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visitors can't see pics , please register or loginI haven't purchased a G4 toy in ages. I try to buy ones I don't have, but seriously, I love Rarity and Cadence but I can only have so many before I have to quit. If there was a big difference in each toy, like pose or some sort of gimmick, I would feel better about it, but as it stands, I just can't see shelling out $5+ for toys I already have. I want variety! Where is my Big Mac brushable?? The show is becoming hit and miss for me as well. I really didn't care for season 3, and season 4 is average with a couple of episodes I really enjoyed and a couple of episodes I really don't like. I am gravitating towards the first two seasons, but more than ever I am going back to the G1 cartoons.
Bravo to you! I'm about ready to give up, and just stick to my G1 rereuns.. aaand I might give that filly funtasia show a try when it starts later this year
Quote from: Firehooves on January 17, 2014, 06:10:46 PMBravo to you! I'm about ready to give up, and just stick to my G1 rereuns.. aaand I might give that filly funtasia show a try when it starts later this yearWhat is this Filly Funtasia? I've not heard of it!
Quote from: StarDapple on January 17, 2014, 06:08:53 PMvisitors can't see pics , please register or loginI haven't purchased a G4 toy in ages. I try to buy ones I don't have, but seriously, I love Rarity and Cadence but I can only have so many before I have to quit. If there was a big difference in each toy, like pose or some sort of gimmick, I would feel better about it, but as it stands, I just can't see shelling out $5+ for toys I already have. I want variety! Where is my Big Mac brushable?? The show is becoming hit and miss for me as well. I really didn't care for season 3, and season 4 is average with a couple of episodes I really enjoyed and a couple of episodes I really don't like. I am gravitating towards the first two seasons, but more than ever I am going back to the G1 cartoons.Bravo to you! I'm about ready to give up, and just stick to my G1 rereuns.. aaand I might give that filly funtasia show a try when it starts later this year
Quote from: hathorcat on January 16, 2014, 07:00:07 AMDo you mean G3 collapsed in on itself because of the core characters? So a lot of collectors fell a little out of love with the line? Financially the line was reasonably consistent throughout all years so it came more to a natural end than a self destructive one. Out of curiosity, do you happen to know if the sales drop in the last year, especially when the G3,5 were introduced? And I mean only about the brushable ponies, not the Ponyville lines - I base it mostly on my own observation, but I assumed that with the Core 7 the sales did drop and the revamping of the characters was to also cut some costs - the same pony pose for the late G3's / early Core 7 ponies at least was that for me. Then the only Core-7 manufacturing and the new design seemed like bad idea financially - at least in my area those sets wouldn't sell well at all. The Ponyvilles were successful, but the brushables are still on sale in some places. What I meant though is that lacking the diversity in the G3 ponies after introducing hundreds of great designs made collectors upset with Hasbro - and now after the great success of the show and a new wave of fans who give $$ to Hasbro, I'm afraid the same thing is happening. Sure, maybe making collectors frustrated doesn't seem like much. But there are also parents who I guess will doubt that buying a pony which looks almost the same as the one their daughter/son already have is justified, especially with how the economy is nowadays. Add the inflation and it will seem that the pony is a bit more expensive than the similar one they bought 3 years ago... And it's not really theoretical - this comes from a conversation I had with my cousin after my mom joked that he should buy more ponies for his daughter because she loves them. He stated that he maybe would buy a pony for her, if those had been different ponies, not the same looking ones she got from me as a gift. Even if he understands that 'this pony is only different because it has tinsel in the hair', his daughter asks 'is it her twin? why is the name on the box the same as the name of my pony?' - and he cannot justify buying a pony she already has in his eyes, when he can buy cheaper toys like fakies, which look a bit different.
Do you mean G3 collapsed in on itself because of the core characters? So a lot of collectors fell a little out of love with the line? Financially the line was reasonably consistent throughout all years so it came more to a natural end than a self destructive one.
The G1 lasted more than 10 years. I think the main reason it sort of died out is because most of its customer base just grew up. I personally got interested in other things after about 7 years of collecting, just as I was turning a teenager. Younger kids getting into toys had "new" toy lines to be interested in, not their older sister's hand-me-down ponies. Just a thought anyway.
Quote from: StarDapple on January 17, 2014, 06:16:21 PMQuote from: Firehooves on January 17, 2014, 06:10:46 PMBravo to you! I'm about ready to give up, and just stick to my G1 rereuns.. aaand I might give that filly funtasia show a try when it starts later this yearWhat is this Filly Funtasia? I've not heard of it!They're little flocked pony figurines :3It's Germany's equivalent to MLP http://www.filly.com/http://fillyfuntasia.com/Also called Filly Princess http://www.fillyprincess.com/us/download/
The thing is, you need to build brand loyalty. It's still possible to build lifers, but you need diversity to keep kids interested in the brand. If there are new ponies showing up periodically, kids will be interested long enough to develop a loyalty to the brand and become collectors because they aren't just going through the "horsy" phase but genuinely like My Little Pony.From how you describe it seems like Hasbro's mindset is "the current environment means we can be cheap" instead of taking up the challenge of making today's children return customers and eventually fans.
Yes you need brand loyalty - especially if you are a new line. However when you are a leading and established brand - which everyone knows and a product which everyone buying a gift for a little girl is going to consider - loyalty factors a little lower on the marketing spectrum. Some brands are fortunate to move to a place which means they become synonymous with a product or with a concept, MLP is one of those brands. Ask average Joe on the street who makes a "pastel coloured toy pony". Most of them are going to answer "MLP" even though there are lots of toy companies who produce the same concept of item. Hasbro are fortunate to be in that position. When you have a brand that is so well known you focus on blanket awareness and dominance. You want every single person to know about MLP - it becomes about volume rather than repeat. Its not Hasbros fault [or anything other than a changing world] to blame. But kids will not be interested in a brand for as long as they were in the 80s and earlier. Things move too quickly. They dont expect that little 4 year old to want ponies in 2 years time, she may have moved on to something else. So while she moves on, they need to pick up that next little 4 year old and attract her attention. Hence the importance of repeat characters always being available. Unfortunately Hasbro are a commercial company - they dont want a challenge, they just want to make money.