Pony Merch Seems To Be Disappering From Hot Topic Stores

[Wayzer 1,418]

And I live in a country where they never really sold brony stuff and probably never will... >.<

[Overdrive 5,366]

One of the key things you have to keep in mind is that Hot Topic is not exactly a spacious store. To a degree, it is somewhat of a boutique or specialty retailer, and generally such do not occupy much space.

 

That being said, while they do sell MLP stuff, it's not the only fanbase they cater too, and said fanbases have their own merchandise. All of it occupies some amount of space, and ultimately, sacrifices have to be made.

 

With that, tastes change, fads come in and out, and as a business, they need to adapt to and with the changes in order to make money. Think about it: stores remodel, displays change, and it's done to keep customers coming in the door. It's Business 101, honestly.

 

Bottom line here is that there are several factors that go into determining what a store carries and how much of it.

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

Would you say that MLP is declining as a fandom?

It's les that the fandom is on the decline than it is that other fandoms like Steven Universe are on the ascent, there's more money to be made in stuff like that rapidly gaining new fans, the pony fandom is stable but not really growing anymore, so people are already gonna have lots of merch and maybe not be as eager to buy more as before.

 

As for Pokemon, video game fandoms are a whole different beast really.

[GXPBlast 597]

Got back from another Hot Topic run after restock. Well any little pony merch that was there last time I was there is no longer there. Not one pony related item is in stock there which is saddening

[Sunset188 193]

Reading all these latest posts is making me sad haha I've said before I noticed less merch in both Hot Topics I go to, but in the past few months they've still had funko figures, mystery minis, a few different shirts and a few other miscellaneous things scattered throughout. I will be going there on Monday but for some other POP figures. I will check for pony stuff but I pretty much have everything they have to offer anyway.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

heck, this doesn't seem to just be hot topic, the local MLP sections in *normal* toys stores seem to be shrinking. The toys R us and wal mart MLP sections have shrunk a little in the past year compared to what it used to be. hell, its hard to find some of the more obscure toy sometimes (was wanting to find a ponymania EQG fluttershy based off that time to shine sunset toy but couldn't find any)

 

"being a grown man or woman looks crepy and sets up alarms"
Omg, just....no
Because parents, aunts, uncles, etc go in the toy aisles to buy stuff for their brats, right?
I can't tell you how many times I've seen adults in the toy aisles. Invalid argument

To be honest, I almost never see any males in the girls section doing toy shopping.

It tends to be left to mothers and aunts to do the shopping for girls stuff. its just a cultural thing, not dissimilar from how people still think its the "woman's" job to raise children while the man goes to work (leading to it being incredibly hard for men to get custody of children in court battles).

While its not 100% true, it seems to be that men prefer to leave it up to their wives to do the shopping for their nieces and daughter's toys while they stay out of it.

 

 

I have no problem shopping myself for my nieces in the MLP section and looking over brony stuff, but I can see how many adult males can still feel self conscious in a girls toy aisle.

[One-Punch Man 316]

My Hot Topic never has sold much pony merch as I would like...I live in a small town, so I have to drive a state away to a place called "FYE" to get any pony merch..and it has been that way since I became a brony about two years ago. I usually buy my pony stuff online.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

The sad thing here is that there's alot of brony merch that I'd love to see made: a metal or porcelain Rainbow dash in commander hurricane armor please? for example. But if they're easing off on that... yeah, that makes the odds of that stuff less so

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

At the one at my local mall...it's still there. I've noticed a very slow diminishing of it...but I hope it won't go before season 6 starts. 

[SilyGeny 369]

Well shoot, I've noticed too that stores were kinda clearing their MLP merchandise, It's sad :/

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Well shoot, I've noticed too that stores were kinda clearing their MLP merchandise, It's sad :/

I'm going to be interested in their reports for the fiscal year coming up.

[RainbowPastel 185]

GOD IKR!! I guess MLP is not that much of a thing anymore. Hot Topic has moved on. They probably won't sell pony merch again until the big movie in 2017

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

GOD IKR!! I guess MLP is not that much of a thing anymore. Hot Topic has moved on. They probably won't sell pony merch again until the big movie in 2017

Assuming the movie's successful (crosses fingers).

Remember how much Power puff girls bombed?

[RainbowPastel 185]

Assuming the movie's successful (crosses fingers).

Remember how much Power puff girls bombed?

Powerpuff Girls movie? I haven't seen it and I'm afraid to now. Hopefully the writers meet beyond our expectations for this movie.

I'm pretty sure Hot Topic will stock loads of pony stuff as advertisement shortly before the movie comes out.

[Trixie Heartstrings 434]

Assuming the movie's successful (crosses fingers).

Remember how much Power puff girls bombed?

I think it'll do better in the box office, because that movie came out around a time when guys were still uncomfortable about admiting they liked something for little girls(even though PPG wasn't "for" little girls, people assumed it was just because it had female protagonists), so they were uncomfortable about going to the theater saying they're buying tickets for it. Now, even though there are still people like that, there are more people open about liking MLP.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Powerpuff Girls movie? I haven't seen it and I'm afraid to now. Hopefully the writers meet beyond our expectations for this movie.

I'm pretty sure Hot Topic will stock loads of pony stuff as advertisement shortly before the movie comes out.

The movie got slammed by critics for being "too dark" for a little girls movie, and parents didn't want to take their girls out to it because of the darker content. The adult fans were being counted on to help, but the male fanbase failed to turnout, leading to it being a wash.

 

Its actually not a bad movie, and most people that I've talked to liked it very much, but its a very sad example of a movie bomb. (In my personal opinion though, I didn't enjoy it because I didn't want a prequel movie, and mojo jojo is one of my least liked villains.)

 

 

I think it'll do better in the box office, because that movie came out around a time when guys were still uncomfortable about admiting they liked something for little girls(even though PPG wasn't "for" little girls, people assumed it was just because it had female protagonists), so they were uncomfortable about going to the theater saying they're buying tickets for it. Now, even though there are still people like that, there are more people open about liking MLP.

 

True, but PPG is a brand with FAR less stigma than MLP, so its still a bit of an uphill battle. PPG doesn't have the 20 year "Ultra girly" stereotype attached to it that MLP does: Most people nowadays still only know it for the 80s.

 

[GXPBlast 597]

Finally the hot topic near me has some new pony merch. Recently found a MLP bracelet and Princess Luna plush.

Edited October 24, 2015 by GXPBlast

[MEOWKB48 1,864]

Tbh the one around here never had much mlp stuff to begin with.

[GXPBlast 597]

I think Hot Topic is abandoning Pony Merch, its been almost a month and my Hot topic has only one funco shining armor that has been on the very top shelf for months. No other pony merch can be seen, its very sad.

Edited May 22, 2016 by GXPBlast

[Guest]

I think Hot Topic is abandoning Pony Merch, its been almost a month and my Hot topic has only one funco shining armor that has been on the very top shelf for months. No other pony merch can be seen, its very sad.

If I recall they are discontinuing some of the Funko stuff.

 

It's the reality, but it's been 6 years man, ponies are not a big fad anymore and this fandom's time in the limelight is slowly fading. It is the way of things for fandoms.

[Luminance 2,186]

Hot Topic barely sells any MLP merchandise were I'm at. Hot Topic sells "hot" or currently "trendy" things and the Brony fandom is just another cash grab for them until it settles down. One store does not set outlook for the whole scene and other retailers still carry merch.

[Anonymous Old User Who Has Left 599]

Last time I looked in my local store, all I saw were these:

 

• Funko figurines (and just four characters at that)
• One type of shirt
• Blind bags

[Stormlight 1,371]

All I saw from the last time I entered my local Hot Topic store was three or four Funko MLP figures, and that was it.

 

I remebered they used to have a display near the front with nothing but MLP merchandise on its own stand.

[GXPBlast 597]

Since my last post in this thread my Hot Topic has not had one piece of mlp merchandise for months. Yet they still continue to carry things from shows that have been on for awhile and others that have not such as Pokemon, Adventure Time, Black Butler, and Stephen Universe. Its really saddening.

Edited October 7, 2016 by GXPBlast

[Luminance 2,186]

Unfortunately it's true for my store too. Since my last post, my local hot topic left MLP and now only carry other fandom's merch. I hope they at least promote Movie merch.