The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: sunshinedim on March 12, 2022, 12:43:01 AM
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I always thought they did... their eyes look kinda melancholic to me somehow..... the way they droop downwards.. it also kinda makes them look more sweet to me.
I wonder if I am the only one who thought of that.
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I just think they have kind faces. But I know what you mean, especially the early Collector Pose ponies. Thank goodness not everything female has to look happy or sexy.
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Hmm, yes I get that feeling from them sometimes...especially certain poses like the shy pose, collector pose, and maybe even Crumpet pose. The eyes and the poses combine to give that feeling. The shy pose in particular gives me Eeyore vibes.
This is reminding me of how the taxidermy of the famous St Bernard dog Barry was changed - the pose and the face were altered noticeably to meet the aesthetics of the time - he went from having a gentle subservient pose with his original face shape to a more assertive pose and a face that more closely looked like the more modern St Bernard dog, with a more pronounced stop. I guess ponies went through the same thing, becoming more upright and changing facial shape. Interesting, I never really thought about this before.
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Dreamy, maybe. Pensive, gentle. Yes. Sad? Not really.
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Nah, not sad! They're just thinking far off thoughts, not really in this world. I think they're adorable and wouldn't change them for anything :D Also, I love the much more "horse" like design to them than current generations.
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I do kind of see sad but I think (as stated above) they look a bit more dreamy :)
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Sweet, gentle face... I think they capture the look of a Shetland pony fairly well I think. :) Or at least how I see them.
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No. I think they have very gentle expressions.
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I've always thought they looked a bit melancholy. It's more noticeable in some poses than others though.
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It's funny you say that - because when I got my very first Jem doll (I had a Danse previously), I thought she looked kind of sad too! I think it's the difference between the aesthetics of the time; whereas dolls used to more often be made with neutral or contemplative expressions, now everything very happy and smiley. Just look at the earliest Barbie! She's quite severe! I think it leaves room for a wider range of play options, if the toy isn't frozen mid-laugh, but I can also see how it might be unnerving to have an 'unhappy' toy just sitting around.
I do find something a little melancholic about the Collector's Pose ponies; but when you look closer, they have a little grin, it's just harder to see at first IMO! I think Glory is also a little 'neutral', with a hint of a smile that's not really obvious at first glance.
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I agree with Snapdragon.. I don't think it's so much that G1s are sad-looking, so much as newer ponies are so darn happy! They've definitely moved to clearer, somewhat more exaggerated expressions (G4s' giant anime-esque eyes probably add to this too) in the toy world. Personally I prefer the more pensive/thoughtful looking expressions.. for example, 1959 Barbie's somewhat dour sideglance is more appealing to me than modern-day Barbie's "lights are on but no one's home" grin ;) But I do love post-G1 pony expressions too.
I do agree that collector pose ponies can look a bit doleful, especially the 25th anniversary versions since their heads hang lower because they're flat-footed (http://kittieoflife.com/mlp/cottoncandycomparison12.png) (I assume the earliest collector ponies are like this too? I don't have an 80s flatfoot pony to compare her to) and their smiles are a little subtler. I like it though, more horsey looking IMO :silly:
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A couple poses look sad to me, but a lot of them look gentle and happy, too!
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They look very thoughtful. Shy Pose ponies especially look a little, well, shy.
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I feel their pose and the way they look always changes their expressions. So I honestly not sure because their look changes for me often. I might go with gentle though as well mostly.
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Maybe it's because they're not having to pose for selfies to put on social media :P
They can be more natural.
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Nope. Just sweet and gentle... and at least they look like a horse!
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From a certain angle, they kinda do. That's why I have mine positioned in a way that you can easily see their smile. :)
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Yes, I feel the same way . . . they've known sadness and they carry melancholy. Still, they smile. "There's always another rainbow."
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Yes, I feel the same way . . . they've known sadness and they carry melancholy. Still, they smile. "There's always another rainbow."
That was so poetic :lovey:
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Yes, I feel the same way . . . they've known sadness and they carry melancholy. Still, they smile. "There's always another rainbow."
I also agree. Well and beautifully said. :lovey:
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I would use the word "wistful" but yeah
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They look relatively neutral, I think. Or happy, but not like... going out of their way to make sure anybody knows they're happy.
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Maybe it's because they're not having to pose for selfies to put on social media :P
They can be more natural.
:thumb:
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Yes, I feel the same way . . . they've known sadness and they carry melancholy. Still, they smile. "There's always another rainbow."
And Lovesbabysquirmy - wistful, I agree with that.
But actually, yes, as a kid I could kind of see it! This thread just brought to the fore a memory I have from being a really little kid. I brought my ponies to a friend’s house and must have been happily playing with them with her or showing them to her mom when her mom asked me, “they’re very cute, but how come they look so sad?” I had seen The Last Unicorn by then so I gazed into Beachball’s violet eyes that turned down at the edges and said “it’s because they know they’re The Last.” Surely wistful hill standing, meaningful gazing into the distance, and mournful hoof thrashing were to follow.
Years after I had gotten older and gotten over unicorns, I discovered the book version of The Last Unicorn in High School and found it quite life changing. Peter S. Beagle, I hold you partially responsible for my pony collection as an adult. In the best way.
I wonder if Hasbro sees g1 eyes as sad too, because if you look at the modern official G1 style art they make, the eyes are carefully straightened out in their placement on the pony face and also bigger.
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nah. only gentle. gentle, tender and warm :blush:
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A little bit, especially certain poses. But, in a way, that just makes me want to get them and show them love even more
Post Merge: April 28, 2022, 07:02:11 PM
Yes, I feel the same way . . . they've known sadness and they carry melancholy. Still, they smile. "There's always another rainbow."
:cry: That was beautiful
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I don’t think they are always sad. There are some parts where they’re happy.
And needless to say it also applies to G1 dragons too. But not that much sadness but rather much happier when things come about. They even have silly faces at one point and other.
I mean sometimes feelings in G1 is always the most positive side as possible unlike G4’s feelings…