Origin of Cutie Mark Concept?

[Fisha Seabreeze]

Honestly, I think they semi-stole the idea from Care Bears. Care Bears came out in 1981 and their tummy symbols are not dissimilar to a My Little Pony's symbol.

Originally, all first six ponies were going to all have appaloosa spots like Cotton Candy. I think Hasbro changed the idea so that they would be more interesting and to be more of a rival to Care Bears, which MLP was in the 80's.

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Makes sense to me.

[MJNSEIFER]

Here's one interview, and here's a transcript (or something) of another. Doesn't name names, but it was probably thought up by someone from another marketing group, or else the VP's wife.

This is slightly off topic, but does anyone else like how Bonnie talks in that video?  She actually sounds like she could be an actual relative or something talking to you when you were a child, if that makes sense.  It's kind of cute to me.

[Dragonflitter]

Looking at not only Cotton Candy but all six ponies released in the first year, it does seem to me that they were trying to mimic appaloosa spots but, as hathor has said, to differentiate the ponies and give them more character, they changed the shape of the spots for each character as well as the color. Cotton Candy has the regular spots, Blue Belle's spots are shaped like stars, Lucky's spots are shaped like clovers, Butterscotch's spots are shaped like butterflies, etc etc.

(Interesting to note here that the original six's names seem to be based on their colors, not on their symbols, which implies the shape of the spots on their rumps originally weren't supposed to be so important. Nowadays the symbol/cutie mark is the basis for most pony's name and character.)

We see that it's not until the second year that the symbols started getting more intricate and Hasbro started moving away from the idea of making the 'spots' on their rumps into different shapes, but instead just went with a picture or a single image to go with the pony, like Firefly's lightning bolts or Glory's shooting star or Sunbeam's sun. But even in Year 2, some of the ponies retained the idea of a scattering of spots shaped like things, such as Twilight's stars, Bowtie's bows and Skydancer's birds.


Edit: I think if the Care Bears were really the inspiration for the MLP's to have symbols on their rumps, they probably would have gone with a single larger image on the rump since the start of the line, rather than using a cluster of smaller shapes on each rump in Year 1, and not moving to a single image until Year 2.

[gabumon]

^ I agree

[moonflower]

I think if the Care Bears were really the inspiration for the MLP's to have symbols on their rumps, they probably would have gone with a single larger image on the rump since the start of the line, rather than using a cluster of smaller shapes on each rump in Year 1, and not moving to a single image until Year 2.

You don't have to copy an idea exactly to draw inspiration from something and I would be very surprised if Care Bears was not a factor. I just don't think MLP would be what it is without Care Bears.

I seriously cannot tell if Blue Belle has stars or dots here. 240p. But wouldn't it be odd for the first My Little Pony figures to have had only dots, if there was a My Pretty Pony who had hearts?

The My Pretty Pony with hearts was a second release and would have been released after the decision was made.

[hathorcat]

Yes the Peachy My Pretty Pony was released after the brown My Pretty Pony which was released accompanied by her "baby" Butterscotch so "rump designs" were already established.

I like that point Dragonflitter - I never really thought of the way the first set are really the only one whose names are more reflective of their colour than their symbols. It makes so much sense and is so obvious when you think it through. Their names obviously were all agreed when every pony still had their spots as symbols. And the symbols were added as an after thought.

[gabumon]

we need a flow chart info graphic showing the transition from clustered spots to pictorial marks! 

[June]

All these arguments about natural markings and CB make more sense than branding and making it up.
If only Hasbro would/could confirm it

[Sarah-Bee]

If you look at some of the prototype/catalogue pictures of My Pretty Pony and (I think) the original six, they all had spots on their rumps like Cotton Candy which suggests to me appaloosa. I think maybe the concept came from there and then Bonnie's creativity transformed it into what it became

[gabumon]

ok I decided to make up a timeline of cute-mark style. 

Year one:  all had repeated motifs.
Year two: there were a few single symbol marks.
Year two:  no single symbols.
Year four: almost half were single symbol

click for larger pic!

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Did I miss anything?  I excluded babies because they seem to be just simpler (less) versions of their adult pony.

Any conclusions we can draw?

[hathorcat]

Hmmm...I think you could argue a couple of things on symbols - do symbols become more complicated as the years advance? Do they show the pattern of being clusters of repeat symbols early on and then progress to being single large symbols in later years? Yes and no. I think there is enough to support both of those conclusions but at the same time there are enough exceptions that it does not really show a definite pattern.

[June]

Very interesting diagram
If we looks at newer generations, they mostly have a single pictogram. G4 often has 3 repeated pictograms forming a pyramid, though.

[Zapper]

Honestly, I think they semi-stole the idea from Care Bears. Care Bears came out in 1981 and their tummy symbols are not dissimilar to a My Little Pony's symbol.

Yeah, I think it was a sort of cash-in to the popular "adding symbols according to characteristics" trend that just started out back then. And it's on the ponies' flanks because, well, you usually brand a horse there. Even though the way the ponies get their symbols or "cutie marks" is less inhumane

[Watercolors]

If anyone wants to see the original black and brown ponies, they're at 2:11 in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4Wd0caSZiE

[LadyMoondancer]

Honestly, I think they semi-stole the idea from Care Bears. Care Bears came out in 1981 and their tummy symbols are not dissimilar to a My Little Pony's symbol.

Originally, all first six ponies were going to all have appaloosa spots like Cotton Candy. I think Hasbro changed the idea so that they would be more interesting and to be more of a rival to Care Bears, which MLP was in the 80's.

Right, originally they were all appaloosas.  I didn't realize Care Bears came out in 1981.  That being the case, I agree that it's likely MLP took the concept from them.