How much should a pony cost?

[reanna-mator]

I've thought about this a couple times... in the end I never come to any kind of conclusion. I was a little girl in the 80s and so most of the things I owned were bought for me. Modern day, $5 in today's money seems all right for a G4. If anything, perhaps there's something about the presentation that leaves something to be desired. Basic ponies don't come with much in the way of accessories anymore. Ribbon, sticker, comb, that sort of thing. Between that and quality control, I guess...

Lady Moondancer's point, I guess, really.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I'd pay $11 for a MOC pony produced with the care and production values of G1.   Which means not only the pony itself being high quality, but also a variety of molds, well-thought out sets, and high quality backcard art instead of copy-and-paste vectors.

Not only do I agree, I would be willing to pay as high as $25 if they went back to the original packaging and included a sticker and a ribbon!   Especially if they went with high-quality art!  They would be Art Ponies again!

[Wardah]

I'd pay $11 for a MOC pony produced with the care and production values of G1.   Which means not only the pony itself being high quality, but also a variety of molds, well-thought out sets, and high quality backcard art instead of copy-and-paste vectors.

Look at the FS ponies. They are of a similar size to G1, usually better quality, and come with a bunch of clothes and accessories. Yet while they don't sell poorly enough to end them they definitely sell less than the regular brushables. Because a kid would rather have 3 smaller ponies that can have adventures together than one big one.

[LadyMoondancer]

I'd pay $11 for a MOC pony produced with the care and production values of G1.   Which means not only the pony itself being high quality, but also a variety of molds, well-thought out sets, and high quality backcard art instead of copy-and-paste vectors.

Look at the FS ponies. They are of a similar size to G1, usually better quality, and come with a bunch of clothes and accessories. Yet while they don't sell poorly enough to end them they definitely sell less than the regular brushables. Because a kid would rather have 3 smaller ponies that can have adventures together than one big one.

Well, part of the reason Fashion Stylings show up less in stores might be due more to retailers than to kids.  Fashion styling ponies really hog shelf space. Carded ponies are more convenient in that sense.

Same thing was the downfall of the 2nd set of adult sea ponies.  Obviously the first set of adults was popular, they show up all the time secondhand.  But their boxes were big and not really stackable.  So when the baby sea ponies came out, lightweight and carded, retailers ordered them instead of Whitecap, Sea Mist, etc.  That's my theory, anyway.

But yeah, playful ponies are definitely the "default" size for G4. 

[Baby Sugarberry]

MLP is not the powerhouse it used to be in the girls toy aisle (the fact that there are still gendered aisles of toys is another discussion for another day.)  Just looking at the current Toys R' Us Christmas Catalog that arrived today?  There's one.  ONE.  Listing for MLP, Canterlot Castle.  Back in the day, MLP got at least a full page of exposure, sometimes more if there were spinoff products (like plush, clothes, sleeping bags, etc.)

So while Hasbro's profits may (or may not, I doubt they'll tell us) be higher per unit, I somehow doubt they're moving as many units as back in the 80's.  Add to that the fact that the target demographic is a much smaller slice - MLP in the 80's covered kids as young as three up to mid-teens, while nowadays it's aimed at maybe 6-10(?).  Another point of note is that the longevity of most kids' interests is shorter - we move onto newer things more quickly.  The price point MLP targets with the basic brushables is also lower, they're closer to impulse purchases, while the deluxe/fashion/Equestria lines take up the more substantial item slot. 

A single basic MLP back in the day was a full two week's allowance or more for me, not something you could grab multiple of at once.  The boxed ones were almost always gifts for birthdays or holidays or special occasions.

Editing to add:

Same thing was the downfall of the 2nd set of adult sea ponies.  Obviously the first set of adults was popular, they show up all the time secondhand.  But their boxes were big and not really stackable.  So when the baby sea ponies came out, lightweight and carded, retailers ordered them instead of Whitecap, Sea Mist, etc.  That's my theory, anyway.

The 2nd Set of Adult Sea Ponies were probably under represented in the retail market not only because most retailers didn't have the shelf space, but many of those that did still had some of the first wave in stock.  More than one person remembers trying to find them at the time they were initially on shelves but having little to no luck. 

[Sunset]

I'd pay $11 for a MOC pony produced with the care and production values of G1.   Which means not only the pony itself being high quality, but also a variety of molds, well-thought out sets, and high quality backcard art instead of copy-and-paste vectors.

Look at the FS ponies. They are of a similar size to G1, usually better quality, and come with a bunch of clothes and accessories. Yet while they don't sell poorly enough to end them they definitely sell less than the regular brushables. Because a kid would rather have 3 smaller ponies that can have adventures together than one big one.

Well, you also have to consider that the fashion styles come with even less variety of characters and still don't have different poses.  And also $11 is only 2 times as much as a playful size pony where as FS ponies are usually $15-16 (probably because of all the extra accesories) and so are 3 times as much as a playful pony.

Also, it is often less about what the child wants than what the parent is willing to spend.  A parent is more likely to placate a fussy child in the store with a small $3-5 dollar item than with something costing $10-$20

As for myself, I would be happy to pay $11 for FS sized ponies as long as there is a variety of characters and poses to choose from.

[ponyqueen]

I'd offer my services to create backcard art for the fresh look!

[Leave a Whisper]

In stores it should depend on size and quality.

 Getting a G4 MLP for 5 bucks is okay, because honestly, they're a little taller then baby ponies. Paying more then that for a standard sized G4 with no other ponies or accessories is dumb, because the quality of the plastic and hair isn't as good and the craftsmanship isnt great.  Decals for eyes, too many one-sided simplistic symbols and the quality control is cruddy.

The bagged G4s are 2.99 no hexagonal boxes, same quality as their boxes counterparts and you still get a G1 baby-sized pony.

Blindbags are super cheap and just the right price because you can sneak a peak, grab the ones you want and display them en masse because they're teensy.

I hope however that we'll see better quality and 5-6 inch ponies again soon. That will be worth 5-7 dollars for sure. I doubt they'd be eleven dollars because single G3s were the same price as G1s.

[Al-1701]

Perhaps if they made fashion style-sized ponies without the outfits for six or seven dollars.  Call them deluxe ponies.  They would be what you would get for a very good kid on their birthday or Christmas.  They have basic accessories like a brush, ribbon, sticker, and maybe a hair accessory.

And can we please get a better a body design.  Eyes that are better proportion and an actual muzzle.  They don't even look like ponies anymore.

[Leave a Whisper]

Perhaps if they made fashion style-sized ponies without the outfits for six or seven dollars.  Call them deluxe ponies.  They would be what you would get for a very good kid on their birthday or Christmas.  They have basic accessories like a brush, ribbon, sticker, and maybe a hair accessory.

And can we please get a better a body design.  Eyes that are better proportion and an actual muzzle.  They don't even look like ponies anymore.

I second that last part.Part of a pony's charm to me is the wide, face, short rounded ears, thick mane and tail  and long muzzle.

[Sparkle Pony]

I'd pay $11 for a MOC pony produced with the care and production values of G1.   Which means not only the pony itself being high quality, but also a variety of molds, well-thought out sets, and high quality backcard art instead of copy-and-paste vectors.

Look at the FS ponies. They are of a similar size to G1, usually better quality, and come with a bunch of clothes and accessories. Yet while they don't sell poorly enough to end them they definitely sell less than the regular brushables. Because a kid would rather have 3 smaller ponies that can have adventures together than one big one.

Well, I don't care much for the G4 FS molds but I suppose that's besides the point...

Honestly, my personal opinion on the whole "Hasbro is just trying to appeal to a constantly shifting market with little retention" thing is that they dug themselves into that hole on their own mostly.  They shovel out cheap samey toys and surprise, there isn't much long-term interest.  It's kind of a chicken or the egg scenario, and I'm sure that there was contributions from both consumers and Hasbro on this, but I think it's more on Hasbro for not treating its audience with respect.

[Al-1701]

Honestly, my personal opinion on the whole "Hasbro is just trying to appeal to a constantly shifting market with little retention" thing is that they dug themselves into that hole on their own mostly.  They shovel out cheap samey toys and surprise, there isn't much long-term interest.  It's kind of a chicken or the egg scenario, and I'm sure that there was contributions from both consumers and Hasbro on this, but I think it's more on Hasbro for not treating its audience with respect.

That's been my view.  A kid is more likely to lose interest in something when it only provides more of the same over time.  A kid might take more interest if they go into the pony section and find characters (not variations) they don't have and are new.  Parents are also more likely to buy a new character (not a variation of a character their kid already has).  Yes, there is more competition for kids' attention, but that should be a reason to make a wide diversity of ponies to grab their attention, not settle for the brand being disposable.

[scarletjul]

I agree with the general sentiment here.  I would gladly pay $11 for a pony that had the quality of a g1 and wasn't so *tiny* (that last part is a personal preference.).  But MLP wants to be a pocket money toy, I think, rather than something worth half an allowance.  $5 isn't much, after all, in this day.

$11 can buy you some decent toys.  There are Lego sets and Barbies in that price range, and both seem to be of nicer quality than your standard $5 pony.  There are times when I'd much rather spend the extra money.

[Honeycomb]

I'm an 80s child, and my herd consisted of about 30 MLP, some from fleamarkets.
I have no idea how much they were back then in Germany, but they were not cheap. I got them for birthdays or Christmasses, and I remember getting the twins Sticky and Sniffles when I was in hospital. They were not something to just grab and buy. We always had rows in front of the pony aisle.

I can still vividly remember my dad's refusal to buy me more. "They all look the same." What?? Back then this was so not true, but today? I wonder how parents can justify buying so many that look absolutely identical, especially in pose.

[Wardah]

Honestly, my personal opinion on the whole "Hasbro is just trying to appeal to a constantly shifting market with little retention" thing is that they dug themselves into that hole on their own mostly.  They shovel out cheap samey toys and surprise, there isn't much long-term interest.  It's kind of a chicken or the egg scenario, and I'm sure that there was contributions from both consumers and Hasbro on this, but I think it's more on Hasbro for not treating its audience with respect.

That's been my view.  A kid is more likely to lose interest in something when it only provides more of the same over time.  A kid might take more interest if they go into the pony section and find characters (not variations) they don't have and are new.  Parents are also more likely to buy a new character (not a variation of a character their kid already has).  Yes, there is more competition for kids' attention, but that should be a reason to make a wide diversity of ponies to grab their attention, not settle for the brand being disposable.

Honestly interest in MLP dropped back near the end of G3. It's what prompted them to go onto Core 7 mode. Ever since then they tried to generate interest with characters rather than the "gotta collect em all" mentality of LPS. But the truth is if you aren't whatever the current trend is you might as well not exist. Currently it is Shopkins but before that it was Squinkies. Too bad Hasbro is stuck on pushing the same familiar brands rather than come up with something new and exciting.