Should G5 be the gen to make the MLP franchise gender neutral?

[Plonkett 341]

It's very likely that G5 will be more gender neutral than G4 and appeal to a wider audience. Do you think the franchise should now become gender neutral with G5 and onwards? Hasbro could just give the brand a Disney-like appeal, targeting all ages instead of a specific age group. Also, according to a leak, the characters in G5 will have more fantasy oriented names, contrary to G4's cute and girly names.

Edited December 13, 2018 by vgmaster9

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

What do you mean? The ponies should be depicted as genderless?

[The Kaeya Simp 13,953]

if you are meaning both mares and stallions being equal numbers,

then no,

i believe it should be mares outnumbering stallions...

but not by as much as in G4

[Plonkett 341]

37 minutes ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

What do you mean? The ponies should be depicted as genderless?

 

33 minutes ago, Sherbert MGS said:

if you are meaning both mares and stallions being equal numbers,

then no,

i believe it should be mares outnumbering stallions...

but not by as much as in G4

No, I mean the show's target audience.

[Colt 45 148]

I think it will still be primarily geared towards females, as the franchise has for many years. The themes and overall tone are usually more fit to females, as it is about magical horses. However, this doesn't limit who will watch it. G4 was intended for females, but the whole brony thing started unintentionally, so it might happen again.

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

It's okay either way, condition of gender and sex is not a limitation to me.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

I think it should be. The creator of MLP, Bonnie Zacherle, had originally wanted both boys and girls to be able to play with plastic toy horses. And Hasbro seems to be slowly reaching for male audiences, with their more action figure-esque pony toys and purple packaging lately....

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

I think the show has taken pretty big steps in diversifying it's audience with g4 already as the narrative and the characters hold more value in the storyline I think which enriches the entertainment value. 

Though I don't think they have really marketed the series much to other audiences but the structure of the show already is a big factor when determining the audience.

[Midnight Solace 5,129]

I don't really see why all the ponies need to be genderqueer... We like them as who they already are, and to be honest, I think it would be weird if the ponies all had no gender.

[Prospekt 10,984]

One might be able to consider G4 the most gender-neutral generation of the My Little Pony franchise because of its incredibly diverse demographic. While I'd guess that young girls are still by far the majority of people who watch the show and buy the merchandise, it's clear that Friendship is Magic did away with many of the stereotypical girly themes and topics that dominated earlier incarnations of My Little Pony.

Now, note that I said "gender-neutral" instead of "genderqueer" or "agender." While the ponies we see are mostly female, their gender isn't really the focus. They are written a lot more gender-neutral now, often mixing together masculine and feminine qualities rather than all being obsessed with things that are stereotypically feminine. I've come across multiple people on the internet who originally thought Rainbow Dash was male, because of her "masculine" need for speed and athleticism.

I'd be totally fine with G5 using the same approach. It's good for the majority audience to have strong female role models who don't present as overly girly.

[heavens-champion 1,893]

On 12/13/2018 at 5:48 PM, vgmaster9 said:

Also, according to a leak, the characters in G5 will have more fantasy oriented names, contrary to G4's cute and girly names.

Why new names? 

[BornAgainBrony 2,395]

On 12/13/2018 at 11:08 PM, Midnight Solace said:

I don't really see why all the ponies need to be genderqueer... We like them as who they already are, and to be honest, I think it would be weird if the ponies all had no gender.

Or just the characters personalities as if they're genderless. In a perfect society the only time that ever needs to be a factor is when characters are attracted to each other, (rare in G4 anyway) or personal body issues come up (not gunna happen).

Edited December 22, 2018 by BornAgainBrony

[heavens-champion 1,893]

On 12/13/2018 at 11:08 PM, Midnight Solace said:

I don't really see why all the ponies need to be genderqueer... We like them as who they already are, and to be honest, I think it would be weird if the ponies all had no gender.

I don't think that's what gender neutral means.

[AlbaTross 1,581]

Personally, I don't think the new series would have to bend over backwards.  This show reached a larger audience even while staying true to its intended target audience.  I fail to see why any future MLP series should need to compromise what it's all about just to try and reach a broader audience.  FiM reached broader appeal than past shows not because it had a different audience in mind, but because someone decided that they should put actual effort into the series and not just take a dump in a bag and slap the word "princess" on it.  Good storytelling is possible no matter who the story is intended for, and appeal outside of said demographic is far more likely if it's good than if it's not.  

[chirox the pony 1,334]

Didn't think I would be back this quickly. Well seeing as G5 speculation has already begun I guess it's time to get involved in the long build up to it's eventual release. 

Anyway as far as I can tell the current mane 6 characters are all due for a comeback so I doubt their names are changing. Those are now iconic characters so it wouldn't make sense to change their names. As for other characters I'm not sure why that is a specific aim of the crew working on G5. I mean names like Tirek, discord, Chrysalis were already very fantasy oriented. Either way I have no problem with it. 

And as far as I know the new gen is aimed at a much broader audience as Hasbro knows it can sell to a much broader audience. My only concern regarding this direction is that the team will try too hard to make things dark and edgy which might compromise the appeal of the new show. I'm ok with a more mature tone but I ask that they not drop terms like "cutie mark" or "friendship power" or all the horse puns. That was part of the charm of the current gen. They could say all this stuff which would sound completely stupid in normal conversation but we all took it seriously. 

[chirox the pony 1,334]

18 hours ago, Bas said:

What makes you think that?

Based on the info so far they want to take G5 in a more mature direction. I'm sure this can be done (especially given who is working on it) and that this can be done well. My hope is that it will be similar to how Faust initially envisioned FIM. However history has shown that sometimes when creators try to take things in a darker direction they can try way too hard and pull off themes and plot points which make no sense and are simply used to show off how "adult" their content is. Although based on what I've read I'm not seeing any signs of that from the writing team itself so things should be ok. I imagine we'll get more finalised and official information on G5 during the next comic con. 

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

On 12/13/2018 at 8:08 PM, Midnight Solace said:

I don't really see why all the ponies need to be genderqueer... We like them as who they already are, and to be honest, I think it would be weird if the ponies all had no gender.

 

On 12/22/2018 at 10:03 AM, heavens-champion said:

I don't think that's what gender neutral means.

Yeah, the OP was talking about the target audience.  Y'know, targeting a wider audience of both boys and girls.... which, if you think about it, they kind of accomplished already, y'know?    But I get what the OP meant.  But the phrasing was kinda funny.  At first, the title made me think it was referring to genderless ponies.  The equine J'naii.  That gave me a chuckle.  But you know, it could be interesting if the ponies encountered an androgynous species like the J'naii, in some far off place beyond Equestria.  Y'know, like the Kirin.  That'd be cool.  Probably a bit too adult, though.

Anyway, in my answer to question, I think some subtle changes to appeal to a wider audience might be okay, but I think that, by and large, the show should keep the female-oriented sort of feel.  I.e. It should be a female-dominated cast and should continue to sport a general style typically associated with femininity.  Now, obviously, the overly stereotypical, saccharine, cloyingly girly nature of G3 was, in my opinion, a train wreck, but it's the feminine sort of feel of FIM that drew me in initially.  (And then the dynamic, deep characters is what kept me around.)  I'm a male with a strong feminine side, and it's really hard to find a show (or anything for that matter), that scratches that itch.  What makes FIM so great for me is that it is a feminine, female dominated show, but it doesn't really try to be, per se.  It just is, naturally, while at the same time having really great, proper, interesting stories.  I really don't want it to just be more... just, like, gender-neutral Disney or whatever.  We have enough of that.  I can just watch Disney movies.  I want MLP, whatever it's shape or form, to retain that female-centric vibe that makes me feel... like I have a place I can go to... to feel that side of me come out...  y'know?

Not to mention the fact that it's really difficult to find a female dominated cast in entertainment that dynamic, well-written, interesting, not accessories to males, not put there just for sex appeal, and not just a gender-flipped version for the express purpose of being diverse and p.c., like the new Ghostbusters.  FIM effortlessly manages to fit that bill perfectly.  It's a dynamic, excellent female cast that just feels natural.  I.e. It doesn't feel like the writers just said, "Whelp, we'd better make them all female because diversity."  I guess it's a fine line, but it just feels like the FIM cast is female because that's just who they are, and that's just the story the writers wanted to tell.  I know it's because they wanted to connect with their typical target demographic, but still, it doesn't feel forced.  I really like watching female characters (y'know, good female characters), and I don't want to lose that female dominated cast in a world where it's hard to find.

[Megas 27,061]

Just make the show they want to make. If they want to appeal more to boys, just do it by being itself, don't try to bend over backwards and pander to them like they tried to do with shit like Guardians of Harmony. The reason why the modern rebranding and packaging works so well is because they try too hard to cater one demo or the other, just puts the characters front and center

Edited December 29, 2018 by This Whomps

[Splashee 28,537]

I like it that MLP is all about "the girls/mares". It is interesting to me, as long as they are not so "girlish", doing too much "girlish" things.
 

G4 did a good job at this already. G5 don't need to improve on this in my opinion.

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

MLP is for little girls. I think we all know it and was expecting to see it.

It's about a magical land full of ponies and unicorns with rainbows. They even have shiny diamond ponies, come on.

If MLP becomes gender neutral and still manages to be a good show, then it's fine, but it would be something very different, and would be different to why I liked FiM in the first place.

[Goat-kun 2,497]

Make MLP for girls and G.I. Joe for boys. Profit. Separating IPs by gender?! A truly revolutionary idea, I know.

[EpicEnergy 22,072]

I wouldn't mind if G5 was gender neutral, just as long as it's good.

[Splashee 28,537]

Only if the stallions are designed better than in G4

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

So far it looks pretty feminine with the clothing changes and the pink water, but it could get there eventually.

[Fritzy 1,690]

Maybe. Given the franchises reputation of sticking to a female target audience since it’s inception it’s highly doubtful it’ll happen.