G2 Was Generation 2 popular?

[Pretty_pop]

Hi everyone
I’m a zoomer here so I grew up with generation 3 and then generation 4 came out when I was a tween so I wasn’t around in the days of generation 1 or 2.

I currently do not own any g2 figures but just in research it seems like I never find any or I assume they’re so rare because the boxed ones are so expensive and some of the loose ones are pretty expensive.


Was generation 2 that popular in its time?

I also never see retros of remakes of the generation 2 style and I’ve grown fond of it they kinda look less like ponies and more like Arabian horses

 

[CharmsPonies]

I know that generation 2 is one of the least popular generations and it’s actually a very interesting topic.

Part of what doomed it is simply that: it was the first NEW my little pony generation. Aka: They were changing everything everyone knew about My Little Pony. And people tend to not like change. So I know there a lot of complaints about the new style and just the fact that it was different to what people were used to. They sold poorly compared to g1.
They also were pretty adventurous with articulation and toy concepts (lots of moving legs and tails and heads) so I wonder how that impacted toy sales? Some people love that stuff but others might be turned off by it
I know generation 2 did not last very long in comparison to other generations, only being available world wide from 1997 to 1998. Afterwards it was only continued in Europe until the start of gen 3.
It also is the only generation without any tv shows, so many people who aren’t into the toys forget about it’s existence.
Because it was so short lived and didn’t sell as much, it can be really hard to find g2 out in the wild. ESPECIALLY if you aren’t in Europe where it was more popular! But it’s not impossible. There’s an antique mall near me I’ve gotten g2s from a vintage toy seller who always has tons of g1 and g3 ponies (including a boxed g2 Sundance that was only around 35 bucks!) But the majority of the time outside of that one specific stall, when I find wild vintage ponies it’s either g3 or g1.

 

[Pretty_pop]

I know that generation 2 is one of the least popular generations and it’s actually a very interesting topic.

Part of what doomed it is simply that: it was the first NEW my little pony generation. Aka: They were changing everything everyone knew about My Little Pony. And people tend to not like change. So I know there a lot of complaints about the new style and just the fact that it was different to what people were used to. They sold poorly compared to g1.
They also were pretty adventurous with articulation and toy concepts (lots of moving legs and tails and heads) so I wonder how that impacted toy sales? Some people love that stuff but others might be turned off by it
I know generation 2 did not last very long in comparison to other generations, only being available world wide from 1997 to 1998. Afterwards it was only continued in Europe until the start of gen 3.
It also is the only generation without any tv shows, so many people who aren’t into the toys forget about it’s existence.
Because it was so short lived and didn’t sell as much, it can be really hard to find g2 out in the wild. ESPECIALLY if you aren’t in Europe where it was more popular! But it’s not impossible. There’s an antique mall near me I’ve gotten g2s from a vintage toy seller who always has tons of g1 and g3 ponies (including a boxed g2 Sundance that was only around 35 bucks!) But the majority of the time outside of that one specific stall, when I find wild vintage ponies it’s either g3 or g1.

That makes a lot of sense. Come to think of it most of the g2 I’ve seen MIB are the “Mon petite Poney” and it’s probably because in Europe there were more collectors and people valuing the items.

One of my local sellers is selling a boxed g2 for $20 and that made me really reconsider if I should start collecting them she also had the g2 plushies which I’ve never seen and I bought some of the g2 McDonald’s toys in my order of g3 McDonald’s toys because she was willing to throw them in

My ick trait is when I first saw g2s I thought they were bootlegs

 

[CharmsPonies]

That makes a lot of sense. Come to think of it most of the g2 I’ve seen MIB are the “Mon petite Poney” and it’s probably because in Europe there were more collectors and people valuing the items.

One of my local sellers is selling a boxed g2 for $20 and that made me really reconsider if I should start collecting them she also had the g2 plushies which I’ve never seen and I bought some of the g2 McDonald’s toys in my order of g3 McDonald’s toys because she was willing to throw them in

My ick trait is when I first saw g2s I thought they were bootlegs

Oh wow, I had never even heard of the g2 plushies until now, how cool!

And haha you’re not the only one! I’ve definitely seen some people be confused finding g2s and saying “Is this a fakie? I don’t recognize it” since the style is very different from gens 1 or 3

 

[Pretty_pop]

Oh wow, I had never even heard of the g2 plushies until now, how cool!

And haha you’re not the only one! I’ve definitely seen some people be confused finding g2s and saying “Is this a fakie? I don’t recognize it” since the style is very different from gens 1 or 3

They do look more cheaply made

 

[Flicksi]

I know some people who started with G2 and got into collecting. But they are rare.

Part of what doomed it is simply that: it was the first NEW my little pony generation. Aka: They were changing everything everyone knew about My Little Pony. And people tend to not like change. So I know there a lot of complaints about the new style and just the fact that it was different to what people were used to.

I remember seeing a commercial on TV for the G2. It startet with an animation and I think the old G1 song. I was so hyped. And then they showed the real ponies and I was totally disappointed. Maybe it would have been different if they didn't remind me of the old ponies at first.

 

[Pretty_pop]

I know some people who started with G2 and got into collecting. But they are rare.


I remember seeing a commercial on TV for the G2. It startet with an animation and I think the old G1 song. I was so hyped. And then they showed the real ponies and I was totally disappointed. Maybe it would have been different if they didn't remind me of the old ponies at first.

I feel that way with g5 I saw the movie tho and I didn’t hate it maybe eventually g5 will grow on me but maybe it’s because my childhood was g3 and g4

 

[Moonbreeze]

G2 is my jam as a 90s kid. I thought G1 to be absolutely clunky and goofy looking when I discovered them.

I was shocked however, when I found out how they were received by the collectors (not all, absolutely not all) at the time. The hate was real. Bad sales on top of that caused them to be canceled in the US. But they were thriving in Western Europe and mainly France. I remember having both G2 and G3 in stores for a short period of time. Unfortunately Hasbro ignores G2 at the moment, not even a peep for the G2 25th anniversary

G2 had no TV show, but were included into another popular medium in Europe: comics. The UK had a series and France had two series running.

I'm glad to see that they are getting more and more love right now. And heck, I think it's the last generation to have symbols/ cutiemarks on both sides?

 

[Pretty_pop]

G2 is my jam as a 90s kid. I thought G1 to be absolutely clunky and goofy looking when I discovered them.

I was shocked however, when I found out how they were received by the collectors (not all, absolutely not all) at the time. The hate was real. Bad sales on top of that caused them to be canceled in the US. But they were thriving in Western Europe and mainly France. I remember having both G2 and G3 in stores for a short period of time. Unfortunately Hasbro ignores G2 at the moment, not even a peep for the G2 25th anniversary

G2 had no TV show, but were included into another popular medium in Europe: comics. The UK had a series and France had two series running.

I'm glad to see that they are getting more and more love right now. And heck, I think it's the last generation to have symbols/ cutiemarks on both sides?

It’s funny you mention the cutie marks on both sides sometimes g4 they have it on both sides but then sometimes it’s blank.
I would say the g1 my little ponies have that short chunky look that Shetland ponies have which I kinda like but g2 have that Arabian horse look which is different but it’s very elegant. I recently saw the g2 minty and she’s so cute you can tell she’s the blueprint for the minty we all know today.

I found a seller online recently who has a lot of them for good price and even MiB
I promised myself I’m not buying any more ponies for April but I think in may I’m gonna start adding g2s to the herd

 

[Pretty_pop]

But yeah if you look at actual ponies vs Arabian horses you can tell the inspiration for the two generations
I always thought g3s just looked like regular horses before I ever saw g1 then I was like oh I can see how the original looks like a pony

 

[Rebeldream]

I was 18ish when G2 came out and I happened across them at the store. I was very much like, “WHAT is the MLP logo doing on THOSE things??” I bought Sky Skimmer and Petal Blossom out of curiosity to check out the quality.

I was at a point in my life where everything was changing so MLP being so drastically different mirrored how I was feeling and it was bittersweet for sure. Then I never saw them again and at times wondered if they were a fever dream.

 

[Moonbreeze]

It’s funny you mention the cutie marks on both sides sometimes g4 they have it on both sides but then sometimes it’s blank.
I would say the g1 my little ponies have that short chunky look that Shetland ponies have which I kinda like but g2 have that Arabian horse look which is different but it’s very elegant. I recently saw the g2 minty and she’s so cute you can tell she’s the blueprint for the minty we all know today.

I found a seller online recently who has a lot of them for good price and even MiB
I promised myself I’m not buying any more ponies for April but I think in may I’m gonna start adding g2s to the herd

Oh yeah! I see the similarities between their real life counterparts And good to know about the cutiemark also being on two sides!

That... is my custom Minty I made a loooong time ago though and I made several G1/ G3 remix Minties

 

[Pretty_pop]

Oh yeah! I see the similarities between their real life counterparts And good to know about the cutiemark also being on two sides!

That... is my custom Minty I made a loooong time ago though and I made several G1/ G3 remix Minties

Oh that’s really funny

 

[Pretty_pop]

Since we’re on the topic of G2 look what came in the mail today!

 

[AzaleaArt]

My sister had this little pink pony that came off a keychain when I was little. We played with her with our other little fakies and her g1 ponys, she was cute but I never once thought it was a real mlp lol. Pulled her out of an old backpack full of our toys around 2018 and found out she was g2 Sundance
(Idk where she is right now but it’s this one)

I wonder if I ever saw one while I was thrifting for g1 and g3 and left them behind cause I thought they were fakies lol
It’s a shame they never got a show cause the art is very pretty and I think it would’ve helped kids accept them as my little pony better so they could’ve been just as popular as the other generations are

 

[Pretty_pop]

My sister had this little pink pony that came off a keychain when I was little. We played with her with our other little fakies and her g1 ponys, she was cute but I never once thought it was a real mlp lol. Pulled her out of an old backpack full of our toys around 2018 and found out she was g2 Sundance
(Idk where she is right now but it’s this one)
View attachment 89877
I wonder if I ever saw one while I was thrifting for g1 and g3 and left them behind cause I thought they were fakies lol
It’s a shame they never got a show cause the art is very pretty and I think it would’ve helped kids accept them as my little pony better so they could’ve been just as popular as the other generations are

It’s funny so I didn’t start collecting until end of 2016 or early 2017

Obviously I had the G3s and g4s from childhood but at swap meets usually you find ponies in a pile of other similar girly toys so I probably saw the g2s and ignored them because I wasn’t familiar with them

 

[AzaleaArt]

It’s funny so I didn’t start collecting until end of 2016 or early 2017

Obviously I had the G3s and g4s from childhood but at swap meets usually you find ponies in a pile of other similar girly toys so I probably saw the g2s and ignored them because I wasn’t familiar with them

Haha exactly I wonder how many we passed by

 

[Mario_Gusty]

At first, I was shocked by their looks... Looked more like flutter ponies than actual ponies. Now I must say I appreciate them more!

 

[Alstroemeria]

Your custom Minty looks great @Moonbreeze!

Obviously as an 80s kid I saw the G2s and thought they did not look like proper ponies. I've never passed them up if I find them in a thrift store, I just never find find them. If the price is right, I'll buy just about any MLP.

I think the G2s have some super cute accessories and have been buying some G2 lots recently. I want Sweet Berry and her kitchen. Her TAF style painting is super cute.

I do wonder if the blanks @Grace Ruby and others have worked on getting produced will increase collecting interest (and prices) of G2s?

 

[CharmsPonies]

In my personal opinion g2 is super underrated. It has a wonderfully cute artstyle, I love how lovely and naturey the aesthetic of the boxes and accessories can be and I thought it had a lot of creativity in a lot of the concepts they tried (lots of articulation and gimmicks).

Don’t take this as gospel or anything because it was just my own personal findings on a relatively small poll of just over a thousand people. But I had a poll on “Which generation is your favorite?”, and I was actually really surprised to see that gen 2 WASN’T the least popular generation? Because slightly more people voted for it over Gen 5. I think that reflects how G2 and G5 both have really similar problems of simply “Coming out directly after a super popular generation”, so of course they got a lot of hate for changing the MLP that people loved. Though the existence of bronies and how they blew MLP’s popularity up probably has increased G5 getting so much more hate than g2 haha. Just thought that was interesting ^^