Pictures definitely ... every year i check the location of ponycon at least, and of course, this year, when it wouldn't have actually been an effort for me to get there AND it's on my weekend off work ... i never bothered looking 

These are so adorable! I'm not often that into customs but these are so sweet. I saw photos on Facebook of these next to baby and adult g1's so I'd say they are a similar size  to  a regular baby sea pony.

I do agree it is frustrating, I miss the days when you could go into a store and find a new set with new ponies and the circulated a few times a year. I really stopped buying new ponies when the core seven came out with G3 because I didn't want another toola roola just with a different hat.

But Flitter is right, collectors make a very tiny percentage of the market, and you also have to bare in mind some collectors love a certain pony much they will buy him/her over and over. But it is essentially aimed at little kids and sadly little kids have short attention spans now a days (lets face it if it isn't on a screen they aren't interested) and they are so desperate to grow up.
My mum is a child care and has two sisters she looks after age 4 and 7. A year ago the 7 year old told me she didn't like MLP any more because its for little girls and it wasn't grown up. Whilst I stod there like "pfffff! You're 6 you are a little girl!"  Because of that her sister isn't interested either. So I can see why from a marketing point of view they don't have to put time and effort into designing new characters and lines ... Because they have such a short life as an 'it' toy. Whilst I think EqG, MH , EaH style fashion dolls have a much broader range, little and older girls can like them so that where concentration isis put in.

But I agree I'm getting sad now, seeing the same ponies on the shelves as there was 10 months ago.

I love this thread, its so cute! I do know a lady who named her son Thomas after tom from tom and jerry. And her two younger boys were named after her friends dogs :s. My baby cousin, Alfie, is also indirectly named after a dog.

Also I once had leopard geckos named Bulbasaur and Umbreon.

That is one of the best things I've ever heard. More things should be called bulbasaur in my humble opinion.

I try to name my Guinea pigs after book or comic characters, although there have been some film and TV ones. I had Mr Pickwick, Gulliver, (huckleberry) Finn, Ultra Magnus, Ponyo, I still have Blake (after the comic Blake and Mortimer) Harvey Dent (he is a crested Guinea pig who has never been the best behaved either), Lupin and Noah.

My cat is Angel, her mum was Buffy ...

I also work at an animal rescue and rehoming center so when we get a large group of animals from a hoarding situationme and my colleague go for themes. We have had 34 Guinea pigs  with  Tolkien names, the avengers, x-men,about 25 harry potter names. 2 litters of Guinea pigs with star trek names as they were born just after Leonard Nimoy passed away.
We've had a few of Guinea pigs and Rabbits named after transformers, Jazz, Mirage, Bumblebee and Silverbolt. And two baby girl Guinea Pigs named Clipper and Firefly after MLP!
We also rescue ex battery/cage farm hens. I fully intend to give our next bath the most long winded MLP names I possibly can!

Hey welcome to the arena, have fun collecting I'm sure you'll complete those sets and be onto the next in no time ... It's addictive!