Do you think the Brony phenomenon is good for the Toyline?

[tikibirds]

as long as people are buying them, hasbro will keep making them. However, I have noticed that is damn near impossible to get some of the g4's due to how much their prices skyrocked on ebay. Look what TRU did with Zacora. She was what, $12 originally - now they sell her for $20 in the store.

I like the BB but would like to see them made as normal ponies - especially the sparkly ones

[brightberry]

It's not just bronies that like blindbags.  I see a lot of kids snatching them up too.  My little niece adores them and prefers them to brushables.   She plays with them more, carries them around with her and keeps tabs on which one she wants next.

Generation 3.5 had quite a few ponies of that size too plus limited brushables.  That combination worked for Hasbro before G4. I don't think Hasbro is catering just to Bronies.  There is new merch out there targeted to them, but I don't think bronies are taking anything away from kids.  I'm sure Hasbro realizes that the brony phenomenon will only last as long as the show does and is just capitalizing on that.  But My Little Pony will always appeal to little kids.

[Galactica]

That's right - the G3.5s were the first ones to come up with the blind bag size ponies-  I have to admit, I didn't love the G3.5 design, but I thought the little playsets were extremely cute!  Also - kids love tiny things- there are a ton of teenie tiny little blind-bag size toys in the toys sections these days, I think its just what kids like  (and for that matter, tiny things like Charmkins and LPS were quite popular back in the day too- I know I loved teenie tiny toys as a kid)

RAMChyLD -  re SSC -  I don't know that the show was the problem- Hasbro didn't take the show rights from Disney (where did you hear that?)  Disney never had SSC-  Hasbro's relaunch was on the Hub. 

I don't know that I'd agree that "intelligent people" or the SSC fans in general hated the new cartoon characters or Huckleberry pie or the character voices-  most of us on the SSC boards thought the characters were quite cute, a little childish sure- but what do you expect given the target audience?  The voices were also cute- I think that they are many of the same voice actors from FiM (I know Lemon Meringue is).  We were all pretty happy about the announcement that the cartoon would be back, with Huck who I love as a character-  but as yet there has been no new promise of new dolls- just "merchandise".

I was always on the biggest SSC fan forums, and really I never saw any of the complaints that you seem to have noticed-  I think that SSC just lost out to the Hub/Hasbro's more popular shows and toy lines such as MLP and LPS, unfortunately.   The toy business is tough- so only the clear winners are pulling ahead.

[Majesty]

In my opinion, it's good and not good.  It's good for Hasbro because they're making money but not good for collectors who want more brushables and more beside the core 6.  With all the stores going blind bag crazy I can't see My Little Pony going anywhere but that.

[Malicieuse]

That's right - the G3.5s were the first ones to come up with the blind bag size ponies-  I have to admit, I didn't love the G3.5 design, but I thought the little playsets were extremely cute!  Also - kids love tiny things- there are a ton of teenie tiny little blind-bag size toys in the toys sections these days, I think its just what kids like  (and for that matter, tiny things like Charmkins and LPS were quite popular back in the day too- I know I loved teenie tiny toys as a kid)

Actually, blindbag sized figures (or rather ponyville figures) were introduced during G3. Before there was a core 7. The only difference being that the main toyline didn't really suffer from it. There were still new brushable characters being released. Blindbag sized figures might not be new, but them taking over everything is.

[ashes]

My feelings are that if Hasbro made the cartoon to generate toys for the MLP line, then they should be making the characters from the show anyway in brushable form (not just the main six).  I do like that they made brushable Cadence and Shining Armor, but I'm surprised they haven't made other characters we see quite often in brushable form, like Big Mac or the mayor or the Spa Twins.  But wait, that would make sense, and usually the things Hasbro does are anything but rooted in common sense.

In general I also don't like how the, shall we say, more "adult" aspects of the fandom have erupted with the influx of bronies.  I'm sure it was always there, but I've been part of the community a long time, and it's only in the past few years that I've learned things I wish I could unlearn. 

[Tirac]

I'm going to say no. Honestly, everything from the fanmade plushies to the somewhat demanding want of background characters made into toys is going to hurt the toyline itself.

[RAMChYLD]

RAMChyLD -  re SSC -  I don't know that the show was the problem- Hasbro didn't take the show rights from Disney (where did you hear that?)  Disney never had SSC-  Hasbro's relaunch was on the Hub. 

I'm sorry, maybe I should make it clear that this happened in Asia. And I should make it clear that I'm complaining about how Hasbro handled the show compared to how Bandai and Playmates handled the show.

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This recording was made back in 2008 btw. A good 5 years ago.

The relaunch aired on Boomerang in Asia. Unfortunately, Boomerang isn't available in Malaysia, or a handful of other countries in Asia for that matter. During Bandai and Playmates' tenure, SSC aired on Disney. I see no reason for the show suddenly switching networks like that. The only logical explanation for this is Hasbro intervened and forcefully removed Disney's rights and gave it to Time-Warner. Especially since that happened after Hasbro took control of SSC and Care Bears. And did I mention that FIM also airs on Boomerang?

As for the rest of your argument, okay. Maybe it's because the people in the forum I'm in are technically focused around the 2003/2007 releases and hold those in high regard. And our forum is one of the smaller ones out there (we barely had 50 members in our heydays, and active membership had fallen to a low 6-7 folks since, primarily since we were constantly shut down by Proboards for no good reason and by the time we have reached our current hosts, lots of members had moved on). But still... Justin Beaver? I'm sorry, but that doesn't work for me, and neither does it work for some of the folks in the forum I'm in.

Also, voice actors. Not a good thing to discuss with someone who has had fan disillusionment.

[Rachel-Eyes]

Well, I guess I can understand the HuckleBieber thing since the target audience IS young girls. In order to update something as old as the '80s for a new audience, some things have to be modernized for the sake of appeal.

As far as the brony thing goes, I'm in the "it's both a good and bad thing" boat. On one hand, it's really nice to see it become popular with an older audience, and a more male audience as well! Because there's no reason that adults and males should ever be looked down upon simply for liking ponies. Ponies are for everybody! But on the other hand, I don't like how MLP will now be forever associated with FiM when it existed nearly 30 years prior. Face it, 20 years from now when VH1 will do their tacky "most bizarre trends of the such and such decade" lists, they will mention bronies. And when they mention bronies, it's likely that they will mention some aspects of brony fandom that we all wish we can forget.

[Domingo]

In one word, no.

[brightberry]

Well, I guess I can understand the HuckleBieber thing since the target audience IS young girls. In order to update something as old as the '80s for a new audience, some things have to be modernized for the sake of appeal.

As far as the brony thing goes, I'm in the "it's both a good and bad thing" boat. On one hand, it's really nice to see it become popular with an older audience, and a more male audience as well! Because there's no reason that adults and males should ever be looked down upon simply for liking ponies. Ponies are for everybody! But on the other hand, I don't like how MLP will now be forever associated with FiM when it existed nearly 30 years prior. Face it, 20 years from now when VH1 will do their tacky "most bizarre trends of the such and such decade" lists, they will mention bronies. And when they mention bronies, it's likely that they will mention some aspects of brony fandom that we all wish we can forget.

Haha... that's sadly true.   

[Stormness_1]

I think the bronies have been good for the toyline. Lyra and Trixie are catered to bronies I think, the funkos it's hard to deny are brony focused, and white Celestia - another brony win. The favourites collections - favourites with who? The bronies of course, but it's still more, different brushable ponies. I honestly like too that eventually the show will end, and the bronies will give up their toys, giving the g4's a great 2nd hand market for those ponies that collectors missed, and for future generations of pony fans! Bronies may often be controversial and obnoxious, but you have to admit, they often get what they want... which every now and then, is something we want, too!

Post Merge: April 06, 2013, 09:58:12 PM

The relaunch aired on Boomerang in Asia. Unfortunately, Boomerang isn't available in Malaysia, or a handful of other countries in Asia for that matter. During Bandai and Playmates' tenure, SSC aired on Disney. I see no reason for the show suddenly switching networks like that. The only logical explanation for this is Hasbro intervened and forcefully removed Disney's rights and gave it to Time-Warner. Especially since that happened after Hasbro took control of SSC and Care Bears. And did I mention that FIM also airs on Boomerang?

The reason this happened is because Hasbro created their own network, which was in direct competition with Disney. They couldn't be fighting disney for ratings in the US, and giving them their shows to have them win in the rest of the world, giving them more funding to boost their US programming, and killing the hub in ratings. So they moved their shows over to boomerang, a channel that the hub is not in direct competition with in the US. It was purely good business sense, to do anything else was suicide!

[Sky_Rocket_Sammie]

No. And I'm a long time fan plus a guy. Honestly the newer fans and their push for "x or y" could kill MLP.

That aside I've felt the lack of brushables over the past year or so, has been to economics. Far cheaper to crank out blind bags and sell them (or get parents to buy them for kids). At my local Walmart single FIM ponies are now up to $8 and $9 each.

[spookysage]

I say yes, but the way Hasbro handles the toy line to begin with, I suppose that's not saying very much.

The best I can do is provide an example. Outside the blind bags, there have been two male ponies released. One, essentially as a wedding accessory. The other, a popular background character, yet not even part of the main toy line - but it's better than nothing. Not even Big McIntosh has been so honored, despite the number of episodes he's been in, despite being the last sibling of a main character to not be given the scaled-up treatment. Were it not for the mainstream success of the show, I think we'd be stuck with just Shining Armor. It's just one less pony, but that's already 50%. A small difference, but significant at the same time.

I think the emphasis on blind bags is more economically driven, since from what I've seen of bronies, they'd rather snatch up that brushable Lyra or Luna too!

[Aitsuki]

As a brony myself, I don't think it's been so bad..... I guess I'm not entirely a typical brony though. I don't have any of the merch, just the toys.... I'm kind of a kid at heart, I still love playing with toys, brushing their manes, and posing them. So, as a brony and collector, I'm able to enjoy the community and show, while building a pony kingdom and playing beauty parlor as I style their manes. To me, if I had to choose between being in the community or collecting toys? In a heartbeat, it'd be the toys..... I love bronies, but I'm kinda shy and I love surrounding myself with a ridiculous amount of ponies.

 And not all bronies are BB nuts..... I personally kinda can't stand 'em. They're not cuddly or fun, I can't brush them and they're so small, I'm afraid I'd lose 'em. I love brushables. And no one seems to be acknowledging that a lot of the BBs are becoming brushables.... Bumble Sweet became Honeybuzz who is ADORABLE and I love her..... Flower Wishes was a W1 BB, and was in the Fan Favorites. Ploomette was a BB first too.

As for the argument of bronies driving up prices.... well, that's gonna happen no matter what, right? Even if there were no bronies, Hasbro will always make ponies that are rare, exclusive, HTF, higher quality, or catering to the collectors, because they know that they'll pay! I mean, they make special limited release ponies for the Fair and SDCC every year, right? And collectors go nuts to get their hands on one. Kids don't care one way or another about those ponies.... so all along, they have been working to appeal to an adult demographic with more money. If there are people here who really want Hasbro to only care about the kids... then they need to stop blaming just the bronies and stop collecting themselves. I'm glad Hasbro listens to bronies, because without them there would certainly never be a Nightmare Moon or Queen Chrysalis toy, because have they ever made a villain before?

I don't want to seem argumentative, mean, or start a fight... confrontation is a no-go for me. But I really felt I should say something, because while bronies may not really fit in with the typical MLP crowd, they really do contribute something to the community and saying that they harm it really isn't fair.... As for wanting more brushables, sure, I want that... but that's not the bronies' fault or decision. It's up to Hasbro, and it's easier and cheaper to make dozens of ponies in shades of pink and the Mane 6 than it is to make lots of new ones.