Again Hasbro is Doing a Fan Built OC - but not MLP - Transformers

[gabumon]

Hasbro Announced that they will be doing another Fan Based Character Design for Transformers.  See announce below.

If you don't know a while back they did this and Fans came up with Windblade, which as a character is so awesome (esp in comics,  the toy is OK but not great)  LOL her colors are black with red accents, and wings, and most FIM fans will note that most tacky OCs are black and red alicorns1... HHMHMHM?  See?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windblade

Now they are doing the Fab Built thing again, but this time with 5  (FIVE) Characters! (that combine)

But my thing is......    Again, Hasbro treats MLP as a second class product.  We've never seen this type of stuff.  GRRR.

HASBRO INVITES TRANSFORMERS FANS TO CREATE MASSIVE TRANSFORMERS CHARACTER TO ENLIST IN THE COMBINER WARS

Fans Can Soon Create an All New Transformers Character in “Fan Built Combiner Poll”

Pawtucket, R.I. (January 15, 2015) —TRANSFOMERS fans around the world are invited to help create a new character for the popular TRANSFORMERS brand — but not just any character. Following on the heels of the 30th anniversary “Fan Built Bot” poll, which led to the fan-assisted creation of the popular new AUTOBOT character, WINDBLADE, Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is launching the new “Fan Built Combiner” poll. This crowdsourcing project seeks fan input to create a new team of TRANSFORMERS robots that combine into one giant new character in celebration of the theme of the 2015 TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS line, COMBINER WARS!

Starting soon, with exact dates to be announced, the official TRANSFORMERS brand app (formerly the official TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION app) will be updated and fans will be able to log-in and answer a round of questions to help shape the identity of the new Combiner characters. The Fan Built Combiner poll will allow fans to determine everything from the types of vehicles involved, to whether the characters will be AUTOBOTS or DECEPTICONS, and eventually the name of the new character.

[partypony566]

That will be good that they are doing that again but come on.....why not for mlp??

[otocolobus_manul]

Well, they did produce Holly Dash, the ponysona of a show writer(?), but yeah, nothing fanmade so far.

Unfortunately, a lot of the more popular MLP ocs have either disturbing (Littlepip) or innapropriate (Button's mom) backgrounds, and thus would make rather controversial toys. Not that the kids would know, but if any parents happened to look up or come across a the characters' origins, they might raise a fuss with Hasbro (think the Muffin Horse drama). Perhaps I'm reading too far into it, but I know if I was a parent wouldn't want my kid playing with something from Fallout: Equestria.

I guess they could do Fluffle Puff or Nyx, but the former would only make a good plushie and the latter probably wouldn't do too well with the target audience, so I doubt it.

They could always accept fan submissions, but they probably won't, because they're Hasbro.

[LadyMoondancer]

And it would be way easier with MLPs than with Transformers, since each Transformer has to be "engineered" so they turn into a vehicle.  Almost every Transformer has a unique mold, or a mold that is used for very few characters.

Unfortunately I feel like at this point, like Mrbrightsky says, there are so many popular yet inappropriate characters that some fans would try to "sneak" in that it would never happen even if Hasbro were interested.

[Snapdragon]

And it would be way easier with MLPs than with Transformers, since each Transformer has to be "engineered" so they turn into a vehicle.  Almost every Transformer has a unique mold, or a mold that is used for very few characters.

Unfortunately I feel like at this point, like Mrbrightsky says, there are so many popular yet inappropriate characters that some fans would try to "sneak" in that it would never happen even if Hasbro were interested.

Seconding this. I also worry that more "popular" (and inappropriate, but not on the surface level, like Little Pip) OCs would get noticed more than actual original characters. I'm afraid that 'fandom memes' are all that would get noticed, really, and those tend to be unsafe for kids. (And my gag reflex.)

I like the concept, and I think it's cool that Hasbro is taking input from the TF community - it's just sad that it's clear that they can do that, they just choose not to do so with us. :/

[prancingstag]

I feel like it would be rather easy to design a fan built OC pony. Just put up a survey on the official MLP website, with questions like "What kind of pony would you like?" [] Earth [] Unicorn [] Pegasus [] Alicorn

"What age should the pony be?" [] Baby [] Adult
"What gender should the pony be?" [] Male [] Female (I'm probably dreaming with this question...)
"What colour should the pony's coat be?"
"Pick up to four colours for the pony's mane" and so on and so on. Then from the millions of possible combinations, pick the top six and make a new wave of brushables. Easy peasy. Of course the brony crowd could rig it so that a doppelganger of their fan favourite wins the poll, but the name and cutie mark would probably end up being generic dazzle-and-hearts fare.

But of course that would require Hasbro to care at all about the MLP brand and consider it a long enduring franchise with a collector's angle, not a fad that customers will collect for a year and then lose interest in.

[Jocelyn]

I feel like they actually did have a contest in 2011 or 2012 where they had fans send in designs and they chose one to turn into a figure. But then they only made one single pony that they sent to the winner, or something they made to be a promotional piece...or something like that. Nothing that was widely released. I think the winning OC was dessert-themed...

It would really be great if they did another contest like that though. But have it be a mass-produced figure, rather than a very limited one. And instead of it being something that's decided by a popular vote (which would probably elect inappropriate, fandom-based OCs), they shift through the entries themselves to find some finalists and put them up for a vote, so the winner would be child-friendly.

[Violet CLM]

innapropriate (Button's mom) backgrounds

A mare who plays video games and has a son who plays video games is inappropriate?

There's always Snowdrop. She's not remotely p0rnographic.
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Personally, though, there are plenty of existing characters I'd rather see given toys before there's any need for fan-designed stuff.

[content edit ~ many thanks ~ hathorcat]

[gabumon]

I feel like it would be rather easy to design a fan built OC pony. Just put up a survey on the official MLP website, with questions like "What kind of pony would you like?" [] Earth [] Unicorn [] Pegasus [] Alicorn

"What age should the pony be?" [] Baby [] Adult
"What gender should the pony be?" [] Male [] Female (I'm probably dreaming with this question...)
"What colour should the pony's coat be?"
"Pick up to four colours for the pony's mane" and so on and so on. Then from the millions of possible combinations, pick the top six and make a new wave of brushables. Easy peasy. Of course the brony crowd could rig it so that a doppelganger of their fan favourite wins the poll, but the name and cutie mark would probably end up being generic dazzle-and-hearts fare.

But of course that would require Hasbro to care at all about the MLP brand and consider it a long enduring franchise with a collector's angle, not a fad that customers will collect for a year and then lose interest in.

That format of asking general Poll type questions, is exactly how Hasbro did the Wingblade fan built figure. It was a neat thing.

It all goes back to Hasbro taking TF adult fans seriously, but not MLP adult fans.

[Bekuno]

Forgive me if I'm getting anything wrong or if I'm not supposed to speak of it, but they did do this once didn't they?
They had some kind of pony character contest and the winner got a free trip to comic con and their pony made into an official toy.

Ah well, I guess it is different, because the pony was only given to the winner and not mass produced (though I wish she was, she was adorable!). And the top 10 ponies were drawn and released on a special mini poster.

Anyway, despite all the controversial characters, I still think it would be easy to produce 'fan made' ponies. Whether it be a fan building poll or design submissions. We need more diversity amongst ponies in this generation anyway.

[MilkyTaroMochi]

I feel like they actually did have a contest in 2011 or 2012 where they had fans send in designs and they chose one to turn into a figure. But then they only made one single pony that they sent to the winner, or something they made to be a promotional piece...or something like that. Nothing that was widely released. I think the winning OC was dessert-themed...

IIRC the winning OC was named Tinker and was basically a simple/basic looking unicorn/earth pony with a red bandana around her neck.

[Sora]

innapropriate (Button's mom) backgrounds

A mare who plays video games and has a son who plays video games is inappropriate?

Let's just say that parts of the fandom have grown a bit too 'attached' to her. Her voice actress also did some raunchy voice overs with her own son for fun...

As for fan made characters in official media, I'm always on the fence with them. Some of them are nice, but those are the ones that don't stand out so much IMHO. Others just look like they're trying too hard to get attention (which, in all fairness, is understandable at times with how many fan characters there are). I remember the last contest they did, but I was disappointed they never released an actual figure for the public.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

They did this twice for The Pony Project (with celebrities and artists) and for one of the conventions.  And technically Frisco and Trolley are Hasbro-approved fan creations.    But I am sure Hasbro knows that if a G4 fan won, the hoardes of "Original Collectors" would pitch a fit.  If a design won that was much more in line with the G1-G3 toylines, the bronies would pitch a fit. 

It's just so much safer to sell pink ponies to children aged 2-6, isn't it? 

[Bekuno]

I feel like they actually did have a contest in 2011 or 2012 where they had fans send in designs and they chose one to turn into a figure. But then they only made one single pony that they sent to the winner, or something they made to be a promotional piece...or something like that. Nothing that was widely released. I think the winning OC was dessert-themed...

IIRC the winning OC was named Tinker and was basically a simple/basic looking unicorn/earth pony with a red bandana around her neck.

Yes that was it! Not the most creative out of all the entries but she was still rather cute.

[Leave a Whisper]

Sweet! I'm sure the TF fans are thrilled