Generation 4

I want G4 ponies with light up-wings, Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash
 
I like the FiM series, but I've never had even a glimmer of an urge to buy any of the figures.

To me the G1s are design classics of their era. They're decorative, varied and have an appeal that the G4 toys lack. I know a good chunk of that feeling comes from nostalgia, but I still think they have a special 'something'. And I've never seen anything cuter than the G1 newborns. G4 isn't even on the same planet of cuteness!

Wook at der widdle faces! Wook at dem! Ahmaghad I'm dying!

IMG_0510_0.jpg
 
SquarePeg said:
I like the FiM series, but I've never had even a glimmer of an urge to buy any of the figures.

To me the G1s are design classics of their era. They're decorative, varied and have an appeal that the G4 toys lack. I know a good chunk of that feeling comes from nostalgia, but I still think they have a special 'something'. And I've never seen anything cuter than the G1 newborns. G4 isn't even on the same planet of cuteness!

Wook at der widdle faces! Wook at dem! Ahmaghad I'm dying!

IMG_0510_0.jpg
Click to expand...
Baby ponies are the cutest ever! I love their widdle faces and their short rounded limbs
 
ARRRGGGG CUTENESS OVERLOAD......brings tears to my eyes....

I always wondered why we only see tiny babies in G1 and G2. G3 babies look like teenagers and do they even have G4 babies?
 
@Marble Dragon These are G4 babies:
$_1.JPG


They're about half a head shorter than the "adults". They're more equivalent to normal pony babies than to newborns – there are no newborn pony toys, but there are two in the show (Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake), and they look like this:

500px-Pound_Cake_%26_Pumpkin_Cake.png
 
ladyofthenight said:
@Marble Dragon These are G4 babies:
$_1.JPG


They're about half a head shorter than the "adults". They're more equivalent to normal pony babies than to newborns – there are no newborn pony toys, but there are two in the show (Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake), and they look like this:

500px-Pound_Cake_%26_Pumpkin_Cake.png
Click to expand...


Yuck! XQ Those are almost as bad as the bobbleheaded newborn cuties. My respect for Hasbro MLPs has dropped even further.
 
Boys toylines in Hasbro get better treatment so why should girls toys get cheap plastic, more noticeable factory defects and purposely deformed molds? (Other then bayverse and rock em sock TFs) if I pick up a regular TF or action figure its better quality but when I pick up an MLP or something you can feel the difference. (I have bought some for my daughter)

Pound Cake & Pumpkin Cake look like elf hoofed hybrids.
 
Thanks for the picture ladyifthenight. Those are cute but they look very similar to the adults. I think g1 babies are still my fav.
 
ladyofthenight said:
@Marble Dragon These are G4 babies:
$_1.JPG


They're about half a head shorter than the "adults". They're more equivalent to normal pony babies than to newborns – there are no newborn pony toys, but there are two in the show (Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake), and they look like this:

500px-Pound_Cake_%26_Pumpkin_Cake.png
Click to expand...
I love the G4 babies~ Especially Scootaloo's little wings. I'd love if they made the cake babies into brushables, in that sitting pose :B
 
MandarinCupcake said:
I love the G4 babies~ Especially Scootaloo's little wings. I'd love if they made the cake babies into brushables, in that sitting pose :B
Click to expand...
They made blind bags of the baby cakes (Super TINY CUTENESS!) but no brushables.

And if you are wondering, they are in sitting pose, I think
 
I will agree that the G1 babies are much cuter than G4. Something is very lost in translation between the animated kiddos and the brushable versions. But I love the young fillies in the show dearly!
 
I actually had a bit of a theory about this...
OK so the quality of the toys is directly affected by the quality of the TV show and other media going on in that generation. This is just my opinion so if you don't agree don't get offended or anything.
G1: Great toys, not so great show (except that pilot episode which was awesome)
G4: Not so great toy-wise, much better show
This is coming from the perspective of an adult who didn't grow up watching the shows. So there's no nostalgia goggles in effect here.
 
My guessing is that maybe Hasbro is on saving. That's why the materials are so bad and they won't check the quality too often and also then contractors can take the easiest road.. They want more profit and less costs
 
Interesting interesting views presented here. Being fan of MLP:FiM myself, and not seen much of even art/pic's of previous gens (though I can remember my little sister played with them a lot in her childhood; I made a mind note that those toys looks special, but nothing more then), not to mention toys, I am rather curious to read your '80/'90 era experience. And I think I am falling into the cutiness and adoration of some of the early gens toy photos and art, featured here and there on the forum in great amount :).

But as of my view on G4 solely toys, I can say that actually I find acceptable only Blind Bag figurines, later Funko releases (Big Mac, Applejack, maybe a few other), Burger King's Mane 6 (oh, I have only Twi, which used to ride in my car haha; if somepony have others to trade/sell, I will be very glad to obtain them also!), and... that's all? I am not seeking MLP stuff deliberately, 'cause it is endless process once you allow it started :), but have seen a plenty of toys here and there... they don't represent show's characters good enough IMHO. Difficult molds, maybe? Or not enough efforts? I don't know. Also today those toys are almost exclusively (?) made in China, that doesn't bring them extra quality, I guess. They compensate this by numerous variants, cheap prices, quick releases, but... sometimes you just want a perfect visual resemblance of, say Dashie, and... you can't find anything, there is no alternative. I want to ask also - if older generations was made somewhere else, or not?

To sum up - we need more show-accurate G4 toys ;)
-----------
As for custom fan-works, on the other side, some of them are just marvellous. Some plushies for example, yay!
 
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The toys being made in China is not an excuse for poor quality. The older gens were all "made in China" or "made in Hong Kong" – in fact, any pony made in a different country was often lower quality, or at least made with different materials to the mainstream bulk produced in China. The toys also never had to be "true to the show", the shows and movies were an advertising byproduct of the toys. My Little Pony would have been a success even if there had never been MLP cartoons on TV. I believe the fact that the brand now focuses on the show first and foremost, with the toys as nothing more than a spin-off, is largely the reason why the toys are poor quality. Hasbro doesn't need to make high quality toys anymore when the TV show is constantly ensuring them sales as merchandise instead. And it won't improve unless people (especially bronies) stop paying so much for the same cheap bits of plastic over and over.
 
Hmm, quite logical! Yeah, the Hasbro is a toy company primary, and not the cartoon maker like the Disney. But shifting the accents with G4 to the show, as the main drive to buy the toys itself is a brilliant marketing idea. And it makes possible to make a great cartoon at the same time, and thats makes me, at least, happy :).

But do you really believe that bronies are really significant to toy selling? I mean, there are much more kids with their parent's financial feasibility than bronies, who are much less in number, majority of them are teenagers/students, who already must partly/fully provide their own life's needs and simultaneously has no a good payed job, they choosing toys more accurately, trading between each other, etc, etc. I can understand that such company's like Funko or IDW counts almost exclusively on bronies, but Husbro itself? Very doubtfully.
 
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