- Joined
- Dec 13, 2005
- Messages
- 1,214
I think it's natural that we are seeing G3 ponies reincarnated as G4s.
If you think about it, G4 came directly after G3(.5); a generation that had been building character recognition for 5+ years. Nearly all of the Core 7 characters were reincarnated in MLP:FiM's Mane 6 and CMC. Skywishes and Minty were featured prominently in G3 animated features. From a marketing perspective, it makes complete and total sense to re-use characters that already have fairly strong recognition within the brand. I think this is the real reason we didn't see a return to classic G1 characters beyond Applejack and Spike (who, to be fair, was also in G3 movies as well as the live-action stage show): it would have been too risky. Why introduce completely "new" characters the existing customer base doesn't know about when there are already characters they know and love?
The My Little Pony brand changed abruptly over the course of a single year; a huge departure from what defined it in 2003 when G3 began. Continuing to use the same (G3) characters consumers are familiar with provided a smoother transition between the generations, and has the bonus effect of extending the life of the previous generations' goods just a little bit longer. In other words, by re-purposing G3 characters, Hasbro is using the loyalty of its fans to ensure the brand's popularity from the start and avoided shooting itself in the foot in terms of being able to sell off still-somewhat-relevant old stock.
Remember, as much as we'd like it to be true, by and large we collectors are NOT the main market Hasbro is catering to, and it would be arrogant to think otherwise. True, the brony demographic is kind of throwing things for a loop, but I do believe when Hasbro was planning the new line, they were thinking in terms of the majority of pony and pony-licensed merchandise purchases being made by parents of young children. It's easy to forget, but young children are not always the pony connoisseurs that we are as adults! The typical parent doesn't tend to be, either
I feel like I might be repeating myself, that I might have posted a similar thought in some other thread. If I have, I apologize; but I really do believe this is why we have seen the G4 toy line form the way it has.
If you think about it, G4 came directly after G3(.5); a generation that had been building character recognition for 5+ years. Nearly all of the Core 7 characters were reincarnated in MLP:FiM's Mane 6 and CMC. Skywishes and Minty were featured prominently in G3 animated features. From a marketing perspective, it makes complete and total sense to re-use characters that already have fairly strong recognition within the brand. I think this is the real reason we didn't see a return to classic G1 characters beyond Applejack and Spike (who, to be fair, was also in G3 movies as well as the live-action stage show): it would have been too risky. Why introduce completely "new" characters the existing customer base doesn't know about when there are already characters they know and love?
The My Little Pony brand changed abruptly over the course of a single year; a huge departure from what defined it in 2003 when G3 began. Continuing to use the same (G3) characters consumers are familiar with provided a smoother transition between the generations, and has the bonus effect of extending the life of the previous generations' goods just a little bit longer. In other words, by re-purposing G3 characters, Hasbro is using the loyalty of its fans to ensure the brand's popularity from the start and avoided shooting itself in the foot in terms of being able to sell off still-somewhat-relevant old stock.
Remember, as much as we'd like it to be true, by and large we collectors are NOT the main market Hasbro is catering to, and it would be arrogant to think otherwise. True, the brony demographic is kind of throwing things for a loop, but I do believe when Hasbro was planning the new line, they were thinking in terms of the majority of pony and pony-licensed merchandise purchases being made by parents of young children. It's easy to forget, but young children are not always the pony connoisseurs that we are as adults! The typical parent doesn't tend to be, either
I feel like I might be repeating myself, that I might have posted a similar thought in some other thread. If I have, I apologize; but I really do believe this is why we have seen the G4 toy line form the way it has.
