Why Was Certain Stuff Lauren Wanted Not Allowed

[The Fiery Brony 32]

I'm talking about the stuff in the shows early stages of development.

 

When Lauren was commissioned to make Friendship is Magic, there were certain things she wanted that weren't allowed.

 

The royal sisters original names were Queen Celestia and Queen Luna. This would have made so much more sense, and for some reason it wasn't allowed.

 

Originally, the ponies were the characters from G1. Firefly, Suprise, Posey, Sparkler, Twilight Sparkle, and Applejack. I don't get why most of these weren't allowed when some were. They said it was because of rights, but Twilight and Applejack made it, and Tirek made a return in G4. This is just my opinion, but I think these designs look a bit more classy, and they would have been virtually the same characters.

 

Why were both of these banned by Hasbro?

Edited February 22, 2015 by The Fiery Brony

[NuclearBurg (Dawn) 622]

I have a small explanation for why they became princess Luna and Celestia. Maybe it was the fact that little girls tend to like princesses quite a lot. So they thought "let's make them princesses instead just so they like them more". So it was probably just marketing purposes (kind of)

[MysticShine 529]

Hasbro screwed with a lot her ideas. The Queen to Princess thing was because Hasbro believes Queen has a negative connotation in children's fiction.

 

I have no idea with the characters thing though. I'd like it better if they just created new characters.

[Sobana 100]

Hasbro was playing off the Disney rule of "Queens are evil" and thought kids would be less likely to buy a queen toy over a princess toy. Fun fact, G4 is the first generation of pony toys to make toys of the show's villains.

 

As for the reason of changing the ponies names, it was because of copy right issues. Most of the characters either lost their copy right protection since G1 or were unable to become trade marked names. The only name that survived from G1 was Applejack.

[The Fiery Brony 32]

I guess that makes sense, but the thing is that Celestia is not really a princess. She is a god, a queen, and a military leader, but not a princess. The general consensus about princesses is that they flap around, do nothing, wait to get captured, and get saved by a male. I guess it's very respectable that Lauren changed this with how serious and wise the regal sisters are, but the name still doesn't sound very fitting.

 

Still, it's just a minor gripe and in terms of the show it means nothing. Every country in the real world has different customs and names for their rulers, so I guess it would make sense that the Equestrians refereed to their rulers as princesses.

Edited February 22, 2015 by The Fiery Brony

[Megas 27,070]

I'm talking about the stuff in the shows early stages of development.

 

When Lauren was commissioned to make Friendship is Magic, there were certain things she wanted that weren't allowed.

 

The royal sisters original names were Queen Celestia and Queen Luna. This would have made so much more sense, and for some reason it wasn't allowed.

Because Disney

 

 

 

Originally, the ponies were the characters from G1. Firefly, Suprise, Posey, Sparkler, Twilight Sparkle, and Applejack. I don't get why most of these weren't allowed when some were. They said it was because of rights, but Twilight and Applejack made it, and Tirek made a return in G4. This is just my opinion, but I think these designs look a bit more classy, and they would have been virtually the same characters.

Because copyright

[Sobana 100]

Yeah, there is much head canon that princess is simply a political title. The highest rank that one can attain. Based on achievement rather then bloodlines. After all, kings and queens do exist in that world. In our world, the only way to become a princess is to marry a prince. Even if you are born of a king and queen, you are not considered a princess.

 

I'm fascinated by the subtle differences in the two meanings.

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,706]

I guess that makes sense, but the thing is that Celestia is not really a princess. She is a god, a queen, and a military leader, but not a princess. The general consensus about princesses is that they flap around, do nothing, wait to get captured, and get saved by a male. I guess it's very respectable that Lauren changed this with how serious and wise the regal sisters are, but the name still doesn't sound very fitting.

I wish the Disney use of the title princess and queen would stop. Stating the obvious but unless Celestia's and Luna's parents are still alive, they should be queens; I agree that that title is more fitting.

Edited February 22, 2015 by Krovavaya Luna

[sweetolebob18 724]

The PG version of something Harlan Ellison once said is "Studios need an extra screen credit.  In addition to written by, produced by, etc., they need 'concept screwed over by'"

 

It is my understanding Faust left over creative & artistic differences.  (She thought they were neither creative nor artistic & wanted to be different)

[dragoonanime 39]

Why is it that Faust was not able to use the original character designs when Hasbro has been able to sell all of the g1 material lately?

[NamelessHorse 59]

I've wondered how many of Lauren Faust's ideas were sidelined simply because the powers that be didn't see the show's popularity coming.

 

Hindsight's 20/20, you know.

[Red Cedar 1,407]

Hasbro believed the title of Queen was synonymous with evil, thanks to Disney, so Queen Celestia became Princess Celestia. (And then they perpetuate the stereotype with Queen Chrysalis.)

 

The ponies' names were changed to names from G3 because the G3 names were already trademarked and the G1 names weren't. Twilight Sparkle is actually based on a G3 pony named Twilight Twinkle, who had the same colourings and cutie mark. I can only assume they let Applejack's name slide because of tradition - she's the only pony to be featured in all four generations of MLP.

[Nnoitra 9]

Because Queens are evil, At least according to Disney

[Tetrakemy 221]

1. Because Disney made Queen a villain in any series for little girls and boys and adults everywhere. It is Disneys fault that the queen is automatically evil! There has never been an evil princess in Fiction. Always a queen.

 

2. Probably has to do with past ponies and who owns the rights for that particular character? I am not sure. Plus, those names suck donkey whatevers. 

[yeet 2,026]

I'm pretty sure she wanted some darker stuff in there. I don't think some of it was suitable for the target audience. I may be wrong though.

[Marimo 555]

Why is it that Faust was not able to use the original character designs when Hasbro has been able to sell all of the g1 material lately?

While they can sell stuff like boxsets of episodes the older show, they didn't exactly have copyright to make new toys out of characters like Posey or Surprise. In some cases they'd need names that they could actually own, like instead of just Twilight, Twilight would need to be named Twilight Sparkle.

 

However, can I get a source directly from Lauren stating that she wanted to use the G1 characters specifically but was denied, instead of just her using concepts and characterization she had thought of for the G1 characters and transplanting them into new characters from the start? Because I recall seeing Lauren say that Hasbro asked her before starting development to include Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

[Lucky Star 971]

I always thought that Celestia and Luna kept princess because they ruled together.

as far as Queen's go, there can only be one, right?

 

and after Luna was banished I would like to think that she kept the princess title in remembrance of her

sister, Luna.

 

But it makes more sense for it to be scrapped in favor of Disney madness.

I mean even adventure time calls their Queen's, princess's.

it won't be long before Webster has to change a definition. lol

[Jangocoolguy 433]

Princess = more $$$ than queen, and that's all you need to know.

 

Also, they couldn't used those Gen 1 character names & designs because of copyright reasons

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,152]

Companies sometimes like to have a hand in something that has their name on it.

 

I remember when Toho was making "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Daikaiju Soukougeki" and director Shusuke Kaneko has wanted to use the monsters Varan, Anguirus, and Baragon as Godzilla's chief adversaries. Toho said no, and while they kept Baragon, Varan and Anguirus were replaced by Mothra and King Ghidorah as Toho felt they were more marketable.

 

Likewise when the show "seaQuest DSV" was running during its first season, the heads at NBC wanted to make some changes. When season 2 came around gone were the themes of education, exploration, and politics, and in came cliche'd science fiction elements like lasers and aliens. The show would later be cancelled in the middle of its third season.

 

Now, I won't say that FiM will be cancelled anytime soon. These are just examples of production companies leaving their mark on their properties for whatever reason.

[Cirrus. 1,088]

A lot of the stuff with the older generation names not being used was due to copyright issues. The princess to queen thing was mainly marketing.

 

A big reason why Lauren left is because she physically couldn't have as much control as she wanted being 1000+ miles away from Vancouver in L.A. Trying to manage the show through phone calls and e-mail correspondence while trying to meet a production schedule moving at twice the speed of similar productions was running her ragged. Kind of like trying to hold back a landslide, It's going to keep moving.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Hasbro screwed with a lot her ideas. The Queen to Princess thing was because Hasbro believes Queen has a negative connotation in children's fiction.

 

I have no idea with the characters thing though. I'd like it better if they just created new characters.

which is still strange, since a lot of characters in their past MLP series have either been queens (and still on the side of good), or wanted to be queen, if they weren't.

Examples: Queen Rosedust of the Flutter ponies- G1

"By Right, I should be queen" song the princess ponies sing in G1

Good king and queen talked about- and seen in "Princess Problems"- G2

Good queen mentioned in the spellbook Twilight has, in "Hearts and Hooves Day"- G4

Good queen mentioned from the Crystal Empire- "The crystal Empire part 2" (?) G4

Good queen mentioned in Journal of the Two sisters- g4

Good king "King Leo" depicted as Celestia's cousin- "Under the Sparkling Sea"- G4

Good king, ruler of the deer in the Everfree forest, "King Aspen"- G4

 

sooo...yeah.....

[Ianpiersonjdavis 512]

Copyright issue for a lot of the older names not being available, the ones that were carried over to G4 were exceptions...it's a tricky subject-especially these days-the best guess I can come up with is kind of like how Marvel Studios has cinematic rights to a lot of their characters, but they sold the cinematic rights of Spider-Man to Sony which is why they had to make a deal.

 

There are a few factors as to why Celestia was made a princess instead of a queen as Lauren originally intended; being pre-Frozen, thanks to Disney there was a largely negative stigma about Queens in animated children's media were mostly (if not always) seen as evil (which would only make memes like Tyrantlestia far more prevalent).

 

Princesses are also likely to sell more among the show's target demographic as in Meghan McCarthy's own words; "Every little girl wants to be a princess." as opposed to queens who are again, seen as mean if not downright evil (see Queen Chrysalis) and sometimes ugly in Snow White's case. 

 

Cadance was originally meant to be a Pegasus-but, the toy was designed as an Alicorn princess-so, the they kind of had to run with it. 

 

And while Hasbro has the right to do what they want with the franchise, episodes like "Suite for Success" definitely seems to me more like a meta way for venting frustration between juggling artistic vision and quality with demands from the studio in retrospect...

[The Leafeon Pinkeh 3,602]

What are you talking about, I always get what I want?

 

(last name not specified, I have her same first name, dumb joke, I'm done now. It's not even true.)

[UnknownFry 169]

It all boils down to marketing reasons.

Faust wanted to tell a story, but Hasbro has to tell a story while selling toys in order to make the brand viable.

[VitalSpark 1,830]

I can only assume they let Applejack's name slide because of tradition - she's the only pony to be featured in all four generations of MLP.

 

Applejack is a more original sounding name, so would be easier to claim a trademark over.

 

I imagine with more generic names like "Firefly", "Posey", and "Twilight" there were competing toy companies that also had legitimate claims to the names, possibly claims that predated Hasbro's.

 

In our world, the only way to become a princess is to marry a prince. Even if you are born of a king and queen, you are not considered a princess.

 

 

 

 

sometimes ugly in Snow White's case. 

 

No, Snow White's step-mother is supposed to be beautiful. She is the "fairest of them all" until Snow White surpasses her beauty. But at that moment, she doesn't instantly become ugly. She must still be beautiful, just not quite as beautiful as her step-daughter.