Jointed ponies: yay or "neigh"?

[sd_dreamcrystal]

The concept has been around for a while, but the execution is never done well.. Thing is they try to keep the joints as simple as possible and with G4 ponies their body style really doesn't even accommodate that well.

I've seen jointed horses done before and they can look really nice, though the joints are complex...

One of the issues I've noticed with the Jointed G4 ponies is that their joint are designed like doll joints, which in most cases can turn a full 360°.. which is something even a human joint cannot do plus the joint anatomy in general is wonky. I only bought one to study the joints and see what will work and what will not..

[Pinkie21]

Nay.  I've particularly never understood the obsession with articulated EG dolls or ponies.  The joints make the ponies look clumsy and weird-looking.  But I'm not some artsy photographer, so I don't care about putting ponies in cute poses or any of that stuff. 

[Wardah]

While I picked yes tbh I'm not sure why I like the idea so much. With dolls I only really care if the arms are posable because it makes them more like expressive individuals instead of a row of clones on my shelves. But with ponies it's harder to come up with poses that make them expressive yet still standing. I'd really just like to be able to make them sit or maybe raise a front hoof.

[Miniature Sheep]

If it was done well, I'd be happy with poseable ponies as a variation. That said, I'm not really 'involved' enough with ponies to bother with actually posing them.

[Moonbreeze]

Ish? I'm not to fond of the new G4 ones or the G1 vinyl thingies.

Most G2 ponies look kinda awkward too   But Light Heart was one of my favourites when I was younger, because she could be posed
http://lavenderlagoon.weebly.com/1997lightheart.html

[Broken Irishwoman]

No, yikes! It always turns out looking awful anyway. That said, the baby ballerina ponies are one of my favourite sets.  I'm pretty sure it's their leotards that saved them from looking awful.

[suzy.66]

Are any Hasbro staff reading here? Maybe we can feed them some ideas, haha

I'm no fan of joints in general.
1) They look out of place. I love the overall smoothness of ponies when you touch them (and I prefer the G1 touch to the G4 touch as well, G4 often feels too glossy), and joints always "break" this smooth surface.
2) They are often made out of different plastic, so they fade or discolour differently from the rest, and that looks bad.
3) Joints often tend to wear out and then they are too loose, or the opposite happens - they get dirty/dusty/whatever reason and something blocks them so they do not move at all, oftentimes in a weird position (of course!).
4) Depending on how they are constructed, they pose another possible source for rust.
5) Everything that can break will break at some point. I'm still traumatised from that decapitated Barbie in my childhood.

+1 with all of what Shileah says
Even if they put wires hidden inside ot will be too much, also the outside plastic will have to be more "elastic" to move and usualy is not good looking or just not good quality.
For me a well designed soft plastic toy doesnt need any extra: its perfect how it is

[Wardah]

The only one I have seen that was able to achieve a good sit was that one G3 with the posable back legs. Not a single one of the posable G4s has been able to do a good sit.

[Shimmer Mist]

I like the jointed ponies we've gotten so far ( the new G4's are particularly creepy. ) But I do have to agree they don't look the best. Personally I think that any type of jointed pony are always going to look weird or feel off since MLPs are designed to be static dolls that don't move much save for a head rotation. Even if  more thought and budget were put into them so they'd be more like action figures or ball jointed dolls they'd still have a ton of segmentation which might not jive too well with the various MLP styles. The only example I can think of are those highly articulated Pokemon figures. They're gorgeous l but if I look at them for too long the multiple joints become glaringly obvious and rubs me the wrong way.

Here's that D-Arts(?) Mewtwo from the back. x-x
http://www.animetoynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/20130516-095905-e1368803566692.jpg

[BerylBreeze]

I like them but I think it would be better if they had molded hair (feels like I'm messing it up every time I'm posing her!) or more head movement (at least for an up/down movement). I don't mind visible joints at all since I already collect similar toys, but yes they can look very out of place on smooth characters!

They suit better as being a side toy, the main toyline should just have the head (especially with G4's "one pose fits all" style).

[SummerSkye]

It doesn't work on small toys, IMO. They just end up looking weird. 

[Sparkle Pony]

I like the idea of a jointed pony, but I think that MLP's style does not adapt well to this kind of thing.  The designs are already stylized after all, so jointing it can make you realize how wonky the design is.

[Wardah]

I haven't seen it in action yet but I think I might prefer how the Loyal Subjects did it to how Hasbro's most recent effort did. Simple joints at the body and most importantly a neck joint instead of knee joints. The Hasbro articulated ponies have always looked at the sky if you try and sit them which looks awkward. The new ones actually look good in a sit minus the neck which ruins it. I would rather sacrifice an extra joint and get a neck joint.