G2 didnt have a tv show in Europe either but it continued to run for many years. So I dont think its TV shows to blame for the lack of its presence in the US. As a style it just did not seem to appeal to US buyers and therefore there was no reason for Hasbro US to continue with it. It happens when manufacturers completely miss the mark of their market; anyone else remember Earring Magic Ken [I think this still causes Mattel panic attacks]. 

As for G1, as goddess and Vale have said, it ended because it had had its time. Toys by their very nature are influenced by the style of their times. As a consequence they all have shelf life in how long they will last in a certain style. And thats true of many products and industries. If you have any products in your house which as a brand have been around for longer than a decade [either consistently or without breaks] you can be guaranteed that product will have changed in some way...new name, new packaging, new logo, new design, new recipe, new purpose, new marketing schpeel, etc. MLP are no different than that. The packaging, style, design about G1 probably felt and looked tired after 10 years. The line was in decline, so rather than continuing on, Hasbro end the line, redesign and relaunch. In the case of G2 that was a flop...in the case of G3 a success.

To be fair, the G2s weren't exactly Hasbro's fault. If you look at the the early G2s, they are actually made by Kenner that was freshly inducted as a Hasbro subsidiary. In simpler terms, Kenner was bought over by Hasbro, and while they retained some of the staff, many of them were Hasbro haters. You can say the design of G2s was a deliberate sabotage on their part and omg such magic they pulled off. I remember this from asking some Hasbro staff at the 2008 pony fair. They said in the first year of the takeover, more than half of the Kenner staff left, and My Little Pony was a minor project to keep the leftovers "busy". Mind you, MLP wasn't a big brand to Hasbro in 1997. They were still chasing movie franchises and losing money. It wasn't about 1999-2000 that they started falling back on their "core brands" to re-position their profits.

I didn't think the G2s were too bad. They weren't what I expected when Hasbro said the ponies have returned. I think most people expected ponies that resemble ponies not some Barbie's pet. lol I will also say, some of their faces aren't too pretty to look at. They do eventually hold a small charm of their own if you are willing to give them a chance. I was actually disappointed when our Hasbro in Singapore said the G2s won't be sold here because they didn't sell well in the USA. We were a much smaller market back then and we took our marketing cues from the USA as the centralised HQ decision. I had to import everything.

The only thing I hate about G2s now is the fact that they are the line that started with the 1 side symbol trend that continued on to the G3s and G4s. One of the most horrible things that can happen to a pony started off with that line. lol

I was wondering if the Fair is able to afford an exclusive, can the Fair choose the design of the pony? Honestly, if I'm the mod, I'll never accept the Egyptian Art Pony that looked haphazardly designed. I mean we as collector are more intimate with each other and better understand what the community will buy or won't. Just because someone in Hasbro has a degree in Marketing doesn't mean they are pure genius at uncovering demands, and I feel like sometimes some things are forced down our throat to stoke some artist ego at Hasbro because it's their "baby" and they are probably in a position high enough that everyone wants to please that person or persons. Providence was at least pretty, so was Peacock pony.  Even then, they are "nice" but not "OMG I'll make 10000 human sacrifices for that pls pls pls plsplsplspls!"

Also selling $25/pc to the Fair is such a rip-off. The art pony was sold $28 in Singapore stores then it came down to $26 because no one bought them and eventually were clearing $14/pc over Christmas. The MLP Fair shouldn't be absorbing the exclusives at full price.

I'll be happy  to have something "NORMAL" for once. Something afforadable and can come in a small variety to make them collectable for fun. I thought Bay Breeze was nice. It gave me the feeling of a Mail Order rather than something too special for its own good. I think I would have preferred if Hasbro suddenly pulled Holly Dash off the main line like they did with Bay Breeze rather than come up with that medusa pony. I'd buy multiples of Holly Dash to keep and trade. Or better still sell the rainbow power Rarity in a baggie as STANDALONE without the EQG doll.  I'd so buy her as well.

I am not saying Hasbro is total rubbish at this point, but  it feels like they're sabotaging their fan base on purpose, and it feels almost malicious. It's like I wrote to my uni admissions the other day. She's a staff right? She's supposed to be helpful and professional right? Well, she was passive aggressive and whatever I asked, she simply told me to read the booklet they sent me and re-post links to the school website like she was too smart for any of my questions. And I think she was somewhat happy and triumphant when she knew I was offended. That's how I feel about Hasbro reps right now.

She's definitely not from Arizona lol Maybe Megan has passed away and her daughter, Annabelle can continue her legacy.

Annabelle is her German name btw. but hey in a fic, anything goes.

thanks SweetTune for sharing that info! Are you allowed to bring the old Fair ponies to sell? It sounds like there would be some interest I didn't realize you had SO MANY left unsold!

I would like to point out that Hasbro does have logic in this choice beyond what we see as "which fans to cater to" ....SDCC is a BIG venue and (supposedly still) comic related. Maneiac is a comic book character and Hasbro's planning future print comic book tie ins with her later this year. Plus, people like villains. So, it makes a lot of sense from a business perspective. And like SweetTune said, they are being generous to us by letting us have this exclusive instead of only releasing a SDCC pony period.

I'm not saying people have to like the pony, just pointing out that Hasbro is a business and as such used business logic.....(especially if they know that the past several art/Fair ponies are sitting unsold in someone's basement)
and I agree that if you don't like it you should let them know. Sending Hasbro a letter in the mail will have more impact than and email fyi

Oh dear for all the unsold fair ponies. To be honest, I wasn't too excited with the G3 art ponies either. They looked overly decorated. I just want a SIMPLE pony that is pretty and pleasing to look at. She can also come in a baggie, no need for the crazy boxy packaging that fluffs content seemingly by 360%.

And I think it's such a lie from Hasbro to say that they made the Fair Ponies at only 500/1000 pieces because Phillippines got the Peacock ponies in their stores and the next following year we got the Egyptian Pony in Singapore. We also had the half-hero half-villain pony SDCC pony. I'm sure we're not the only country to get those so it should be pretty easy for Hasbro to loosen up the lot by dispatching a small number to each country out of the USA.

I'm at over 2000+ and honestly the size is a huge liability for me now. I wish I reduced my collection when the going was ace for selling ponies. It's a bit blah blah blah at the moment.

Thank you guys! I didn't fade her or anything. She was the 2nd wave Pinkie Pie, and I think being on the shelf for some time makes her yellow a bit but it gives her that strawberry colour that traditional G1 pink ponies have. I guess whether you liek it or not, the colour is going to run a little somewhere down the road, which works to your favour.

All I did was paint new symbols and recolour the eyes, so I'd say just go ahead and use a Pinkie Pie. It's going to be small difference. lol

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