Will there be another generation of MLP?

[ChipsAhoyMcCoy 127]

I see it like this MLP has been around for a long time and will stay for awhile just like the Star Wars or Star Trek fandom its there and always will be. Plus Bronies will be out there for a long time just like Trekies and Star Wars geeks are still there. I dont think were anywhere near dying.

[LightningGearV3.01 52]

Generation 4 has grossed more profits than generation 1, 2, and the generation one must not ever speak of or risk insane agonizing flashbacks combined. Being a company, they will milk every opportunity to keep this gen running, so I think this gen will continue to go until about...season 7? 8, tops.

 

but if they do generation 5, I'm thinking it will be most of the younger chars in generation 4, only much older. Twi may still be there, I don't know.

 

But they now know what they need to do to make sales skyrocket. If they did it once, they may do it again.

[ChipsAhoyMcCoy 127]

  On 2014-06-10 at 8:48 PM, Steel Thunder said:

Generation 4 has grossed more profits than generation 1, 2, and the generation one must not ever speak of or risk insane agonizing flashbacks combined. Being a company, they will milk every opportunity to keep this gen running, so I think this gen will continue to go until about...season 7? 8, tops.

 

but if they do generation 5, I'm thinking it will be most of the younger chars in generation 4, only much older. Twi may still be there, I don't know.

 

But they now know what they need to do to make sales skyrocket. If they did it once, they may do it again.

I think after around season 7 or 8 like you said a gen 5 spinoff with the younger ponies being older would be awesome and the ponies from this gen could be kind of old or elders of some sort.

[LightningGearV3.01 52]

  On 2014-06-10 at 8:51 PM, Andrew15 said:

I think after around season 7 or 8 like you said a gen 5 spinoff with the younger ponies being older would be awesome and the ponies from this gen could be kind of old or elders of some sort.

It would make sense, and considering modern companies like to grind buck in little effort, its the perfect setup.

[Cassafrass 249]

I don't think that Hasbro is doing poorly with their sales, at least from what I've seen. Around here, usually there are many toys missing or having been misorganized in our local stores, and my sister loves the toys. We have tons of them, and she even has the MLP Canterlot Castle set! (she is now eight). I think they seem to be doing fine. I know she is just one girl, but if there are others out there just like her... I have a pretty good feeling that Hasbro will continue putting out generation after generation (if this one eventually dies, that is).

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,854]

  On 2014-06-10 at 8:38 PM, Fhaolan said:

Hasbro has been putting a lot of effort into moving away from being a toy company for years now. They weren't a toy company originally, you know. They made pencil cases way back when.As you say, MLP is providing a serious chunk of their revenue according to their financial statements, and none of that profit is from Hasbro-made toys. Mainly because Hasbro isn't making any MLP toys. They've licensed *other* manufacturers to do that. Hasbro only has two factories left, and neither factory is making MLP toys. All MLP products are made by someone else, under a variety of different types of licensing agreements. According to the statements I read, it's not the Equestria Dolls that are the profit margin. They *want* it to be the Equestria Dolls, because that's the market they are currently trying to compete in, so they're spinning those financial statements like that. But if you dig a bit deeper you'll find they don't actually state the actual numbers for any of the licensing deals, as if they're spreading out the licensing income from the regular pony stuff into smaller chunks, to make the Equestria Dolls revenue look larger in comparison.Anyway, that's Hasbro's goal. To be an IP-holding company who takes in the licensing money, and uses legal means to continue to hold on to that IP. They have no intent to manufacture anything themselves anymore. They won't really be a toy company at that point, but can start getting more serious about media like online, movies, etc. Physical manufacture of toys was fine before, but it's not where the profit is in the current economy. All these toy/comic/game-based movies are starting to make some serious bank and Hasbro as a corporation wants a safe version of that bank. Movies as they are, are too risky. Video games are failures just waiting to happen. IP-holding, however, always pays.So yeah, there will be more generations of MLP. The form-factor they appear in, however, isn't guaranteed. With 3D printers getting cheaper and faster every day, we're not that far off of printed toys being cheaper to manufacture than the traditional vacuum-form toys. Brushables and the like are still going to be a problem, but Build-A-Bear is turning a profit, so that shows that people are willing to pay for 'finishing' work being done to factory made shells. So having a fast 3D printer turning out the main body of pony and other dolls, and having the store worker pull customer-chosen mane/hair/whatever through might actually work out.

How much does Hasbro actually get from licences toys, such as from Build a Bear? I can probably guess, not a lot!

[Fhaolan 4,484]

  On 2014-06-10 at 8:58 PM, Poniez With Attitude said:

How much does Hasbro actually get from licences toys, such as from Build a Bear? I can probably guess, not a lot!

Actually, the profit from licensed MLP stuff is all that profit that MLP is getting. Remember all MLP stuff is licensed. Hasbro doesn't manufacture *any* MLP goods. Other people do that for them, and pay for the privilege of putting the Hasbro name on them.

 

As far as Hasbro is concerned, there is no cost for it beyond the salary for the lawyers writing the license contracts, and any second-party licensors that might be involved. Like Swarosvski for those special $100+ toys they're putting out.

 

One of my informants who works at a Build-A-Bear says she's selling about two-thirds her total toy sales in MLP toys. The MLP branded clothes for those toys are where the real profit is though, as those routinely bump a nominally $25 toy into the $75-$100 range with minimal raw material or manufacturer cost. Even if Hasbro only pulls 10% off the top per unit, which would be surprisingly low for a license deal, that adds up *fast* given that Hasbro doesn't have to put anything in other than their IP.

[BlackSnow 11]

I buy a lot of ponies, even i have a plushie!, i dont want that ponies end soon, is very sad :'(

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,162]

Like the US economy, things like these tend to go in cycles. They'll sell fine for a while, then taper off after while. As it stands, Hasbro is doing better than other business like the much maligned sport of IndyCar who can even give away seats at the various tracks it races at.

 

Granted MLP might have to go through some tests, but if FiM ends up dying down in time Hasbro will put it in hiatus for a time then it'll likely come back strong if the marketing matches the culture.