Why, Hasbro!?

[Al-1701]

You can't deny bronies have caused Hasbro to warp this brand.  Whether their impact is tangible or not, the show staff and the company has concentrated on them.

[Sapphire-Light]

I have seen how little girls are all over EQG dolls and have little interest in ponies, of the latest releases Coco Pommel, the non main 6 of the cutie mak magic and the breezies sold fast, the main 6 stays in shelves for months

[ponyqueen]

I'm waiting patiently for new brushables (my fav kind of pony), but we also collect BBs and Funkos, because, pony!

[Pop!Star]

The age range for MLP is younger than the age range for MH/EAH. The age range for MLP is really into Shopkins right now.

See that's what I don't get.

Clearly Hasbro sees that little kids want to collect various things..

Post Merge: October 08, 2015, 06:23:05 PM

The problem with what Flitter said is their strategy is to make My Little Pony disposable to the buyer.  "Kids don't hold interest in things as much anymore."  "Then let's make our brand even less interesting!"  Anyone else see the problem here?  I think their market research people have a defeatist attitude and are willing to settle.  My Little Pony has grown in popularity, but are they really helping the brand's legacy.  It's supposed to be Hasbro's flagship brand for girls, but their attitude it suggests otherwise.  Kids come in and go out in a year.  It makes money, but leaves little of an impression.

How hard is it to create new characters to sell along side the Mane 6?

I couldn't agree more!

Post Merge: October 08, 2015, 06:23:24 PM

ARE they selling?  I mean, sure the ponies slowly trickle off the shelves, but at a pitiful pace.  I think it's pretty apparent that this is hurting Hasbro in the long run.  (Or maybe they just sell really slowly around here, haha.)

They definitely aren't in my area.

Post Merge: October 08, 2015, 06:27:23 PM

But when you think about it, there is a TON of pony stuff out there. To like the brand you don't have to have a shelf full of ponies.

THANK YOU!

I say this every time a thread like this pops up (which is incredibly often...) and I think the issue is the mentality of collectors that have been doing this since the beginning: A pony is only a toy with brushable hair and everything else is invalid.

Nope nope nope.

And as someone who is part of this "newer generation of fans" (even though I also collect G1), I feel like this community looks down on me and others like myself because we collect ponies that aren't just brushable and we support other companies that have partnered with Hasbro.

And to say that they're pandering to us? We have the SAME complaints as you do when it comes to the lack of different characters for brushables.

It's fine and dandy to dislike Funko figures, or the various brands of pony plushies, or blind bags, etc. but don't pretend that these are something other than My Little Pony. They may not be your MLP, but they're still MLP. Brushables aren't the only toys that exist for this franchise anymore, sorry. Funko has done a wonderful job of giving us a variety in characters, say what you will about them. The blind bags, while I can see why collectors aren't fond of them, are also doing well in the variety department and we're even getting new poses and play sets with those!

If you pay attention to other toy lines, you'll notice that the smaller, molded, blind bag type toys are actually pretty popular (Shopkins...Shopkins EVERYWHERE) and most toys with brushable hair tend to be dolls (MH, EAH, EqG). It makes a lot of sense why Hasbro has gone the direction they have with ponies, even if we, as collectors, don't totally agree that it's the right direction.

Also, to piggyback off of a previous post, I don't believe collectors make up much of the fan base here. Hasbro isn't trying to appeal to us.

Brands like Funko (I know I keep bringing them up, but they always come to my mind first for stuff like this) are trying to appeal to the collectors for this generation, and even little kids like them! It's really not all about brushables anymore. Times change, you know?

I'm truly sorry, I'm not trying to come off as being mean or anything, but I was kinda right there with the OP until the "pandering to the newest generation of fans" statement and that kinda riled me up, but I'm good now.

I don't agree, and I'm sorry if these threads bother you, but it's something you've just now come into contact with. People that have been collecting most of their lives have seen this struggle with the brand over and over again.

G4 looked promising in the beginning because they were releasing new characters.

And I'm not too sure I get your Funko point? Because they seem to be rereleasing the same characters over and over again as well..NMM, Lyra(which was only named that because of Bronies..when did Hasbro do that for us?), BonBon, SweetieBelle...

Post Merge: October 08, 2015, 06:30:12 PM

Of course it's all My Little Pony, but ponies with brushable are the core the very concept of My Little Pony.  It's like the handheld RPG's for Pokemon.  There's tons of other spinoff games and merchandise for Pokemon, but the handheld RPG's are what define the brand.

The problem is not that these annexes exist.  The problem is they've taken over the brand.  They're the ones that have a wide variety of characters and better designs.  Money is going into them while brushables seem to be an after thought.

And, as a business major, I can tell Hasbro seems to only care about the short-term wins with this brand.  They don't care about customer retention and maintaining the legacy.  Sure it makes money now, but what happens when Friendship is Magic ends and it's time to move on?  You're going to lose the vast majority of bronies and the money they put into this secondary market that's commandeered the brand.  The brand itself will have a reputation for being limited and cheap.  If they've trademarked the name, Hasbro should be making a brushable of it.

Yes, this!! x infinity!!

Post Merge: October 08, 2015, 06:31:34 PM

The problem with what Flitter said is their strategy is to make My Little Pony disposable to the buyer.  "Kids don't hold interest in things as much anymore."  "Then let's make our brand even less interesting!"  Anyone else see the problem here?  I think their market research people have a defeatist attitude and are willing to settle.  My Little Pony has grown in popularity, but are they really helping the brand's legacy.  It's supposed to be Hasbro's flagship brand for girls, but their attitude it suggests otherwise.  Kids come in and go out in a year.  It makes money, but leaves little of an impression.

How hard is it to create new characters to sell along side the Mane 6?

Unfortunately, for the most part, kids (and FiM enthusiasts) want what they see on TV. I know when I first started collecting, I only wanted the mane 6, CMC and princesses. I wasn't even interested in more minor characters like Trixie. It's like we've seen in Suited for Success and Canterlot Boutique - you can make the most creative and innovative and beautiful thing ever, but people will still reject it in favor of what they're most familiar with.

Aaaaaand what did we learn in the end of that episode?

Ultimately that's not what makes others happy!

Post Merge: October 08, 2015, 06:36:15 PM

I want to see more boys, and NOT in the blind bag size. WHY is there not a Big Mac yet, hasbro?!?!?!!?

I do question why we've gotten like...3 Shining Armor's and no Big Mac, despite Big Mac being in the show much longer. Ridiculous.

I think they counted Shining Armor as an accessory to Cadance.

Post Merge: October 08, 2015, 03:09:23 PM

so what changed? That's what I don't understand.

Hasbro Marketing:  "Pretty, pretty, shiny, shiny.  Pretty, pretty, shiny, shiny."

That's their reaction to the brony craze.  A bunch of people with a lot of disposable income.  They have very little loyalty to the greater brand, but appealing to their tastes makes money now.  That's good enough.

Umm, have you ever been around bronies? The majority of them are broke high-schoolers that can't afford much beyond blind bags and maybe a plush or Funko or two.

There's also nowhere near enough of them to make an impact on the main toyline, especially since most of them prefer the merchandise geared more towards their demographic- (vinyl figures, trading cards, etc.)

They're not the cause of everything that's wrong with G4, no matter how much you like to blame them for it.

Eh....I'd have to disagree.

Post Merge: October 08, 2015, 06:37:38 PM

You can't deny bronies have caused Hasbro to warp this brand.  Whether their impact is tangible or not, the show staff and the company has concentrated on them.

Exactly, and yet they don't really buy the merchandise, as was stated above.

So why does Hasbro keep pandering to them? No offense to those who identify as Brony

[Wardah]

The age range for MLP is younger than the age range for MH/EAH. The age range for MLP is really into Shopkins right now.

See that's what I don't get.

Clearly Hasbro sees that little kids want to collect various things..

That's what the mini figures are for. These days it seems the brushables are just being done to fulfill contractual obligations. Tbh I'm not even sure having a variety of characters would fix the brushables not selling well. I recently saw a mom suggesting her daughter to get a brushable pony because it's a character she doesn't have but she didn't want it. But the girl would rather spend her money on a couple of blind packaged things.

[achab1984]

I have been starting to feel this way again. This is what happened to me when the core 7 and the 3.5 ponies came out. I left the hobby! I was so sad that no new ponies would be coming out.

It took me a while to start to like the G4 ponies, I did not buy one till the end of 2011. I really got into them for a while but now I have stopped. They are all the same and starting to look to weird for me.

I guess that is why I have taken up Breyers again. They sure at not cheap! But I like how they are always bring out something different. I am sad to say but I think Hasbro is going to lose me again. But I don't think they really care. 

[Rainbowrific Renia]

And I'm not too sure I get your Funko point? Because they seem to be rereleasing the same characters over and over again as well..NMM, Lyra(which was only named that because of Bronies..when did Hasbro do that for us?), BonBon, SweetieBelle...

I'm actually a little confused by this now. Aside from variants (which Funko does for ALL of their products btw) when have they rereleased the same characters over and over again? As an avid collector of the Funko figures and someone who has all of the regular and chase vinyls, I'm not sure I get what you mean. There are 20+ different characters in the regular vinyl line right now, some of whom never even got a brushable yet, and we're getting 4 more new ones before the year ends. As far as I'm concerned, these are way more varied than the brushables that Hasbro has been putting out.

Also, if you mean that Funko is just putting out ponies that Hasbro already has, Bon Bon (Sweetie Drops) had a Funko figure way before they ever gave us a brushable of her.

Like I said, you can dislike the non-brushables all you want, I understand, but I was just pointing out a fact. I was going off of what someone said about not having to own brushables in order to still love the brand.

I'm with you in that there need to be more variety in brushables (which I keep stressing), but, also as I said, because I collect outside of the brushables, it really doesn't bother me as much.

As Wardah said, little kids actually do like the blind bags and things that aren't brushables. Blind bag type toys are everywhere, so why wouldn't Hasbro get in on that if they want to make money? 30 years ago maybe this wouldn't have worked, but times change and each generation of children is interested in different things than the last.

I'm sorry if I offended you in anyway or if I'm coming off as condescending or anything like that. I guess this is just a case of people being on two different sides of the spectrum, huh?

[moevelvet]

Well, there is one similarity between bronies and collectors: they're both never happy with what they're given.

[Rainbowrific Renia]

Well, there is one similarity between bronies and collectors: they're both never happy with what they're given.

That's actually what really bothered me about bronies in general: they aren't even buying the toys, yet they complained. Collectors complaining? Makes more sense. Either way, both groups make a small dent compared to the target audience.

But yeah, you're right. Everyone needs to complain about something.

[zombienixon]

You can't deny bronies have caused Hasbro to warp this brand.  Whether their impact is tangible or not, the show staff and the company has concentrated on them.

If Hasbro concentrated on bronies, Twilight wouldn't be a Princess, Equestria Girls wouldn't be on shelves, and everything would have molded hair. They'd also definitely de-pink all of the packaging.

How many of them do you know personally, and do you really interact with them often or at all?

I'm around these people frequently- in forums, in streams, in person- and have been for years now.  I can tell you one thing for certain: they don't actively collect merchandise like we do and they aren't interested in the kid's toys. Only a couple I know personally have enough merchandise to call it a collection, and in total is about as much as most of us get every four months or so.  They're fans of the show, not toy collectors.

How can they ruin the toy line when they as a whole have almost no interest in it? Or, again, when the bulk of them are still in high school and have very little or no money to spend?
 
What exactly have you seen that gives you the impression they're the focus of what you see in the toy aisle? Because I'm not seeing it.

You know, that whole fandom has pulled a lot of crap that made me not want to consider myself a part of it anymore, even if I am around them a lot.  Even so, if I'm going to blame them for something, it's going to be for something that's actually their fault, and not just out of blind hatred.

[Pop!Star]

You can't deny bronies have caused Hasbro to warp this brand.  Whether their impact is tangible or not, the show staff and the company has concentrated on them.

If Hasbro concentrated on bronies, Twilight wouldn't be a Princess, Equestria Girls wouldn't be on shelves, and everything would have molded hair. They'd also definitely de-pink all of the packaging.

How many of them do you know personally, and do you really interact with them often or at all?

I'm around these people frequently- in forums, in streams, in person- and have been for years now.  I can tell you one thing for certain: they don't actively collect merchandise like we do and they aren't interested in the kid's toys. Only a couple I know personally have enough merchandise to call it a collection, and in total is about as much as most of us get every four months or so.  They're fans of the show, not toy collectors.

How can they ruin the toy line when they as a whole have almost no interest in it? Or, again, when the bulk of them are still in high school and have very little or no money to spend?
 
What exactly have you seen that gives you the impression they're the focus of what you see in the toy aisle? Because I'm not seeing it.

You know, that whole fandom has pulled a lot of crap that made me not want to consider myself a part of it anymore, even if I am around them a lot.  Even so, if I'm going to blame them for something, it's going to be for something that's actually their fault, and not just out of blind hatred.

DitzyDoo, DrHooves, DJPON3, Octavia, Lyra..

These are just a few things.

I honestly feel as though EQG was brought on by the rampant humanized "art" made by Bronies as well.

[Noxxbunny]

You can't deny bronies have caused Hasbro to warp this brand.  Whether their impact is tangible or not, the show staff and the company has concentrated on them.

If Hasbro concentrated on bronies, Twilight wouldn't be a Princess, Equestria Girls wouldn't be on shelves, and everything would have molded hair. They'd also definitely de-pink all of the packaging.

How many of them do you know personally, and do you really interact with them often or at all?

I'm around these people frequently- in forums, in streams, in person- and have been for years now.  I can tell you one thing for certain: they don't actively collect merchandise like we do and they aren't interested in the kid's toys. Only a couple I know personally have enough merchandise to call it a collection, and in total is about as much as most of us get every four months or so.  They're fans of the show, not toy collectors.

How can they ruin the toy line when they as a whole have almost no interest in it? Or, again, when the bulk of them are still in high school and have very little or no money to spend?
 
What exactly have you seen that gives you the impression they're the focus of what you see in the toy aisle? Because I'm not seeing it.

You know, that whole fandom has pulled a lot of crap that made me not want to consider myself a part of it anymore, even if I am around them a lot.  Even so, if I'm going to blame them for something, it's going to be for something that's actually their fault, and not just out of blind hatred.

DitzyDoo, DrHooves, DJPON3, Octavia, Lyra..

These are just a few things.

I honestly feel as though EQG was brought on by the rampant humanized "art" made by Bronies as well.

Hasbro pretty obviously just wanted in on all that doll money MH and EAH were earning. I really don't see how anyone can think it was of brony influence...Hasbro is really into chasing "hot" toy trends right now. Look at blind bags too.

Gonna have to agree with zombienixon...bronies do not buy these things. Every time merch gets announced on the big sites, there's always a big stream of "Too girly" "No molded hair, no buy" "I don't want this" "I don't want to be caught with merchandise"

The amount of bronies who buy merchandise is pretty small. Probably much smaller than the collector base.

I'll actually say that that's how I ended up on this forum to begin with. Out of all the brony type forums...NONE of them had any interest in discussing the toys or merchandise. A lot of them even looked down on people who were into it.

I can't help but wonder...if bronies did not exist, but blind bags and EQG still did, who would everyone be blaming for the stuff they don't like? Just Hasbro? Interesting to think about.

[Lore-Lei]

You can't deny bronies have caused Hasbro to warp this brand.  Whether their impact is tangible or not, the show staff and the company has concentrated on them.

Bronies have caused most warp in the show, rather than the merchandise. If the two thing I've noticed in the latter was that Bubbles/Muffins/:muffin: Pony became an actual figure, and various background ponies recieved brony-based nicknames, such as Lyra, or DJ Pon-3. And that Equestria Girls was named Equestria Girls and not Horseshoe High or something.

Thing is, bronies don't really care about the merchandise (heck, collectors are shoved into the 'rabid brony' sub-category most of the time which is the most ironic thing ever), but rather spend their money own their own creations, such as music albums, documentaries about themselves, adult magazines, pictures about their OCs, etc...

As I always say, the brony fandom is the fandom of itself.

[Portobella]

But when you think about it, there is a TON of pony stuff out there. To like the brand you don't have to have a shelf full of ponies.

THANK YOU!

I say this every time a thread like this pops up (which is incredibly often...) and I think the issue is the mentality of collectors that have been doing this since the beginning: A pony is only a toy with brushable hair and everything else is invalid.

Nope nope nope.

With both of you here. Brands change.

[Dreamer]

I've got a question...

Someone mentioned before that MLP is targeted at children who are concentrated on Shopkins nowadays...
How many years do those kids have?
Was MLP always targeted to that age range?

Because, if I'm not wrong, Shopkin fans are really little kids, but in the G1 years I heard of people who had ponies and shown them without shame even in highschool years...