The Applejack Treatment

[shimmerfluff 25]

Recently I was explaining to my non-pony loving friend about the Applejack treatment: how Hasbro didn't do much promotion for Applejack because, well, she was the most plain lookign pony in the lineup.( Her mane and skin?coat?fur? kinda blend in together, she's not very colorful, she doesn't have pretty interesting hair like rarity or fluttershy) She just looks like a very plain pony that doesn't look like the other colorful toys mainly aimed at young girls, which is part of her whole appeal but not very helpful for selling dolls. I showed my friend this picture of the Mane 6 and she immediately said "She looks so interesting, look she has a funky hat!" And that got me thinking. Because most people who like applejack like her for her character, probably. And in the show, her hat and little hairtie is part of her identity. 

Do you think the applejack problem would still exist if they included Applejack's hat in her doll kits? From a simple google search it seems like its almost never included, and that seems like the main appeal of her character.

Also, regarding G5, do you think that Hitch is also being advertised less because he needs a different pony mold all for himself or they can't figure out his pony hair or something of the sort?

[Ice Princess Silky 10,821]

That is actually a very interesting point. In my search to find interesting OCs, it seems a lot of them are identified with their accessories. Sure, Fluttershy, Rarity, etc don't really need it. But the Hasbro dolls are so generic that adding such important accessories might have helped to define her character.

After all, you rarely ever see Applejack without her hat or hairtie c:

[Partialgeek514 4,920]

I'm guessing Hasbro just thought that cowgirl/western themes wouldn't sell well compared to other themes, at least not to young girls. Hitch is likely getting the same treatment for being male. Even if mlp is now technically marketed to all genders, I'm guessing female is still the priority.

[SharpWit 2,472]

As a toy, she'd be harder to make with the hat on, and making it a functional accessory would make her look weird without since she'd need a stud or something to attach. They could get around it but I'm sure they have a graph somewhere that shows making more expensive models that could make it work just wouldn't sell as well as their basic line up. 

[Toastypk 920]

The 4de plush of her has her hat on, at least.

And the Hitch thing, I don't know why he's being pushed to the side. Maybe the boys aren't as sell-able and magical.