Retro rereleases and how to do them right

[Baby Sugarberry]

*so much headshaking over the pose choice*

There was a /reason/ the FF pose was retired in favour of the updated 'collector' pose after less than a year, and that new pose was used throughout the original G1 run - because the Flatfoots were terrible for playing with!  Nobody wants a pony that can't stand up on their own hooves, silly Hasbro.  Not to mention the retool looks even droopier and sadder than the first FF's, poor things.  The smaller eyes showing more white didn't help the overall appeal either.

[Wardah]

The Retro SSC doll Bridge Direct released last year was successful enough that they are expanding on it and adding more character. I find it amazing that a small company can do better on a retro rerelease than a big company. They are not just popular with collectors but with parents too. Too bad the G1 MLP rereleases never caught on with parents but perhaps it was just too soon. I think a lot of people who grew up in the 80s and put off having children until they were more financially stable are buying things for their kids now. And these nostalgic parents have more money at their disposal than parents who had kids right out of high school or college. Of course that is just my observation and I wish Hasbro would give retro rerelease brushables a try or at least license them out to someone who will since even tho I like the MLP G1 Action Vinyls, they are not the same.

Wish SDCC repro doll?

SSC = Strawberry ShortCake

Bridge Direct seems to be going all out this time. They are doing 3 single packed dolls and then 3 2-packs. Can you imagine how cute a mommy and baby set would be?

I just think it would be great to get some G1s out there that people can customize guilt free.

[ponyqueen]

Yeah why would they make repros of the less popular sets? Why not retro rereleases of TAFs? Or Twinkle Eyes? Or Flutters or princesses or brothers? How about it, Hasbro? It's not too late!

[Al-1701]

Hopefully the Loyal Subjects will have more luck.

I agree with pose and choice of ponies was a problem.  Transformers get releases of iconic characters.  You can buy the entire set of almost voyager class Constructicons to make a Devastator that towers over just about everything.

The collectors and Rainbow Ponies were far too "samey".  The collector ponies had simplistic designs and were all posed the same.  The Rainbow Ponies all had the exact same hair colors and styles.  And you can only buy them in sets of three's?

The Twinkle Eyes, Twice as Fancies, Princess, and some of the more notable So Softs would have been better choices.  The Midnight Castle crew would have been better.  I agree with the one who suggested Firefly, Medley, Moodancer, Glory, Applejack, Bow-Tie set.  The "Movie Star" set (Wind Whistler, North Star, Gusty, Buttons, Shady, Magic Star) would be another good set to release (especially if they're the Euro versions).

There are your first five sets.
1st Set (Beginning 2007): Firefly, Medley, Moondancer, Glory, Applejack, Bow-Tie
2nd Set (Beginning 2008): Masquerade, Whizzer, Fizzy, Galaxy, Sweet Stuff, Gingerbread
3rd Set (Beginning 2008): Wind Whistler, North Star, Gusty, Buttons, Shady, Magic Star
4th Set (Beginning 2009): Dancing Butterflies; Milky Way; Up, Up, and Away; Love Melody; Sugarberry; Sweet Tooth
5th Set (Beginning 2009): Tiffany, Sparkle, Primrose, Serena, Royal Blue, Starburst

License to print money approved.

[LadyMoondancer]

Yeah why would they make repros of the less popular sets? Why not retro rereleases of TAFs? Or Twinkle Eyes? Or Flutters or princesses or brothers? How about it, Hasbro? It's not too late!

Probably because they didn't know what was most popular, so they just started with the very first set.

Actually I think the Rainbow ponies were a good choice.  They're probably one of the top three sets of ponies in terms of how many people had one of them as a kid.  At least the 1st set, the 2nd set didn't seem to be quite as popular.

[Al-1701]

They would have been a good choice for singles.  In sets of three, the fact they all have the same mane probably hurt the appeal.

[Wardah]

The Rainbow set might have actually done good if it was more widely distributed. Because the collectors pose set did so poorly stores didn't order much of the rainbow sets which led Hasbro to not make any more.

[Ribbs]

I agree they could have done way better with the retro re-releases. Packaging them individually in original package would have been much better. The back card stories for those early ponies were great! I hate how unstable the collectors pose ponies were and how off their colors are. I hope they get them right in the future if they choose to go that route again.

[Leave a Whisper]

Really? I was under the impression that the FF/CP set was popular? I know for sure the Rainbow ponies are.

[FantasticFirefly]

Really? I was under the impression that the FF/CP set was popular? I know for sure the Rainbow ponies are.

The originals, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the collector ponies. pretty much MPP-1985 are things I love the most (hard to choose though love 86' and after that year it's individual sets, or ponies and some that are so so). It wasn't the set, it was the quality for me the eye paint and hair thickness especially. box was cute, but lackluster. but for the price-point it wasn't shocking to see all those things. I had hoped for a more high end release (like a store barbie, Vs a silkstone), but inexpensive is what collectors apparently wanted from what was posted here about hasbro polling, and it is what we got.

[Leave a Whisper]

Really? I was under the impression that the FF/CP set was popular? I know for sure the Rainbow ponies are.

The originals, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the collector ponies. pretty much MPP-1985 are things I love the most (hard to choose though love 86' and after that year it's individual sets, or ponies and some that are so so). It wasn't the set, it was the quality for me the eye paint and hair thickness especially. box was cute, but lackluster. but for the price-point it wasn't shocking to see all those things. I had hoped for a more high end release (like a store barbie, Vs a silkstone), but inexpensive is what collectors apparently wanted from what was posted here about hasbro polling, and it is what we got.

Yeah the originals.

[LadyMoondancer]

I don't think a lot of people dislike the Collector ponies, but I also feel like they rank pretty low on the "OMG, that pony was my CHILDHOOD FAVORITE!!!" totem pole.  From what I remember, Year 2 was when MLP really took off and became a "gotta have it" toy.

[Wardah]

Really? I was under the impression that the FF/CP set was popular? I know for sure the Rainbow ponies are.

The originals, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the collector ponies. pretty much MPP-1985 are things I love the most (hard to choose though love 86' and after that year it's individual sets, or ponies and some that are so so). It wasn't the set, it was the quality for me the eye paint and hair thickness especially. box was cute, but lackluster. but for the price-point it wasn't shocking to see all those things. I had hoped for a more high end release (like a store barbie, Vs a silkstone), but inexpensive is what collectors apparently wanted from what was posted here about hasbro polling, and it is what we got.

I wouldn't want something as high end as a Silkstone Barbie. I couldn't afford that. Also if it was crazy expensive it wouldn't be a good alternative to actual G1s for custom bait. I would just want it to be decent quality for a decent price.

[Baby Sugarberry]

I don't think a lot of people dislike the Collector ponies, but I also feel like they rank pretty low on the "OMG, that pony was my CHILDHOOD FAVORITE!!!" totem pole.  From what I remember, Year 2 was when MLP really took off and became a "gotta have it" toy.

They're not the most popular in terms of visual appeal, and possibly more pertinently, they're very, very common in terms of overall numbers.  Not only were the collector ponies released two years in a row, they saw regular releases via mail order for the duration of G1.  I'd wager that a lot of the reason collectors only wanted to pay 5$ for a reissue is because a lot of the original vintage ponies cost that or less at the time. 

Now if they really wanted collectors drooling at their door, Hasbro would do something like, say, take a pony that never had a non-Nirvana baby version, make both mom and baby, package them up, and boom you have instant market appeal.  Nostalgia plus something new.

[FarDreamer]

Now if they really wanted collectors drooling at their door, Hasbro would do something like, say, take a pony that never had a non-Nirvana baby version, make both mom and baby, package them up, and boom you have instant market appeal.  Nostalgia plus something new.

THIS!!!  Or do releases of ponies that weren't released in the U.S. or mail orders.  Why not do something unique?