Am I the only one who has never seen any gen's show as "A blatent comerical"?

[Galactica]

I do see it as a commercial- it exists for no other purpose.

It is a particularly entertaining commercial?  Sure is!

I think it's effective too.  I actually hadn't even considered collecting G4 ponies since I really didn't like the design change-  but once I watched the show I suddenly wanted the ponies...

[Sapphire-Light]

In my opinion the most "blatant commercial" piece is the EQ movie  they even released in threaters to show little girls and parents were the dolls came out... they made sure to show it in TV (along wit  commecials of the toys)  when the dolls came to stores.


And at least in my country a store who sells toys was the one who got and sponsor the movie to our theaters at the same time they got the dolls.


The less commercial one would be MLP tales, they only made a few of the cast (7 girls) and the family ponies who appered in a single episode each also the toys were sold ONLY in a few  countries in Europe , .....but they didn't made the main boys, the teacher,  the  parents or siblings of any of the main characters .

I remember back then that I thought it would be cool to have the main cast as toys, at the time we didn't had internet in my country so it was impossible to know that a few of them were made into toys, it was until years later that I was surprised to know about them and that they only sold them in Europe.

[Sukeile]

In my opinion the most "blatant commercial" piece is the EQ movie  they even released in threaters to show little girls and parents were the dolls came out... they made sure to show it in TV (along wit  commecials of the toys)  when the dolls came to stores.


And at least in my country a store who sells toys was the one who got and sponsor the movie to our theaters at the same time they got the dolls.


The less commercial one would be MLP tales, they only made a few of the cast (7 girls) and the family ponies who appered in a single episode each also the toys were sold ONLY in a few  countries in Europe , .....but they didn't made the main boys, the teacher,  the  parents or siblings of any of the main characters .

I remember back then that I thought it would be cool to have the main cast as toys, at the time we didn't had internet in my country so it was impossible to know that a few of them were made into toys, it was until years later that I was surprised to know about them and that they only sold them in Europe.

I used to pretend my pony bride was Clovers older sister Meadowlark
My friend had a Lemondrop that she called Bonbon since she has similar colors to that character.

Truly wish they had made toys of more tales characters.

[Sapphire-Light]

I used to pretend my pony bride was Clovers older sister Meadowlark
My friend had a Lemondrop that she called Bonbon since she has similar colors to that character.

Truly wish they had made toys of more tales characters.

Yeah, more ponies would have being cool, Melody's baby twins sisters would have being so adorable.

Lol, I also used some of my ponies to mimic ones from the show, Tunneful was Teddy and Lancer, Serena was Bright Eyes, and  Sweet Blossom was Melody and funny is that the real Melody toy is in that pose

[MJNSEIFER]

I'm sorry you or anyone sees something (that you claim to love even) so negatively. Remember.. Hasbro, and nothing of our fandom, owes us anything. So just enjoy it.

I don't think OP was being negative at all.

I grew up loving ponies but my family did not have a TV till I was 10, then I saw the show and fell in love with the different series as well.

For me, I feel OP is right in saying that even though the series were created for commercial purposes; the stories still had depth and value beyond that.

Sounds pretty positive to me

That's exactly what I was going for to be honest.  Thanks for that

I'm sorry you or anyone sees something (that you claim to love even) so negatively. Remember.. Hasbro, and nothing of our fandom, owes us anything. So just enjoy it.

I don't think OP was being negative at all.

I grew up loving ponies but my family did not have a TV till I was 10, then I saw the show and fell in love with the different series as well.

For me, I feel OP is right in saying that even though the series were created for commercial purposes; the stories still had depth and value beyond that.

Sounds pretty positive to me

I pretty much agree with what Diamond and Elisto said.

In the most non-insult way I can say this - I really don't think anyone here actually knows what they're talking about. And MJ it doesn't look like you grew up with what most of us here did. You can study up on anything, but you cannot replicate an experience.

Put yourself in a child's mind. These toys are not for us now, remember. What child would not love to see their favorite toy characters come to life so they can develop deeper relationships with them and see how they interact with others? And what child would not love to see a fun episode from a show they love and then be able to take it home and play with that set and make their own adventure? IE, A Very Charming Birthday. If anything I saw G3 as a commercial, or more like a desperate attempt to salvage what was left of a simmering toy line.

Commercial or not, Hasbro has given us some of the best memories of our childhood because we fell into their "trap". They have created an alternative to cut-and-paste toys and shows and have also created a piece of collector history.

I'm sorry you or anyone sees something (that you claim to love even) so negatively. Remember.. Hasbro, and nothing of our fandom, owes us anything. So just enjoy it.

You're not coming across as insulting, but I feel you've kind of got my meaning backwards.

I'm not saying that MLP shows aren't good ways of advertising the toys (and for reasons you said, and already knew, a very good way of doing so), I'm saying that I don't see the shows as just that, nor should they be hated for being that.  I mean, is it fair that someone could write of a show (choose any one of the generations here) as being just a blatant commercial, and nothing else?  I'm not saying that it was a bad thing that the reason the shows were created to advertise toys, I'm saying that they have depth beyond that, so it isn't as in your face as some people would say.

It's like educational shows; some are blatantly in the viewers face that it is an educational show by talking to the audience like a teacher, and having very little explanation as to why they're doing what they're doing other than that is what they are teaching today.  While others, are actually given a storyline, and actual characters with personality, and whatever the lesson is the child learns as he/she watches, but it's learned subtly - the child enjoys the show's storyline, and the like as well.  Both have the same affect on the child, but they are achieved differently.

Same goes with advertising - My Little Pony does more than just advertise, there's a story and characters a long with it;  It's not just an hour long episode of a the newest pony showing you her latest playset/house and all her accessories, but an actual day in the life of some ponies, who can be bought as toys, which the child is not told to do by the show she/he wants to do so (well, asks his/her parents to more like...) because he/she got to know them from a well written TV show, and the same goes with the accessories - the desire to re enact storylines from the show, and create your own is very strong as a child, and if the show is already well written, it fuels that desire more (at least that's how it was with me when I was a child - so I was looking at it from a child's mind). I'm not saying that blatant advertising doesn't work on children either, after all, how many times did we suddenly want whatever toys we saw appearing in actual commercials, even if we weren't actually sure what it did?  I'm not saying that MLP would have failed if it was like that, I'm saying that the show and characters themselves have charm themselves, and that they shouldn't written off as "nothing but commercials" and seen in a negative light.

Basically, I was also asking if actually related to the characters in My Little Pony, or at least found them believable enough as characters, because I did.  The way the actual negative people talk suggests that they were flat characters, because the show was "just a commercial".

And yes, I know I didn't grow up with the toys - I missed out, and it actually saddens me sometimes.  I remember what I was like as a kid, and the G1s look exactly like the kind of things I would have loved when I was younger; I can just see my younger self playing with them, re enacting actual episodes, or creating my own (either from the backcards, or from my own imagination) the G2s and G3s would have been a lot of fun too.

I hope I managed to explain a little better, I admit that it was harder to get my point across than I thought - I kept changing my mind on when to say certain things for example, but basically this is a "stay positive", kind of post, so I'm sorry if it failed.

[mul-ta]

Basically, I was also asking if actually related to the characters in My Little Pony, or at least found them believable enough as characters, because I did.  The way the actual negative people talk suggests that they were flat characters, because the show was "just a commercial".

I don't think I ever related to them particularly strongly, but there were a few that I thought to be cool, like Galaxy and North Star (more because of her design though). Tales was much better in this sense though I don't remember watching it as a kid. I absolutely love Patch's personality.

[Dragonflitter]

LOL well if the purpose of your post was to tell people the cartoons are not negative and have depth, MJNSEIFER, I think you're preaching to the choir! Everyone on the Arena already loves MLP. That's why we're here! Maybe your review of the cartoons would be more effective posted somewhere where you might change someone's mind about them? I don't think many here see the cartoons in a negative light. If they do, I never see posts about it. Sometimes people defend one cartoon more than the other, yeah, but I've never seen anyone bash the show as being a waste of time specifically because it's a 20 minute commercial to sell pony toys, or that there's no thought put into them. Maybe you're reacting to some comment you saw on youtube or EqD?

We here at the Arena LOVE 20 minute commercials used to sell pony toys!

[Shenanigans]

Well I know as a kid that I wanted every pony that I saw in the cartoon so it worked as a commercial for me

[hathorcat]

I agree with the general - don't look too deeply into it As Dragonflitter says, while you will see comments about the shows - good and bad on the Arena - if we did not all love MLP we would not be here. Anything stated about the commercialisation of the show is probably largely accurate and not meant in an out & out negative way.

In my opinion, I do actually think the shows are "blatant commercials". That does not take away from their entertainment level, the value of their content or them being well written and I don't judge them for being what they are. Taking G4 as an example...so long as the ponies go to the "Royal Wedding" [followed by a toy line featuring the wedding and castle of the cartoon couple], so long as we have releases of mini blind bag sets which do not follow the traditional MLP style but instead cast characters very unique to the show in $10 packs, then it is a commercial. The cartoon puts in front of you a character or a scenario and then makes you spend money to get those in toy form. Thankfully the creators manage to cram entertainment and fun into those 20 minute commercials which allows us to enjoy them.

And here is a question...did you go to the store and buy ponies and then watch FiM? Or did you watch FiM and then buy ponies? Because if you did the latter [as I am sure is the case for many newer collectors] then, as good as a story it is, as entertaining a show, it is also a blinking good advertisement...because it made you go out and buy the toy. I don't care how or why anyone comes to MLP or which part of it they find the most valuable...we all love it...and for me thats all that matters.

[Ninox]

In my case, I don't know whether it was the G1 movie/specials/series or the toys that came into my life first, but I think I tended to gravitate towards the media more than the product it was selling. I don't think I even knew flutter ponies actually existed as toys until I learned about them online many years later.

[babylofty]

You know, ever since I heard this argument (a long time ago before I got gray hair!) I had to think about it, and to an extent, yes, it's true.  But you know, at least the writers tried. George Arthur Bloom wrote the first two Pony specials and the movie, and if you think about it, the whole plot of Midnight Castle is PRETTY damn scary for a 5 year old! Your pretty ponies getting kidnapped by horrible monsters and a maniacal half horse-half monster with some kind of magic that can turn ponies INTO monsters.  I'm honestly surprised that passed the censors back in the 80s!

Now, let's move on to the movie.  Think about it, every pony is freaking out about losing Dream Castle. Forget any ponies that had been smothered to death by the Smooze, Dream Castle was gone.  So they go to the Moochick, and the Moochick gives them a MANSION FIRST. Not "Here's how to defeat the Smooze, once you do, you'll get Dream Castle back." Nope. Mansion.  Guess why. Because it's a new toy that Hasbro was pushing out. They did the same thing to Transformers (poor Optimus...) and to an extent, G.I. Joe (although they magically revived Duke because of the backlash from Optimus's death.)

The TV series was basically throw-away at most (although Pony Puppy makes me cry every time I watch it) but it was there to promote the ponies out at the time, like "nuzzily, fuzzily soft" ponies, and twinkle-eyed ones. And the evil beddy-byes.

Tales was an interesting case because the Tales toys never made it over to the U.S., but the show did air on Disney (am I wrong in thinking the show never went over to the UK?) At the time, the internet was JUST coming into homes, (this was around 1992-1994 era) so it wasn't like any of us who were collecting MLP really got together online and found out that the U.S. wasn't getting these toys and could buy them from the UK (and believe me, I would have if I could!)

G3's animation (which is forbidden to be spoken of in my house) was a lame attempt to draw kids into buying the toys. I recall Hasbro teasing us with talk of a movie (never happened) and instead we got "Dancing in the clouds" and other such fluff VHS tapes included with some ponies.  I never bought more Ponies because of the animation, I bought them (and still do) because I love the toys. :-D

G4 is a example of how to do a kid's show right. (I won't get into EQG here, that's another forbidden topic). Granted, after Lauren Faust left, the quality slid, but it's kept on point. Friendship. It's not talking down to the kids, it's not annoying the parents, and it attracted a large portion of the male population to it.  What other girl's show can say that?  But at least we're back to an era where the writers are creating for the sake of creating, rather than for a paycheck. And I think that's what so good about it. Sure, it's based on a toy, but it's FUN!

[hathorcat]

You are spot on babylofty - re Tales - we got the toys but not the show at the time - however we got the Tales ponies in the MLP comic so there was a reasonable tie up still. But then again, as you know, by that point MLP was still desperately hanging on over here where as in the States the line had given up the ghost. It does make you wonder how last minute a decision it was to pull the line in the US because having a show commissioned and complete but no toy line to back it up [although clearly a toy line designed and in production for another country] suggests it was a pretty sudden pull.

[Wardah]

You know I hate the idea of just because something is made to advertise something means it has no creative value. Advertising has become a dirty word in this society thanks to some kind of anti consumerist sentiment. It ties into that whole idea of "selling out" being the worst thing an artist can do. Yet many famous artists since the industrial age have done advertisements too. "Pure" art doesn't always pay all that well and an artist (or scriptwriter, or composer, etc) does need to eat.

[Dragonflitter]

"Pure" art doesn't always pay all that well and an artist (or scriptwriter, or composer, etc) does need to eat.

You know this was one thing that struck me when I go to literary conventions and talk to sci fi/fantasy writers. A lot of them write scripts for tv shows in between writing their novels, which are their 'true loves.' You have to make money somehow when your normal art isn't selling!

[HoustonCollector72]

I'm all for Commercialized Art !!!:)

I love the past MLP  shows and the new ones even more !

there is a Trend in my town where painters open their galleries for  "classes" every weekend and they teach you a 2 hr class  while you are drinking wine and enjoying music and food ( you bring what you want to drink/eat) and you spend time with your friends or significant other ,or whoever else also is taking the class (20 people max).
everyone leaves with their own painting , their unique version of the same piece the painter instructing made while teaching you
Commercialized Art .
It works, It keeps the painters  busy on weekends or maybe even more and they can continue doing what they love
Painting
They promote the gallery , the artist , the concept and they keep themselves in business