G4 for atleast 5 more years!

[hathorcat]

Well...5 years assuming continued success. No one in the toy industry [heck in any industry] commits to 5 years straight up of a single brand in a multi brand sector - especially not in a lower price bracket, as MLP is, its a fad industry after all. That 5 years could decrease or increase at any time subject to industry and market conditions as well as style changes. This is just marketing - promoting the longevity of the brand as that's what retailers and potential licensees like to see. A manufacturer claiming to see no end of a successful brand is standard practice - you dont cancel something thats making you money, you tell people you are keeping doing it in order to encourage bigger pick up. Remember the toy fair is not about telling collectors about the latest line in ponies its about pitching to the buyers and showing investors that the business is solid and going in the right direction. The business and product plan may say 5 years but in the event of the line flopping or dipping or simply becoming unpopular then the line itself would be cancelled to be relaunched further down the line.

If we do get another 5 years of G4 then I doubt that equates to another expensive 5 seasons of the show. More likely a few specials and then first 5 seasons on continued repeat. There is no need for them to make another hundred episodes; there target market does not stick around for 10 years solid after all.

[samuelkingsley]

I highly doubt they'll stick with Friendship is Magic all five of those years.  Because a 9 or 10 year run is practically impossible for a cartoon and the end result typically doesn't look so great.

Arthur has been around for 18 years and is still going strong!
By the way this will always remain my favorite cartoon!

[Trinity]

Like I said. Signs a toy-line is coming to an end:

I just found the Rainbow Power Favorite Set at Target. So going back for this on payday!

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As soon as I see this in my town I am buying it so fast the checkout clerk won't know what hit them and I'm going to have a stupid grin on my face.

^ Uh oh! Signs a toy-line is coming to an end, when they do crazy rainbow colours like this (think back to G1 color-swirls and the wacky neon-coloured G3s)

But that Dr. Whooves and DJ look flippin awesome.

Well, maybe it's five years of a very slow fade-out? 

Before G4 came out, I used to see the same old G3s in on the shelves, that were there for about 3-4 years.

[Lorelei Redfern]

I highly doubt they'll stick with Friendship is Magic all five of those years.  Because a 9 or 10 year run is practically impossible for a cartoon and the end result typically doesn't look so great.

Arthur has been around for 18 years and is still going strong!
By the way this will always remain my favorite cartoon!

i'm just going to add.  that  POWER RANGERS is still around. and its been around for MORE  then   10 years. yes it isnt a cartoon but it is sitll a chidlrens show.. and  has been going since the   orignal when I was a kid...
grnated   this last season was nothing but a repeat reash of the orignal season bu some of he season are cool so it is possible to have aseries bearound  for 10 or so years..

[hathorcat]

I highly doubt they'll stick with Friendship is Magic all five of those years.  Because a 9 or 10 year run is practically impossible for a cartoon and the end result typically doesn't look so great.

Arthur has been around for 18 years and is still going strong!
By the way this will always remain my favorite cartoon!

Its not made to sell product though. Its technically an educational show hence its public funding. It doesnt need to make money, it doesn't have to achieve something. FiM is being funded in order to promote a product - its a fancy advert at the end of the day. Longer running cartoons are commercially made by studios and then sold to broadcasters. Other than some DVD sales and potentially encouraging ad revenue on The Hub, Hasbro does not directly make any money from FiM. It would have to prove significantly profitable to make it worth while to continue for such a long period.

[CupidStrikes]

Maybe we'll get a feature-length film involving the ponies as ponies? Maybe Twilight will get an apprentice and have to look after them? Or they could merge the EqG universe with ponyverse again and have Twilight have to go back and this time team up with Sunset Shimmer to defeat a new evil? Season 4 has been kind of hit and miss, which is a shame, as there are literally endless possibilities for the show but it seems the writers no longer wish to innovate, kinda like the toy line

But yes, I could totally see the last season or two focussing on the CMC & co with the older characters in the background (Disney sequels do this a lot, with varying success).

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I'll believe it when I see it.    I highly doubt it will last anywhere as long as G1 did.  :-p

[scarletjul]

Honestly?  In it's current state, I can see it lasting another year or two.  FIM is still popular, at least around here.  I still see kids clutching Pinkie Pie toys at Target and the BAB ponies are doing really well.  I see no end of merchandising at Hot Topic, so it looks like both Bronies and kids are still interested.  That said, I really think they're going to need to make some changes if they expect to last another five years.

First off, the toys really need more variety.  The only thing I see *really* selling at Target is blind bags and the Rainbow Rocks Cadence.  They really should put out more brushables because that's the base of their line.  Not Equestria Girls and not Bllind bags.  Simply brushables.

Spoiler

Second, the cartoon needs some work.  I'm still watching but I'm a little tired of the dropped storylines - particularly the one they dropped at the beginning of the season with the Elements of Harmony and the magic box.  What are those six locks?  Eh, who cares.  We'll get to it later.  . I hope they'll connect to it by season finale but that's a bit of a long wait.

If they can fix these things, maybe they'll last longer.  But I'll be impressed if they last another five years *exactly* as they're running right now.

[Iris Patch]

Hmm! I thought it was just me getting restless with G4. I remember last Toy Fair my wishlist filled right up with things, and now I have all the ones I was interested in, save the Chrysalis minifig which I have never found, and there's no new releases that've been announced that I'm falling all over myself to get.

I really wonder what will happen! It feels like the brony fandom is slowly dying too.

[sleepyowl]

I honestly hope not, I'm so bored of this generation right now.

[sparkykandy]

I'm pretty sure I'll lose interest before the show ends if they plan on doing the current gen. for another five years.  Heck, I'm currently losing interest right now. 

[Mermaid]

I agree with hatorcat. I bet one to two more seasons of FIM, a few specials, another EQG special and repeat of the previous seasons with new releases of the mane six and princesses with different accessories and such.

Hasbro's marketing strategy albeit bad for us, is really good for them. They market their line for 1-2 year following and then re-hash everything again for the next 1-2 year new comers. That is the current trend in this technological advance market. Kids just don't play with toys like they used to. Back when most of us were young we played with our ponies, barbies and such until junior high/high school and some even through that. But now kids are starting to play with ponies at a younger age, and stopping even younger.  Kids in 5th grade don't want ponies they want justin beiber and one direction and Ipads.

Also shows like Arthur go on because there is no timeline in the show and the characters hardly age. Can you imagine 10 years of the cutie mark crusaders not getting their cutie marks? And shows like power rangers change it's cast all the time and keep up to date with technology trends. I just don't see pony doing that.

[Catlein]

I know we as collectors are interested in particular things, but I think we all need to recognise that Hasbro will do what makes it the most money. MLP:FiM is it's biggest money maker right now. According to their earnings call, Equestria Girls was actually the top selling fashion doll in the US for a short period. The MLP brand is increasing in market share every single year, and FiM has massively high ratings for a Hasbro property. I really want to see more brushables and variety, but Hasbro is focused on a market that seems pretty happy with what's out right now. Plus, kids are aging out of ponies quickly, so they focus more on fashion or toys that appeal to older kids than a traditional brushable line like G1. Ponies are still a hugely popular product in all the stores around me, and Hasbro will continue on full speed with G4 as long as it is profitable. 

As for a G5 relaunch, it's just as likely they won't bring back MLP right away if G4 falls. It took years for the G3 revival, and there was also a gap before G4. I'd rather there be ponies on the shelves than hoping for a revamp that may never come.

[shindow]

I was never really into ponies before this gen, and Tales still remains my favorite, so I hope to see something new. These characters are getting old, EG is boring, and I feel like the show has gone down a really predictable path. The original episodes seemed to have the moral factor I miss from cartoons now that was present in shows I loved as a kid, yet kept it fresh, not just plain not making sense. For this season, I can only say I've loved maybe 3 episodes that I would rewatch over and over.

You don't know how bad I was hoping they would let Rarity stay in Manehattan and slowly each Mane would split up, only to have to reunite at the end of the season. That's what I was hoping for... but nope. Just wierd rainbow trinkets and how friends have to be together to have friendships.

As for the toys, well, I've said it many times, I just like Pony. I want more brushables, more FS, and more poses. I'm glad they've branched into playsets, but I doubt at the insane prices of the toy market today I will ever get them.

[Ice Crystal]

Looks like those rumors about FiM ending to make way for an Equestria Girls show were untrue. No surprise and I'm relieved besides, because I'd much rather FiM be replaced with another pony show starring different characters than what is essentially the same thing with different bodies.

A spin-off starring the CMC in the future would be fun. I'd like to see something more "high fantasy" like G1, personally.

But as others have said, G4 is only going to last five more years if it continues to see the success it has. I think that's a hopeful projection. I just hope they do something to diversify the line a bit in those proposed five years.