHOOD FAVORITE!!!" totem pole. From what I remember, Year 2 was when MLP really took off and became a "gotta have it" toy.
Now if they really wanted collectors drooling at their door, Hasbro would do something like, say, take a pony that never had a non-Nirvana baby version, make both mom and baby, package them up, and boom you have instant market appeal. Nostalgia plus something new.
Now if they really wanted collectors drooling at their door, Hasbro would do something like, say, take a pony that never had a non-Nirvana baby version, make both mom and baby, package them up, and boom you have instant market appeal. Nostalgia plus something new.
THIS!!! Or do releases of ponies that weren't released in the U.S. or mail orders. Why not do something unique?
Now if they really wanted collectors drooling at their door, Hasbro would do something like, say, take a pony that never had a non-Nirvana baby version, make both mom and baby, package them up, and boom you have instant market appeal. Nostalgia plus something new.
THIS!!! Or do releases of ponies that weren't released in the U.S. or mail orders. Why not do something unique?
Because the average non-collector isn't going to fondly remember a non-US pony unless they grew up overseas. It needs to have wider appeal than just collectors.
Now if they really wanted collectors drooling at their door, Hasbro would do something like, say, take a pony that never had a non-Nirvana baby version, make both mom and baby, package them up, and boom you have instant market appeal. Nostalgia plus something new.
THIS!!! Or do releases of ponies that weren't released in the U.S. or mail orders. Why not do something unique?
Because the average non-collector isn't going to fondly remember a non-US pony unless they grew up overseas. It needs to have wider appeal than just collectors.
Maybe the 7 MLP Tales characters could? I remember that I really wanted them as a child, but never saw them as a toy, I thought they didn't exist
Now if they really wanted collectors drooling at their door, Hasbro would do something like, say, take a pony that never had a non-Nirvana baby version, make both mom and baby, package them up, and boom you have instant market appeal. Nostalgia plus something new.
THIS!!! Or do releases of ponies that weren't released in the U.S. or mail orders. Why not do something unique?
Because the average non-collector isn't going to fondly remember a non-US pony unless they grew up overseas. It needs to have wider appeal than just collectors.
Personally, I don't believe there was anything wrong with the packaging, which referenced the g1 art or selling three in a set. TRU did a similar concept for Strawberry Shortcake around the same time - I think the set contained Strawberry, Orange Blossom and Raspberry Tart - and it sold just fine (and it still seems to sell well on eBay.)
In my opinion, the main problem was the lack of quality. Those ponies just look don't look as good as the originals, IMHO. I didn't even mind the brighter colors on them. But their hair is thin; their bodies are heavy and tip over easily. When you could literally buy the original pony for about the same price secondhand, most people were going to go out and buy the originals. In fact, most people already owned the originals, so why buy a semi-duplicate that didn't look quite as good?
I appreciated that Hasbro tried. I wished that the Rainbow set had a better distribution, because I thought they looked a little better. But I wished they'd ignored the price point that collectors told them. Clearly, not all collectors could've answered them (I didn't, because I wasn't on the boards yet) and I was certainly willing to spend more than $5/per pony. And I wished they'd tried harder.
I had no idea theNow if they really wanted collectors drooling at their door, Hasbro would do something like, say, take a pony that never had a non-Nirvana baby version, make both mom and baby, package them up, and boom you have instant market appeal. Nostalgia plus something new.
THIS!!! Or do releases of ponies that weren't released in the U.S. or mail orders. Why not do something unique?
Because the average non-collector isn't going to fondly remember a non-US pony unless they grew up overseas. It needs to have wider appeal than just collectors.
Alot of people over here didn't realize the Mountain Boys existed and look how popular they are.
As a kid I always wished they had made the Tales ponies. I didn't realize they were made over in Europe. Plus they never made the boys. Alot of people would love to have official merch of Teddy, Lancer and Ace.
People are absolutely in love with Raindrop and Nightlight too.
If Hasbro put out a decent quality Mom & Baby Minty set, most of us would be slapping down money so fast, our wallets would have rugburn. Heck if it had nice accessories, I'd drop 30$ on it without pause. Ponies were not cheap throwaway toys back in the day - even the least expensive, basic adult was ~an hourly wage's worth of money, and baby ponies were even more. :whoa:
I do wish Hasbro would try again- I agree Wardah, if a teeny tiny company like Bridge Direct can manage it, why not a corporate monster like Hasbro ??? TRY AGAIN HASBRO!!!!
Because the average non-collector isn't going to fondly remember a non-US pony unless they grew up overseas. It needs to have wider appeal than just collectors.
Because the average non-collector isn't going to fondly remember a non-US pony unless they grew up overseas. It needs to have wider appeal than just collectors.
I'm not sure this is necessarily true. A friend of mine who collects these says the lines are doing quite well: http://www.mattycollector.com/store/matty/DisplayHomeOffersPage
I think Hasbro could make some good money doing releases aimed specifically at collectors, online only like these. For being a toyline aimed at girls, Hasbro certainly ignores the spending power of the female long time collector (and male G1 collectors).
If it's between a quality 30$ pony and a cheap repo like we got before at ~5$ a piece, I'll happily take the 30$ one any day of the week, as long as it's a well made collectible. Agree that a smaller production run, maybe with a company that's focused more on catering to collector markets would be ideal. Or online sales, skip the big box store releases since they aren't the target demographic for something like this anyways.
Remember that they also have to recreate any G1 mold they want to use, and we want them to do a better job than they did on the collector ponies or what's the point?
I don't think Hasbro can produce a high quality (like G1 quality) individually packaged repro for $10. Anything individually packaged is going to be more expensive than the 3-packs to begin with. I would guess at least $20 to produce something high quality.
Remember that they also have to recreate any G1 mold they want to use, and we want them to do a better job than they did on the collector ponies or what's the point?
Bridge Direct can make a quality SSC for $10 tho and she is more involved to make than a pony. Tbh I really don't trust Hasbro to get it right which is why they should license it to someone that can. Bridge Direct also does the Fisher Price Classics which they licensed from Mattel.