Is there any reason why the G4 molds/designs got changed?

[shimmlight]

As I'm sure you've noticed, the design of the G4 toys randomly changed around a year or so ago. They have wider heads, and their bodies are made of a different kind of plastic. The hair is also made out of something else. My question is - why? The original design was much better in my opinion, and the new plastic makes them look shiny and cheap. Was there actually a reason for this happening? I saw nothing wrong with the original design. And for some reason the tails on the new toys will not get wet and so I cannot style them! (seriously, what's up with that? The water just rolls off the hair, it doesn't get wet at all).

[h1m3.]

I'm not familiar with g4 ponies but I have studied business and its seems to me that it can be because they want to cut expenses 

Reduce expenses and make more profits. They might have found cheaper factory or contractors or materials etc. and that why the desing and materials are changed... (maybe..? )

[prancingstag]

I don't know why the changes were made, but I'd say that if it looks cheaper, it probably is made cheaply... The heads used to be matte plastic whilst the bodies were shiny, now it's the same shiny plastic all over. The new neck holes are much larger than before, possibly allowing for easier hair rooting before a plug is glued on to close it. The head plastic is a lot thinner and squishier, and more prone to damage - we're getting bulgy necks and melted face Cadence where that kind of thing would never have been possible before. To me, that points to less materials being used, cheaper materials being used, and less emphasis on quality control, letting blatant error ponies go to shelf.

Early G4s had the occassional eye wonk but you could typically expect soft hair and decent paint application. Nowadays I have to REALLY search if I don't want a pony with blurry, half-applied eyes, melty neck, or a symbol with the colours stamped outside of the lines (glares at Cadence and Dash). I'm not even going to touch the hair discrepancy... As brushing and stying is my favourite part of MLP, straw tail syndrome makes me so very, very sad. At least the Rainbow Power manes are still silky.

[Al-1701]

The water beading on the hair suggests they've switched to a hydrophobic material.  I'm not sure why they would do this.  "Spa" treatments are a part of styling and hair maintenance, and waterproof hair makes that practically impossible.

I'd have to say they probably bought cheaper materials for the more recent batches.  Their already questionable quality control also seems to have taken a hit probably because of the cheaper materials.  It does feel like Hasbro doesn't care about putting out a quality product.

[Chi]

The water beading on the hair suggests they've switched to a hydrophobic material.  I'm not sure why they would do this.  "Spa" treatments are a part of styling and hair maintenance, and waterproof hair makes that practically impossible.

I'd have to say they probably bought cheaper materials for the more recent batches.  Their already questionable quality control also seems to have taken a hit probably because of the cheaper materials.  It does feel like Hasbro doesn't care about putting out a quality product.

As someone who hasn't bought a G4 in a long while, this really makes me sad. Hair styling has been a huuuuge part of MLPs and toys with hair in general for as long as they've existed. Even when I was a kid I'd love to bring toys in the tub with me and let their hair dry after because it would be nice and neat after. I didn't intentionally "style" it, but I understood the concept that wetting and brushing the hair made it "prettier".

If they're using a hydrophobic treatment for their hair, that really makes things not as fun. I'm sure with enough persistence and heat you could style it, but it wouldn't be as easy to make those simple loose curls that my g4s mostly end up with (generally a process of: wet it, shape with finger, let dry, TA-DA!) when put on display.

I figured they've been making decent income from MLP, but will that really continue at this rate?
Will parents want to buy toys that are misprinted? Or toys that look all the same?
Asking as an actual question, I can't answer as I am not a parent... I don't think I would but I don't know.

[gabumon]

wait... you can't use water to style new G4's HAIR!?  D:
 
Is this true? 

[Chi]

wait... you can't use water to style new G4's HAIR!?  D:
 
Is this true? 

I reeeeeeeally hope not...
Or maybe they changed the material and it's not as easy..

[prancingstag]

wait... you can't use water to style new G4's HAIR!?  D:
 
Is this true?

Most manes seem fine, but the newer tails are dry, coarse and don't take to water. It's very difficult to style them out of the factory curls even with boiling water. They also have a slightly duller colour than the mane hair, most noticeable on baby Twist-a-loo I think. Conditioner helps a little and IIRC some people tried putting oils on the hair and said it made them nicer.

[Al-1701]

I figured they've been making decent income from MLP, but will that really continue at this rate?
Will parents want to buy toys that are misprinted? Or toys that look all the same?
Asking as an actual question, I can't answer as I am not a parent... I don't think I would but I don't know.

Hasbro seems to have a mentality that My Little Pony is a disposable brand.  They expect kids to get into it, buy the Mane 6 and princesses, and then quickly fall out of it.  Well of course they will when you only release the same few characters over and over and put out a shoddy product. 

[Neon Sparkle]

Yeah, I had high hopes for G4 in the beginning when they put all of those non-mane 6 Ponies out in the 2nd or 3rd wave, then it seemed like they just gave up after awhile for no reason. after the wedding wave there have hardly been any new Ponies that aren't an exclusive to some place or another.

[CupidStrikes]

The misprints I could live with, but MLP is the only toy brand I've had where toys have come out of the packaging visibly dirty. I have a MIB Diamond Rose with a black dirt smudge on her white face, and she's not the first pony I've owned that needed a clean before anything else 

[Miss Honeycomb]

I have just purchased my first g4 brushable and I must agree that the tail hair quality is poor and feels dry and not silky at all. I purchased her to start a g4 collection but I'm not sure if I will continue if the quality is not as good as my g1 collection.

[Galactica]

I can't say whether they changed the plastic or the nylon for the hair (I think we are speculating a bit) but I don't think they would have changed the mold to save money- it would cost more not less to make a new mold right?

That said I do know that quality doll hair (be it nylon or seran) is a significant cost element for these, so it wouldn't surprise me if they were trying to use something that cost less...

[NoPonySpecial]

If the bodies and the heads are made of the same plastic, maybe they did it to make sure there isn't head/body mismatch? I can't imagine Hasbro caring about that, but maybe! I haven't looked very carefully at the newer pony releases, do their heads and bodies match better?

[Galactica]

It could also be that they are discovering problems with the formula for the first batch of G4 (like is it breaking down early?)