Mail Order Ponies: Would they make G4s?

[Prince Primbrose]

Now, I have no idea how common mail order toys are anymore. As a kid they were always too expensive and complicated for me to get, though I remember seeing things like special mail-order dolls and such in the backs of magazines.

I'm looking through Dream Valley right now, just browsing through the ponies, and ended up on the mail-order ponies page. I recognize a lot of them, and I know some of them are super sought after, and others I've never seen hide nor hair of before!

I recall reading about G3 mail order ponies on mylittlewiki before, and G2s, and I was starting to wonder: Would it be out of the question for Hasbro to release special mail-order G4s..? I have no idea if special edition toys still sell through mail-order anymore, or that Hasbro would even bother, (they seem content to keep remaking the mane six) but what do you think? Is there a chance of some super special G4 ponies being available only through mail order during this generation? Or is that method of sale too outdated?

[BrightIdea]

Its a fun idea, but I have a feeling a lot of international collectors would go nuts if it was US only

Having international/store exclusives is not so bad since all you have to do is go to a store and buy them. Then when someone has bought them to resell, it's fairly easy to get any of them on ebay. I have to wonder if it would be harder to buy the mail order ponies second hand.

I think I would go crazy not being able to mail order one myself. It might be reminiscent of the comicon/fair pony from last year.

[hathorcat]

It was crazy popular in the 80s for mail order exclusives as you can see not just from MLP but Hasbro also had large GI Joe and sometimes Transformer mail order offers. The concept isnt anywhere near as popular now as it used to be - probably as its not the money spinner it used to be and that, as seen with other toy lines in the recent past, mail order offers are much more easily abused these days than they used to be. In addition mail order offers have most recently moved away from the actual product toy being offered towards it being merchandise orientated - G3's mail order system was almost all merch.

Also remember Hasbro ran a lot of its mail order offers through its fan clubs in the 80s - there were some ponies [and GI Joe] which could only be ordered from leaflets which were sent to fan club members not just in the leaflets which were found in pony's packaging. So it was almost a part reward system as much as it was a mail order.

You do still get mail order offers now though and Hasbro does continue them for their LPS brand, so I guess its always possible. It probably depends on successful it is for them on other brands as to whether they will bring it back at any level in MLP and also whether it will be ponies or merchandise.

I would love to see the idea of an exclusive pony back but at the same time I dread shelves being wiped and scalpers purchasing ponies to get points, get the exclusive and then hit it up on ebay which unfortunately is a bit of trend.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

They had so many problems with the last mail order program that I doubt they'll revive it. 

[achab1984]

Ya I do not think they will bring it back. I think them good old days are long gone