Hurray! The TEs are back! 

I hope they will re-release all of them, especially Bright Eyes, Locket and..... Mimic! 

Yeah here the reception overall is pretty neutral and people who dislike it are chill about it.

Now on Hasbro's social media accounts, on the other hand.... people who dislike it are uh. Very loud and annoying about voicing their negative opinions every time Hasbro makes a new post. At least on Instagram they are, not sure about elsewhere but I'd imagine it's similar. I think it's mostly children who grew up with G4 being very hostile to G5 on Insta.

Some people have way too much time on their hands. Unfortunately, trolls will resurface every time a new generation is released but I agree it is not quite as bad as the G2 bashing back in the day. I fondly remember the tripod and geocities websites and their G2 mocking. Some of the content was rather funny, actually. I might have saved some of the pictures on the odd external harddisk. (A pony bearing a chainsaw and a bloody symbol comes to mind...) But make no mistake- people thoroughly hated* G2. G3 was warmly welcomed by children and collectors, but the third gen is often criticised and hated* by G4 fans/bronies.

My unpopular opinion is that I like ponies just for being ponies. I generally welcome all gens. People have often made me feel that that's not enough, and that I should have preferences. I do not dedicate myself to one gen or the other. I never did, and I do not believe I ever will. That does not imply I do not have opinions. I just do not like to exclude ponies based on a gen alone.

* 'Hated' as in 'I am convinced they would have quite literally melted them all if they had been given the chance'... )

Ooooooh so many new ponies...  I can see why some people might have to get used to the new ponies, they are different for sure but so far I really like the new design. I will have to see them in stores to be sure, though. Hopefully they will release more ponies in the upcoming months (ponies besides the main five.)

Ahhh, so I see the playsets will continue to be just as bad as G4's.

Hah, that's the first thought that crossed my mind. I am slowly getting used to these newer playset designs- after the initial cringe I usually find them rather cute. Cute in a 'well, that's different!' sort of way. The castle looks rather whimsy and impractical. I am drawn to the color scheme though.

Shouldn't we discuss the picture on the original box? Elephant feet, anyone? 

Ah yes, but I do own the PPP. It doesn't take up a lot of shelves space, and I always kind of liked the transparent pink plastic. The "perfume" of the palace smells more like regular handsoap, though...

I see it both ways a little bit. Yes, toddlers and young kids like repetition, but it's the adults buying them the toys and no parent wants to spend money on the same thing repeatedly. (...) Once So I guess it just depends on who's doing the picking...the parents or the kids!

Older kids want more variety too, I think, at least I did. I remember when the SS ponies came out, my sister and I were annoyed that many of them were re-leases; we felt like we could cross Posey, Lickety Split and Gusty off our checklist because we already had those ones.

I agree, but I will once more offer my 'sad 80s/90s kid perspective' on this (I actually said the same a long time ago when Hasbro was pumping out one G3 re-release after the other). When I was a kid, most of the earlier G1s were no longer available in stores. I would have done anything to own either a NSS or SoSoft Magic Star, Wind Whistler or Buttons. I remember searching the shelves for them, asking the employees if they could order them from Hasbro. I managed to find other ponies of course- but not the early ponies or any of the fantastic euro variants that were actually sold in stores over here. 


 
Therefore, I would argue that re-releases are very important to children. A few re-releases each year are acceptable in my humble opinion because some children might discover MLP in year 6 rather than in year 1. However, I agree that unique additions to the MLP herd are most important if Hasbro wants to keep children interested. Furthermore, those unique releases are at the heart of MLP. I think G3 got it right when it comes to the proportion unique single releases and re-releases. I still have 3 (!!!) boxes full of Pinkie Pies and Mintys, and at least 5 or 6 Sunny Dazes and Sparkleworks, but most of the G3 ponies were unique (except all the Core 7 and G3.5 stuff of course).

I think it's funny so many people prefer the Pipp toy to Sunny because they look the same to me but Pipp's hair style is hiding the head shape better.

I noticed that as well.  I think the hairstyle of Sunny is not particularly flattering for her face shape. The ponies look very, very cute if you style them with the face framing tendrils.

G5 toys!
Well, descriptions, anyhow. All from this catalog and translated so a bit wonky.
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Ah, that catalog is in German. Yeah, the translations are pretty accurate. I read through the whole thing, and I think most ponies are 15 cm or 6" tall based on the dimensions of the packaging. The descriptions of "Popstar Pipp" and "rainbow manes" Sunny mention they are 15 cm (6") tall. The crystal ponies are smaller- those ponies are most likely the smaller figurines presented at the Hasbro investors event. The catalog mentions they are posable, so I am pretty sure those are not brushable ponies...

Please don't get me started on all the annoying historical inaccuracies and anti-other generation phobia by Garden Variety bronies that casually tag along the FiM fandom, and believe Über Brony What's-His-YouTube-Channel-Called no matter how contradicting and shady the so-called evidence.

I have collected MLP for a long time, but I certainly classify as a brony. I just love to think and theorize about the world of Equestria, I love watching FiM... Around here it is actually still broadcasted on tv (Ziggo Channel 312 anyone?) However, I do not think G4 or FiM is superior in any shape, way or form. I am obviously not against headcanon. I do not think G4 is the best generation of ponies (that honor should go to G1 for more reasons than I can summarize right now, but first and foremost for providing the basic outline of the Equestrian world and the nature of MLP itself). However, I do think the FiM/G4 canon is the best developed storyline of all generations, and I for one really enjoyed the world of Equestria and Twilight's development from an insecure book smart filly to a wiser ascended alicorn princess.


What I am mostly exploring these days is the irony of toxic bronyism. Funny enough, toxic bronyism effectively beats itself. It does not make sense at all. You cannot claim you like FiM and have watched and understood this show, and be so inconsiderate and intolerant of others. That is the ultimate anti-FiM response! You have effectively demonstrated you don't understand any the lessons and values the show teaches! Nobody gets to dictate what kind of fanart and fan fiction are acceptable, for one. Because the last thing this fandom needs is people expressing their creativity, right? Some of these clowns actually watched "The Cutie Map" episodes, but somehow didn't get the most basic FiM messages, like, oh I don't know... "Individual differences are a good thing", "you should capitalize on each others strengths", "you should not feel intimidated by other's abilities and instead focus on developing your own talents" and so on. That is part of the canon, too... Toxic bronies think they understand FiM and as a logical consequence MLP, but they just really don't. They might miss the wider context of MLP's history and roots, or perhaps they are generally too emotionally immature to understand the psychology of other people. Whatever the reason for their immaturity and hatefulness- they are universally annoying. It's possible to like FiM and G4 without developing a superiority complex.

Secondly, all things MLP are generally meant for children. How grown adults can feel better about themselves by bashing MLP cartoons is beyond me. I am not talking about the odd out of context video, but mocking and bashing older generations, with the aim of discrediting that entire generation. All the G3 hate is especially sickening to me. Frankly, I never liked the art style of the G3 cartoons that much, but the show is cute enough. Most importantly, the actual ponies (the toys) are stunning. They were loved by many collectors (including myself) for a reason, and they sold very well in the early 2000s. I hope G3 fans will raise their voice in the near future. I think most of them feel very intimidated by some of the stuff that's out there.