G1 vs. G4 compare/contrast: What do you love about G1 and/or G4?

[lostpony]

Hi all!  I am one third through watching G1 after being a big G4 fan for some months now, and I want to kick off a conversation about how these shows and their ponies are similar and different.

I love both shows and everything Pony.  Let's all share the wealth with each other!

So far I have noticed:
-the 80s cartoon has more violence:  G1 ponies punch bad guys and attack in groups while Twilight Sparkle was not allowed to punch Tirek in the face.  Almost every episode the G1 ponies seem to end up in bondage and there are very few stand-alone moralistic episodes, only 2 in the first third of the show, while FiM has mostly moralistic episodes and mainly just the big season-enders have significant bad guys.
-Flutter Valley's Sun Stone is very much like the Crystal Empire's Crystal heart
-Glass Princess Porcina gets to be a friend with no punishment when she reverses her attack on Ponyland just like Starlight Glimmer gets to be a friend with no punishment when she stops her attack on Equestria
-G1 ponies have "symbols" and G4 ponies have "cutie marks" but I don't yet know if G1 will go into getting symbols or if they have them from the beginning...
-G4 has everypony/anypony lend-a-hoof language and G1 doesn't seem to
-Both have Spike!! But in G1 he is much more of a baby than G4.  In both he usually gets the short end of any deal.

I love the carwash-style pony wash in Glass Princess where the ponies are tied to a conveyor belt and end up looking shocked while the Raptorians comb and style their hair...so ironic as this is what happens to the toys!  Love it!  And that makeup job...poor little ponies!

As to the toys, G1s are supple and G4s are hard...less brushable hair on the G4s, all G1s seem to have brushable hair...I love them both.  Both had official plushes too!

OK pony people, the floor is open.  What do you love about G1 and/or G4??  What do you notice is the same or different?

Thanks everypony!

[PJSparkles]

I haven't really watched much of the cartoons, but I do have lots of G4s and some G1 brushables

Generally, I've noticed that G4s are SUPER tiny compared to the other generations (except for fashion sized and the like)! It's almost a little disappointing, since I feel like I'm paying more for less material Even so, I do like how small g4s are since they take up considerably less shelf space, and it's easier to display them. I wish there were more poses!

One major difference I notice is hair quality. My childhood ponies (G1s and a couple of g3s) have this nice, soft hair that is in good shape even though I haven't really maintained them much for the last 20 years. Although, it's shorter on average than modern counterparts (except my brush n grow, of course), which makes interesting styling more difficult. With my G4s, I can kind of go crazy with making fake bangs, braids, updos, and curly hair   unfortunately, the tradeoff is that the hair quality has gone down considerably...tails are the main offenders.

What an interesting thread idea! I wonder what others will say

[Al-1701]

Beyond a lack of time and budget, the G1 cartoon had two major problems.  The first was den mother Megan.  The second was the baby ponies' broken English.  However, the setting was more interesting than G4's, as there's a sense the world is much larger than the ponies' influence.  Also, Wind Whistler is best pony EVER!

As for toys, G1 is better made and had more interesting concepts for its different lines.  Also, there was more separate characters G1 as they didn't just make the same six characters over and over.

[LadyMoondancer]

If we're going by cartoons, I prefer G4.  They basically took the best parts of MLP & Friends (the fantasy land) and Tales (in depth personalities) and combined them.

Also, as mentioned, no babies speaking in "baby talk".  The weird thing is the babies spoke perfectly normally in the two specials and the movie--in which a baby pony played a starring role--but when the series came along, BAM, "Me thinks hard 'nough, dere be way in!"  Ugh, I feel unclean just typing that.

Anyway, I like the world and characterization of G4 more.  I feel about MLP & Friends much the same as I do about G1 Transformers . . . The characters and plots seem kind of "floaty" due to the way they were produced.  My impression is, with G4, the writers meet up and sort of hammer out a plan for each season.  They most definitely did NOT do cartoons that way in the 80s.  Most writers would never meet, speak, or communicate with each other.  Which means that if So-and-So Writer has Shady being the greatest jumper ever in his script, Such-and-Such Writer will not realize it and may make Shady the worst jumper ever in HER script.  Basically each writer had the series bible to go off of and "advertise these toys" and that was it.

Soooo that meant that a G1 episode--whether Transformers or MLP--may have character actions that sort of come out of nowhere.  For example, after many episodes of the ponies not having any problem with Wind Whistler, SUDDENLY everyone is being extremely snooty and mean to her over "having no feelings".  It feels weird, like Buttons, Truly, et al just suddenly decided to become massive taunting jerks that particular day.  Same thing in Transformers, the Autobots are a big happy family, then SUDDENLY out of nowhere Brawn is accusing Mirage of being a traitor, because . . . ?????  Because the writer wanted to write a moral about "don't leap to conclusions", basically.

I do think G4's attempt to tie everything back to "friendship" has been a strain over the past two seasons, as the writers inevitably run out of "friendship lessons", and I think they would be well-served by inserting more straight-out "adventure" plots to avoid this problem.  Thumbs down on Princess Twilight Sparkle, because I think it's a real disservice to basically say: "The most awesome thing a girl can become is a princess, period, full stop" when that's, you know, not a legitimate career choice for 99.9% of the target demographic.  And not even the career that would make Twilight Sparkle happiest, IMO.

One thing that MLP & Friends, MLP Tales, and MLP FIM all share is that they feel very "suburban whitebread" to me, which I don't like.  MLP Tales was the worst offender, for obvious reasons, but MLP & Friends and MLP FIM also feel very "generic America, but with ponies" a lot of the time.  I don't like the way MLP FIM directly copies real world locations (Manehattan and so on).  Very disappointing that they make Pony New York, complete with Pony Statue of Liberty, instead of making something new and unique for their mythos.  I hope someday there's a MLP series that treats the "fantasy" element a little more seriously.

Anyway, I much prefer the G1 toys, which is what I really care about, LOL.  Much better quality, more creative, and just more characters.  The G1 comics are also amazing.

[Sunset]

I haven't really watched much of the cartoons, but I do have lots of G4s and some G1 brushables

Generally, I've noticed that G4s are SUPER tiny compared to the other generations (except for fashion sized and the like)! It's almost a little disappointing, since I feel like I'm paying more for less material Even so, I do like how small g4s are since they take up considerably less shelf space, and it's easier to display them. I wish there were more poses!

One major difference I notice is hair quality. My childhood ponies (G1s and a couple of g3s) have this nice, soft hair that is in good shape even though I haven't really maintained them much for the last 20 years. Although, it's shorter on average than modern counterparts (except my brush n grow, of course), which makes interesting styling more difficult. With my G4s, I can kind of go crazy with making fake bangs, braids, updos, and curly hair   unfortunately, the tradeoff is that the hair quality has gone down considerably...tails are the main offenders.

What an interesting thread idea! I wonder what others will say

This is due to inflation.  A single g1 back in the 80's was $5 but today would have been closer to $10.  People today don't want to pay more than they did in the past.  Instinctually, people can't compensate for inflation in their heads.  So if it was $5 before, it should be $5 now.  So if Hasbro keeps the basic pony at $5, then as money inflates, they keep having to make up that difference somewhere else.  So each subsequent generation gets smaller and  the hair loses more quality.

Post Merge: March 23, 2016, 05:07:31 PM

The things I love about g1 are the quality toys, the wide assortment of characters, and that they are more horse-like.  I adored RAMC but was not quit as in love with other specials or movie.  I had very limited acces to the show because we didn't have cable. I find a lot of the show hard to watch as an adult.  But at the same time, I hate it when it is degraded by some fans who only do it because they have no concept of how different the animation process is today from 30 years ago. 

 I did not and do not like Tales because they were too human.  I mean what was the point of them being ponies?  ( I was *not* into dolls as a child.). For me it has always been more about the toys.

G4 does have its own charm even though they look less like actual horses.  I do collect them and watch the show.  I love that Twilight lived in a library because I work in one so I was pretty disappointed to see it be destroyed.  I also wish that it wasn't quit so tied to "friendship."  I want more adventure but not necessarily more battles.

  I'm also a little disappointed how the show is (mostly) leading the toys instead of th other way around.  So instead of the toy designers creating the characters, the show animators are creating ponies meant to be background characters which gain in popularity and are being made as the toys.  So a lot of bland color schemes with single toned hair and recycled cutie marks.  And apparently only RD is allowed to have rainbow hair.

I do like musicals so I do like the tradition of songs that spans the generations.  G4 does have a lot of great songs.

I wasn't a fan of the blind bags as much until they started producing the current line with more play sets and action poses.  I'm looking forward to setting up an elaborate display with the train.

[Featherwurm]

I admit this is going to be pretty short and simple:

I'm not very fond of the G1 cartoon outside of nostalgic value (loved it as a kid, and the movies), but I'm more fond of the G1 toy-line, as there's more variety of shape, color, and theme, and the toys seem better put together overall.  I did like the G4 cartoon, in its first few seasons, though my affections have waned and I find as for toys I really only care for the blind bags, as they have more variety for their smaller size.

To me, the G1 cartoon is very poorly put together, with lackluster animation and design, plots that seem slapped together, and overall is pretty much in the 80s lines of cartoons designed to sell toys with little time, effort, or money put into production.

With newer animation software and changes in production costs the G4 cartoon, built out of the nostalgia for G1 toys has quite a bit of merit, with more care to its making it seems.  They toys seem to have suffered the inverse, with G1 the toys overall seem better designed (apart from a few issues like the flutter ponies) and with more thought given to each line of toys within the generation.  Presently the designs for G4 seem a bit stagnant in the brush-able line, seeing perpetual rehashes of the Main 6, and very little deviating from that.  I'm curious to see where Hasbro's forays into more 'action figure' like toys with more articulation will go, however, as that opens quite a lot more toy possibilities.

[Al-1701]

Knowing the ordeal animation was during the 80's (the commentary on the Real Ghostbusters DVD's explains the joy of the animation process), I'm more forgiving of the animation quality.

I think why I like G1 better is the more standout characters.  Wind Whistler spoke to me as a kid and speaks to me today than OCD Twilight Sparkle.  Fizzy's sweet naivete is more endearing than Pinkie Pie's loud and over the top antics.

[Ponyfan]

The G1 and G4 cartoons are hit or miss for me. There are some I enjoy watching and others I don't from both generations.  I watched RAMC a lot at my grandma's house growing up and sometimes I would watch some of the My Little Pony episodes on Disney channel. 

I do think with G1 the cartoons were made mainly to sell the toys that were already in production while the reverse seems to be true in G4. The toys seem to come out after they have been in the show instead of already being on the shelves around the time the episode airs.


That being said I think G1 and G4 cartoons do have a few good episodes. The original  specials are probably the best as far as the writing goes for G1


Ponyfan
G1 had a better variety with the toys and they were better quality. Some of the ponies are over 20 years old and they are still around. I'm not sure if we'll be able to say the same thing about G4 ponies.


Ponyfan

[scarletjul]

I prefer the g1 toys to G4 toys, but I like FiM to the g1 series.

The g1 toys just seem to be better produced.  They're bigger, more sturdy and they have better hair.  There's also a lot more variety, both in characters and in sets.  We're 6 years into G4, and there's still so few brushable characters.  Plus, I just find them more aesticially pleasing.

The show had *characters* I liked, such as Wind Whistler and Fizzy, but the plots were kind of thin.  I don't expect much from a 15 min, 80s cartoon but there also wasn't much there.  The Disney cartoons that came out years later were so much better.

Friendship is Magic, however, seems to have much better thought out plot lines and world-building.  Is there problems, still?  Sure.  The cutie mark crusaders bored the heck out of me and I think there were a lot of issues with last season.  They rarely use Luna.  Shining Armor came out of nowhere.  But at least there's stories to be had.

The toys, on the other hand, still leave a lot to be desired.  I'm not a blind bag collector and I get bored seeing mostly the same characters every single time.  No matter how gimmicky (and I love a good gimmick,) you only need so many Pinkies.  Plus, they're so tiny!  Too tiny for me.  So, they're not my favorites.

[Baby Sugarberry]

To me, the G1 cartoon is very poorly put together, with lackluster animation and design, plots that seem slapped together, and overall is pretty much in the 80s lines of cartoons designed to sell toys with little time, effort, or money put into production.

Mostly true points - but the G1 cartoon has to be taken in the context of the time it was made.  Animation was /incredibly/ time consuming back in the 80's if you weren't pulling a Flimation (stock motions/character sequences with just the lip-flaps being animated for most shots).  That wouldn't have really worked for MLP given the broad cast of characters.  I'd wager more time and effort was spent on the 80's version than FiM - goes to show you how much leverage technology has in regards to animation quality. 

How kids consumed the show was also very different.  You couldn't count with any reasonable certainty that your episodes would be shown in order, nor that kids would get to see all of them.  Thus every episode  / multi-parter had to more or less stand on its own and leave things at the end the way they were at the beginning, with little to no progression.  Most of the episodes I saw were rented from the video store.

FiM is inarguably a higher quality show, mostly because the standards and available resources today are vastly superior than when G1 was being produced.

Toy-wise, G1 remains the superior product, and it doesn't seem likely that future generations will improve any in that sense, given it's a bottom line decision.

[FantasticFirefly]

shows. no comparison. I know the g1 cartoons are lame. but I had a nostalgia fondness for them and they are something I will watch the odd ep of every few years when nobody else is home. New cartoons, better tech, better quality and finally marketers "get" that parents watch children's cartoons and movies so it's better to include some decent plots and jokes/references for them rather then make them suffer.  Twinks made me binge watch a pile at her house. they were really well done. I don't really watch a lot of TV at home though.

I did not and do not like Tales because they were too human.  I mean what was the point of them being ponies?  ( I was *not* into dolls as a child.). For me it has always been more about the toys.

So much this! As a tot, I didn't relate to "human" characters. I LOVED the fantasy world of magic and unicorns and pegasus ponies who could FLY. I looked like this when I excitedly tuned into MLP and "saved by the bell ponies" I mean TALES came on instead!  I was heartbroken! (my real thought at the time was degrassi jr high ponies... but I don't think those south of our border would get the reference). YEP hated dolls. I liked animals, and fantasy animals.

Toys, obviously G1 is my personal preference. Body style, the sweet eyes. I love bouncy curls, or the cute bob cut on the straight hair ponies. we got better accessories imo. sometimes a lot of thought went into colour combos of sets. I give away most g4 acc. and wish the combs came in cuter more unique shapes. But I love some of the new toys, and the symbols/colour combos on a lot of them. I much prefer the redesign to g2, g3 and the travesty that was 3.5 and prefer the sizing because I can pick up the unique characters I think are pretty while not worrying if I am still sticking to my "other gens get to share one cabinet in the office" rule.

Durability..... it seems the g4's fade quiet easily based on what I have been finding second hand, and if my research is correct some of the now banned nasties in older 80's toys keeps them looking nicer for longer. more stable pigments, more durable paints, etc. I think we may have to be more protective of newer toys for damage from play/handling and degrading under poor temp control and UV.

[LadyMoondancer]

To me, the G1 cartoon is very poorly put together, with lackluster animation and design, plots that seem slapped together, and overall is pretty much in the 80s lines of cartoons designed to sell toys with little time, effort, or money put into production.

Mostly true points - but the G1 cartoon has to be taken in the context of the time it was made.  Animation was /incredibly/ time consuming back in the 80's if you weren't pulling a Flimation (stock motions/character sequences with just the lip-flaps being animated for most shots).  That wouldn't have really worked for MLP given the broad cast of characters.  I'd wager more time and effort was spent on the 80's version than FiM - goes to show you how much leverage technology has in regards to animation quality. 

On the one hand, I agree with you.  On the other hand, "it was a product of its time, but its time was low-quality" is a perfectly legitimate reason not to like something.  (It's the reason I didn't like any 70s animation as a kid, except Scooby Doo.)

Also, "MLP & Friends" really wasn't typical 80s animation.  It was below average 80s animation.  Compare it to Thundercats or Rainbow Brite or TMNT . . . MLP & Friends wasn't "the" worst, but it was pretty bottom-of-the-barrel.

However, it did have good voice-acting, while Care Bears for example had terrible voice acting.  (Referring to the CB series here, not the movie.  The movie was great.)

[Baby Sugarberry]

Mm, and it's far more fair to compare it with cartoons that came out around the same time - MLP&F was by no means the best of the lot.  That said, there was no shortage of poor animation in the era.  Poor/average was far more common than good unless you were looking at stuff from Disney and a few of the overseas studios, for the most part.  A lot of shows had an absolutely brutal pace when it came to episode releases; quantity rather than quality and the end product suffered for it.   

[lostpony]

Oh yes there are a very few people in G1!  Good catch AL-1701.  Why is that a bad thing?  Please explain.

Thanks everypony for participating!  However, this isn't about Thundercats, Transformers or G3 so you are all off topic.  I'm just kidding!

What is RAMC?

As for G4 toys being tiny, yes there are those but there are also big ones.  I like the Funko Series 5 vinyls, Rarity is over 5" tall and my Cadance is almost 6" tall.  The new ones are sometimes of terrible production quality though, big gaps in the parts and seams on the faces but I found some played-with ones a few years old that are of really good production quality, no gaps and the seams are well finished and the material seems to be harder than the ones I bought new last December.  These seem like their colors are going to last.  So buy used ones maybe and get clear pics of the actual items, don't buy based on a standard product picture.  These look really good together with my G1s which as of today number 5! BBE Likety Split arrived with accessories including her pull duck.

I have noticed one of the animation errors I heard about:  Molly's lips did Shady's line and it was a little bit creepy.  Animation quality wasn't the best in G1 but I'm still enjoying it very much.

Don't forget to comment on the contents of the show too!  Thanks!

[FantasticFirefly]

As for G4 toys being tiny, yes there are those but there are also big ones.  I like the Funko Series 5 vinyls, Rarity is over 5" tall and my Cadance is almost 6" tall.  The new ones are sometimes of terrible production quality though, big gaps in the parts and seams on the faces but I found some played-with ones a few years old that are of really good production quality, no gaps and the seams are well finished and the material seems to be harder than the ones I bought new last December.  These seem like their colors are going to last.  So buy used ones maybe and get clear pics of the actual items, don't buy based on a standard product picture.  These look really good together with my G1s which as of today number 5! BBE Likety Split arrived with accessories including her pull duck.

RAMC - is rescue at midnight castle. guilty pleasure of mine, my favorite g1 special!

Oh I know they come in other sizes. I notice many complain about how small the "brushables" are but they are adorable and don't take up the real estate a g1 adult does, so what others see as a drawback I view as an advantage. I have a number of fashion style ponies (mostly thanks to Twinks) and found her a Zilla pony at Value Village.... I still need to find one for myself.... I sort of miss Twilight. I do like the variety and the blindbags remind me of the mini carebears/SSC figures from the 80's. I resisted them (to save money) until a friend here wanted us to collect them together. G4's actually got me enthused, mostly with more unique characters. not like "I guess I am here and try and find a pretty one" that mostly happened with g3 except for the very odd one I did love.