I keep changing my mind on poses I like and don't like. I know I dislike Pony Bride's pose, but that's partly because I don't really like any of the ponies in that pose. I used to hate the Cherries Jubilee pose with a passion, and was really mean to my poor CJ and Snowflake for much of my early childhood, but when I discovered the pony I was obsessed with as a kid - Magic Star -was in that pose, I kinda got over myself with it and made peace. It still isn't a favourite of mine though.

I am also not a fan of the Collector Pose. Especially the FF ponies who nosedive forwards inside the collector case I have them living in, sigh.

Think I like most of the others. It often comes down to whether a particular pony suits a particular pose, though, for me...

This unfortunately happens >< I remember someone stealing images from my site some years ago, back when UK ponies used to go stupid prices on Ebay. Thankfully some sharp eyed community people (think LM mightve been one of them) spotted and recognised them and we got it stopped...but, honestly, with MLP you can't go taking other group lot images since the exact ponies that are in the lot are what is important!

Haha that picture Xd. My friend stopped mocking grassies after my Roserade dismantled his team without taking much damage ; ). I actually don't like grass starters as much as some of the others. Oddish/Gloom/Vileplume will always be my favourite, but there are tons of others, like Roserade, that I also like. They need more love xD.

For some reason I always start with a fire type, which, considering I lije grass types, is a bit twisted somehow

Oddish is awesome! I actually have a sewing pattern for Oddish somewhere but never got around to finding the right fabric to make one.

I think a lot of the posts have nailed it. I don't hate FIM but I don't equate them with what I grew up with. I do hate the anti-G1 comments idiots put on youtube and the idea MLP interest began with G4, but I don't hate the toys themselves. They just lack...something. I like that with old MLP Hasbro experimented and in doing so, they made mistakes. Flutter ponies, for example,,..stunning but too delicate for rough play. Pink hair that faded on ponies whose streak of hair changed colour in the sun. And random inexplicable variations which gave each country's MLP a unique identity.

New MLP is too shiny in that regard. The final product looks nice but stays in safe perameters. I have one with affixable wings that I bought in Prague, but the wings are cheap and not a patch on flutter or summer/windy wings, with their colours and patterns.

It must not be forgotten how much of FIM's animation story is borrowed from G1, too. Tirac, Scorpan...even the elements of harmony are inspired by the Rainbow of Light.

In regards to kids and imagination, it is a generalisation but I think that technology doesn't help. In the 80s or 90s you had a static toy and you created a story. Now toys are digital, interactive, and do a lot of creating for the kids. Seeing small kids playing on mobile phone games is another part of it since that is not creative play.

The trend atm is to rinse repeat old stuff anyway...New Jem movie (don't get me started on that) and comic, dolls, new Ghostbuster film planned, constant remaking of TMNT, Care Bears, Transformers. And, not here at the Arena but in the wider web there are a lot of people who follow MLP simply because memes tell them it is cool and therefore they follow the pack but never spend any money on the product itself.

The other day I found stationery here in the UK featuring G1 MLP. It has been 20 years since G1 ended, but seeing that felt really good...after all this time I remember the names and personalities of the ponies featured....but I admit I cannot remember the names of most G4 outside the core 6 and buy them entirely based on whether I am away from home and whether I like their colours.

Monster High is one of the few toys out now where imagination still seems to be being applies, which is no doubt why they are so popular. If I was a mum with kids now I would probably look at them first for my child.

I'm not sure about this. I think it's sad that Hasbro have taken this line.

On the one hand, the TV series constantly features these core six. That means that they always have to be on sale, to draw in any new fans of the show, as I think someone has said. Reworking them therefore makes sense, because Hasbro want to try and persuade kids who already have the originals that MAYBE they want a different one with rainbow hair or glittery cutie mark. I guess it's like SS Posey vs original Posey?

On the other hand, though, I think that Hasbro are working for the quick fix. I don't think as much thought goes into this line outside of the cartoon as has gone into previous. The G1 ponies all had individual stories and characters thought out for them right up till late in the line, but the G4 (and I think G3, maybe G2) never had this really. They have fleeting remarks on their cards, but Hasbro rely on kids knowing who they are from watching FIM. I suspect that, if FIM stopped, the toys would stop too - because, unlike G1, the toyline is not separable from the FIM series. The G1 cartoon is very minor in my mind compared to all the sets that were sold, since it ran for a limited time and featured limited ponies.

I've also noticed a few worrying things here in the UK. I do see kids buying G4, playing with G4, clutching huge pony plushes and stuff around town - but the stores that stock them near where I live seem to be discounting them before they even hit the shelves. For example, I just came back from Lincoln today, and during my trip I bought Diamond Mint and Photo Finish as souvenirs. Diamond Mint was already discounted by £2 and Photo Finish was part of a buy 1 get 1 half price offer.

 I don't see the core six moving very much here, either. If a different pony appears, it does tend to disappear in a few weeks, but there are always tons of Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie etc.

It reminds me of how much more difficult it is to find a 2nd edition Medley, Firefly, Bow Tie or Applejack, or a Second Edition Posey or CJ here in the UK. The kids already had them from the first year, so Hasbro's rerelease just picked up the new kids or the ones who somehow missed out in the first issue. I kinda think that,  by clinging to the Core 6 so much, Hasbro are reducing the potential of their product.

That and the fact that some stores here would rather stack piles of boxes up in front of the aisle and not unpack them when the shelves are more or less empty...

One last thing I noticed here in the UK, too - though this may in part be due to bad stockage in my area - is that a lot of the not core 6 ponies do not make it here. If they do, as I said, they get snapped up - but they don't often appear. I found a couple of ponies in Lille in France that I never saw in shops here (since I only tend to pick up FIM ponies as souvenirs from holidays xD). I wonder whether Hasbro's distribution of other ponies is as keen as it should be. I think they are denting the longevity of their product by obsessing over the core six. Yes, they need to be on sale all the time - but it wouldn't hurt to introduce one or two sets of entirely new characters with unique features at the same time...

When I was a kid, collecting Gen 1 ponies, I took great pride and care in selecting the pony from each set I was going to spend my money on, and I was always excited by the new characters, styles, ideas that came out each year. If I was a kid now, the core 6 reissues would probably have put me off MLP. I think Hasbro underestimate the way young girls think - and the ones who might spend the most money with them over the years to come are missing out because of it. If they want to capture the kids' imagination for a year, then the reissues might work, but if they want to capture the kids' loyalty and spending for several years, they need to think outside of the character box as well as all these gimmicks.

All of that said, I will admit that Photo Finish fascinates me

I posted this in another thread, but here is my plush collection so far! <3

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

I need to steal that oddish. So adorably cute

I used to have a bunch of plushies and stuff but I downsized all my collections and only kept with my ponies and Jems. Now I only have plushes of the pokemon I like best - I have a large Wobbuffet and a small one, a small Gardevoir, a Ralts, a Kirlia, a Gallade and a Vileplume. I still need an Oddish, but I'm trying to be good since space is driving me nuts